Thomas W. Pyle Middle School

6311 Wilson Lane

Bethesda, MD 20817

School District

Montgomery County Public Schools
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Montgomery County Public Schools

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 other on December 02, 2024

It is confusing and alarming that the minority African American students are only 4% of the total student population, yet their suspension rate is 6% which is near the state average of 7%. It does not make sense that their equity is high when they are suspending so many African American students.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2022

Great school! Kids are respectful and ready to learn!
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2022

its a fun school and there were really helpful and helped me learn better. Now im know im just a kid making this report on this school but its good to get someone who has actually been there and knows what actually happens inside the school and whats better then an actual student
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2021

Not good at communication and not good at problem solving. They’re on auto pilot, geared towards one type of student. If you don’t fit their narrow criteria you will fall. Most teachers seem focused on their checklist of assignments and busy work rather than teaching.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2021

it is a really fun school to be at
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2021

Pyle provides an excellent education relative to the many private schools in the area. The teachers are motivated as are most of the students. The parents are involved and there is generally a supportive school community.
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2021

Montgomery County Public Schools needs an overhaul from top to bottom, including the Board of Education. For a county that is a large and well funded as MoCo/MCPS, they have done a TERRIBLE job managing our kids education throughout this entire pandemic. Last March when the world came to a screeching halt, it was understandable (although disappointing) that contingency learning plans were not in place. MCPS had an entire summer and has now had almost an entire year to figure out how to get our kids back in school safely, and yet, they continue with sub par distant learning. Private institutions are allowed to hold distant learning hubs inside school buildings while the vast number of pupils are left to sit through endless, boring hours of online instruction. The plan to bring kids back into school buildings includes having zoom school inside the school buildings. Kids will sit with proctors (not teachers) inside classrooms on their headsets while listening to lessons via remote teachers. Why are we paying for proctors to monitor our kids instead of investing that money into ensuring we have what we need (sans an entire community being vaccinated which isn't happening anytime soon) to safely open our schools? Bottom line, MCPS, BOE don't have our kids best interest in mind. Our kids are pawns in a game between MSPC, BOE and the teachers union. No one wants to stand up and do what's right for our kids who are suffering; the extent of which we will not fully understand for years to come. Bottom line, not worth buying in. Buy somewhere that's cheaper and actually cares about your kids education.
Submitted by student on October 25, 2018

Amazing. There is such a positive environment. Most of the teachers here are incredibly wonderful and helpful. They frequently talk to students and the principal has a segment on the morning announcements where he answers anonymous students’ questions. Students are competitive, which I love because it helps other students around them be the best people they can be. But, if you student struggles in school, Pyle can be very high-demanding, as it really focuses on preparing students for high school. Also, something else I love about Pyle is the students are fairly diverse and accepting of everyone regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or appearance. I haven’t experienced, seen, or heard of any fights or bullying going on inside of Pyle. Even on social media, students are generally kind to everyone within the Pyle “circle.” One thing I don’t love is there isn’t much space for inter-grade mingling, since most classes for different grades are in different hallways, and same with the lockers. Also, there are 4 lunches, and different grades are generally placed in different lunches. TAG, A.K.A. Study hall, also doesn’t allow mingling because you are assigned to a specific teachers’ classroom and aren’t allowed to really talk to others (depends on the teacher though). The only way you can see other teachers is to receive a “tag pass” from them and show it to your TAG teacher. Also, during this time, you aren’t allowed in the hallways. I also would like to see more diversity among the teachers. Overall, Pyle is accepting, diverse, and the right amount of competitive for students ready to learn. But, more time for mingling and a little less of a restrictive environment would be nice.
Submitted by other on November 23, 2015

Most of the teachers are great! However, the math department needs some work and there needs to be more diversity among the staff.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2015

Pyle is Great! My kids love it here and I find the community warm and tight knit. Most teachers are wonderful and they really believe that the students come first. Although the Math and Science departments are not the best the teachers try to teach the kids to the best of their ability. I would recommend Pyle to all my friends!
Submitted by other on August 07, 2014

Pyle Middle School is okay. I went there and am going to be a junior in high school this year, but not at Walt Whitman High School. I went to Whitman for my freshman year and for a tiny portion of last school year, but moved to Severna Park High School (Anne Arundel County). Pyle has nice teachers, but the schools' local community is a snobbish community who just has one goal: To be the best at everything, even if it risks your child's happiness. Walt Whitman High School is even worse (which is why we left). Not only do they push expectations, but they pass kids just to make numbers look good. And Whitman doesn't do it for all of its students. Only for the students that are in a sport or are in some big school club or something. The education quality at Bethesda schools is the same as any other MoCO school. Don't be fooled and waste your money on a house in Bethesda, when there are many more academically outstanding schools that provide a better, more diverse social environment and don't require you to sell your soul on a house.
Submitted by other on May 17, 2014

I came here in the 7th grade, and I sure was glad when I found out that I didn't have to be here in the 8th grade. The environment is a bit too restrictive. I wasn't allowed to leave the cafeteria during lunch, and I had to wait outside the main entrance in all weather extremes until 7:45 to enter the building, even though the bus almost always arrived earlier. I could only be at a designated area during TAG unless I had a pass. Grade integration is discouraged because on the buses, it's 6th front, 7th middle, and 8th back (student tradition). Lunch periods are segregated by grade, so 8th graders are guaranteed to go hungry with 3rd or 4th lunch. The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classrooms are grouped together. Backpacks and coats have to be stored in lockers, so when there was a fire emergency in December, I had to stand outside in the freezing cold. There is one media center rather than multiple computer labs. The good things about Pyle were the food and sufficient academic performance. Most kids made the honor roll and a large percentage got straight As for a given quarter. There were two teachers that I liked out of the nine I had.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2013

In some ways Pyle is a great school. The curriculum is excellent and rigorous, if a little traditional. Most teachers are dedicated and caring. But be prepared for high expectations on students, relentless pressure and over-emphasis on grades and testing. I get that the school tries to prepare students for the pressure and competitiveness of high school, but it is too much pressure on kids too early. This school may be better than most, but it does not attempt to meet the needs of young people. Rather, It demands that students fit its mould. There is a belief that as Pyle is such a good school, if a student is unhappy there must be something wrong with the student. There is no recess or outdoor time during the school day, which is just terrible for students this age. Students often can't sit with friends, even at lunch. At worst, It is a rote learning factory churning out high performing, hard working drones. But they will be prepared for the demands and high expectations of the local high school. The school isn't totally responsible for this educational culture - local parents demand the school set the bar high for students. But I've met many parents who question it too.
Submitted by other on April 25, 2013

This school is inconclusive no other word for it the English teachers drone on the front office is rude (They seem to speek in some wierd variation of morse code that involves tapping on the desk) avoid it at all costs alot of my fellow students are rude as well it's like no one here knows how to act halfway decent i'm thinking of leaving and going to Westland thigs seem much better there than at this poor school.
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2013

omg the person below me is right. The front office is VERY RUDE. I have zero involvement with the school because of it. I think my kids are doing ok but it really it's just average and not worth 5 stars. If your first point of contact with the school is the front office and the interaction is so rude what does that say about the school.....
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2012

Academically this school is first-rate. About half of the teachers through my child's time here were excellent and the other half were mediocre (especially the teachers who've been there for many, many years). The counselors are superb! The front office -- if you ever have to do anything that requires you dealing with the people in the front office, brace yourself for uncivil behavior, including answering your questions with tapping on different parts of the desk to indicate a form that needs to be filled out (Hey lady, I don't speak "tap" - USE YOUR WORDS!). Avoid the front office as much as possible.