Glenridge Middle School

2900 Upper Park Road

School District

Orange County Public Schools
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Orange County Public Schools

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 October 17, 2024

No don't put your kid in this school at all. My daughter got pushed and held up against a wall by a teacher, and when I called to talk after a couple times the principal finally talked to me and tried to blame on my daughter with her grades instead of talking about the issue. Not only that a lot of fighting teachers yell and cuss at the students. These teachers here are not professional. My daughter hates it there. If your child is falling behind they don't reach out to you and they allow your child to flunk.
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2023

While I’m sure there are some great teachers at Glenridge, the staff that we experienced sadly tainted our experience there. Consistently poor, absent, or last minute communication, inconsistent answers, and just-enough-to-get-by attitudes. My son was not registered for a required course at the beginning of the school year and ended up having to complete the 1st semester online while attending in-person class work for the 2nd semester. This error/class resulted in his not being in the yearbook or receiving a school picture. Frequent feedback after school on the behavior of his Science and Math teachers, which had been his favorite subjects. Limited extracurriculars and inefficient rain delay procedures. I would not choose to repeat my son’s experience there.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2023

it is ok. i go here and the learning in fine but there is too much bullying
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2021

I don't really understand how this school has such a stellar reputation. The student population is much different than our last school. There are a lot of fights, smoking, drugs, cussing teachers out IN THE CLASSROOM. I will say that they take bullying/threats quite seriously. My son was threatened with death by another student and the school investigated it immediately. The curriculum, I find, is a joke. My child is doing work that they were doing LAST year in 5th grade FLVS. And even with how easy everything is, students still fail because they simply don't do the work. Apparently they only have time to mouth off to teachers and smoke in the bathrooms. Teachers are trying to teach to the lowest common denominator and even THAT doesn't work, which is definitely sad.I think the principal is fine, I mean, what can you do with a student population who are horrid and parents that don't care about their horrid behavior?My son does love the teachers, which is great. They seem supportive and caring, which I feel is more important than academic rigor, but this school definitely does not challenge a child who is even moderately smart-ish. If you need a challenging educational environment, you need to go to private school.
Submitted by parent on October 19, 2021

This school has plummeted. From academics to social, it has turned into a complete disgrace. The kids are testing at an extremely low rate. What used to be a stellar school left the building when the former principal left for Audubon K-8. Fights are a daily occurrence, kids are vaping in the bathrooms, my son has described drugs that he sees with kids in bathrooms and classes and bullying is a daily activity. The administration does absolutely nothing. I thought it would get better with a new principal this year, but it has only gotten worse. The school seems to fall deeper and deeper into a hole every year. Steer clear.
Submitted by student on July 23, 2019

It sickens me that this school has such a high rating just due to past reviews. I have no clue how things were then, but trust me, they aren’t the same now. This school’s IB program is nothing short of a lie, since nearly every student gets into it, no matter if they are academically ready for it or not. The school’s approach to bullying is nonexistent, and as someone who was bullied by nearly everyone I knew, I should know that well. The staffing is probably one of the only okay things about this school, but there is a multitude of teachers who either are cruel to students or who don’t actually teach, and as they say, a bad apple ruins the whole bunch. The curriculum here is a joke, and it seems to change every year. Switching between paper and digital tests, what we’re required to have learned in a class from a prior year, upon a multitude of other things. The fine arts program is alright as well, but not near enough to save this school from its other horrific attributes.
Submitted by other on September 15, 2018

I am an alumni, and I had a few problems when I was here. A lot of the richer kids can be snobs (with the exception of a few) and bullying is a huge problem. So many kids like to shove offensive opinions down your throat that they get from their parents. There are constantly fights going on at the school. Glenridge has really gotten worse since I left, from stories I heard from my underclassmen. There is a very large use of vape and drugs in the school, as well as leaking of nudes. The IB program is pretty useless, and kids are forced into honors classes for algebra 1, even if they can’t keep up with the curriculum. There are so many pretty bad teachers. The one great thing about this school, however, is the performing arts department. The teachers in this department are wonderful, especially the band director, Mr Sullivan. He makes sure the kids choose the right instrument for them, and really helps the kids learn music. I had him for band, and it really was a fun experience.
Submitted by student on March 08, 2018

Overall, okay. School has many big weaknesses but there are the kids who have great personalities, despite the others who fall in to the catergories of spoiled, ghetto wannabe, and dull.
Submitted by student on May 27, 2017

The students may or may not be a bad influence for your child. While this is not entirely the schools fault. Just a warning, our popular kids/ non-official role models to the student body, smoke/vape, send nudes (which may or may not be true) and have the worst attitude towards the teachers in our school. They flaunt these things onto social media and also get support/likes from other students for doing so. As I understand, kids are growing up, but we've just passed the barely-teens line and we still are a bunch of children.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2017

Great school! Electives are a plus, dedicated teachers and a wonderful music/arts program. The orchestra experience has been outstanding and our daughter is learning to speak French, since classes are on a daily basis.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2016

Our daughter is in 6th grade and she has had a fantastic experience this year at Glenridge. The orchestra teacher is outstanding and the rest of the teaching staff is very helpful and caring to the students. The only complaint that I have is that there are no lockers so the kids have to carry all of their belongings around in their backpacks all day. I am shocked by some of the previous reviews because there have been no lockdowns or weapons at school since she has been there.
Submitted by other on February 23, 2014

I am an alumni of GMS and I have to say things have really declined since I've been there. There are many lockdowns due to students bringing weapons to school. The school is cliquey and there seems to be a problem with bullying. The IB program is the only salvation a from an otherwise mediocre schoo; the problem is that too many children are allowed in the IB "honors" program who don't deserve to be there. In my opinion the only good part about GMS is the arts dept. Brian Sullivan is an amazing band teacher and I had him for all 3 years at Glenridge and he still recognizes me in public.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2013

The rules of bullying are making to help the bully in this school. If there are no witnesses, they do nothing, the children are afraid to speak. That is why they have so many problems of weapons. It is terrible! I have no idea how it is A class.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2012

This school is labelled an IB school, but you will find that many teachers are not educated on how to teach and IB curriculum, There are very weak teachers here in the math department, and they do not get replaced. The academics are watered down in the honors classes and too many average students are accepted to these classes. Would not recommend.