Lewis Middle School

5170 Greenbrier Avenue

School District

San Diego Unified
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:20
Type

public

School Map for San Diego Unified 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 other on November 12, 2024

My experience at Lewis was okay. The VPS and principal are biased and don’t take things seriously. They seem to care more about things like your stomach showing than addressing actual problems, like a fight. The students are fine, but you can’t really change how people behave to have a better middle school experience. The bigger issue is the administration, which is incredibly poor, and the unqualified staff they hire. It feels like no one truly cares about their job or the students' well-being. While some teachers are genuinely kind, take you seriously, and seem to enjoy what they do, the overall environment is lacking The principal is incompetent, and the vice principals don’t care about you or what you have to say. There have been multiple complaints about them, yet nothing ever seems to be done. While I was at Lewis, I saw kids get bullied and report it to counselors or VPs, but they just didn’t care this school is a mess and nobody takes there role seriously besides some teachers. I would highly recommend not sending your children here.
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2024

To put it simply: at this school, teachers don’t actually teach. They just purchase assignments online and post them on Google Classroom, leaving students to complete everything at home due to lack of class time. There are no lectures, only endless videos and questions from packets bought on teacherspayteachers.com. It seems teachers don’t review the materials before assigning them. My family is eager for middle school to end because both my daughter and son are bored, unmotivated, and dislike going to school.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2024

As a parent of a student at Lewis Middle School, our experience with Lewis Middle School has been overwhelmingly positive: excellent education, safe, support teachers and staff, adoption of technology, and devoid of disruptive elements. I find myself compelled to share our family's experience, particularly in light of recent discussions and reviews that have surfaced. Navigating the landscape of our children's education, we often encounter varied opinions and experiences, each offering valuable perspectives. My intention here is not to diminish the concerns raised by others but to provide an alternate viewpoint based on our journey with the school.Initially, the school's approach to involving parents—requiring us to engage with Google Classroom through our child's account—seemed unconventional. However, this method has fostered a collaborative learning atmosphere in our home. It's an approach that encourages students to take the lead in sharing their educational journey, promoting responsibility and active participation. This method, while different, has been effective in keeping us involved and informed, bridging the gap between home and school learning environments.The curriculum's inclusion of topics like gender theory and critical race theory has sparked much debate. Speaking from our experience, these subjects have been introduced thoughtfully, aiming to enhance our child's critical thinking and empathy. Discussing these complex issues within the structured framework of essay writing has not only improved their analytical skills but has also prepared them to navigate and appreciate the world's diverse perspectives. It's an educational strategy that, in our view, equips students with the tools necessary for thoughtful and informed discourse.There have been concerns about parents being "kept in the dark" and the school's reliance on digital resources and independent learning. From our perspective, the digital tools and resources employed by Lewis Middle School are not a shortcut but a means to enrich the students' learning experience. The emphasis on independent learning tasks and critical engagement with materials has fostered a sense of self-reliance and curiosity in our child. The school's pedagogical approach, emphasizing exploration and personal initiative, prepares students for a lifetime of learning in a rapidly changing world.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2024

I am very happy with Lewis Middle School. My first son graduated a couple of years ago and now my younger son is in 7th grade. The grounds are clean, the staff and teachers are amazing, and my boys have been very happy there. High standards are very important to my, and I feel that this school has done a great job on keeping the expectations high. All of the resources you need are available including tutoring and counseling. There are social clubs after school, ASB opportunities, and after school activities such as dances and dine-outs. Lewis Middle School does an excellent job of preparing students for high school by giving them planners at the beginning of each school year, and teaching them how to keep track of homework and other assignments so that they can be organized.
Submitted by parent on February 02, 2024

Parents are kept completely in the dark. Academics are focused around laptop learning. Google classroom is central to every classroom. Parents are not supported, and only told they have to log into google classroom on their kids’ login in order to know what’s going on. PowerSchool shows grades but many teachers don’t put in assignments until it’s too late to do anything about it. Some of the gifted classes focus on teaching gender theory and critical race theory to 6th graders under the guise of essay structure. The new math curriculum forces students to write more rather than do math. It’s all on computer. Points are docked for not explaining one’s feelings about math enough, rather than just doing the math.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2023

Great school, kids, and staff! Nice location with plenty of extra curricular activities.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2023

