Middlebrook School

131 School Road

School District

Wilton
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:10
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 parent on March 25, 2022

The leadership and teachers at Middlebrook are the best I've known. This is so important for this age group. They really handle the challenges of middle school years so well. My children are very different from each other and they helped both of my children find their place and succeed academically. They had great middle school friends and and some of their favorite teachers. Not many can say that about middle school!
Submitted by parent on December 11, 2021

First, of all, the programs aren't at all good. My kid had higher education from where we moved from, but now, she's burdened by the fact that Middlebrook does not provide a GT (gifted and talented) program or even just above grade level. The only class they have higher levels (and by levels, I mean just one level higher) for is math. This doesn't apply to my own child, but what happens if a kid isn't great at math, instead good at science, or ELA? It's not reasonable to only have a higher level for one of the classes. The kids are immature and disrespectful to each other all the time, not to mention that there are hundreds of rumors being spread at Middlebrook. The relationships between boys and girls are strained, and if a girl talks to a boy, or vice versa, the kids start spreading rumors about crushes. A couple of the teachers are good, but others talk too fast and don't explain things well enough. Some even refuse to help a student. In addition, there are so many kids at Middlebrook that 2/3 of the grade has to sit in the gyms while the other third sits in the cafeteria. It's unsanitary, and quite frankly, disgusting.
Submitted by parent on June 11, 2021

I was first attracted to the small town rural vibe and the small “great schools” of Wilton. The thing is - Ridgefield, New Canaan, Wilton, Westport, Weston are all very similar. The difference is your neighbors and how they value education and how (if they even vote) support the budget and school system. As a parent, it is difficult to assess the quality of your child’s education. Standardized tests ARE a sham. You can only listen and go off what your children tell you and what the academic staff “present” during open house. Remote schooling gave me a good glimpse of my child’s everyday experience in school. I was in disbelief, panicked and so disappointed day after day of listening to math class, science class, English class, Geography, etc. Constant yelling at kids, sarcasm, and little encouragement. Lots of “asynchronous work” (movie assignments).The Wilton PS teachers are well paid and compensated and therefore we and our children should expect competent, creative, motivated and inspiring teachers. Our children must have teachers that can demonstrate leadership, kindness, as well as compassion. In my opinion, this school lacks teachers with such qualities. The last principal could not get out of here fast enough. To be fair - there are a handful of teachers that are great.The budget is a public document and you can see that they are paid very well compared to some of their counterparts in other cities and states. Go look for yourself on the town website.Why do I have to send my child to a private school to expect quality, competence and leadership from the schools curricula, educators and administrators? Crazy but half of Wiltonians do. I now understand why. Our children should NOT have teachers telling kids that they are “so ready for summer,” “so done with the school year.” I won’t even start with the substitute teachers or the club teachersInadvertently, this results in lower enrollment at the public school level. The last few years there has been talk and local representatives are pushing for decentralized school systems and will merge Wilton PS with Norwalk PS. Only a matter of time. You will find that Wilton always trails behind Weston, Westport, New Canaan in the “best schools” race. The Wilton schools are good.. but not great. If my brother wanted to move her for the “school” as many of you have, I’d strongly encourage him to consider Weston, Westport or New Canaan or even Ridgefield over Wilton.
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2019

Great - socially, kids are kids and less mature than city schools in my opinion. Math program is poor. Not much of opportunities for STEM program exposure.
Submitted by other on November 16, 2016

Teachers and staff are all very caring and take the time to get to know each student,... Today I received a call from the school letting me know that two of the staff/teachers talked with my 7th grader today and she told them that she felt a little guilty for not doing as much as she should around the house. She felt that she has been lazy and wants to improve herself, so the teachers and I set up an action plan together to work towards this new goal with my daughter. Not just every school would take the time to call a parent about sometimg like this. They were proactive and positive about working with me and my daughter to help her improve her developmental skills,.... It's not just about taking tests!
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2015

We are new to the area and this school has been great. Amazing teachers, administration and bus drivers.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2015

Middlebrook is a discouraging place for hard-working students. I have observed now for all of my children coming through this school. Many of the teachers are mean, impatient and short sighted, and they rarely focus on academic content of student work. Math and science teachers overall are very poor and scores are only upheld across the district because Wilton parents pay for extra tutors. Additionally, there is absolutely NO diversity in this school and in the district. This has a profound impact on compassion and inclusion for minority students. If we were starting out again, I would NEVER invest in a home in this district or put my kids through these schools.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2015

In my opinion, Middlebrook is the weak link in the Wilton school system. Some teachers are good but there seem to be as many who act like their job is to snuff out the love of learning. The school seems bogged down with teams and pods and committees and so on and it's a miracle when you finally figure out who to deal with on any given thing. The physical plant is sprawling but adequate, clean and quite functional. The cafeteria food is said to be pretty good. The building sports a "Blue Ribbon School" banner, but it's dates 2011-resting on your laurels? Parents with the means can apply out to private schools or move. Not an option for everyone. I have wondered how many good students get fed up with,and leave, in the middle school years. That cannot be good for any public school system where state test scores matter so much. It's also probably a shame for Wilton H.S., which is judged not only on state scores but on college placement too.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2013

High marks from us! We are totally new to Wilton--moved here from France. 1 kid in 6th grade & 1 in 7th grade. @first meeting I had with my 7th grader's teachers, they drew up an action plan with specific bullet points and e-mailed it to me. I was floored-so proactive! The team leader Mr. Ellis followed-up to check in later too. If anything, the teachers seem too available to parents here in this country as in parents have SO MUCH say in their kids education, it is a wonder the teachers have time to teach but they do. And they do it well. As for Wilton "kids with silver spoons" in their mouths: We have not found that to be the case. Sure there are wealthy privileged people here, but we have found aware families who help in their community and have a social responsibility mindset We come from development work in international organizations and there are plenty of people here who care about their community, and the world at large. Maybe he/she just met the wrong people and it tainted their whole experience? My kids are welling their skin here. Teachers are fab and hard-working. It is obvious they _LIKE_ kids & their colleagues. Big school, big heart & well organized.
Submitted by other on May 20, 2011

I have been at Middlebrook middle school for almost 2 years now, and I think it is phenomenal. I have been through both elementary schools, but I personally think that the middle school is the best out of all of them. Generally, the teachers are very sympathetic and understanding. Wilton is a very sports-oriented town, and Middlebrook provides an outstanding oppurtunity to get involved in organized sports. Most of the kids there are very friendly and accepting, and it is very easy to make new friends there.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2011

An issue I feel needs to be addressed at Middlebrook is that administrators lack of lack of interest in organized sports. When I asked an administrator about this, I was told --Oh no, we would never engage in organized sports at this age because boys especially have not developed physically yet giving some an advantage over others. Yet, my child passed an aptitude test for an advanced math class. I was told this test was to determine if the part of the brain responsible for abstract reasoning skills had started to develop or not as in some it starts earlier than others. I get it, kids develop at different rates, so please let them excel in all aspects of their development including physical education and development. Oh--and stop asking for increases in budget while cuting services. If we give 3%, limit pay increases to 3% (not the 5%+ that you ultimately give at the end of the day). This way we don't lose teachers and services. Cutting services to enable exporbinent pay increases does not benefit our children.