2024 Best Public Middle Schools in the Washington, D.C. Area

• Washington Latin Public Charter Schools, DC•

• 5-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  10 reviews

Senior: Latin was an amazingly caring and hardworking community. They emphasize the schools important values to the students and faculty. The amount of support and recognition they give to every student is impeccable. It was easy to make friends during class and at school events.... Read 10 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 378

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Washington, DC•

• Public School•

• 5-12

• •
  Rating 3.81 out of 5  37 reviews

Freshman: BASIS is very academics focused and although it can be overwhelming at times, it has helped me develop time management skills and taught me how to allocate my time effectively. At BASIS, I have developed into someone who can focus on long term goals and make decisions to better prepare myself for colleges. BASIS offers lots of AP classes, which is a huge advantage in allowing me to explore and find out what I might be interested in studying in college. Despite the vigorous classes, the actual school building is pretty small and since BASIS DC offers 5th-12th grade, at times I feel stuffed, dampening the environment at BASIS. I think BASIS should work on more effective communication because often information about things like when grade reports are going out differ from teacher to teacher. By making sure that accurate information is shared with everyone, the school can run more efficiently and students will have a better understanding of the things that are going on in school.... Read 37 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 650

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Arlington Public Schools, VA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: First off, I would like to mention that it is a new building and the facilities are amazing since they are new, the designs of the interior are also fantastic. There are students from all backgrounds in this school, since the students' neighborhood boundaries for Dorothy Hamm are in an area of Arlington where there is a lot of diversity. Students from all races and economical backgrounds go here. The teachers are excellent, as most of them were picked being the finest of the teachers from the other schools in the county. I know some teachers came from Williamsburg Middle School, Arlington Traditional School, and other schools. The safety in the school is 4/5 because all basic safety measures are in place for COVID-19 such as current indoor face mask requirement, hand sanitizer available across the school, and others like individually packaged meals for lunch. In summary, I would really recommend this school as it is one of the best in the county.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 923

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Falls Church City Public Schools, VA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4 out of 5  1 review

Middle School Student: I really liked the experience, the environment was very welcoming and everyone was kind. It was easy to talk to teachers and the faculty and staff were always ready to help with anything. The school had many activities for students to be involved in and had something that everyone could join.... Read 1 review

• grade A+

• Students 586

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Washington, DC•

• Public School•

• 6-12

• •
  Rating 3.88 out of 5  50 reviews

Senior: I'll be starting off with the best parts of District of Columbia International School. For one, the staff here are really helpful, if you're paying attention. While the subjects can be quite difficult (in senior year), it can be easy if you put in the work and do your best. The students are very diverse, and very friendly. While DCI can have some good traits, there are also bad things (for the students). For starters, the food is sub-par, and not fresh, and most students don't like it, and if you procrastinate a lot on work, you can be left with homework that will start to stress you out. For seniors, its a lot worse because they have to do a lot of things, such as finding colleges, scholarships, doing hours etc.... Read 50 reviews

• grade A+

• Students 1,523

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.2 out of 5  5 reviews

Parent: Excellent teachers who truly stepped up to the challenge during this COVID. They will quickly email responses to student questions in the evenings and even on weekends. My son turned in an assignment on a Sunday afternoon and had received teachers comments a couple of hours later in the evening!... Read 5 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,002

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.91 out of 5  11 reviews

Middle School Student: I think that Cabin John is a wonderful school, and more should appreciate it. The students have good grades and the programs are outstanding.... Read 11 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,030

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.63 out of 5  8 reviews

Middle School Student: NB is an amazing school. The staff and teachers don't yell at you. They give you challenges to improve your skills. All of them treat us really well. Students get rewarded for good behavior. The space is very open and lots of room to roam around in our free time. The bathrooms are impressively clean. Cafeteria food tastes fantastic, with lots of different choices every day to please your taste. I 100% recommend! :)... Read 8 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,152

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Loudoun County Public Schools, VA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Freshman: What I liked about Brambleton Middle School was that it was a new school, and had new supplies. In addition, I also liked the teachers, they were all very helpful and assigned a reasonable amount of homework.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 1,626

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.5 out of 5  6 reviews

Freshman: The school over all is good. Most teachers are great and really help, but some are absolutely terrible. Clubs and activities aren't the best. Administration sucks!... Read 6 reviews

• grade A

• Students 972

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.56 out of 5  9 reviews

Other: Overall Pyle is a great school but there are some things that could essentially change for the best. First of all improving cafeteria food is something all student's would be thankful for as well as improving some of the facilities. The teachers are for the most part great but some of them lack the necessary communication skills to effective contribute to the student's growth. Also some teachers show more enthusiasm then others in the classroom and something this lack of enthusiasm makes the class feel empty and repetitive leading to disengagement of students and potentially some academic problems.... Read 9 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,312

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Arlington Public Schools, VA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 2.8 out of 5  5 reviews

Freshman: It was a good experience I went there from 2014 to 2017 6 grade is fantastic Seventh grade its a living hell. 8th grade is amazing... Read 5 reviews

