Berlin Memorial

Anyone considering moving into the town of Berlin should be happy to learn that Berlin Memorial School, the elementary school for the town, is a wonderful place to send your children to. The small class sizes (my two boys have had classes ranging from 12-17 in the past four years) make for a wonderful teacher to student ratio, and allow for differentiated and personlized instruction. The teachers truly care about their students, and the principal is hands on, engaged, and knows each student by name. Do not be fooled by test scores or numbers assigned to a school. This is a wonderful school, on par if not better in some ways than the higher ranked Northborough schools.
—Submitted by a parent

BMS has caring teachers, strong leadership, involved parents and a supportive community. Any school, excellent or otherwise, worth its weight should always be working towards continuous improvement and BMS leadership recognizes its strengths and works to improve on its weaknesses consistently.
—Submitted by a parent

Class sizes are small. It's hard to get rid of bad teachers. The same parents are involved in the school; many don't participate. Communication is poor and needs serious improvement. There has been a lot of turnover of superintendents, which makes it very difficult. It's a small school, and being regional with the next town seems to cause a lot of problems. We need to think about how to handle these issues with an eye on integrating technology, keeping kids active and engaged, and involving the community.
—Submitted by a parent

We have lived in beautiful Berlin for 17 years and currently have two children in grades 3 and 4 who attend Berlin Memorial School. We have found it to be a safe learning environment, where the children are connected with many different adults throughout the building. The classroom sizes are perfect, and actually a big attraction, more direct instruction. I know because we've also attended private school in the past too. The parent organization LINK is a fantastic forum for families to find out what is happening throughout their school community and an opportunity to voice an opinion or make a suggestion for the greater good of the school. The principal and teachers are very willing to communicate and meet with parents about any concern you may have about your child's education. Berlin Memorial School provides a top notch education! They are friendly, family & community oriented. We are very happy with the competitive education our children are receiving!
—Submitted by a parent

BMS is an excellent learning environment for the kids, due in part to the small class sizes that you would normally only find in an expensive private school. Because it's a tight knit school the teachers and staff (including the principal) really know your children and create individualized learning plans for each student. The school may not be able to offer all of the specialty programs, like foreign language, that you might get in a more expensive school district but you really couldn't find a much better environment than BMS for your child to learn and grow.
—Submitted by a parent

This school meets the needs of all children. I have two boys who attended BMS and one is currently there. I can offer an interesting perspective because my boys are on totally opposite ends with respect to their educational needs. One is above average and needs to be challenged and the other is below his peers and needs extra help. My oldest son was in the enrichment program at BMS and tests high in math. When he got to middle school BMS's preparation allowed him to take a high school math course in 7th grade. BMS does offer bright children extended lessons that allow them to work to their full potential. He currently attends Tahanto Regional High School and is getting high honors. My younger son has a learning disability and BMS willingly did everything necessary to get him an IEP and accommodations. I ve never had to fight for him because the professional staff at BMS are helpful and caring. The staff and I are a team working together for what is best for my son. They truly listen to my concerns. My son gets A s and B s with the support in place. If he didn t have help he would most certainly be failing.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to BMS from preschool up to fith grade. I then went to AMSA Charter School, a very challenging school with a great staff and is a great school. BMS was way too easy, not challenging at all (even the Enrichment program was wicked easy). BMS didn't teach me very much, and it was so BORING! I was originally left in the dust at AMSA, but I got a lot better and I'm now doing well.

Wonderful light, bright new school with very caring teachers & staff. Great values taught and lots of extra activities like art, music & more. Great set of well behaved children. Like a private school without the cost!
—Submitted by a parent