Northern Middle School

I was there for 6th and some of 7th grade. I had a good experience. I have no complaints, except of course for the lockers. They are annoying. Overall, I had a very normal experience.

We had 2 kids at Northern HS. My daughter just finished her eduction and is off to college this fall.She has a partial basketball scholarship and a academic scholarship from her new college and all that wa only possible by the dedication and overall help from this school. Our son goes to our community college and is also on the way to a successfull member of society (even though it was not always easy). I am impressed and thankful to everybody there.
--Submitted by a parent

i love northern! my child is a very sucessful student there. the teachers are amazing and the kids are great! thanks!
--Submitted by a parent

NMS has gotten better in the last three years although there is still a lot of room for improvement. Fights happen rarely? That child must be hiding in those iddy biddy lockers. Fights happen all the time although I will say the administration appears to want to crack down on this. I can agree with the one person who said the Principal doesn't always know what is going on in her own school. I know from first hand experience that is true. She sometimes passes the buck to others. Overall I'd give this school a little higher then average rating. It is improving. There are some great teachers at NMS and then there are some really awful ones as well. Thankfully the principal does seem to slowly be weeding the ones out that treat teaching as just another job. True teachers are special people that have a gift. We need more.
--Submitted by a parent

I currently attend NMS and I find it is an overall good school. Obviously, there could be a few minor adjustments. For example, the lockers could have a higher quality. The school is very old and I think the lockers should be changed. The principal has control, but sometimes she seems unaware of some main problems that need to be fixed. However, NMS has a high - quality learning environment as well as good teachers. We have very good test scores and a positive attitude among most students. There will always be bullies at a school, but there are very little here and fights happen rarely.
--Submitted by a student

i am currently in the 8th grade at this school. i am excited to go to high school and get out of this school. the teacher- student ratio in some classes is 1 to 25. in three of my honors classes, the ratio is 1 to 33. i wish theyd get more teachers or something because in the harder classes i need that extra help, but i cant get that. i believe that this school lets kids get away with a lot, and the stuff they catch isnt has important has some of the stuff that goes on. In my first year, i witnessed a student on the floor getting kicked by a another student. The only staff that is the best is Mr.Poole, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Conte, and Mrs. Thames. The education given is good though. Northern has had a good history in MSA and HSA.
--Submitted by a student

My child attended this middle school for three years. I complained of harrassment and verbal abuse for three years. The administrations backbone is very poor when dealing with repeat offenders. Things never got better but worse. When is the bullying going to stop. Obviously, the 'form' they have and 'rules' are only superficial. The abuse continues and there are no stringent consequences to deal with this behavior. Teachers are around when it happens and it's not reported.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had two children attend this school. We have moved a lot and always do plenty of research to find the right school/home to place our children. We have been very pleased with our experiences at NMS. The administration/staff is phenomenal- very welcoming, supportive, and available. Discipline is taken very seriously, and I can't say enough great things about the counselors, Bannerman and Conte. They treat the students as if they were their own children. The community is very close and initially seems difficult to become a part of, but once your family is known they are very friendly and supportive as well. Great programs available even on Saturdays for students who want to advance, especially in math. Great tutors are also available. I have heard many from surrounding schools who are puzzled about how well Northern performs say they wish they knew their secret : )
--Submitted by a parent

NMS has been an excellent school for my kids. We initially thought we wanted to put our children in Anne Arundel county schools, but we were much happier with what we found in Northern Calvert County schools. Our kids have made some wonderful friends from great families who are very much involved and supportive. We have enjoyed the country setting, free from DC traffic. The discipline here has been top notch. They have several honors classes and high standard test scores.
--Submitted by a parent

It is a very good school. There are some problem students into bad things but not unlike any middle school.
--Submitted by a student