Renfroe Middle School, 6-8 (Public)

I've substituted for teachers in the City Schools of Decatur system for three years. Regular teaching jobs at all CSD schools are highly competitive because (1) teachers certified at the "highly qualified" level teachers WANT to come to Decatur (2) parents accept no less. Renfroe recently won a School of Excellence (Statewide) award and its parents, students, and teachers are committed to teamwork. As somewhat of an outsider, I get the impression that shifts in administration; pressure from federal and state mandates; and the relatively high level of parent body education can sometimes squeeze teachers to the point that they're sweating bullets and, sadly, their creativity, flexibility, and teaching style are compromised. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to send my son to Renfroe or to teach here full-time.

I have a 6th grader at RMS. It is a small IB public charter school, an is small by comparison to nearby public middle schools. The administrators, teachers and staff are top-notch. Parents are highly involved. The curriculum is challenging and engaging. Our child is happy and healthy here.

Renfroe is the undiscovered gem in City Schools of Decatur!! It's small, which makes it very manageble fot students. Only about 200 children in each grade.

Fantastic International Baccalaureate curriculum and great teachers!

The new principal has not done much. He cowtows to some parents and ignores others. I have tried to email teachers for meetings and they are ignored. I'm glad we are moving out of this district.

We love Renfroe! I have had two children at Renfroe, and have seen the dramatic improvement over the years. They are currently implementing an International Baccalaureate program which may be tough for struggling learners. There are a lot of gifted children at this school and their parents demand a lot from the administration. There are some issues with special education delivery and I believe that the cafeteria rules could be relaxed, but over all one of the best middle schools around.

Renfroe is a mess and the new principal is not accountable. Administration 'talks the talk' and shakes hands like a slick politician, but no real changes occur. There are significant behavior issues in this school that are not addressed. Special needs students are vulnerable and are not being served. Teachers are leaving because they are fed up. Kids are treated like robots & the school administration system's biggest concern are test scores and becoming a 'Top 10' school system. Not a healthy environment for a child.

We have been very impressed with this middle school. They are in the process of becoming an International Baccalaureate School and offer an engaging, inquiry based and challenging curriculum that is hard to find these days. We looked at many in-town middle schools and Renfroe was by far the best.

This is my first year at Renfroe coming from a private school. I love this school. It has wonderful classes & material-but some of the teachers have no respect for the students at all. This is a great school & being in its on school system makes it a smaller school of 484 students everyone knows everyone. I especially enjoy the Life Science class with Mr. Michaelangelo Calhoun. He is a great teacher that provides us with many interactive activities. This school is great for gifted students.

Lots of change in administration. Need to observe to make sure this school is ok for your kid. Not much for kids to do after school. Few clubs, some athletics if you make the team.