Fulmore Middle School

We are almost done with our son's first year at Fulmore, and I give it a mixed but overall positive review. I don't think any school, particularly a middle school, could be perfect in every way! But our son's experience has overall been positive, especially with his teachers - he is definitely being challenged and excited intellectually which is really something to prize in a middle school! The other students in the magnet program are also a major plus, being smart, interesting, caring kids. That said, there seems to be a good deal of bullying and this year, some chaotic situations in common areas (outside, cafeteria, hallways) - the school is working to remedy/alleviate this, however, and the communication with the administration has improved a hundred-fold. We hope the atmosphere will continue to improve. My son knows he is getting a good education and wishes to stay, and he has definitely learned to cope with some challenging situations during his first year at Fulmore. A recent event where several students got into a fight while outside was horrible but reports of numbers of students involved and the degree of violence, lack of supervision, etc., have been exaggerated.
--Submitted by a parent

I am in 8th grade as a student at Fulmore( in the magnet program) and I would say it's eh. There are some really good teachers who actually make you use your brain in different ways (Stronger points are Pre Ap Science and English) and others just don't seem to care. The math program is not particulary good and there are lots of punishments for just small mistakes from the students. A lot of the staff don't seem to be changing anything and I don't know where the "Humanities" part to the magnet program is, although the Law courses are really good. Lots of gangsters who are usually racist to the other students. It can be "advanced" at times but I feel like in some courses we are just repeating the same worksheets and textbook work every year. Kinda glad to get out of this school but there are some stronger points to the fine arts. It's not quite what it's cracked up to be.

Now that my son has survived middle school, I'm compelled to write about Fulmore's so-called "magnet" program. My son's first year, 6th grade, at Fulmore was great and he was actually learning. The last two years? Not so much. For some bizarre reason over the past 2 years the teacher's collectively stopped giving daily homework and placed the onus on parents to spend a great deal of time going through websites to monitor the student's grades and progress. One of the main teaching tools seems to be "watching videos. These past 2 years, this last one in particularly, have been a disaster. And although our son is transitioning to a good high school with decent grades, this is through not help from his Fulmore teachers (with the exception of maybe 2). Sadly, a lot of them seem to be burned out and frustrated. I understand that teaching middle school is perhaps the toughest teaching job there is, but still, they're getting paid extra to be part of the magnet program. The principal is great, and we felt she worked hard on behalf of the students. The idea behind this program is a good one. The execution is poor. I hope they get it together before they lose their funding.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a terrible school. There is no parent-teacher interaction, but not for lack of trying. The office staff is rude and disorganized. They are quick to send good kids to BMC (behavior modification class) for slight mistakes or misunderstandings. If your child is a couple minutes tardy they will send the kid to sit in the office for the entire class period, way to punish long bathroom breaks... don't educate them in return! The one decent - different thing about this school are the extracurricular activities. I'll be rescuing my son from this chaos ASAP.
--Submitted by a parent

Fulmore is a fantastic model magnet school! Neighborhood students as well as those who are bused to the school are provided with opportunities to learn philosophy, law, fine arts, world languages, Shakespeare, and so much more. This humanities and law magnet school provides a microcosm of a successful educational society in so many ways! It is one of Austin's best kept secrets in the heart of the capital city on Congress Avenue.

I love the Fulmore magnet program because it is an environment that nurtures the whole student. Fulmore has made Middle School a pleasure, a safe and challenging place for my kid to stretch and try new things with the knowledge that the teachers and staff are there to help him succeed.
--Submitted by a parent

Fulmore Middle School's magnet program has provided my daughter with the intellectual challenges and opportunities of a private school, in a diverse public school setting. She has been challenged in fun and creative ways, and loved the experience in every grade. The teachers are dedicated and caring.
--Submitted by a parent

Fulmore has lots going on in addition to a solid classroom experience. Many teachers spend a lot more of their own time on field trips, organizations, and events that give the kids not just learning, but a fund kind of learning that helps them enjoy school, not see it as a prison.
--Submitted by a parent

The staff is not responsable. They lose important registration papers and are rude. How can a school that has a staff with bad attetudes expect for students to have good attitudes. I tried to enroll my child for about a week before I had to go in person and do there job for them. I wonder if they treat all parents with this type of respect? God help the children who go there.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is horrible my daughter has gone there for three years now and her grades are worse than when we moved here. She was exemplary before going to Fulmore. The gangs and drugs are ramped as well as teenage pregnancy the staff is never responsible for anything, they single out children and find any thing to send them home are to court over They are selective in enforcing the dress code upon certain children. Worst school I have ever sent my child to she wasted 3 years there.
--Submitted by a parent