John Muir Middle School

1111 North Kenneth Road

School District

Burbank Unified
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:23
Type

public

School Map for Burbank Unified School District

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 August 16, 2022

Best School Ever! I highly recommend it!
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2022

As a current student at Muir, I think it is an amazing school! All teachers and staff at Muir a very kind, caring, and friendly. Not to mention all teachers and staff at Muir encourage kindness. The education system at Muir is also very good, although some teachers do give out a lot of homework the education is very good. In general, I believe that Muir is one of the best Middle Schools there is! I absolutely love it and I actually look forward to going to school.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2019

I continue to be so impressed with John Muir Middle School. Today they held am all day health and wellness conference that my child couldn’t stop talking about. It was amazing to hear him talk about all the things he learned today about being healthy, mentally and physically. I attended two of the parent sessions that they offered and they were so informative. The school is focused on all the right things. We feel extremely fortunate that our son goes to John Muir.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2019

Our family has had three students go through Muir. My kids have liked almost all of their teachers and they’ve had great experiences inside and outside of the classroom. The teachers are effective in teaching and seem to really care about the kids. Dr. Miller is a great leader and great principal.
Submitted by other on December 07, 2017

I think children have to have more choice,Everyone have rights to has voice
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2017

I am so delighted that my son attends Muir. The administrative and office staff is friendly and caring. The principal takes the time to make sure that students are behaving and promotes a positive environment. He spends time greeting them before and after school and is out with students at lunchtime. Dr. Miller even goes the extra mile to make sure every student is recognized on their birthdays. I have been an educator for 20 years and have a Masters in Educational Administration. I have observed his system for over a year now, and I have learned by watching this extraordinary administrative team. His staff and teachers are also happy in their positions and as a result the students are very happy. I am so fortunate that my son in such a wonderful place for middle school! This school deserves a perfect score.
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2017

My 6th grade son was worried about middle school the entire summer. Now he comes home everyday raving about how much he loves Muir. He likes all of his teachers, thinks the ladies in the office are nice and adores the principal. There seems to be a lot of good energy at Muir. So glad we're here.
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2017

Our family has been at Muir for four years and we are highly impressed. We moved to this neighborhood specifically for the middle school and have not been disappointed. My kids have always had a lot of fun and for the most part like all of their teachers. The thing but I think matters most is the amazing job that Dr. Miller does. He goes out of his way to be friendly and helpful with all parents. From the events they hold to the way that they communicate with parents to the manner in which situations are handled, you can tell the John Muir is a well run school.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2017

Whereas my child had social and bullying issues in elementary school that negatively affected her grades, she is flourishing at Muir. The teachers and staff support creativity, leadership, and an independent spirit. Very engaged principal, good extracurricular events/clubs and some inspiring teachers, particular Mr. DeVirgilis and Mr. Lee. My kid looks forward to going to school everyday.
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2016

I have my 2nd and 3rd child currently at John Muir and think that the school continues to get better under Dr. Miller's leadership. My kids feel that the adults (teachers, counselors, secretaries, etc.) really care about them. There are always many great activities that our kids can participate in. The campus is really quite beautiful for a middle school. They do get a lot of homework, but our 10th grader feels that academically Muir made the transition to high school easy. We love John Muir.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2016

Transferring our 6th grader there was tough. Not a whole lot of support. The guidance counselor who helped us just sort of left her on her own to go to her first class. No introduction to the teacher. No buddy system as with other schools. After the tour he just pretty much told her that was it, pointed to her classroom and said there it is. I thought this was strange and told him he at least to needs to walk her in and introduce her. It's an 11 year old child. Anyway, she stayed for about a week and absolutely hated it. She felt very lost so we enrolled her in one of the local Catholic schools where she is much happier. It's a really big middle school and can be very intimidation for transfers. I'm sure not everyone had a bad experience. I just thought I'd share ours.
Submitted by other on September 01, 2015

