Derby Middle School

The teaching is great, the student life and apparel they were is extremely inappropriate. I extremely agree on the leadership one...

Definitely has weak leadership and poor behavior from staff and students alike. Lots of drugs; I regret sending my daughter here.
--Submitted by a parent

For a school within the Birmingham Public Schools system I feel Derby could do so much better. They do have some excellent teachers that really care about the kids but they also have some that should not even be teaching. I once heard a teacher scream at the kids that was uncalled for. I agree with the review on the poor leadership. Middle School is one of the toughest times for some kids and I feel the leadership in this school doesn't require enough from its staff. You also can do well in this school if you are a student who excels but sorry if your child is an average or below average student.
--Submitted by a parent

Derby is an amazing school that has exceeded our expectation. My daughter transition from a Montessori school. Derby has a very strong academic program, and a variety other activities to help the child develop a strong personality. The staff is amazing! Very caring, and very attentive to children needs. They created a very productive environment for learning and child development. Highly recomend this school!
--Submitted by a parent

I feel that the leadership is weak at this school. At this age, our children would truly benefit from having a strong, positive leader who requires excellence of staff and students alike.I believe that the school has good academic structure, but lacks the proper personnel to make a good impact. I have witnessed so many incidents where the staff just cannot handle the situations at school and either completely lose their composures or ignore it all together. It would be nice to see someone come in there and clean up the whole operation, get rid of the scandals and the scandalous, and bring in principals and teachers who don't only "need a job," but are passionate about contributing to the students' success.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is not good at all, i used to go there and the teachers were not nice and did not provide much help.

This school is completely full of uncaring teachers, no authority, and inappropriate behavior from children of all grades. Students are not pushed academically, and there are pregnancy scares each year. Middle school is supposed to prepare a child for high school, and Derby doesn't even come close to shaping kids up to a high standard. I am very disappointed in this low-quality school in such an amazing school district.
--Submitted by a parent

The staff at Derby treat students with respect and sensitivity. The curriculum is designed to give students the tools for learning: the ability to be organized and to develop an individual approach to completing tasks, strategies for research and presentation, and the freedom to be creative. The school is attentive to the needs of students educationally and emotionally. Derby knows how to make learning fun.
--Submitted by a parent

My child is a sixth grader at Derby. The principal and teachers go above and beyond to welcome incoming students and ensure a successful transition to MS. Great extracurriculars. Challenging academically, but not too overwhelming.
--Submitted by a parent

THis is a great school. My child loves it there.