Highland Middle School

Reviews

• Submitted by parent on October 02, 2022
  Awesome middle school! I had 3 children who went to HMS. The teachers and staff are caring, supportive people. When the pandemic hit, they went out of their way to make the middle schoolers feel a sense of normalcy in what was a crazy time. Over my 3 children's years there, I have ample examples of caring, supportive engaging teaching, and teachers who really care about the students. There are also numerous clubs and activities to keep the students involved, and the transition to high school was excellent!
• Submitted by parent on August 26, 2022
  Great school and teachers. The parents and kids are friendly. Have a good opportunity to volunteers during the school year. The regular and advances classes are good curriculum.
• Submitted by other on March 23, 2022
  I graduated last year so having gone through a pandemic with this school was awful! 6th was good, however the amount of homework seemed a bit excessive but nothing impossible to get done. 7th grade was fine but then the pandemic hit and everyone including most of the teachers seemed to stop caring/showing interest in wanting to be there. 8th grade the teachers were the best out of all the other years however throughout the beginning of the pandemic (7th grade) I had been cyber bullied and when brought to the schools attention they did nothing, however when I supposedly “bullied” another kid for supporting my friend in a heated argument with a girl and my friend responded by posting a tik tok about the situation which was seen as bullying and for commenting on it I was supporting the bullying when it was all said and done the dean suggested to the girl to get the police involved in the situation and possibly get a restraining order (which was taking the situation way out of proportion) my friend didn’t get in trouble with the school at all but for supporting him in the “bullying” i was given 3 lunch detentions. the staff there doesn’t know how to properly handle a bullying situation and i don’t believe that i would’ve felt safe at this school in 7th grade had the pandemic not happened when I was being bullied. Throughout the whole time i was there i had 2 teachers i actually liked and felt would actually listen to me if i had a problem. Homework was never awful overall but was always expected to get it done no matter if something was going on outside school. elementary school we had parties for holidays ex: halloween, valentines etc. Highland didn’t tolerate any of that no matter what it was. the environment didn’t make me want to be there ever it felt like a chore that had to be done. This year i’m a freshmen at Libertyville High School where the teachers are friendlier, homework isn’t excessive coming from a student in all regular classes, no AP, or honors we have multiple spirit weeks where majority of the school participates in staff included, and on halloween you are allowed and encouraged to dress up as long as your costume follows dress code and isn’t offensive to anyone. I am extremely grateful that i went to highland during the pandemic because the current situation in the world meant that there wasn’t much of a focus on a lot of the things we did ex: homework because people were more worried about the pandemic and what was going to happen next
• Submitted by parent on March 11, 2022
  I don't understand the low score for the school. The kids perform well on their tests, you can even watch the most recent Board Meeting where the scores are discussed. The teachers are wonderful and if your child has an issue, they're happy to discuss it with them, if it's pertaining to their class, another class or just being a teen. Great communication from our team and letting us know what the kids are working on, what's to come, etc.
• Submitted by parent on February 26, 2022
  I honestly have no idea why this school is rated a 5/10. This is the largest filtering school into Libertyville High School. The leap from 5/10 to a 10/10 (LHS rating) is nonsensical. My sons loved this school and grew tremendously. When speaking to friends with kids in other districts, they were always surprised by all the advantages that my children received. This building’s teachers and administration are dramatically underrated.
• Submitted by parent on June 18, 2021
  My child is going into 7th grade and loves it here. Everyone I have come into contact with is very professional, caring, and helpful.
• Submitted by parent on June 17, 2021
  okay i go to school here, i have been bodyshamed, lots of kids say slurs, lots of bullying, i have been called slurs, overall i hate it here
• Submitted by parent on May 21, 2021
  Wonderful school, teachers are great and the principal is amazing! If you bring him a concern, he takes care of it right away. My daughter has had a great experience at Highland middle school.
• Submitted by parent on February 17, 2021