We absolutely love the Principal, we have had countless caring teachers, strong community ties, involved parents, clean and well maintained school.
Submitted by parent on June 01, 2015

THE TEACHERS AND STAFF REALLY CARE ABOUT THE KIDS. They make teaching the kids about making their character count a priority
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2015

This school is fenomenal! One of the best public schools, especially if your child in GATE or honor classes. The teachers are very enthusiastic, they LIKE to teach! We are looking to buy a house and realized that properties in this school boundaries are worth more just because of the quality of education.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2014

My wife and i moved to Burbank a year ago and our son, who has always disliked school, had to start in a middle school where he knew no one. Yesterday, he told me that he couldn't wait for the school year to start at Muir. Amazing! He loved his teachers who were demanding, but helped him through a rough patch at the start of the year. He's made a lot of friends and they all seem to be good kids with supportive families. As you can see from the other posts, Dr. Miller is great. He introduced himself to my son when we were enrolloing and continues to interact with him. Everyone that we have encountered has been friendly and helpful. We are very happy that our son attends John Muir and look forward to two more great years.
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2013

My son is a 7th grader at JMMS and has loved the school since he started last year. It really is the staff who make it outstanding, especially the principal. He sets a fantastic example by not only taking a genuine and active interest in what is going on with the students, but also being visible and welcoming to everyone - for example, I have never seen a principal who greets students outside as they come to school each day and even helps out at the crosswalks. The majority of the teachers are also helpful, responsive, and invested in students's learning. The office staff and counselors are great as well. It's an academically rigorous environment that is challenging yet flexible. The vocal music program is second to none as well. We honestly couldn't be happier at Muir and appreciate all that the staff does. Thank you, JMMS!
Submitted by parent on October 06, 2013

John Muir Middle School is a big school with a small feel to it. I am a parent of a daughter who graduated from Muir and I am now a 6th grade parent. I love many things about the school, my children have the good fortune to encounter some great educators who have motivated them to love subjects they didn't. The leadership is also great, they are consistently looking for ways to improve the quality of education and to provide a safe environment for all students. Parents work hard to ensure our students can continue with arts programs such as band, choir, and drama. My daughter had had the opportunity to learn to play the flute and travel to competitions, can't wait for my son to play the sax at his first concert. John Muir Middle School is producing well rounded students ready for their next journey- high school.
Submitted by parent on September 27, 2013

Both my children attend John Muir Middle School and we couldn't be happier with the quality of teachers they have, the attentive office staff present, the very engaged principal, Dr. Miller, and the lovely hillside campus. As Burbank residents, we're lucky that all three middle schools offer a quality education for our children. However, it's impressive that Muir is the largest middle school of the three and has the highest API. Very happy Muir family here!
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2013

I'm writing this review in part to offset the 09/24 review directly below. With all due respect to the parent posting, the fact that a PreAlgebra class is large and the kids in it get off to a slow start is not a reflection on the school itself. It's a reflection of 1) the lack of funding provided to schools in the State of California and 2) a requirement for teachers to move through material quickly in order to meet CST (and now Core Curriculum) standards. I've been a parent at Muir for the last two years, and my observation is that Muir's teachers are doing their best to work for the many kids they need to teach. Based on conversations with other parents, it would be difficult to find a middle school math classroom with less than 30-35 kids. You can try looking for a smaller classroom at a private school, but they too often have funding problems as a result of the recession causing losses in enrollment and parents unable to pay the high tuition. My suggestion is to save your tuition money, send your child to a quality public school like Muir, and find an online curriculum to reinforce their skills (Khan Academy is an excellent tool for Algebra skills).
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2013

I have had kids at Muir for 5 years with 2 more years to go and this has been our best year yet. My kids loved their teachers (6th & 8th grade). My kids said that there was a lot less drama this year than in the past. We all love Dr. Miller. My kids think he's cool and we like the way that he has put in new programs to help struggling kids. We give Muir an A+.