Westside Middle School

240 Matthews School Road

School District

Barrow County
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for Barrow County 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 February 03, 2025

I was only here for a year, and it was the worst year of my life. There were fights breaking out everyday, intense bullying from my peers and staff, and zero accommodations. On multiple occasions, I was dragged out into the hallway just for doodling in my notebook or for fidgeting. The majority of the teachers here are also racist, as they oftentimes refuse bathrooms to black students while not applying the same pressure to white students.Additionally, this school “looses” records. Ie; they see test results or medical records that would prove a student already knows/shouldn’t take a course, and ignore it.In terms of special needs children, this school locks children with Down syndrome, autism, or physical disabilities away in a room in the library. They do not get to interact with other children, and are not given time outside the room, even for lunch.Overall, this school is set up specifically to fail people. When I attended, at least 50 kids got dragged off to alternative school within the first quarter. They needed more support, but were pushed aside for being mildly disruptive. If you’re a parent looking to enroll, please choose a different school in a different district. Staff here won’t treat you or your child with respect.
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2023

Like others have said, the administration in this school is very rude. Nobody (principal, assistant principal, registrar) responds to emails. My child did only one year here. I had to move my child to a different school district for our sanity. In my opinion the teachers are trying but with poor administration, they can't do much. If you have children of middle school age, do not move to this area if possible.
Submitted by student on August 28, 2023

they dont care about the kids and the kids who need to get in trouble dont
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2023

This school provides ZERO support to their children. The teachers are disorganized and terrible. My child went here for a year and was bullied and what did the teachers do? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Do not bring your child here if you care for them.
Submitted by parent on December 20, 2018

This school is absolutely horrible! This is my child’s second and last year, thank god. The entire administration changed this year , the front office staff is rude and unhelpful. No one responds back to emails. There is constant fights in the school and when you ask they reply “it is being addressed “ and the retaliate against your child if you ask about the incredibly poor communication and administration Teachers, counselors, administrators, SRO officers don’t respond back to emails or phone calls and if they do it takes almost e week no matter how important it is. They don’t abide rules and will discuss things of such as sex and contraception with children without your consent. I am so happy this is my child’s last years. I also am looking to move my entire family so that my upcoming 5th grader with not have to go here next year. I wouldn’t even give this school 1 star, it is -10 in my opinion.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2018

Zero. They dont really care about their students safety if they did they would STOP the bullying.
Submitted by other on June 30, 2017

Overall I honestly did not like my experience here. Since I started there this school has become way better, but is still not up to public standards. Not a lot of freedom and does not prepare students for the social side of high school. The classes that are offered here are very good, but the school continues to hire staff that students do not like at ALL. Throughout my years here the staff has been the majority problem. Leadership is fine; it's great, but when most of the students do not like a teacher it makes everyone's day worse.
Submitted by parent on January 05, 2017

What a disorganized mess this school was! We were new to the area and my child was just starting middle school. All local barrow schools register in one location, so of course, the process took nearly half a day. Several kids at the open house, including my daughter, hadn't been assigned home room teachers. Trying to get questions answered (like how do I find out who my child's teacher is) was nearly impossible, as most teachers and staff seemed clueless, or irritated. This school lacks basic communication and involvement for parents, the times I did reach out to the teachers I was met with borderline rude responses, like I was bothering them with my questions. My daughter got in school suspension 3 weeks into a new school year, she has never so much as had a letter sent home in her previous school and was a stellar student. It's unfortunate that the students have to suffer because their teachers are burnt out, overwhelmed, apathetic, or disorganized. Disorganized, overly disciplinarian, lacking basic extracurriculars and parental involvement. What a terrible experience, I was thrilled to take my daughter out of this school.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2014

I agree with the posts about the staff they could be more pleasant and helpful.I like the dresscode and I think all schools need a dress code. As far as the staff they need to build up the students more than they are and let the parents be involved more and work with the parentsinstead of blocking them out. Thanks, Concerned Parent
Submitted by parent on February 04, 2014

Although my daughter is excelling academically, (possibly because she is not challenged..at all) I must say that WMS has the potential to be a great school but first, the administration needs to loosen the reigns (just a bit!), remember that the students are children first and breath some excitement and fresh air back into what is currently a stale and uninviting school. Discipline and regimen are a fantastic CORE standard to run (not rule) your school by however, it does not need define who you are, as a school to both the kids and the people on the outside. Yes, this was my first impression of this school and still is. Ms. Rolader, your school will demonstrate much higher academic achievement and participation (from both parents and students) if you can learn to lighten up enough to have a little fun and make your school a place that the kids WANT to go to everyday. If you can accomplish that feat, then you can consider yourself a true teacher, leader and role model. I will be watching and hope to see a positive transformation soon!
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2013

We moved to neighboring Gwinnett County to give our son a good education. West Side was a nightmare! The staff and administration do not care about the well being of the children. The children are not challenged, there is barely any homework given. Parent involvement is not encouraged. The Principal is a horrible leader of this school. West Side needs to get rid of Ms. Rolader. She is very disrespectful in her dealings with both children and parents. I truly feel since this is a low income area, the administrators and teachers feel they can get away with giving students an inferior education and treating parents with disrespect. Moving out of this district was the best decision we ever made for our child. He is now being challenged and being encouraged by his teachers.
Submitted by other on June 29, 2013

WMS is the best middle school ever!! The teachers are fantastic and we get rewards every week or two. 6th grade was fantastic for kids coming out of elementry school this is the place to go. I HIGHLY recommend this school.