Bailey Middle School

11900 Bailey Road

School District

Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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 December 03, 2024

I have an 8th grader and a 7th grader in this school. It is a big school but they manage it very well. Every time I call the school with a question, my question is answered quickly and politely. My kids are learning a lot and their teachers have high expectations for them. They have had opportunities to pursue their interests, including music, drama, coding, and journalism.
Submitted by student on August 31, 2023

This school is really good, but sometimes if you get in trouble or do something bad, they will get you in too much trouble for what you did. Sometimes i even got in trouble for things i didn't do. But overall most of it is good, its safe, good teaching, I go here and it is great.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2022

This school forces all students to score 85% on all tests for all classes. If this percentage is not met the child is forced to take their entire lunch until that score is reached (every day for weeks even). Chad Thomas is unprofessional and extremely rude to parents. He has his own agenda and no one is going to tell him his 10 year old enforcement sheet is out dated and doesn’t create an environment that’s safe for learning without judgement or shame. Many children state this school doesn’t support them, just dictates!
Submitted by other on June 28, 2022

I'm currently a junior in high school. if it weren't for a select few of my teachers, and mrs. fitzpatrick (asst. principal) I probably wouldn't have made it through middle school. The school itself is decent, minus the humiliation you get from behavior sheets and silent lunch. yes *behavior sheets* in middle school. green, blue, yellow, and pink. you get signatures for the smallest things, like forgetting a pencil. if you get 1 signature? your green sheet is now a blue sheet. 3 signatures on blue? yellow sheets, silent lunch(aka public humiliation) for one whole week. you have to sit in a cafeteria of 300+ kids in your grade and get stared at while they cut up and enjoy their lunches with friends, over forgetting a book or a pencil. 10 signatures? Pink sheets, ISS, aka learning time lost. bullying is prevalent, and test scores are the highest priority. i often felt like i was being taught how to do the best for a test, not how to learn.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2022

We moved to the area from the Northeast and my child is doing very well both socially and academically. She has enjoyed being able to pick Electives. This was not offered at her previous school. The Administration hosted a Newcomers Breakfast at the start of the year and I have had very positive feedback and responses from the school counselor and teachers. I am very happy with the school thus far and I appreciate their approach to test preparation with study guides the students must complete in their own and working lunch times where students can get help when needed.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2020

Chad Thomas (principal) is completely unprofessional, unkind and incompetent. He mistreats students and parents alike and is ethically irresponsible.
Submitted by parent on October 21, 2019

I come from the Northeast and we don’t tolerate anything. Down here in this school , the teachers and staff have attitudes and talk a lot about their personal life in class. Administrators are useless, they seem like they are doing the families favors. I can’t wait to be done with Bailey!!
Submitted by parent on September 05, 2019

We came from MGSD and in my opinion is was awful. Being a transfer on my oldest was not easy and he was a little lost but his teachers and the assistant principle to.his grade was amazing. She changed everything for him and even though he is in Hough now, he still reaches out to her. So far our other son has also done well at Bailey!
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2019

Terrible! When a student gets humiliated in front of her whole class for not writing fast enough, it leaves scars! The kids are mean and very clickish. MY daughter has never had a problem making friends until she was at Bailey! She is now enrolled in online schooling! No more bullying by teachers that are supposed to encourage learning!
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2017

It's our first year and we came from a smaller charter school, and we areimpressed by the teachers and staff! My daughter understands math and it is now her favorite subject, after struggling with it for years. Her teachers understand what she needs and she is becoming a great learner because of it. The head of the school is wonderful, with his communication, advice, understanding and encouragement for middle school kids and parents. Yes, there are middle school clicks, but there are also numerous opportunities to find your "group", with all of the activities and electives.
Submitted by student on April 19, 2017

I RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ THIS. I am a student at bailey middle school. i just moved here and used to be in one of the best school districts in my state EX: the teachers would stand in the front of the class and teach a lesson lasting at least a week, or until everyone understood what we just learned. the teachers treated every student equally and never humiliated a student or punished. At bailey middle school if you don't finish a warm up you get sent to a different classroom. every student receives what is called a behavior sheet and if you forget a pencil, or just sometimes not anything harmful they sign your behavior sheet(then your on blue, then if you get 1 more on blue you go to yellow, then have silent lunch witch is very humiliating because you sit in the cafeteria and all of the 300 kids can see you.) the teachers at this school are terrible. If your not used to a class all on computers then THIS IS NOT THE SCHOOL FOR YOU, i am on a virtual classroom every day in every single class ( google classroom ). I also have ADHD and the teachers don't care they treat me with no respect and most times less than the regular kids. I also have something else to say the kids here are horribly mean when i went to this school the teacher said that i would be able to make friends easily and that the kids are just great, well let me tell you its the opposite, i have been here for about 6 months and nothing has got better the girls stand in clicks and its really hard to join their friend group so i'm always left sitting by myself at lunch, recess, and for partners( no ones bothered to get to know me). The problems just go on and on. Also i would recommend going to Pine lake Prep charter school, more than 1/4 of my grade is already in the lottery and so am I. I really hope that I was able to help you out with your decision. PLEASE DON'T GO HERE IT WILL WRECK YOU OR YOUR CHILD JUST LIKE IT DID TO ME!!
Submitted by other on March 20, 2017

