J L Long Middle School

My daughter is starting her third year and has had a good experience. She has enjoyed Pre-AP classes, sports, choir, science team. Staying informed just takes going out to the website and getting the e-newsletter. Looking forward to 2012 and more parent / community involvement. GO LONG!
—Submitted by a parent

WORST SCHOOL I'VE EVER BEEN TO! The kids harass, the principal doesn't know anyhting, and the teachers don't care about you. At all.

I HATE J.L. LONG!! I was bullied there ALOT and it took a long time for them to stop it. There are kid with drugs there to even in 6th grade. The only thing good about the school is some of its teachers including the choir teacher! The choir teacher was so much fun and i had a blast in her class!!! ~a student at jl long

This school is horriable and they lable every student the same as a bad child. my sister came from a small town where she made ab honor roll every year to j.l long where she gets no kind of help by any of the teachers and they daily tell her she is bad and wont go far you dont tell a 13 year old girl these things. they have never taken the time to give her a honest chance from day one they did nothing but treat her like a bad child who all in all was just confused. horriable teachers and admin. and i cant wait to move and put her in a school that actually puts forth and effort to see the children do good in all aspects of life.,

Long now offers International Baccalaureate curriculum plus Mandarin Chinese. Excellent principal who grew up in the area and has her own child in the school - truly dedicated and I hope she will stay for many years, which I believe is her intention.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has a very diverse and wonderful education system. My daughter there has made many life long friends and loves her teachers. She loves her classes. J.L.Long offers many kinds of classes and electives, and each one teaches a life long skill. I recommend this school to the fullest!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter started at Long this year and seems to really like the school. However, I have already had to go speak to the Principle about some bullying not only of my child but others and the lack of supervision. I have seen several instances where the kids are outright disrectful and intentionally try to skirt the rules with no consequences. A more direct, sternful, discipline method needs to be enforced for many of the students otherwise our prison system is just waiting for them. Secondly, I know she is learning and doing work, but when she brings home homework the problems are all written on paper as there are no books to work from or to reference as a parent trying to help in this process. Additionally, if they did have books they don't have lockers to place them into between classes. Having said all this, my daughter will continue this year and if she continues to like it will stay as I do see many in the Lakewood area trying to make it the school it should be for Lakewood area families. If Lakewood area residents will continue to support it by sending their children there, then we have a chance to change the dynamics of the school and make an impact for good.
—Submitted by a parent

My oldest is in his second year at Long and he really enjoys being here. He loves Science and is involved on the Math/Science Team, which placed 3rd at State Competition last year. They are also in their Candidacy year for the IB Middle School Program, which I think will make this school even better. The only thing I would have to be negative about is the reconstruction that they started during the summer is carrying over into the school year and major part of the lower hallways in the front of the school have no ceiling covers to keep wires and pipes from being exposed.
—Submitted by a parent

I hear a lot of good things about Long, I have met the principal and was very impressed by what she had to say. Would any of the Long parents please review the school and give me reasons why I should send my child here? I would love to read some positive reviews.

Absolutely gang-land....run far and fast away from this place. This place is horrible. Teachers being threatened, kids intimidated by thugs.....
—Submitted by a parent

The thing I like most about Long is the after school program run by Big Thoughts. This is a tough age. But I've found that the encouragement and involvement from these activities have boosted my daughter's self confidence and enthusiasm about school overall, which has also positively affected her grades. The jury is still out on the academic part....not sure it is challenging enough. But for a Dallas public middle school, this one isn't too bad.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is completely out of hand. It is a playground. There are not any staff on the black top to control the kids. There is barely any communication from the school as to functions that are going on.. most of the time we have found out about it 30 min before hand or after it has happened. All kids are considered bad right off hand and the good kids have to struggle to be heard. The staff and the teachers are overwhelmed with the kids and treat them all as if they are criminals to begin with. The teachers are great but the administration and faculity are stressed and look to the parents to tell them how to do their jobs. The school needs a complete make over from the principle on down. There is no structure at all. Woodrow is loosing great kids because of Long.
—Submitted by a parent

This my son's first year at Long and he absolutely loves it. We've done private and public, small and large, and this is his favorite school. He is excelling in advanced classes and loves the extracurriculars. Strong but nurtring leadership, wonderul teachers, and exciting new progams such as the International Baccalaureate make this school even more of a great place to watch your child grow.
—Submitted by a parent

Long is an excellent school with a very rich, diverse group of students. The teachers work very hard to provide every student a great education. The kids who want to do well, do very well. In addition, they learn how to work with kids from all races and backgrounds. My kids have had an excellent experience and received an outstanding education at Long.
—Submitted by a parent

J L Long regularly places high or wins in math and science state competition. They have beaten the prestigious St. Mark's, one of the top private schools in the nation. Don't waste your money on private schools.
—Submitted by a parent

J L Long is a great school!!! The kids are really great and nice!! The school isnt racist or violent. Its alot of activities and after-school programs.
—Submitted by a parent

I do not think JL Long should be considered a school.it's more like a daycare. Although, I don't even receive any documents from Long concerning my child on a weekly or even monthly basis. The student population is too large to function properly because the faculty that are being used are either under or overworked because there is no sense of organization what-so-ever. My child's educational process has no more developed this year than it was at the end of her 6th grade level. I have seen one report card this year.One. Apparently, there are not any requirements from this school as far as making sure parents are informed.most likely because there are too many students.
—Submitted by petrina Bullard, a parent

great school, fabulous neighborhood
—Submitted by a teacher

My son attended Long and socially it was a good experience. I recommend the AP progams for best academic classes. My son was disappointed with the Band program while there. their instructor had gone to another school, and they were left without leadership for some time. The whole Band program took a nose dive, no UIL, no competitions, and the quality of the student's playing was not at a very high level. This was a great set back. Also , Long did not offer a foreign language such as Spanish in the two years he was there. That's outrageous in a school where 80% of students are hispanic. DISD puts an emphasis on bi-lingualism, so why no foreign language option?
—Submitted by Susan Swaim, a parent

The academic programs are excellent in Mathematics for gifted children, resting solely on the genius of the current leading math teacher, Sharon Morgan. English classes are good, varying depending on the teacher. The extra curricular activities are superb and I wouldn't do a thing to change them. These include sports, music, and academic extracurriculars. Art classes are also well-taught and students have access to plenty of resources. Although there are some definite shortcomings in this school, it excells in many areas unique to public schools. Your child will come out of this school with twice as much knowledge of the world around them as the average private school student.
—Submitted by a former student