• grade A

• Students 840

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3.67 out of 5  12 reviews

Alum: Overall, Takoma Park Middles School was a great experience. It offers various foreign language options that will be applied toward your high school credits!... Read 12 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,129

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.33 out of 5  18 reviews

Middle School Student: I really liked Rocky Run. They have just finished construction and the school looks incredible. I liked that they offer levels 1 and 2 of foreign languages instead of 1a and 1b. They also have a big and newly renovated library. Rocky Run has a pond outside where science students study the ecosystem of the pond. I thought that was really nice since a lot of schools don’t have it. Another great thing is that most of the school has been renovated. That means newer desks and chairs. Newer classrooms and hallways. Everything looks really modern and is enjoyable. Another thing that is good about this school is that they are really diverse. People are from all parts of the world. Like Asia, South America, Europe, and other places. People there treat everyone with respect.... Read 18 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,015

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• DC Prep Public Charter Schools, DC•

• 4-8

• grade A

• Students 343

• Student-teacher ratio 11:1

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.27 out of 5  15 reviews

Alum: Carson was a great experience, the math teachers are all great, it's a safe environment, and prepares the students for high school better than any other middle school in the area. The students are academically very advanced, with most students taking math classes that are two years above their actual grade level, and a few students taking classes up to four years above grade level, all successfully.... Read 15 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,446

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3.69 out of 5  16 reviews

Alum: I went to middle school at LMS, and it was a good school. There were pros and cons, as are everywhere, but, academically, the school performs well. There are some odd quirks that were implemented when I went there, such as not being allowed to have your phone out in the hallways and a very strict dress code (no leggings allowed, for some reason). Hopefully this has changed in the past years.... Read 16 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,267

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Washington, DC•

• Public School•

• PK, K-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  1 review

Parent: It's very nice and very fasts growing school in DC my daughter she starts kg , school when they school was opened in 2011 she is now 5th grade she Love the school so much & all staff are very much familiar they work hard to bring this point with ms Williams Deborah.... Read 1 review

• grade A

• Students 506

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 4.2 out of 5  5 reviews

Middle School Student: Silver Creek is a very welcoming school. The teachers I feel are very supportive and the school community is very diverse, strengthening cultural relationships. This school is NPFH (No Place for Hate, ADL program), IB (International Baccalaureate), among many other county and state certifications. Overall, this school is welcoming, warm, and just a great school in Montgomery County.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A

• Students 795

• Student-teacher ratio 15:1

• Arlington Public Schools, VA•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  7 reviews

Alum: The county is crazy about test scores, so they really push everyone to take harder math classes, but overall, this school is great. The teachers care a lot about what they do, the area is nice, and the students are always learning and taking advantage of the opportunities there. I spent all of my three years of middle school at Swanson, and although not all of the kids were nice, it gave me an incredibly strong foundation for the rest of my academic career.... Read 7 reviews

• grade A

• Students 962

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  5 reviews

Middle school student: It's AMAZING, great, and I love it. I hope that other students can enjoy this school as much as I did. Westland is way better than Pyle.... Read 5 reviews

• grade A

• Students 802

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 4.43 out of 5  7 reviews

Alum: To be honest, Fairfax County is one of the best counties academically speaking. It contains some of the best public schools in the country, and is filled with highly sophisticated people. Thoreau is heavily influenced by these factors, although its academic performance is lower than other schools of the same county. The staff are friendly, and the rules are more lenient. It is filled with fun clubs, including student created one. Its music departments are some of the best, and bullying is minimal. However, since it is a middle school, their are no sports teams.... Read 7 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,169

• Student-teacher ratio 12:1

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 3 out of 5  8 reviews

Middle School Student: I am an international student and I move into this school 8th grade. I really like the teachers over there (even though there still have some "bad" teachers). It has many choices of classes, the Fairfax County system will find the most suitable class for you in math. You will have the freedom to choose your English, science, civics, and two electives. The only parts I didn't like is the after-school activity and the recess time. During the day, we didn't have any time to relax, except for the 30 minutes QST(Quiet Study Time) which always being canceled, and the 30 minutes of lunchtime. Also, there didn't have many after-school activities to choose from. Overall, I really like this school and recommended to the people. All the students are very friendly and teacher are nice (most of them).... Read 8 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,001

• Student-teacher ratio 14:1

• Fairfax County Public Schools, VA•

• 7-8

• •
  Rating 2.5 out of 5  4 reviews

Alum: The school psychiatrist and counselors were literally life savers. I would have liked to have more fieldtrips. Having trailers was not very pleasant. I loved the choir teacher. I think more time should have been focused in the library on how to research and present because that is a lot of what high school asks you to do. ... Read 4 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,212

• Student-teacher ratio 13:1

• Montgomery County Public Schools, MD•

• 6-8

• •
  Rating 5 out of 5  2 reviews

Middle School Student: Teachers are amazing. There after school clubs are great. There is lots of things to participate it.... Read 2 reviews

• grade A

• Students 1,022

• Student-teacher ratio 16:1