This is an African American school for African Americans. The staff is approximately 90% AA with attendance of roughly 98% AA kids.There seems to be a very very large focus on African American culture, which I believe is so strong that it is effectively exclusionary of other cultures. There are a few justifications I think that exist for this.First, many of these kids are at risk. Theyre in a place where crimes are rampant, and so in many cases focusing on the good culture they know (which is also African American) outweighs the negative culture they are exposed to daily.Secondly, I think staff members have a tendency to relate to students in ways that they are familiar with themselves.I dont think either of these things are bad. However, I do believe there is great danger in being to centric to any one culture. When schools overwhelmingly endorse one niche of culture, what happens is that students have only one culture hey can relate to, and doing this at an early age is something that is sure to develop habits down the road.Having this singularity of culture produces long term social cliques, which as you might expect, can be a preventing factor in achieving real success in societies that actually possess a diversity of different cultures.So, in this way, by doing these little things, which for them might be keys to short term success, there is a grave possibility that they are also locking them into a society of continued frustration, misunderstanding, and even poverty.I do not doubt that the teachers and staff are trying very hard to keep kids safe, and help them to reach learning goals. However, I also want kids that can integrate with others more easily, and that have pride. Not pride of their genetic traits which might make them look the same or different on the outside, but rather of the accomplishments that we as humans both have made and stand to make in the near future.

The Teachers really care about raising scholars. The Principal and Office Staff are awesome.

I attended this school when it was actually West Baltimore Middle School from 1980-1982. Im 51 yrs old now and I like to reminisce about my past over the years.