Our son just finished 6th grade at Lewis and we are very satisfied. Leadership is strong and focused on students' wellbeing. Teachers work hard and really care about the children. Yes, the amount of homework was higher than expected, but this will be the first year that we won't need to supplement any subject at home during summer, which is priceless. In addition, this was the first year we didn't need to teach math to our son at home because the teacher did a really good job in class and by assigning daily homework. As parents, this was the first stress-free year we've had since our son started school because Lewis does what it's supposed to do: teach entire curriculum, assign homework, teach good citizenship, all while keeping engaging and fun. Our student had a solid year and feels prepared for 7th grade and beyond. As another reviewer mentioned, Lewis holds non-curricular activities only during breaks, advisory time, and after school hours, and we really appreciated that precious time is not wasted during the year. In our opinion, Lewis is a great bridge between elementary and high school because they encourage students to take agency and advocate for themselves, they teach time management and organization, and they have the perfect size for a middle school.
Submitted by student on June 15, 2023

Honestly, as a student still in lewis middle school, the school isn’t that bad. But most of the problems with the school are the staff, I feel like most of the teams don’t understand how other students think, and I feel like they are pretty mean. They would yell a lot out of you if you did something wrong. I mean, I get you did something wrong. But do you have to yell them out? Talk to the kid about how they shouldn’t be doing that instead of yelling at them. That can make things worse. But as I talk about the staff, I am not talking about the teachers. The teachers are great at this school, and most of the teachers understand their students very well. The teaching here is okay, though. Sometimes I feel like some teachers are lazy. They only hand out printed papers from the Internet and show you videos. I have this one teacher, but I never saw him teach us but just gave us books and worksheets to do while we sat there and tried to learn them ourselves. I don’t remember anything I learned this whole past year, and I mean, who doesn’t? The school also has a special education which is pretty well if you are interested. Most of the problems are the students, some of them are very violent and speak a lot of discrimination. But you can’t change a kid's mind that much. Overall, if I ever had to rate this school, it would be a solid 6/10. It's nothing much, but it’s still pretty fun to be there.
Submitted by other on June 08, 2023

With the exception of a few (there always is) the teachers my children have had at Lewis have been excellent.I appreciate the weekly updates that I receive through text & email from the school. They are full of pictures and are positive and informative. I am impressed by the engagement of the leadership and the parent foundation at Lewis Middle School.
Submitted by other on June 02, 2023

I have had three children attend Lewis Middle School. While my oldest had a rocky experience years ago, my two kids (6th and 8th grades) have had a wonderful experience! Principal Phillips and the vice principals are truly interested in engaging students' minds and caring for the students and reinforcing this with the teachers. Almost all the teachers my kids have had the past few years aren't just there to collect a paycheck, but instead are interested in helping students learn. It does take time to have our kids advocate for themselves in the classroom. However, as they have learned that skill, they are getting the help needed from teachers before school, during lunch, or after school. One of my kids has an IEP and the teachers have been very involved in the process. I have been impressed that Principal Phillips actively attends the annual meetings as well with us and is actively part of team that helps ensure the plan is in place.We are big fans of Lewis Middle School!
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2023

Lewis has been a great school for my kids. I love that there are so many teachers/staff who have been there for years and are dedicated to the school and the students. The principal is great and really cares about the students. Communication is spot on; education has been great and my kids are happy there!
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2023

My child is currently in their first year, as a sixth grader at Lewis Middle School. We are pleased with the school, both as parents, and as a student. Of the 7 teachers my student has, 6 are amazing. I am appreciative of the communication and the organization of their virtual classrooms- which has been tremendously helpful as my child has had 2 long stretches of illnesses this year, but was able to maintain honor roll level grades. We are also very thankful for the tutoring the school offers and the ability for students to turn in late work if needed. While my student strives to turn in work on time, life gets in the way and the policy allowing late work helps maintain positive mental health (& reduces anxiety). While no middle school experience is perfect, we honestly have no complaints beyond a single teacher who is a bit grumpy- but that's a small issue amidst an otherwise very positive experience.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2023

We’ve had more issues here than any other school my kids have attended. I get middle school is a difficult age and kids will test the adults on their lives, but our experience has been that the problems start at the top. The Administration and teachers are disrespectful to the students, I witnessed this myself. Teachers blame the students and never take responsibility/ownership for their own actions- also personal experience. Admin staff does not correct the teachers’ actions because of the union so there’s no point for parents to address the issues at the school because nothing will be done. Parents are not listened to or taken seriously. I was told that I couldn’t excuse my child’s absence, she was responsible for talking to the teacher herself! The staff says that kids need to advocate for themselves, but when they do, students are belittled, made fun of and bullied by the adults that they’re supposed to trust. Send your kids at your own risk.
Submitted by other on January 02, 2023

