St. Andrews Middle School

As a former teacher at St. Andrews I can honestly say that you could not pay me enough to send my child to this school!!!!! Horrible students with violent actions. I had children on house-arrest in classes and I was physically and verbally assaulted consistently!! With the departure of Bragg and the arrival of Ryan things have gone down even further! Bragg was the best thing about this school for many years and he is gone...... PLEASE take this warning!!!! DO NOT SEND YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PS a majority of students are bussed in from other "not good" parts of Charleston.
—Submitted by a teacher

I sent my child to this school with great hopes that it would live up to the expetations that were set during a PTA meeting. I had heard horrible stories about disruptive students, lack of facility involvement, lack of communication between teachers and administrative staff and that the school does not provide a safe environment. I am sad to say that it is all true and I experienced it first hand. Not one, not two, but three seperate incidents. This school is a long way from being satisfactory!
—Submitted by a parent

I've been a student here for two years now and I love the school.Mr.Bragg is an amazing principal.The academics at the school are amazing. There are so many good classes that are going to be in the school next year.I reccommend the school to every middle schooler out there!!!
—Submitted by a student

I have gone to this school for two years and i am finally moving up to ninth grade. Things have really improved over time . wWe have academically gotten stronger. Saftey as im concernes is good now. Im not the most popular kids but i dont get bullyed it seems that the eigth grade now accepts you as who you are
—Submitted by a student

I am totally applaud at the conditions at SAMS.. They outside appearance of the school looks nice however spend an entire day and see the real results. Our children are failing and the school system is only cocerned about money. We do have a few parents that volunteer their time, but they are only a few. More participation from parents are needed NOW.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the best school my chid went at and i am going to tell everbody about it
—Submitted by a parent

My children have attended St. Andrew's Middle (WAIS) for the past five years. There have been many changes, change is good go with it. Mr. Bragg has made some amazing changes for the students and the school with little or no help from parents. I have not seen parent involvment at all unless they're complaining. I have experienced first hand the lack of respect from the kids and the total lack of support from parents. Stop focusing on other schools and help make our schools better.
—Submitted by a parent

They've renamed the school and rezoned in the hopes of less enrollment of the 'problem children'; but they've kept the same teachers, the same principal and administrative staff. That's funny. Well, those middle-class parents will soon understand that sheep are as tactful as the shephard that 'leads' them. I am a parent that was very involved with my children and insisted that all teachers call me at any time for any reason. I saw firsthand, the attitudes of many of the teachers there and I must say that any parent that did not do 'drop in visits', would believe anything the staff told them. I encourage all parents to be active in your children's lives in and out of school. As for this 'change' WAIS think they've orchestrated....well, I will just sit back and enjoy watching from the schools of Mt. Pleasant.
—Submitted by Denise, a parent

I taught at West Ashley Intermediate school three years ago. It was the worst year of my life as a teacher. There was absolutely no support from administration or parents.
—Submitted by a teacher

There is a severe discipline problem at the school. The children are not getting any kind of quality education. I would suggest to find any other school. The staff at the school are unable to handle any of the children.
—Submitted by a parent

In my opinion, I would only reccommend enrolling a student to WAIS as a secondary choice. It wasn't the worst of the worst but far from the best. It started out as a satisfactory school then, unfortunately just went down hill from there. Their academic programs were average, just enough to get by. As for music, art, sports and other extracurricular activies, there weren't that many to choose from when I attended. I would strongly suggest considering other possibilites & options before attending here.
—Submitted by a former student

Horrible school. Not a safe place. There are some caring teachers, but others who turn their backs on the rampant bullying and racism against students.
—Submitted by a parent

Weat Ashley Intermediate is a great school. The teachers and faculty are the greatest I have ever seen. WAIS has many incredible extra curricular activities. It has basketball and football teams. It has drama clubs, spanish clubs, band, and orchestra. So for any other parent who thinks that West Ashley Intermediate School is a bad school, then you have West Ashley Intermdiate and West Ashley Middle Schools mixed up.
—Submitted by K. Melling, a former student

Am extremely disappointed with WAIS. Though I loved my daughter's teachers (Herron and Guebert), the school overall was lacking in parent-school administrator interaction (office staff do not return phone calls until pressured by calls to the School Board); the discipline, or lack thereof, was appalling; the 'activities' were poorly supervised (athletic events, school dances; the lack of security is frightening: you can walk in the office and leave without a pass, stroll through any area of the school without being monitored, and leave the school without ever going to the office if you go in the side doors. There is a huge racial divide, and an alarming 'attitude' problem with belligerent students wandering halls with an 'in your face' posture. School official's response: 'they come from bad homes.' If you have ANY other options, DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE. Teachers great; everything else is scary. Try all other options available!
—Submitted by a parent

West ashley Intermediate is a great school. It has some disipline problems but other than that it is wonderful. It has many opprotunities for students. They have many sports teams and extra curricular activities. The teachers work hard and teach their best. They improve the school every day. WAIS is a great school for preteens and growing teens.The falculty and staff work hard for each student. The principal and many other teachers have work hard to improve the school . The students and teachers make it fun so the children can learn. WAIS teachers give the students chances to learn about differrent cultures. WAIS has a band, strings orchestra, spanish club,video club, and a drama club. Their basketball team is great. They won the championship twice. This school has a lot of wildcat pride. Go Wildcats!
—Submitted by I. Harvey, a former student

West Ashley Intermediate is a school with a dedicated staff. However, due to a lack of support, students are often not disciplined in an effective way. Bullying is a major problem as well as racist behavior. Additionally, teachers do not have the support that is necessary to conduct a community of learners. I would highly recommend that Charleston County and parents provide greater support to the staff and ultimately, their students.
—Submitted by a teacher

This school has challenging issues with discipline. I would not send any students to this school if another school was an option.
—Submitted by a teacher

Parent, teacher, and student communication has not been this school's greatest quality. I would suggest checking out other schools before enrolling them here.
—Submitted by a parent