Martinez Middle School

5601 West Lutz Lake Fern Road

School District

Hillsborough
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

public

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 student on February 14, 2025

There’s a lot of bullying and racism and teachers don’t do much
Submitted by parent on December 26, 2024

The bullying at this school is extreme, and the administration doesn’t do anything to support students. It’s not ok to ignore bullying, especially given the current environment. Martinez is proof that SEL is a failure. This is a very unsafe environment for many kids.
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2023

Great academics and excellent music and arts departments. Admin is the best in the district. I've seen improvement/growth each year both in my student and in the teachers. The teachers really do care about teaching and preparing the students for high school. The school does fun school-wide activities that the kids seem to really enjoy. Admin and staff continue to work on making connections with the kids. Would absolutely recommend.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2023

Martinez is such a wonderful school! From the teachers to the administration to the office staff, everyone is extremely welcoming and caring. Middle school can be very difficult years for children, but Martinez somehow feels like an extension of elementary with the same type of positive loving environment. I am so grateful to everyone at Martinez.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2023

Mi hijo es autista tiene una discapacidad y el bulling que le hacen otros alumnos es abusivo, lo golpean cuando cambia de clases y en las clases , me he reunido con el directo y los maestro y no hacen nada por ayudarlo
Submitted by student on August 03, 2023

I'm trying to write this in a way that is the nicest way possible. I'm more of a nerdy kid, I really like math and kind of like science (looking into being a comp sci major when I grow up most likely since I already have experience with that), I overlook things and sometimes that makes me feel worse, so sometimes I write things in a way that makes them sound worse than they are or in an argumentative way, but I'm trying to phrase this in the nicest way I can lol. Also if you're going to this school, sometimes it's best not to talk about your interests if they're not in the norm to people who aren't already into the same interest. I've never had any problems with my teachers so far, but some staff are really annoying. I'm not really the type of person who likes loud noises, I'm probably on the spectrum but I've never gotten tested for that, but either way, I don't need someone yelling every period acting superior to the students. Some of the counseling is really unhelpful too. There's so much drama and toxicity that the staff just doesn't deal with. If it's the same people causing the problems all the time, they don't care, if you're not a person who gets into trouble often and you defend yourself, that will probably be on your permanent record. If you're a racist kid who does get into trouble often, there's most likely very little repercussions unless another person on the staff speaks up about it, which would be rare. If you don't defend yourself in arguments or fights though, you'll most likely end up very depressed for a while, and as stated before, counseling isn't that helpful. It's really a lose-lose unless you pretend to be someone you're not. You can say that that's just the way school is, but shouldn't we try to change that? This will be my last year at this school and are just some things I noticed so far, some of the staff and most of the students are kind of toxic, I haven't seen much school spirit, since there's nothing really unique about this school. I've participated in the school polls with my honest opinions and nothing really got better judging on the previous reviews, they're all similar to mine and all they have really done is add more policies limiting stuff we can do. Once in a while, you'll have a fun time here, but most of the time, it's pretty stale and depressing.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2023

Don't let the good reviews fool you! Academically this is a good school but behaviorally it's horrible. There's a big "us vs. them" attitude between the elite (upper class families) and everyone not in those circles. These kids are entitled and have never been told no. Alot of bullying and nothing gets taken seriously by teachers/administration. Teachers have directly told me that misbehavior is accepted because "kids will be kids". When I brought up concerns about documented bullying, they will victim blame your child. Other times they will tell you what you want to hear and pretend to resolve the issues but no real consequences and/or accountability are given. Favoritism is also a big problem. Lots of double standards depending if you're part of the elite/popular or not. This school is Beverly Hills 90210 on steroids. Schools with lots of funding and good test scores do not mean better.
Submitted by other on April 23, 2022

One of the genuinely worst schools I've been to. I had a traumatizing experience causing me to get bullied and hated by basically my entire grade and they just brushed it away due to it being the week or two before Christmas break. I was bullied for three entire years at that school until I cried to my parents enough to make them realize how much I wanted to do online school. Some teachers are good, but some are so rude and disrespectful that they do not try and help at all and blame it on the student when they don't understand a concept. The learning aspect gets its job done, but the environment is absolutely horrendous. I would rather send my own child if I have one to any other school. If the environment was better or the staff tried to handle situations better I would definitely recommend this school, but until then I wouldn't risk the mental damage on any child.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2020

