| Date | Who | Comments |
| 7/25/2012 | other | When I was in 6th grade, my AEP LA teacher was Mrs. Wikle. She never taught us anything and going into 7th grade, my new teacher expected the class to have learned lots of new material, but since we never learned anything, he had to backtrack and teaches us that material instead of his 7th grade lesson plans. I can't even remember learning one single new in that class. But on the bright side, she was humorous. |
| 7/25/2012 | other | Mrs. Johnston, a sixth grade teacher, seems lost and confused...She doesn't seem like she should be a teacher. Perhaps she should be a musician. I don't remember anything we learned...at all. She was comedically ignorant in a lovable way. She was very crisp. |
| 5/17/2011 | parent | The Principle, Susan Doyle, is rude to parents and self centered. Once while picking up my child from the afterschool program, several hours after school had ended I accidently parked in her spot. She blocked pulled her car in back of mine to block me in. Luckily, I was only running in and out to get my child, and caught her and confronted her in the act. The funny thing was there were five open parking spots on either side of hers. As far as the teachers, some are helpful, others are not and don't post assignments or communicate. |
| 3/4/2011 | parent | My daughter is thriving. I am very involved at the school and have had an opportunity to get to know the teachers. They never cease to amaze me. Their dedication is heartwarming and impressive. I would recommend this school over others in this district, even the shiny new one. |
| 11/23/2010 | other | I am a student at this school and i HATE it. The teachers are bad and i'm never challenged. Beside the main problem is DRAMA!!! Our school has the most drama you have ever seen. I suggest #1 or Phoenix Christian. |
| 8/10/2010 | parent | Our child attended Meadows for four years and each year has been increasingly disappointing. There are some VERY good teachers at Meadows and, as expected, some who are not. As parents, we have no way to influence the continued employment and rehiring of teachers who not only fail to inspire students, but actually discourage them from trying. The administrative leaders of this school do not respond to parental concerns about specific teachers and practices. The burden to achieve success is constantly off-loaded to the student and parent. Even the basic process of insuring accurate recording of grades is the responsibility of the student with no accountability and no responsiveness on the part of the teacher and principal. This school could still be great but needs a principal who engages the students and parents as partners to restore the core values that foster a positive, productive environment for learning. |
| 7/25/2010 | other | I was greatly disappointed with Meadows. I went there for fifth and sixth grade and I found that there was no way to challenge yourself. Even the AEP courses were easy and quite boring for people who like to learn. Also the class sizes were huge and it made it impossible to get individual help from the teacher. |
| 3/29/2010 | parent | The Advanced Educational Placement (AEP) track for advanced students is amazing, it challenges students and builds their confidence as they achieve well beyond the expectations. |
| 1/28/2010 | parent | 'Excelling' school with dedicated teachers. Staff works with all kids to get them to perform their best. Extra-curricular activities are excellent. |
| 1/28/2010 | parent | I have my 2nd child now going thru Meadows and let's be honest Middle School is the toughest age for change & adjustment. Overall, education & social balance has been great, sports program competitive, academically excelling and well-prepared my first son well for high school & hoping the same for my second. |
| 12/3/2008 | parent | My children have the best education there! Theres alot of open space and an easy way to find the classromms. They hae unique learner system, and my kids are bored and tired and have a lot to say when they get home. Big gym, and a huge cafetiria with stage. they even send a weekly newsletter to tell whats going on. |
| 10/7/2008 | other | Meadows is an all around sound school ..Teachers are motivated and dedicated..parent community is very involved ...extracurricular activities abound..band,chorus,volleyball ,soccer.basketball ,wrestling,flag-football,baseball,softball ,track and field cheer.and cross-country...everyone is involved..that is why it is an excelling school. |
| 3/26/2008 | parent | Some teachers do not keep parents informed despite having PowerSchool, an on-line system for reporting students grades. Some teachers let four weeks pass before updating grades in PowerSchool. Some classes don't issue text books and expect the students to take extensive notes on material. If the students' handwritten notes contain inaccuracies, then the students study for tests using incorrect material. The school has had a new principal each of the last four years. |
| 4/1/2007 | parent | Madison Meadows is a school which has wonderful teachers and a supportive parent group. Our school has an excelling status. Do we have some challenges at present--yes. Are they being addressed in a positive manner--yes. We are looking forward to new beginnings in the 2007-2008 school year. |
| 3/30/2007 | parent | Outstanding school. Committed and Caring Teachers. No wonder it's an excelling school! After two years I find my kids challenged and encouraged to be successful. Is Madison Meadows the perfect school? No, but what school is? My overall experience has been very positive. |
| 2/1/2007 | parent | My son started Meadows at the beginning of this year in 5th grade- so far, I am impressed! He has always been bored with school - but here his teachers challenge him, and he is now excited to attend school. He is slow to make friends, and misses his old school- but the children here are nice, friendly kids, and he seems to be adjusting well. The teachers are wonderful, especially in AEP classes - they are very involved and caring, and communicate well with parents. Extra curricular activities are well-rounded and well-funded - sports are supported, as well as chess club, homework club, band, choir, etc. They also have an excellent method for field trips - payment is collected in one sum at the beginning of the year. For large trips (like camp)students who normally could not afford to attend are offered scholarships, so no child is left behind. |
| 12/27/2006 | parent | Excellent school with high expectations for student achievement. Caring and supportive school administration with highly qualified teachers. Students excel at this school. |
