Patuxent Valley Middle School

I disagree with the last few comments. My son and daughter attended PVMS and had a wonderful experience. The teachers, principal and vice principals are all very involved with the kids. They are very caring and truly want what is best for the kids.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the last post that was submitted in Oct. 2011. If your child is struggling in his/her classes, this school is not the place to send your child. The teachers do not implement a plan for a child that is failing behind, instead, allows the child to continue to fail. This school is horrible.
--Submitted by a parent

I was never a strong student, and if your child needs special attention for academic needs, I do not recommend this school. When i went to PVMS there was a fight almost everyday and the teachers can be questionable. When I had to do math academic enrichment it did not help me because the same people that were distracting in regular class time were all in my academic enrichment class after school. When I transferred to a middle school in Carroll County I realized how far behind in math I was. Now that my sister is going through the Carroll County middle school it really shows how poor my PVMS experience was.

My three years in this school have showed that teachers take favorite students and are usually the ones that excell. For an example, I had turned in a very well written letter and a friend had turned in a letter that was not good. But I had received a lower grade than this person. This school is a good school but some teachers need to grade by work not by favoritism. Also I would like to add; Mr Danley was a fantastic guidance counsler and I believe the best the school has ever had, he will be missed. Have fun on your retirement :)

This school has a handful of excellent to outstanding teachers and a large number of mediocre ones. The guidance staff is incompetent and actually distributed childrens medical conditions in lists as handouts for a field trip.The behavior intervention program is perceived very negatively by the well behaved kids, who are largely ignored while disruptive kids are given bark bucks in excessive numbers for being well behaved a few times. Parental concerns are negated by administrators who label parents who complain as hostile. If your child receives parental tutoring and is a self motivated learner, they will do fine. If your child is shy and needs teacher support, you will need to be very persistent. The new pricipal is very intelligent and kind but the vice principal takes the enforcer role too seriously. This school generally expects children to misbehave and the administration is defensive. The GT program is boring.
--Submitted by a parent

My children attended Patuxent Valley and this school is horrible. Mainly the administration. They are not focused on helping the children at all. I am not one to say that I hate anything, but I can almost say that about this school. HORRIBLE
--Submitted by a parent

i left pvms last year but the time i was there i had a lot of fun. as a new student in the 6th grade i thought it would be hard for me to make friends and to fit in but it was not. While i was there the teachers and rest of the faculty were always there for wether it was academic problems or personal problems. I had the best time at pvms but now that im at high school i thank pvms for getting me ready for high school and everything else they did for me.my favorite part of the school was the trips and dannces went to DC,Pennslyvania and many other places.My favorite dance had to be our 8th grade dance because it was just so different and alot of fun, but if you are thinking about going to pvms it would be agreat choice.

I second the reviewer who said it is an OK school if your child is strong acdemically. If your child has any learning , emotional, or behavioral needs - try another school! In speaking to parents about the adjustment to 6th grade, I have heard the same story over and over again; unless your child is already receiving special ed services, very little effort is made to give a student help. The typical answer includes the words 'he/she needs to start taking responsibility.'
--Submitted by a parent

I love PVMS. I had a great time there and i'll miss it so much cuz' i'm moving . I love Mr.Schmidt and Ms.Sheridan!
--Submitted by a student

i went here and i loved it. i went to bad elementary school and being there really hepled feel good and helped me find my hidden intelligence that was there all along.no one or teacher knew how to ignite it,but when i came here i was rekindled with myself and i met alot of great people along the way. unfortunatley i moved in the middle of my seventh drade year. Go Bulldogs!
--Submitted by a student