Herndon Middle School

I have worked at HMS for 8 years. I have been a participant in the reforms HMS has undergone over the last 5 yrs. I have seen good progress in both school climate and std. performance. There are several dissatisfied parent reviews here, but this is truly the vocal minority writing out of frustration. To answer some of these concerns: bullying- there has been a strong anti-bullying campaign at HMS for the last 2 years; I have never witnessed nor had a student report any incidence of serious bullying. Rogue ideas- I have recently completed UVA's endorsement program in Admin. and Supervision; all of the reform programs and policies at HMS are completely research based, and are exactly the kinds of reforms being taught at UVA. Research is inconclusive whether HW benefits student achievement, but it generally says there is no relation. Teams- we got rid of teams because we found their intended purpose (a team of 4 core teachers to talk about the same student) was not beneficial, and now std. schedules are not limited. There is now greater communication across ALL teachers, rather than limited to a core 4 team. HMS is a very good school and I would have NO prob. sending my child to HMS.
—Submitted by a teacher

Herndon Middle School is full of teachers that truly care and are invested in the success of students. The teachers here want to do the best for the kids and their futures. The phrase "there are too many cooks in the kitchen" is applicable to HMS. There are a lot of people that are to a fault and have great ideas. When all of these ideas are expected to be implimented in a matter of days the number of cooks in the kitchen interferes with the success of the dinner, or students in this case. Teachers are spread thin by the number of initiatives taking place and are working as hard has they can in order to meet the needs of the students and please the parents in the community.
—Submitted by a teacher

This school has a terrible BULLYING PROBLEM and staff that does not take it seriously or handle issues well. VERY DISAPPOINTING AND UTTERLY LACKING ADMINISTRATION-- particularly the principal. The combination of poor administration and their "management issues" with some of their incapable teaching staff has created an UNSAFE environment for students. Teachers who are not even aware of what is going on in their own classrooms. The Principal is one of the worst I've ever encountered - condescending and ineffective. We are shocked at how this school has such total disregard for parental and student concerns. Our experience at the school has given us a total lack of confidence in the school, the administration and some of the teachers. We are pulling our son from this school to send him to a better ranked middle school that has a ZERO tolerance policy for bullying. So sad to hear kids talk about being scared at school and being picked on and beaten up so much so they can't focus on their studies fully. What has happened to Herndon??? Totally agree with the parent that said this school and the administration has the ability to flip their straight A student like a pancake.
—Submitted by a parent

We dislike this school immensely and we have only been here 3 weeks. If it can go wrong, it has for my kids. From teachers that don't teach and expect the kids to teach themselves, to misinformation CONSTANTLY being given out to weekly fire drills yanking the kids out of class to teachers that don't seem to understand that not all kids are forceful to be first and some simply have manners to know to wait their turn but those are the kids that get screwed for doing so!...If I could give ZERO stars I would. Thoroughly disgusted with this school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school needs a change in administration! The rouge ideas that come from this building amaze me. Who would ever say that Homework is not a viable part of education? The kids have to do homework in ES and HS. Poor staff, I can only imagine what they must have to go though, the ones I have talked to dont believe in this policy, but are helpless to change it. Also, unless your child is in honors, the classes are a discipline disaster! Oh...and WHAT happened to the Team concept? It's gone from this Middle School.
—Submitted by a parent

If you are a student/parent who dislikes this school, I can understand where you are coming from. There are many problems in this school just like any other normal middle school would have, including lack of motivation. However, if you want your child/yourself to turn out great, there are many opportunities to do so by taking higher level math courses and music classes. Perhaps the best feature of Herndon Middle is the fact that they have their own 'marching' band that plays along side HHS's band. The band program is one of the few things I believe make this school worthwhile.

I detest this school. It's the worst my child has attended. The staff seem nice in person but all my children do is tell me how awful it is and the only thing I admire about this school is the 7th grade counslers.
—Submitted by a parent

They have an amazing staff. Great Band and honors program. Parents needs to get more involved with their kids education/school if you want your kids to succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

There are some great teachers here who love to teach, and I've been lucky to have some, but there are others who are awful and 95% of the students hate. Unfortunetly there are some teams where the majority of teachers are unsatisfactory.
—Submitted by a student

Schools can no easily rid themselves of teachers, admin and support staff they know are bad. Herndon has some great, absolutely dedicated staff and some terrible staff like every other school. Age of a teacher is not an automatic reflection of how well they teach, enthusiasm etc. There are absolutely terrible young teachers who think they know it all and there are teachers who should have retired long ago and some who just don't belong in a classroom or setting around youth. As parents, we are responsible for instilling work ethics and moral values in our kids. Herndon Middle provides an environment for every student to thrive if parents follow through on their responsibilities.
—Submitted by a parent

We've been extremely pleased with HMS. My son's teachers go out of their way to engage their students and help them really learn. My son is taking all advanced classes and loves school! Communication is great with all but one teacher and the principal is outstanding. As I've talked to other parents of 7th graders I've found their kids are having similar experiences. Excellent school with terrific, engaging teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the worst school in Fairfax County! I have had to deal with some serious lack of ethics, respect and accountability with the administration. The teachers are mediocre at best. I abhor this school and will never allow another child attend.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has some great teachers who are professional and sincerely care about what they do and the students they teach. Unfortunately, the same can not be said about the administration and staff in the main office or the special education department. The majority of us parents recognize how difficult an environment this is for the teachers. There are some parents as noted in these reviews (feb. 2006 and 2005 is the same unreasonable parent) that make unreasonable demands on staff due to the fact that they do not hold their child accountable for his/her own actions. Continuous interrruptions and nonstop attention-demanding phone calls and unannounced visits from parents like this create an unhealthy atmosphere for our students and the teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed in HMS. The communication between teachers, guidance counselor(s) and administration appears to be non-existent. I have to make several calls to different staff members to get questions answered. My child has an IEP - double the frustration when dealing with HMS staff. I feel like they have already 'written' my child off as a casualty - no one seems to care with the exception of 2-3 teachers. I agree with parent involvement and have always been active in my child's education, but you have to really stay on top of the HMS staff or your child will be 'lost'.
—Submitted by a parent

I was very disappointed with the quality of teachers my son had. Kids are sterotyped based on their race and culture. My son passed but I had to micro manage the teachers and the guidance counselor. The new guidance counselor never met my son but willing to give me her assessment of him. HMS has some good teachers, my sons math teacher and gym teacher demonstrated what teaching is all about. You have no idea how your child is doing until reports cards are given which is a little. I was very disappointed.The principal was very responsive everytime I reached out to him.
—Submitted by a parent

This School We had heard it was a great school great teachers and support staff, We have come to know that this is not all what it seems. Their are some great teachers and this has nothing to do with them,There is no communication with parents on your childs progress. They offer courses and than when you reg, oh than they dont offer them. you dont find out til report cards come out and than its to late to change grades. As for our experience we are very involved with every aspect of our childs life and you find out otherwise.
—Submitted by a parent

Outstanding school! The principal maintains strict discipline; the teachers are excellent and are very involved in helping their students achieve high standards. There is nothing negative to say about this school.
—Submitted by Rudy Atallah, a parent