  I’ve had three kids graduate from Highland. All with different learning needs. I have nothing but great things to say. I really like the “school within a school” approach they use to divide kids and teachers into smaller learning teams to keep kids from getting lost in the crowd. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved with sports, theatre, music, after school clubs. Both the orchestra and band programs are phenomenal. The district has invested in the arts and built an incredible program with opportunities for all kids at all levels. My kids never had a bad teacher at Highland, and have had a lot of really phenomenal passionate teachers at Highland. The sleep-away “Outdoor Ed” program in 6th grade really helps build rapport and relationships amongst the kids as they are starting off at Highland. Academically all three of my kids were prepared for High School after three years at Highland.
• Submitted by parent on February 16, 2021
  This is my child's 2nd year at HMS. We have absolutely no complaints this far. I'm so shocked at the low rating I have seen. This school district has high expectations and my fear is the parents are much too hard on the teachers and admin. My opinion is that some negativity comes from coddling parents who are used to running their children's elementary school and then are in shock when they aren't as welcome anymore. Yes, that's right, let the children find their way. I do think middle school is rough for many but as far as districts in lake county, these kids have many resources.
• Submitted by student on April 10, 2019
  I feel like the homework load is manageable and there is no bullying whatsoever.
• Submitted by parent on October 05, 2018
  Many inconsistencies among teachers, classes, homework, tests, chromebook use, calendars, class websites, etc. Frustrating experience for students and parents. The hours of homework given is not effective in teaching or giving students a desire to learn. Homework every weekend does not create a healthy school-home balance. Teachers are allowed to do and say whatever they please at this school with no consequences. Blame is always placed on the student, under the school's claim that this teaches responsibility. Most teachers are only capable of teaching to "good" students. If a student struggles, teachers give up and the students are considered for IEP or RtI classes that are not in any way effective.
• Submitted by other on June 18, 2018
  The staff and admin do just about everything in their power to provide the best, well- rounded approach to education and guidance.
• Submitted by parent on March 05, 2018
  School and district administrators are completely out of touch with students and parents. Their words and actions contradict each other. Student voice and parent input is not valued.
• Submitted by parent on February 21, 2018
  School principal and most teachers are coasting. Teachers are always right and students are afraid to speak up for themselves. We're looking at St. Joe for our younger ones so they do not have to "get through" (as most parents in Libertyville say) Highland.
• Submitted by parent on July 24, 2017
  Discouraging and frustrating! The atmosphere at this school is not pro-student OR pro-parent. Highland is something that families GET through -- the complete opposite of the elementary and high school experiences in Libertyville. Highland is about control and keeping parents OUT! Students are not respected and neither are the parents. There are some wonderful teachers, but their efforts are overshadowed by the climate of authoritarianism and antagonism. And apparently responding to emails is optional with some of the teachers. As an educator myself, I'd like to think that I'm working WITH students and families. That is not the vibe at Highland. Sadly, it's the only middle school in Libertyville and we're stuck with it. They almost operate like they know they're the only game in town Appeals to the superintendent have gone nowhere which is weird because he seems to understand. Libertyville deserves SO MUCH BETTER!
• Submitted by student on June 09, 2017
  Started out here mid-May, having just moved into the area. For the nine school days I had been there, the experience had been great. Really enjoyed it here so far!
• Submitted by parent on October 20, 2016
  There is a saying around Libertyville, 'the best day at Highland is your child's last day at Highland'. Couldn't be more true! I have no positive remarks about this school, which is sad because my children's elementary school was wonderful.
• Submitted by parent on October 17, 2016
  This school has a few very good teachers. My sons were lucky to get some of them. Unfortunately, the overall environment is super controlling. The principal and district say they listen to parents but usually continue with the way things are done. There is lots of parent support and a strong community so it is unfortunate that many families can't wait to get through this school. My sons are happy to be done.
• Submitted by other on February 15, 2012
  Good overal school with amazing basketball teams for the class of 12 . There are some sub par teachers and harsh and unfair rules on being late to class. Late to 1 class = 1 detention 3 lates = Saturday school. Luckily most teachers arent very setting about it.

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