Mills Park Middle School

441 Mills Park Drive

School District

Wake County
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Wake County 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 January 13, 2025

In my opinion, the current principal is the most duplicitous person I have ever met.
Submitted by other on November 17, 2024

Went here a couple of years ago. Obviously, middle is just the worst years in general, but this school made my life miserable. There were a couple of physical fights that I literally witnessed with my own eyes, and the consequences were so unjust. One guy punched the other guy for something he did to one his friends, who was a girl. Somehow, the principal thought it was fair to suspend them for the same amount of time, and the guy who actually did bad things didn’t receive any further consequences. The principal was the main issue, she didn’t do anything. The only time I heard her voice in the 3 years that I went there, was when she spoke at graduation, which is pathetic tbh.
Submitted by student on April 11, 2024

This school has caring and talented teachers and is well taken care of. It provides a safe place for all students. It is very diverse and inclusive. It has a helpful PTSA full of caring parents. There is many clubs and activities for students with all interests!
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2024

I am writing in regard to special education, which sucks in this school. we had a bad experience, particularly teachers and they won't try to help special needs kid, they don't have resources and they just want to push him to another school. To make to happen, they start complaining about kid from initial days and they will make parents of special needs kid guilty. All the school staff in IEP meets will talk only bad behavior of special need kid and eventually recommend parents to look for an alternate school or program. My guess this school may have good ratings due to brilliant students who do not require any teacher support. These are the bare facts.
Submitted by student on April 25, 2023

It is a very accepting place, and makes everyone feel welcome. Most people come ready to learn, but even when not, they feel safe. We have great staff and an amazing team of mental health counselers.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2023

I have gone to this school and while of course there are some things wrong with it, overall I think it is great. It has a wide range of clubs and sports, with over 40+ clubs alone. Students feel very connected with other peers, and the teachers are always happy, approachable, and willing, to help if they are falling behind.Homework:They do not give huge amounts of homework and while they do expect you to finish it, they understand that things come up. You do have to sign the homework sheet if you do not finish your homework, but you also have study time to finish it, and, as I've said, they give you a reasonable amount of homework they are sure we can handle.Bullying:There is no tolerance for bullying, and if you are bullied, you can talk to the staff and that student will be punished, whether it be ISS or other. Lunch: They offer free meals to those who need them, and prices are very reasonable, the food is good quality, and there are many options including vegan, and gluten-free. The cafeteria is clean and sanitary, and overall is a great place to interact with peers.Extracurriculars:I have participated in many after-school clubs, and I am impressed, They're well-organized, but not only that- they're fun and engaging. Some clubs, like D and D, help you relate with others and find new friends, others, like the science olympiad, let you prove just how much you know, but no matter what, all the clubs are great nonetheless. Sports teams have manageable meeting times and make sure that their teams are great. There are interest meetings where you can find out more about all the clubs, and see if you really would want to do it.
Submitted by student on January 03, 2021

Overall, an amazing school. The teachers care about the students and they always tell us how they are wayyy underpaid. They try to include everyone in activities and try to treat everyone fairly. In Science, there are a lot of fun labs we get to do (dissecting stuff, etc.) If it weren't for some disturbing videos in Social Studies I had to watch, I would rate this a 5 star. This may only be my opinion, but I don't think we should be allowed to watch a king get beheaded and stabbed in the stomach.As for homework, the teachers understand if we have activities that come up but they do motivate us to do homework with competitions and rewards for those kids that do finish their homework. In this school, we had to follow PRIDE (acronym). Positive Attitude, Respect, Integrity, etc. The teachers look to see who follows these traits the most. The principal is also really nice to us. We sometimes see her in the hallways and can say hi.Sometimes, if a student is falling behind, the teacher will pull them to lunch and help them catch up. There is hardly any bullying as well. The only bullies that I encountered were those that teased me about my clothes and asked me to help them with (do) their homework, but they don't pester you for long.
Submitted by student on November 06, 2017

I go there and I like it. The teachers are nice and we have fun activities and rewards for good behavior.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2017

Very happy with school and there learning system. Great school.
Submitted by other on April 15, 2017

