Need middle school advice!

mom of 5
In Sioux Falls I like Patrick Henry the best. Memorial and Eddison are also good. I choose not to send my child to Axtel Park. I have also heard good things about the surrounding communities; Tri Valley, Brandon, Tea, etc.

The test data for Patrick Henry looks best in the district, but when I talked with them last week they weren't sure she would be accepted for open enrollent there since the 8th grade class is going to be pretty full next year :-( Thought I'd try Edison if we are denied a spot at Patrick Henry. Of course now I'm trying to figure out if where we're moving is even a part of the Sioux Falls district!! Their boundary map looks like we just miss the boundary...so waiting for someone else to call me back!

i recomend axtell park... i went there granted it was a while ago. but i still volntr there and they do so mny great things for fund raising at that school and they have some great teachers that really care about kids.. my little sister also went there and she is disabled but was in normal classes and they were so good and making sure that every thing was accesble for her... i know that all schools are suposed to do that but they dont... she was first in the eddison district and they had her in all special ed classes even though she has signd up for the normal ones just because she is in a wheel chair... i also worked with the kids at the after school program at whitter and well that school is rough... while at memorial i noticed alot more "clicks" and it reminded me of the movie mean girls but they have good teachers there too .. when choosiing a school i would also look at one to see if it is a split for high schools. i know that axtell is half will go to linclon and half go to rhs the only reason i mention this is cuz you say shes in 8th grade and if all her friends she makes go to a diffrnt school it can be hard to make all new friends again
ignorance is the cause of fear

I have subbed at all the middle schools for chorus,(sometimes 50 or so kids in a room sometimes boys and girls together) AHHHHH Some long term and the others often enough to know what they are like, anyway. There really is no bad school. If I was to recomend one school from the two you listed I would say go for Edison. It is a great school made up of mostly middle income families. Parents are great and understanding. At some schools parents do not have anything to do with their children's education and at others they think that thier children can do no wrong and trust me (they can). lol That is a genralization of course and does not apply to all parents. I have noticed that the teachers at Edison have been much more welcoming to subs. Seriously some schools you go to they know you are a sub and do not speak a word to you all day. Patrick Henery is a good school, I went there, and still know some teachers there, but I did not enjoy myself as a student. That was years ago and things may have changed somewhat socioeconomically. I have found that people who attend schools with lower socioeconomic gaps have a better experience. That is mainly because there is not much difference between them and everyone else around them. I have heard tons of people my age say that Axtel was the best middle school and they loved every minute of it. No one was better than anyone else at the time and everyone seemed to be friends. They didn't like Highschool much. They got mixed together with my Patrick Henry Classmates. lol
Get up and Play! Soccermom

Just out of curiosty where are you moving to-then we'd know which school district your child would be in.

I have a few phone calls in to figure out exactly which district our house will be in...I am thinking Harrisburg. The house we are buying is just south of 69th ST, off S.Heatherridge. Plan to open enroll to Sioux Falls schools though, already have enrolled our younger 3 children at Holy Spirit.

I have one daughter who spent her 3 years of middle school at Whittier and my second daughter is now in sixth grade there. The teachers that my kids have had are all excellent. I have found that almost all of them will go the extra mile to make sure that your child is actually learning something. My eldest has never been the best at getting homework turned in and her grades have definitely shown it. But even the teachers that were described as "not liking me at all" (my daughter's description of why she was having problems in that class), were still willing to email me on a regular basis so I could be sure the homework was being done.
I do agree that you check with whether the school will be split into different high schools the next year. It is never easy to have to make new friends again. I know since I attended 2 years of high school in St Louis, my Junior year in Memphis, and my Senior year in Brandon.

If your younger children are going to Holy Spirit, have you considered OGorman? I have heard fantastic things about that school system. We will be sending our girls there.

Of the schools mentioned already I would say Edison.. It is in a decent neighborhood... the faculty is great.. The school itself is not too big and scary for a new student...

Personally I am rather fond of Sioux Falls Christian.

My son will be in eighth grade this year, as well. He is going to O'Gorman Jr. High (Catholic School). This will be his second year there, and he really likes it. The children that are in his grade/class are a great bunch of kids. She would probably really like it, and it's not that far from where you are moving.