As a parent, i dont believe in teaching by punishment, fear or public humiliation. Happens from the top down. Stay away if you are considering moving to the area for this school. Not a positive learning environment, for straight a students and for kids that need help. All kids need to be taught, not disciplined, and not taght by computer.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2017

I have two children at Bailey. One has always been an overachiever and as a result ends up staying up until almost 1:00 am every day finishing her mountains of homework, unfinished classwork and online learning. She gets good grades, but is always tired and moody and is unable to enjoy being a kid on weekdays and some weekends. The other one is a lot less organized and not as dedicated. I have literally begged his teachers to help me get him on the right path and it has fallen on deaf ears for months. They just continue to berate him (in front of other students) and punish him -- ISS, silent lunch -- instead of TEACH him and help boost his confidence so he can do it himself. There are way too many standardized tests given. Their discipline system of giving "signatures" for infractions is too subjective. There are clear favorites among the teachers. The population is too large to accommodate any kind of individualized learning when the students need it. I feel like it's all about having high test scores because they are only being taught to score well on tests. They're not being taught for the simple sake of learning. It is a shame that people are drawn to this area based on the school's "scores" here on greatschools, only to learn that Bailey isn't so great after all.
Submitted by student on February 14, 2017

Never Go to this school. How do they call teaching sitting on a computer all day. I recommend not to go to this school if you want a future . They also treat new students horribly. Some teachers are not welcoming and make you feel stressed out.They send you to a different classroom if you don't know an answer.They tell you that your answer is incorrect if you use your own strategy(your strategy finds the right answer) to find a solution. I used to be almost a straight A student but now I struggle just to get a B. All we do in class is worksheets and sit on the computer. Even though the tour may seem friendly, some kids are not friendly. If you are thinking about going to this school, I urge you not to go . This school puts you in a terrible and negative environment. If you have goals and a future don't waste it. Go to a real school, in a positive learning environment, and where you'll strive to learn and be challenged in a positive way. I hope you take my advice, as a student who came later in the year. I now don't like going to school and I used to be so exited going to school, that I would get sick.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2015

Kids and parents all together being bullied by staff? Yes, it does happen at this school. This school is all about test grades, end of story - not about getting an education. The teachers will discriminate based on their likes and dislikes. Do not get fooled by school rating, its only a facade.If your kid has any issues in school, run.This is not a place for any kid to have issues. The teachers will let your kid in class just stay and do nothing.School is about what money can get from federal and local government not about teaching, preparing kids for life.Run, an horrible school to be at!
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2014

Our son is in his third year at Bailey (and we've got two more who will be there soon). We are very happy with Bailey Middle School. The teachers and staff are smart and professional. There are many extracurricular opportunities. The curriculum is challenging and my son will be well prepared for high school. Principal Thomas is caring, professional and the students know he has high expectations for them. Yes, there are more kids per class than a private school. But the students are separated into teams and each team has their own teachers. The teachers know how to manage the class and they also offer help times outside of class so they get to know the kids. And the students learn to be independent, responsible and get help when they need it. These are life skills that translate to future success. On to Hough next year and we are excited! It is disheartening to read unbalanced negative critiques thrown out there for all to see which are unfair and skew the rating, IMO. More parents need to submit a review and express what a great school Bailey really is.
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2014

Bailey Middle School has been a great experience for my 7th grader. They have done an excellent job since he bagan there in 6th grade. The teachers are creative in the classroom and the principal is always visible. There are a lot of ways to get involved for both students and parents. I have always found the staff to be attentive to my needs. I would highly recommend Bailey.
Submitted by parent on February 10, 2014

Bailey middle school is probably the craziest school I've ever seen. My daughter has friends there and makes good grades despite the school. Bullies everywhere from staff to students. I've contacted the superintendent of the school with no help. My daughter is leaving the school, due to the bullying from staff and student. After tons of complaints the self righteous principal will do nothing to correct his staff and after getting the police involved the bully has been pointed out. But I will home school her until high school age.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2013

My 7th grader and I really like this school. The teachers, staff, volunteers and kids are friendly, polite and attentive. They are teaching our children well. Thank you!
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2013

BMS got modulars this year due to the overcrowding. Many students came from IB, charter, and private schools because they've learned the education being received is more valuable from Bailey. The school's PTSA encourages parental involvement, and Mr. Thomas is a communicative, approachable principal.