Salem Middle School

We have had the oppurtunity of having four of our sons pass through Salem Middle School. We overall had a very postive experience there. One of our son's was considered special needs and the staff and faculty we very accomodating. With that being said the school is very diverse which we believed to be a plus since society is diverse. The extra curricular activities are there for whatever your child/children may want to be involved in. Our sons were very involved in the music program, student council, and sports. Security is also very good as well. If we had to do it all over again there would not be any regrets. :)
--Submitted by a parent

If you have a child with "special needs," do NOT send them to this school. My son has autism, and the school does not want to deal with it. Dr. Soltner wants the "problem" kids gone. The assistant principals, Ms. Bond and Mr. Lawler aren't any better - simply the Principal's puppets. If you have the option of putting your kids in private school or sending them somewhere else, do yourself a favor and take one of those choices - don't send them to Salem Middle School while Soltner is in charge. He has no accountability to anyone. He runs the school the way he wants, and if you don't like it, you can move and enroll your kid somewhere else. You can thank me later. I gave the school one star, because I couldn't cut it in half, and there wasn't anything lower.
--Submitted by a parent

We moved here in 2009 from out of state. Our child had not been educated in a public school prior to our move here. We all felt a public school setting was the choice for us at the time. So we went out to search for the school for us, and chose Salem Middle. The administrative staff is ready to listen and help. I have seen teachers work hard so our child and others achieve there highest capabilities. I must finally mention, diversity is clearly valued in this school which I feel is one of Salem's strongest assets. Virginia Beach has a fantastic school sytem and we are so lucky to be part of it!
--Submitted by a parent

We moved in '09 and we're so fortunate to have ended up at Salem Middle School. The principal stresses education and discipline, and the school shows this! My daughter loves her teachers; she's enjoying her advanced classes and also is thriving under the tutelage of the wonderful chorus teacher. We love this school!
--Submitted by a parent

My son has attended SMS for two years. He is doing well enough academically. Some of the teachers are very responsive but other's seem like they are allergic to the parents. Parent portal is helpful, but if my son has slacked off, I don't find out about it until well after the fact. Grades aren't updated regularly. Generally I don't feel there is good communications in some, not all cases.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has attended this school for 2 years and is entering the 8th grade this year. It is an amazing school with great teachers. They really have their act together when it comes to keeping our kids safe.
--Submitted by a parent

I was a student here for three years and must say I'm rather shocked by the reviews. Salem Middle gives a top notch education and has a wonderful staff. The teaches often create fun activites for the students and this school has a wonderful library for these activities. The new principal has changed the way discipline is handled and there are very few major problems. Yes, sometimes teachers do not inform parents of their children's shortcomings, but I mean, come on. This is middle school! It's time for your kid to be ready to admit to you him/herself. It isn't the teacher s job. Most teachers here will tell you if you ask though.

I happen to like the administration at Salem. I communicate weekly with my child's teachers and all of them respond promptly to my e-mails and calls. I agree that there are some teachers (not just at Salem) who probably should find another line of work - but that's when the parent needs to step in and pick up the slack and make sure their child receives the best education despite a teacher's inadequacies. A child's failure and success depends on the efforts made not by student and teacher - but by his/her parent.
--Submitted by a parent

The new principal is not the best. No fun things incorporated into the learning. No field trips. Teachers usually don't respond to parents emails.
--Submitted by a student

I have a seventh grader at Salem, and there seems to be some teachers, as another basically said, could care less about the children they are paid to mentor, teach, and disclipline (if needed). I've dealt with this school for two years and a couple of the teachers hold 'grudges' against kids that might make them do a little more than just teach. It's like they would rather just kick a child out of class rather then try to get to the bottom of why they are 'acting out'. I'm seriously thinking of changing schools.
--Submitted by a parent