Albert D. Lawton School

Adl is not a good school. ALL the teachers at my school are always complaining they dont like there jobs and they make us correct our own homeowrk and the food is really gross during lunch. Also alot of the other schools ive heard about sound much better than adl. The building is very old and there are cracks everywhere in the building and its always cold in the school. I think theyre very cheap.

There are several teachers @ADL who should retire - not interested in pushing the students. For example they do NOT have enough time to correct homework - seriously?! As well as the students in math get to CHOOSE the level of homework (from 1-3) - BUT all students take the same test - how does this prepare the students who choose the easier homework assignments? ADL still does not use POWERSCHOOL please get with the 21st Century - most schools in Chittenden cty grant parents access - what is ADL afraid of? Why is Algebra not a full time class - basically it is homeschool or your child will fail? Colchester and WIlliston have a FULL time Algebra class. We wonder why we cannot compete with students from other countries!
—Submitted by a parent

I, as well as my 2 children went through ADL. Bullying has been the best kept secret of ADL and Essex Junction schools. Trying to get help from anybody there in my experience was useless. We were once told that it was the parents job to contact the other parents and did not actually involve the school even though it was happening at school. Absolutely no protection or concern for my child during the school hours. I question if ADL actually reports their bullying issues. This school should not be on the list of "great schools". The education is no better than other schools we looked at.
—Submitted by a parent

I was a student at ADL about 10 years ago, so my review might be a little outdated (not sure who's still at the school for faculty). I agree with other posters that ADL has had a problem with bullying and either does not have the resources or doesn't know how to deal with the problem. The bullying wasn't a hidden part of school culture...teachers and staff knew about bullying incidents and not a whole lot was done. Other than that, though, ADL was great. There will always be a few teachers that your child does not click with, but the ones I had took pride in the creativity they brought to the classroom and were always willing to help a struggling student. The academics were challenging but not too much so. They also have great extracurriculars; I joined soccer and chorus while at ADL and had a blast in both. Side note: I would take the review from an Essex Middle School student with a grain of salt. Essex Middle School, at least when I was at ADL, was our rival school. Obviously, there's going to be a little bias there. ;)

I am a student at Essex Middle School in essex town and know some things about ADL. Pretty much nobody in my school likes it and think of them as our rivals. Everyone says that our school is better (everyone loves it, it's a great school and it gets 5 stars all the time) But ADL isn't known for being a great school. We think the teachers are bad, the students rude, and the environment bad. When we talk about ADL, we say things like, 'i don't like ADL' I don't know much about the bullying there, but it seems like not the best, and maybe they don't handle it that well. At EMS, they handle it well, being nice to us. In conclusion, ADL has a kind of bad reputation at other schools, and EMS is better!!!...
—Submitted by a student

The teachers and staff are doing a great job. Both my children that attend agree as well. It is important to remember that the childs experience will depend on their actions, choices, and behavior. My children look forward to going to school in a friendly, safe and caring environment.(not to mention the great school spirit and parent involvement) As a parent I feel informed, welcome and fortunate to have a great school with so many opportunities, to help get my children prepared for the years ahead.
—Submitted by a parent

I was a studant here, and I have been to a TON of schools. ADL has AMAZING teachers, they are all really nice and if you need help they will willingly stay after school with you to help. yes there are bullys, but thats going to happen no matter where your going. they will put your kid in classes that are specific to their needs. great school.
—Submitted by a student

great school, activities, academics, teachers, staff, administration...it's all wonderful!
—Submitted by a parent

My wife and I have had quite the opposite experience. Our son suffers with depression and anxiety issues, often becoming a target of bullying. We found both the staff and administration easy to work with in providing the supports to our son which he needed to be successful.
—Submitted by JOhn Rowell, a parent

This school has a terrible bullying problem. The culture and leadership of this school perpetuates the problem instead of trying to fix it. Some teachers are bullies too creating a very emotionally hostile/unsafe environment. Your child may not be emotionally safe here, especially if they are not one of the popular kids or althletically inclined. A child bullied here is not well supported. Often the approach is to minimize the situation or deflect blame on the victim. Don't be fooled by the posters hung throughout the building. None of it is sincerely enforced. It's a shame because there are good, caring teachers in this school but they don't seem to have much influence over the leadership.
—Submitted by a parent