The school is very limited in their offerings for advanced learning, as is the case with all Wake County schools. NC schools rank 40 out of 50 in the country. Don't be fooled by the many great colleges and universities in the state. There is lots of emphasis on sports but if your kid is not a sporty kid, it is likely he or she will not fit in. Academics are very mediocre and my kids were behind when we moved out of state.
Submitted by parent on February 16, 2017

Please do not be misled by the school's rating which can be attributed to kids getting good scores in EOGs based on self-study, parental guidance or private tutoring. The teachers are not at par. They have no motivation to inspire students or motivate them to give their best. Mills Park has a bunch of frustrated teachers who take out their frustration on 13 and 14 year old kids. I believe this is the only school where the teachers do not even care to return the graded tests let alone go over the tests with students. The bottom line is NO ONE AT THIS SCHOOL CARES ABOUT STUDENTS!!! STAY AWAY!!!
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2016

This is an amazing school! The teachers have advanced degrees, teaching experience, and the support they need in order to provide a fantastic learning environment for their students. Yes, it is a huge school, but they do an amazing job of making it feel "small" for the students. They are truly preparing their students for high school and beyond!
Submitted by parent on September 02, 2016

My daughter attended Mills Park for 6th grade. Her experience was amazing. Initially I was concerned about her coming to such a large school, but I have to say that Mills Park Faculty made the transition from Elementary School a breeze. I strongly felt that she was being thoroughly prepared for high school and beyond.My daughter and I were saddened when the new zoning took place in Wake County and she was forced back into year-round school and thereby had to leave Mills Park.To the staff and faculty at Mills Park... Keep up the good work!!! Our children deserve it:0)
Submitted by student on August 10, 2016

The teachers are very helpful, encouraging, kind, and great at teaching. The staff work hard to make the school great (just being honest, I'm not being paid XD). The school has LOTS of students, but they split us into 5 teams (only 6th and 7th) so we feel like we are getting enough attention. I definitely would recommend this school!
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2015

We moved to NC from Georgia 2 years ago and we choose MPMS as our base school. Our children have had a great experience. Even though the school is large, the school breaks the grade into teams to help to connect the students and faculty and offer a smaller school feel. Our children have had exceptional teachers and we are thankful for their dedication to their profession.
Submitted by other on November 01, 2013

Mills park is awesome I am in sixth grade first year at this gigantic middle school all of the seventh and eighth graders are so polite to is and that's what makes me Want to come to school with a positive attitude. This school is amazing because the teachers are very good at teaching and are really nice, older and younger kids are polite, the school is a no bully school so if there's bullying then the students who are bulling will get in deep trouble, school lunches are very good and they have food vending machines, PE is almost everyday. Well that's all I have to say about this wonderful school thank you and please visit mills park middle and mills park elementary and panther creek bye.
Submitted by parent on September 17, 2013

This school is one of if not the largest middle schools in the state. It was not built to handle the number of students who matriculate here. My child's math class has 40 children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is an advanced math class (CC2) it is completely unaccpetable that this class is not divided into two in order to ensure that the students receive the attention they deserve.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2013

Mills Park Middle School is an excellent school with a great sense of the community. The teacher quality is wonderful and the principal works hard to create a culture of "students first." The PTSA is very active and financially supports a number of special learning events for the school and funds additional equipment in the classrooms. Fantastic school!
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2012

It a great school my child has been there two years now. She enjoys it did have a little rough start in 6 grade with one of her teacher whom clearly should be in another profession due to her uncaring attitude towards the students. She may call it firm discipline but I am a educator myself and know that we are sometime our students brightest light. So just hope your child don't get her in 6 grade. My daughter was able to overcome her with kindness as I instructed her to take the high road and all this exprience to build character. Overall it's a very involved school with great academics programs.
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2012

Very happy with Mills Park Middle. Have a seventh grader in his second year....he's been very happy, esp with the band director. My sixth grader has an absolutely fantastic team of teachers....a few of whom have received County Teacher of the Year honors in the past. My younger son has been fortunate enough to be in the sixth grade prealgebra class....very happy to have this long-awaited opportunity for advancement for him. Lots of really, really bright kids here. Lots of ethnic diversity and international families. Not much socio-economic diversity, though.