| 11/29/2006 | parent | My son has attended Meadows since 5th grade, each year I have become more disillusioned with the administration and teachers. I had high hopes for the new Principal but the hope went away after my first encounter. I tried meeting with the Principal and teachers but haven't gotten any resolution so I have made a hard decision to withdrawal my son after winter break. He won't be graduating 8th grade with all of his friends from Meadows. |
| 5/14/2006 | parent | Meadows excels both with its teachers and community. The district office is transient and administration is rarely approachable but the school maintains its reputation for excellence. |
| 5/9/2006 | parent | My daughter has attended Madison Meadows for 2 years. She transfered from an under performing school and you can definately tell the difference in the assignments and homework. Expect a lot of homework and books back and forth. At first I thought she was never going to adjust to the increased load. I am very pleased with the academics and her test scores. She has not participated in sports because of the homework load, but she is thoroughly enjoying the band program. They provide wonderful after school care for a reasonable fee and the children also enjoy several nice field trips. I do however wish the children were assigned lockers because one of her biggest complaints is carrying around all her books and folders all day, but a backpack with wheels worked. |
| 5/8/2006 | parent | My son is in the 7th grade this year. Throughout his attendance at Meadows he has had a wonderful experience with Ms. Kratz, his band director. She is a wonderful, joyful, and caring person. When there is a band concert, the work that she has done with the students is obvious. Whereas, it might not be quite so obvious how good a math teacher is because there is no public revelation of what the child has learned. My son's AEP teacher this year is Mr. Amos. He is one of the most interesting, diverse, caring, and open-minded people that I have ever met. My son thoroughly enjoys Mr. Amos and respects him very much. When he comes home and starts talking about something, it's amazing. I say, 'where did you learn that?', and he says, 'from Mr. Amos.' He knew the name of my French perfume bottle because of Mr. Amos. |
| 2/24/2006 | parent | The principal appears to support his staff more than the population that supports him. The staff seems to have more control than the administration. The support appears to be there for the AEP students, but the average students are forgotten. As a parent who lives squarely in this school districts boundaries (and won't use this school again), I would ask any other parents to consider the student:teacher ratios and ask themselves why 'average' student:teacher ratios are so high. |
| 2/6/2006 | parent | I continue to be very disappointed with my child's education at Meadows. During our years at Simis, all we heard were great things about Meadows. Well, it either wasn't true or boy has that school changed. The majority of the teachers don't seem to give a hoot about the students. Why they are there, I'll never know. The principal is a joke. I can't think of a better way to describe him. Put the assistant in that position. Mr. Sotomayer is wonderful! |
| 1/8/2006 | parent | Madison meadows used to be one of the best. Now it is hard to find teachers who care about students, even harder to have a gifted child challenged. Teachers do not know how deal with the gifted. They only know how to teach to the book. Very sad to see it go downhill. |
| 7/14/2005 | parent | The newer administration at Madison Meadows as well as at the district office seem to have forgotten what and why they are here. The needs of the students do not come above everything else and that is quite sad. We have been in the Madison distirct for over 8 years and it is very sad to see how it keeps going down hill from the standpoint of administration. Most of the teachers are great and really love what they are doing. It's sad that they aren't allowed to do what's best for children. |
| 4/21/2005 | parent | Great test scores and lots of parental involvement but after attending curriculum night and being ignored by several teachers, having second thoughts about sending child. |
| 4/21/2005 | parent | Lack of diversity but wealthy, involved parents. |
| 1/3/2005 | parent | I have been so happy at this school - especially with the new principal, Ralph Schneider. He is excellent. He is always at the various sporting events as well as plays, musicals, etc. I feel we are getting an excellent education at Meadows. |
| 8/14/2004 | parent | My child went to Madison Meadows for three years. Her grades declined as the years went on. When she got to seventh grade, kids at the school started harrasing her. The staff was notified and did not do much about it. This became to much of a problem. She started getting worse grades in school. The problem got so bad, at the end of the year we had to switch schools. My child has told me about her teachers. One or two of them actually cared how well she was doing. The others didn't mind at all. One of her teachers even used profanity in the class room. I would not recomend this school. |
| 6/28/2004 | parent | My child attended Meadows all 4 years. I was more than pleased with every aspect of the school. Very high parent involvement, high morale, excellent, caring teachers who really love to teach and desire to impart a love for learning to the kids. I only wish there was a 'Madison High School' for the graduates to attend. Unfortunately, I have not found a public high school with similar ratings as Meadows. The school is small and very personal. All regular classes are acedemically higher than at other public middle schools. My child was automatically placed in AP/accellerated classes when enrolling in high school. |
| 4/12/2004 | parent | My daughter attended this school for 2 years and it prepared her very well for high school. |
| 3/2/2004 | parent | In total, Madison Meadows is one of the best schools in Arizona and probably one of the best in the country. From what I see with my daughter, she works hard, has a lot of friends, and loves it there. I would recommend the school to anyone and everyone. |
| 4/18/2003 | | Upper grade teaches (7-8) at Meadow are excellent. The best by any standard with many years experience. In the lower grades (5-6) they are much less experienced and the overall curriculum is less rigorous than 10 years ago. The district emphasizes 'discovery learning', rather than 'Teaching'. Very little phonics and a dumbed down math is the norm. The school seems to have something of a bullyng problem from time to time and discipline is less than my standards. Parent involvement is very high. Parent organization meetings are well attended with lots programs supported by the group. There are many after school activities with a well recognized chess team and a 40+ year old Boy Scout troop with almost 100 scouts. |
