Jack Young Middle School

1531 Draper Street

School District

Baraboo
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 17, 2024

I am a parent with multiple children in the Baraboo School District and am a Baraboo High School alumnus. I have personally watched the decline of the district over the years. I will only speak to the schools I have direct knowledge of. I can assure you that Jack Young Middle School is by far the worst school my kids have attended. Last year the parent teacher conferences consisted of my wife and I talking to the band teacher about every subject our daughter was taking. Every. Single. Subject. How does one expect the band teacher to adequately talk to a student's performance in other subjects they don't teach, let alone answer any questions? Who pitched this idea and who was dumb enough to sign off on it? Instruction by teachers is poor, lazy and sloppy. Homework is almost non-existent. Teachers are pushing the easy button and printing off random worksheets from online resources. The district is now providing additional services in reading and math because students are so far behind. The district also has the mindset that parent's are "your child's first teacher." While I agree with parents taking an active role in their child's development, I'm also not being paid to teach full-time, nor can I dedicate 8 hours a day to instruction. If only there was a profession that did this. If Baraboo can't ensure their teachers are doing their jobs, then perhaps the district can return our tax dollars so parents can homeschool or provide other educational resources to their children. Discipline is non-existent. Bullying is rampant. I've heard from my child as well as others just how violent it can be there. Yesterday a 6th grade student was tased and arrested. The food served there is unhealthy garbage. Starting to sound a lot like a prison, huh?As for the administration (within the school, school board, superintendent, etc), they seem to be completely unbothered by the educational decay the district is experiencing. Not to mention they're unable to properly budget and are now begging for more tax payer dollars. The middle school was renovated 3 years ago and was leaking water through the windows last time I was there. I'd vote "yes" in the referendum if I knew the funds would be used for the betterment of students, but they won't be. We have an administration that wasn't taught budgeting in school and can't get their out of control spending reigned in.The district as a whole is an embarrassment.
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2023

this school sucks so much and the teachers also suck the curriculum is so bad and they do nothing about most things
Submitted by other on April 15, 2023

Instructional is replaced with brief intros and a large packets students complete individually. The school environment is coercive: Suspensions are used first despite made-for-public-consumption websites describing an administration that makes every effort to work with students while suspensions are used in lieu of creative behavior management. Good teachers can be found but their efforts cannot overcome the incompetent administrators. Many of those who can, have left, some of those that remain are great but insufficient—Baraboo’s Jack Young Middle School is the Alamo besieged not from without, but from within, and the kids are paying the educational price that will translate into less productive adults.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2018

My daughter has had a terrible time at this school with being bullied and harrassed for the past 2 and a half years and still on going. We have not gotten any help or support from staff or teachers
Submitted by other on April 02, 2011

Yes, this is a nice school, with really great teachers and farily challenging academic programs. I am a student here, and it is quite nice, although I don't know what that person who said we had a strict dress code was talking about! Our dress code is really very lax. We can wear basically anything we want, even very, very short shorts :D All in all, great school, and although I will be moving on next year, I will always remember my experiences here.