Fluvanna Middle School

Not recommended at all. There are great home school options and nice private schools nearby. The office and upper staff are very nice. The cafeteria and staff are nice. But the most important thing is not: over 50% of the teachers seem to hate their jobs in this school. I am sure that middle school can be tough but that is the challenge...to help a child change his or her life is the gift of being a teacher. You have a 50/50 chance of getting a caring teacher that wants to educate his/her students the best way they can OR a teacher that wants the "ultimate" control of his/her class with no patience.
—Submitted by a parent

For the 2012-13 school year the old high school for the county became the middle school for 5th, 6th & 7th grade. The 8th grade is at the new high school, it's own story, see high school reviews. There is more sports available for this grade level. The lead staff have a positive attitude. The teachers are hit or miss. The school is not minority friendly, the area is rural and therefore most long time residents have a very limited to exposure to minorities, thus misunderstanding them or putting them into a stereotype that a minority student has to prove themselves before being treated equal to non-minorities. Not all teachers and staff do this, just more than half of them. Lunch organization and options are good. There are a good selection of extra courses available. The issue of bullying is handled better at this new location. With the budget issues the fluvanna county schools are having at this time, the school seems limited in finding quality caring teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

Daily bullying, knife fights, race riots, badly uneducated and uncaring teachers, and a total lack of leadership create a school environment worse that the most drug infested Baltimore or New York school. Expect the lowest test scores in Virginia, despite the highest property taxes. The money all goes to a unneeded new $125 million high school built built despite the empty classrooms in this 20 year old school. Teachers are rude and belittle kids at every opportunity, then demand pay raises from the struggling retirees. No wonder property values have dropped 60% and people are fleeing the county.
—Submitted by a parent

The bullying CONTINUES to be a huge problem because now the kids have just gotten better at hiding it from the teachers. They're quieter about it, but they still do a lot of tormenting. Some of the teachers are so bad, that the classes are chaos, so kids are just in there doing whatever they want. There is NO differentiation at this school - you just get lumped in with all the others. No one seems to truly care about individual children. Sad.
—Submitted by a parent

Forget the reviews from 2006 and 2007. FMS has a great Bully Prevention program and administration is quick to follow-up and address the issues. Extra- curricular activities at the school are minimal however the local Parks/Rec program offers lots of low cost activities. FMS has a mentor program where the kids in that program do lots of extra- curricular activities. Teachers are overwhelmingly dedicated to the students. Parents are always welcome into the PTO to help in making the school a better place.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been in several school systems over the years, but I have never seen teachers as hardworking or caring as the ones in Fluvanna Middle School! Despite an aging and uncaring community that has blocked attempts to build new schools for the last 12 years in this rapidly growing county, packing 900 children in a school built for 500, and a per pupil funding in the bottom 1/8 of the state, the staff continues to rack up test scores well above state averages! The school is not without fault, slashing extracurricular activities and exploratory classes, and the administative priorities often seem to add to the workload instead of supporting the teachers. Regardless, the most important factor in learning is a great teacher, and somehow the principal has attracted the best in the state!
—Submitted by a parent

The principal leadership is very poor. Extracurricular is virtually non-existent. Most children don't make the school sports teams. Bulling is very prominent because the school officials haven't realized that signs don't solve the problem. Neither does installing cameras and having a deputy on call at the school. More extra-curricular programs should be offered but being in a rural area I suppose it can be hard to do. Academics is average with lots of after school help. The school is very crowded and the small building is falling apart. Send them to a Charlottesville private school or the local military academy.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been in Fluvanna middle school for 2 yrs and we have had a horrible time. The bullying that is allowed to continue is out of control. The worst part is no one is accountable for it. The principal is weak and will not stand up to the 'problem' kids. She is very defensive and never seems to resolve anything. There is never any homework and the kids all get to correct their tests and raise their grade. What is this? They certainly won't be able to do this when they hit the real world. Just an overall 'bad' experience all the way around.
—Submitted by a parent

The Fluvanna Middle School is located in a rural environment that is rapidly growing and it is not organized enough for this growth. The school provides very few extracurricluar activities for these children afterschool. Now that doesn't mean activities to increase SOL scores, of course. You better have the time and money to keep your enrolled child at this Middle School active in other activies daily to make sure they stay out of trouble at this age. There are extracurricluar activites available through the county but are very expensive, short, and a drive. The Middle School has a zero tolerance on drugs/bulling but they think just putting signs up are what prevents it. I would never put any of my children into this Middle School. The Elementary/High School are nice with lots of activies and good teachers. Good Private Schools are available in Charlottesville and it's worth the drive.
—Submitted by a parent

Although there are some outstanding teachers, this school is lacking in many areas. Fluvanna County, where this school is located, is an area that is rapidly changing demographically as Charlottesville and Richmond push east and west respectively. Portions of the county are becoming more suburban and overtaking the traditional rural character of the county. The demographics are showing that the median income level is rising and that more professionals (law, medicine, education, business) are moving into the area. This really is the explanation for rising test scores rather than school efforts. The school isn't keeping up. The facilities need improvement physically and student to teacher ratio is much higher than 20 to 1 in most classes. The biggest concern is the administration, the principal in particular, not providing effective leadership. School policies are inconsistent and problems with bullying and bomb threats persist at the school to this day.
—Submitted by a parent

Not very impressed. Having 1 child to go through the school and 2nd started, they were not challenged they way they needed. Administration was not willing to go the extra step to ensure the needs of GT students are met. Very dissappointed; have chosen private school for middle school years and will return to the public school system for high school.
—Submitted by a parent

year round program is great!The teacher communicates with the parents and works with the children days, nights and weekends. Too bad she will not be back next year.
—Submitted by terry, a parent

As a parent with current and former FMS students, I cannot sing the school's praises highly enough. The staff works insanely hard to provide an outstanding school experience, from meeting basic state standards, to more intangible life preparation. The biggest drawbacks are the constant cutting of non-core programs by [the] board of supervisors, one of which actually said California can teach with 35-45 students per class, why can't we, and constant underfunding of overcrowded classes. Despite the lowest per pupil spending in the region, FMS has the highest test scores in nearly every subject. Safety, respect, and anti-bullying programs have had a dramatic impact on the school culture. Teachers care and communicate, and bring out the best in my kids. FMS is a fabulous school!
—Submitted by a parent