My daughter is an excellent student, behaves really well and its focused in academics. This school is VERY overwhelming if your kid is shy or introvert and there is a lot of bullying, agressive behavior, cussing, etc. Neither the bus drivers or the teachers can't do much if the parents don't teach values and allow their little angels to do whatever they want to and be disrespectful to both faculty and fellow students.
Submitted by student on April 30, 2019

I personally do not want my kids going near Martinez Middle School. The environment is terrible while the staff tries to convince students it isn’t. Kids get bullied in the hallways and staff are terrible against students.
Submitted by other on December 11, 2018

I will be graduating from the University of Florida in 2020, and attended this school from 2009-2012. This school is probably the worst school to send your child to if they are slightly above average in intelligence. They cater to the lowest common denominator. Administration is hypocritical, righteous, and condescending. Behavioral standards set for one child will be different than another child. I distinctly remember being treated differently for doing the exact same thing as another student, although this may be an issue of race.
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2018

My child is a new sixth grader. The teachers seemed to care about her daily classwork, homework, and noticed her struggles and strengths. The guidance counselor, made great suggestions. They also had a Tech Night for parents, that taught us how to navigate through Edsby. A lot of great club opportunities to choose from, especially when you are a new student.
Submitted by parent on July 11, 2017

As far as middle schools go, Martinez is a great one. My only complaint is the amount of homework given. Other than that, the teachers have been wonderful (with the exception of a couple), the principal was great (although they are getting a new one this year), moral is high and it's a good group of kids.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2017

I would have to strongly disagree with the previous bad reviews. This is a great school with an outstanding principal. My child has been attending this school for several years now and yes the workload is high, but you want your kids to be educated and not just handed a diploma right? They have a FFA/ Agriculture program, sports (not a lot of middle schools have extracurricular sports) such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, and even flag football. The teams are quite good as well. The teachers have always been responsive and their use of technology is great. I have only had an issue with one teacher that seemed quite a bit on the harsh side at first, but I soon realized that it was just that she expected a lot more out of the kids, especially since it was an honors class. Parents need to realize that they are the ones ultimately responsible for their own children. When the parents have a tendency to be bullies and aggressive themselves (such as trolling these sites to leave scathing reviews based on unrealistic expectations or a lack of understanding of how to be a parent......) the children find that normal behavior. While schools do play a role in shaping a child's view of what it means to be a respectful contributing member of society, it is not the school's responsibility to teach children how to behave. Instead of using your thumbs on your iPhone in between Facebook posts to make a good school look bad, perhaps parents should get more involved with both the school AND their own children?
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2017

My child was bullied from day one. I reported it to vice principle and absolutely nothing was done. No policy regarding bullying was followed, instead my child was basically told to suck it up. His teachers were mediocre at best. One math teacher, supposedly practicing for 25 years, constantly yells, doesn't answer questions and doesn't make sure the student understand before moving on. This school breeds the cliques, even reinforce the cliques. I hate this school, my son hates this school. My daughter hates this school, and we are moving to another zone very soon. It can't come soon enough. If your child isn't the mouthy, popular type, who is an airhead, they won't survive here. If you have a smart, sensitive kid, protect him or her by sending them somewhere else!
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2017

This school is so over rated everything is swept under the rug my child was repeatedly bullied and when I tried to talk to the school they put the blame on him and not the group of 5 kids that were doing they are all puppets to the district most of the teachers are not helpful and put blame on the kids for everything they screw up grades and the school will only side with the teachers because they don't want their school rating to to go down I have two children at this school I try to mind my business until I have to get involved I'm not one to run up and complain for everything like some people say in their review of other people so for me to write this is a WARNING DO NOT PUT YOUR CHILD IN THIS SCHOOL. My kids are A and B students but the grafes dropped teachers helping they were nasty and not qualified to teach with the exception of two teachers they would play with his grades and lower his conduct grade for stupid things like talking mean while his work was done and one teacher had several write ups and was never fired iseverak parents complained and nothing was done its all the protect the reputation and school grade which is overrated the drugs out of control you can buy any drug in the library and supervision is horrible the pta will try to milk you dry and get attitudes if you can't give them money its been a complete nightmare I would not recommend this school to anyone
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2015

