Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School

I was a former student at Ferri. It was horrible. There were a few nice teachers, but none that would go out of their way to help students who were struggling. I was bullied everyday there. There were constantly bomb threats and kids who wanted to kill themselves because of the bullying that is allowed. When a student tells on a person who had bullied him/her, the bullying just gets worse and they suspend you for everything. I got suspended for playing a game with a nickle at lunch, principal said someone could have slipped on the nickle and got hurt ;/ I had spend months of my life in focus (a cubical where cant talk in basement) and had teachers scream at me even swear at me. I was not even a bad kid, i just had problems completing my work and was stressed to the max about who was going to hit me or pull my hair and push me down. Also my friend could not read, they kept him back 3x and ended up passing him because he was getting too old. He found out in HS he had a learning disabilities and had dyslexia. Unless u want ur kid giving up on school n getting pregnant in HS and dropping out (check the dropout rates in Johnston) then don't send them to Johnston Schools!

This school, is just awful. To start, lunch is ridiculous. The students do not even get the choice to sit where they want. Assigned lunch seats? What exactly is the point of that? The time given at lunch is unacceptable. By the time you get out of line, you have to sit down and literally shove food down your throat just to finish in time. The rules at this school are flat out ridiculous. During spirit week last year, we couldn't even wear face paint, or costumes. The building itself is disgusting. The desks are vandalized, and the floors look like they are cleaned once a year. There were some extra classes where we just sat in a room the whole level and did absolutely nothing. There are few teachers there who do their job right. The principle clearly has no clue what he is doing. What a mess that place is.

I am 13 year old girl. I attend N.A. Ferri Middle School. I am in the 8th grade and I really like the school. I think that Mr. Morrell is doing a good job with the school. I wish that I could stay there, but I'm off to the High School!
—Submitted by a student

i love this school for my daughter when i send her i have no worry in the world i went there and this school is such a great school its still standing where it was when i left
—Submitted by a parent

I am a former student of Ferri Middle school and I can honestly say that this school surpasses the quality of education I received at Johnston High School. There are many caring teachers at Ferri and I believe the school offers a nice selection of classes and after school activities. Many of the reviews featured on this website seem to be students or parents who do not understand the importance of structured learning environments. Complaints about school policies involving clothing or fighting are superficial. I was never in any fights nor did I wear any clothing that would have been restricted because I was no older than 14 while attending Ferri and my parents wouldn't have found it appropriate for me to dress like a street walker or mouth off to any of my fellow students. A good experience at any educational facility starts at home with manners and morals.
—Submitted by a student

Ferri Middle School has come a long way. The principal, Dr. Fargnli has done a wonderful job. The teachers are fabulous.
—Submitted by a parent

I have found the principal and teachers at Ferri to be very cooperative and devoted to providing every student with a great educational opportunity. The other negative reviews sound like disgruntled students that do not like to follow rules! They better learn the ways of society if they want to be successful in life. I am happy that my children attend Ferri and I am very proud that they are honor students and love their school.
—Submitted by a parent

*A 'well proforming school' The only reason the students are scoring well is because they are all held back and know all of the answers to the Standard Ised Testing. Every child starts out working to the best of their ability, but slowly fails and is discusted in education..They fail and quit.
—Submitted by a parent

Do not send your kids here. They will loose interest in thier education and fail in life. Teachers will not help them, Councelers will not fix them, principals will put them down and suspend them for nothing..This is from my heart.But I didnt because I knew one day I would be out. I am now currently in with the providence school district. Doing so much better now. I wanna thank Mrs.Burr the art teacher, Ms.Coyne for teaching me to type, MR.Leanard for tryna keep me from making bad choices, and ......thats it. Notice none of these teachers are real academical classes. Oh and I also lunch for being there everyday!
—Submitted by Bethany J, a former student

Although I am not a parent, I am a student at Ferri. I can say for the most part I am not pleased with the way the school is run. Kids get suspended for-god forbid- defending themselves when someone starts a fight with them. Kids get picked on sometimes and when they finally take a stand they get disciplined. The whole 'lanyard/id' program is a COMPLETE failure, not to mention it takes a chunk out of the budget. Kids get sent to the 'focus room' where we must stay in a cubicle for,basically,6 hours. Most students at school know this and quite a few have even said something about it before, but yet nothing is done. Administrators, teacher-aids, etc. etc. etc. tell us how to wear our clothes (outside of dress code), tell us not do something when we are not breaking rules. However, the teachers get very involved in students'work,andsupportthemalltheway.
—Submitted by a student

I have to say that I have only good things to report about this school. My son is now a senior at Ferri. I had my doubts about sending him to the middle school and even more about the high school. But I have to say since my son has been at this school I have had good contact with all the teaching and guidance staff members in every grade. I have alway made my presence known at the school. I make appointments all the time to discuss my son's academic performances and not one teacher has turned me down for a meeting. They schedule me at my convenience. As far as the academic curriculum I feel my son is being challenged in each class. He has sufficient homework and his teacher's this year really do seem to be on the ball as far as teaching the state mandates for their grade. The only complaint I would have to make about the school is the amount of time alotted for lunch. Twenty minutes is simply not enough time to eat, my son often skips lunch because he is rushed and quite often comes home starving.
—Submitted by a parent

I think ferri middle school is too strict. The kids aren't allowed to do anything. They can't wear certin clothes for gang relation which i think is ridiculous. Maybe if they trusted there kids more they could let them wear what they want. They have 18min lunches and because so many kids stayed back this means that the lines are longer which means a lot of kids are not getting their lunches. I went and visted the school not too long ago and I noticed how much they need to update it. I think they need to spend more money on the inside of the school insted of paying for the teachers' medical. The school district gets a lot of money and most of it goes to the teachers. I looked in some rooms and the desks are vandalized. The walls are very stingy and need to be washed. Thank you.
—Submitted by a parent

I don't believe that the Ferri Middle School promotes success for their students. Rather, the educators just let the students get by because it is easier. I also don't believe that the guidance council system and leadership at the school is in full coordination with the parents of these bright young students. They continuously cancel meeting times and often do not return phone calls for weeks. I find that this is unexceptable, especially when they promise a student that they will help them to succeed. This school has failed our family in many ways and we do not intend on sending any other family memebers to this school in the future.
—Submitted by j blackmar, a parent

I am a student at Ferri and i would like to say Dr. Fargnoli has turned the school right around. I am going into the seventh grade and my first year in the Johnston school system was made great by the teachers, staff, and all the after school activities. If you have a child attending middle school and are moving to Johnston Ferri is a great school and a fun environment. There are fun, educational field trips and always things such as dances and game nites at the school decided on by student council and the students. There is a cop at the school so if there are any fights he handles them and it provides extra safety. I am a real student at this school who is telling you the real inside scoop.
—Submitted by Chelsea Perry, a student