I attended Lewis middle school for three years and 90% of the student who went there will tell you they had a bad experience. They have so many outdated, teachers who are just begging for retirement. On my first day of six grade there was a teacher who made multiple people in the class cry. While there are some really really amazing teachers at the school. Unfortunately, it’s plagued by grumpy old teachers who clearly hate their job. I had multiple teachers at the school, explicitly say that they did not like my class, and I even had one teacher said that we were his least favorite class. During my eighth grade, I went through four English teachers and two math teachers before they settled on my schedule none of which was informed to me or my parents until I showed up to the class. The communication is horrendous and the counseling office is a joke a doesn’t help students. Since I have left school, nothing has really changed there still the same old teachers that have been there for years and fight videos come out of the school regularly.
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2022

This is our first year at this school. We like the school in general, principal is responding, kind, very well spoken, and enthusiastic about his pupils and the school. This is a very inclusive school. Teachers seem to really like what they do, they are thorough, very dedicated, and follow the curriculum. I love that this school doesn't waste anyone's time with so many non-curriculum activities during school hours. All non-curriculum activities (e.g. parties) take place after school hours. However, the reason for my 3-star review is the amount of homework. We had been told 6th graders would have about 60 minutes of daily homework, but my child is spending between 2.5 and 3 hours doing homework every single day. I understand other children might take less time to do their homework, but if your child strives to do a more thorough job, she/he will take at least 2 hours to complete their daily work. I believe this happens because the schedule includes ALL subjects every single day, and that results in the children having homework from ALL classes almost every day. The teachers will say they mostly have work that was not finished in class, but that is not always true. First of all, there is never enough time to finish anything during class, and second of all, my child always brings home an actual extra homework to do that was not started in class. Daily math homework alone takes my child, a straight A student, more than one hour to complete, and then, he/she still has the other classes' homework to do. My child has not participated in any after school activities because he/she does not have any time left of his/her day. It's getting to the point that my child doesn't enjoy school anymore like he/she did before and is always asking when the next holiday is. My student is really exhausted and it hurts to see he/she has lost his/her love for school.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2022

The principal is very enthusiastic, all of the teachers we have met are competent professionals, and the staff has been supportive and responsive to all of our inquiries.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2022

Opportunities for all children. Whatever the area. We love this school.
Submitted by parent on November 11, 2019

Lewis teachers give the students homework so that they can learn at home. Not to implement what they learned in class. The teachers at Lewis expect the parents to teach their own child. The teachers do not teach, they 'tell' then move on to another subject area the following week. If the students don't learn at home then too bad so sad...they have moved on and are leaving your student behind. 4 of 7 teachers my child had, publicly shame students. They (Ms. Provins) 'tell' students how to do a math problem then if they ask a question or don't understand she'll say in a very loud unapologetic voice 'We already went over that, you should know it'. At one point she threw another child's backpack across the class and broke stuff inside it. Nothing was done by the parent or the administration. The poor child was not my own, yet, my child watched the event in horror. Other teachers are skating through the day, not checking for understanding, not being clear about their expectations and then expect the students to read their minds. The principle supports the teachers whole-heartedly, even when they are not doing anything that is stated in the 504. Ms. Oshiro was the best. She cared, she tried, she wants the students to learn. P.E is a joke; they literally throw the ball out and only grade on attendance. It's no wonder kids don't want to exercise. The teachers don't care or have no clue how to use what they learned on college and should be held accountable for the lackadaisical P.E. programs they have at Lewis. My child received a C in one class and D's and F's in the rest. At the new school, they are teaching my child, my child is learning in school. He has all A's and one B. There is homework, but it's for practicing what they learned in class. As opposed to home work being a way for them to figure out what they were 'told' in class like they had to do at Lewis. I wish any child attending Lewis good luck, it's a sad excuse for a school. As a parent you have a responsibility to put your child in a school that teaches children and cares about whether they learn. It's very difficult to find a good school in San Diego. I feel like my child was very lucky to have been chosen to attend the charter school they now attend.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2019

The staff, especially Ms. Stadler are exceptionally understanding and kind to our family. We have struggled and the office staff helped ease our minds and welcomed us late in the year with open arms
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2019

Great school with passionate teachers and staff.