When reading the recent reviews for this school and having had two children educated there it is very easy to determine that the bad reviews were written by the same parent. From my experience at this school, when an overbearing or overprotective parent feels their child is being singled out or not being treated fairly, the parent makes a huge stink, demands to meet with administration and if they aren't able to strong arm the administration to get their way the parent then lashes out in some public forum. I have witnessed bad parental behavior first hand while in the office picking up my child for an appointment. My advice to parents who have issues with their child's teacher: 1. make sure you have an Edsby parent account so that you can stay involved in your child's education. 2. Talk to your child's teacher. They really DO have your child's best interest at heart. 3. Hold your child accountable! Your child has to WANT to take an active role in their own education. We, as parents are responsible helping to instill this behavior in our children. Don't expect the teachers to both educate AND raise your children. 4. Volunteer and participate at the school. Not just through PTSA. Ask your child's teacher what you can do to help his/her classroom. I have volunteered to come to school to help on science lab days, just to be another adult in the room to assist the teacher and students and the teachers were overjoyed and very appreciative. 5. Follow the issue protocol-- talk to teacher first, if issue is not resolved, talk to your child's guidance counselor (they can be very helpful too and can often refer you to outside resources that you can use to help your child like tutors, self-study websites, virtual classes, social and psychological services.) and if your issue is still not resolved or if you feel your concerns still have not been addressed, schedule an appointment with an administrator. And lastly, please behave like an adult; Remember, you ARE a role model for your child. -Satisfied Parent of 2 Martinez "graduates" (BTW...one of my children was recognized as a National Merit Scholar so clearly he got exactly what he needed from Martinez Middle School.)
Submitted by parent on November 09, 2015

As a military family we have seen many schools! I have no complaints about the education or programs - - some (music, specifically) are exceptional!! My struggle with this complex (Martinez & Steinbrenner) is the "clickiness" of the kids. It's the worst we've witnessed in 16 schools total (between my three kids). Beware, if you're choosing this town for the exceptional schools!! The doors to friendship are hard to open.
Submitted by student on August 06, 2015

I am (unfortunately) a student at this school, and, throughout the years I have been here, have noticed countless problems with not only the staff members and teachers, but with the school itself. Just to give you an idea of what being a "student" (or should I say "prisoner") of this school is like, these are among the things I have experienced here:- In the cafeteria, there is always a staff member yelling at you to "sit down" and "stop wandering around", even though she, along with other staff members, loiter around the cafeteria for the entire lunch period, when there are chairs specifically put in the front of the cafeteria for them to sit in.- Numerous times whilst outside, I have smelled cigarette smoke. (Note: this did not come from any of the students.)- In 2013, MMS had a fundraiser, and told parents and students that its proceeds would be used to build a covered walkway for the school. Two years later, this has still not been built.- On a testing day, I had been absent for the 2 previous days, and my homeroom teacher had failed to mention the time and place I had to take my exam.- On a testing week, my HR teacher had given us the wrong schedule for the day, so I had to ask the principal which class we had to go to next; he didn't know, and had to ask a student for this information.- The lock was broken on the "handicapped" bathroom door, and was never fixed.I would definitely NOT RECOMMEND enrolling your child at MMS!
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2015

This school is ridiculous. There is a science project every nine weeks. The projects take the full nine weeks, so by the time you finish one, its time for a new one. They don't allow the children to do biological studies for science fair, no animal behavior or fungi. Its very limiting for a child who loves science and biology and forces them to do a project they are not interested in. The teachers do enter grades into edsby in a timely manner. So you child does their homework. Turns it in and it gets lost. You only find out your child is missing said assignment until the teacher actually enters the grade nearly 4 weeks later. The child cant remember the assignment let alone where it might be. This caused my son to earn a B in reading, the only B he has ever gotten in his life, because the assignment could not be found or replaced in time, because his teacher waited until the week before the grading period ended to put in grades. The teachers are completely hands off. They are not invested in your child. They collect a paycheck and that's it. They assign several hours of homework (thanks to common core) every single night-don't forget you still have that science project to do! No time for extracurricular activities, no fun. My kid was so stress I removed him an put him in a charter school instead. Stay away from this school. They care nothing about your kid. The principal is a mindless zombie, he doesn't support the kids or the parents. He doesn't get involved.