Anthony Middle School, Minneapolis (upper-class, rental, houses)

[ceeb4]

Looking for knowledge/opinions on Anthony Middle School preferably from parents or teachers of children who have attended school there. Need information on academics, sports and overall information.

If you do not have children that have attended there but have verifiable, updated constructive information, that would be great too!

Thanks!

[uptown_urbanist]

I don't have personal experience, but many of our neighbors have kids who have/will be going there. Middle school is a tough time, so you don't generally hear the glowing remarks that you do when one talks about the local elementary schools or high schools, but overall people seem to be happy, and I've heard good things about the teachers. The kids around here generally go Anthony for middle school, then Southwest for high school. I have a feeling that there are probably different unofficial "tracks" of kids. From what I've heard, your children will be able to get a quality academic education there, and will be well-served if they head on to IB at Southwest or to any of other college-prep programs or options at the other local schools. No idea about athletics, though; junior high sports don't seem to be a big deal around here. I think they offer a rather limited roster, maybe basketball, football, softball, although it may be possible that some of the kids can play on high school teams for other sports. (don't quote me on that, though; just vaguely remember hearing that there was an option to do swimming at Southwest. The through-school sports opportunities definitely expand once in high school. Until then, I think the parks leagues seem to be more popular. Some of that probably varies by specific sport, however. (and if you're living near Anthony, there are a LOT of parks with full facilities located nearby, and Anthony itself is located adjacent to a park with baseball and soccer fields, a winter hockey rink, basketball court, etc.

[ceeb4]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

I don't have personal experience, but many of our neighbors have kids who have/will be going there. Middle school is a tough time, so you don't generally hear the glowing remarks that you do when one talks about the local elementary schools or high schools, but overall people seem to be happy, and I've heard good things about the teachers. The kids around here generally go Anthony for middle school, then Southwest for high school. I have a feeling that there are probably different unofficial "tracks" of kids. From what I've heard, your children will be able to get a quality academic education there, and will be well-served if they head on to IB at Southwest or to any of other college-prep programs or options at the other local schools. No idea about athletics, though; junior high sports don't seem to be a big deal around here. I think they offer a rather limited roster, maybe basketball, football, softball, although it may be possible that some of the kids can play on high school teams for other sports. (don't quote me on that, though; just vaguely remember hearing that there was an option to do swimming at Southwest. The through-school sports opportunities definitely expand once in high school. Until then, I think the parks leagues seem to be more popular. Some of that probably varies by specific sport, however. (and if you're living near Anthony, there are a LOT of parks with full facilities located nearby, and Anthony itself is located adjacent to a park with baseball and soccer fields, a winter hockey rink, basketball court, etc.

Thanks so much for the info. We had originally settled on the 196 school district but now since we have decided to rent before buying, we found a nice rental home we're interested in, in Lynnhurst so that is why I'm asking about Anthony. It is going to be hard enough for my son to start school in a new area, let alone middle school! It's good to know that there are baseball fields close by as that is his love and first sport. He excels academically and we would just like for him to continue being challenged. I've heard nothing but good about Minneapolis area schools so I'm not too worried. Our goal is to stay in the area where we rent so that he can stay in the same school, so I guess I'm doing a little more in depth research about areas. Thanks again.

[west336]

Is that the middle school near Kenny Park? I grew up there. I was always told Anthony Middle School (or the middle school in that area I'm talking about) was not good at all. Did things change since the 80's?

[uptown_urbanist]

I think things have changed quite dramatically since the 1980s. Although even then kids -- smart kids, college-bound kids, were going there (and doing just fine); most of my fellow IB classmates at Southwest in the '90s went to Anthony, and they certainly did quite well for themselves.

It's a middle school, though, and not all kids are going to be success stories. I don't think it's generally as well-regarded as some of the other local k-8 schools, but I think that's as much about student body as anything. At Anthony you're not going to get only the middle and upper-class kids from Southwest. It's a more diverse student body. In any case, our neighbors are mostly opting to send their kids there, and these are neighbors who spend a LOT of time thinking about education, and who do have options.

[west336]

I value my mother's intuition, and she sent us away from that school district. That being said, maybe things have changed for the better since we lived there. Also, I thought that neighborhood was in the Washburn school district. I grew up on Fremont and 56th and we were destined for Washburn had we stayed.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by west336

I value my mother's intuition, and she sent us away from that school district. That being said, maybe things have changed for the better since we lived there. Also, I thought that neighborhood was in the Washburn school district. I grew up on Fremont and 56th and we were destined for Washburn had we stayed.

Kenny is Washburn; most of Armatage (also very near Anthony) is Southwest. Not sure where exactly Lynnhurst falls (maybe the official border falls between somewhere), although the streets have been filled with Southwest graduation open houses these past two weeks. Besides, Southwest IB draws from the neighborhood as a whole. And, for what it's worth, Washburn is also now an academic contender in the eyes of local parents. (and if you're talking early '90s, for what it's worth, most of my old Southwest classmates -- who attended Anthony -- have done VERY well for themselves, academically and professionally; Southwest's IB program, anyway, has had a reputation for strong academics since at least that time, and certainly in the past did draw kids away from Washburn. When I was in school South and Southwest were where you went if you were serious about school, while Washburn was not even on the map; that has apparently changed in recent years, with Washburn now becoming increasingly competitive.)

[west336]

That's good to hear, considering most of SW Minneapolis is such a desireable place to live....save some of the schools. Good to see they are improving -- hopefully!!

[MnMomma]

Anthony has become a much better school, improving considerably in recent years. When we moved here in '99 people told us to stay away from Anthony and now I hear nothing but praise (although, as noted above, people don't generally love middle school so it's not rave reviews like the elementary schools get).

I believe the parent-involvement has gone way up in the last few years--which generally increases the overall "feel-good" factor of any school.

[lurpy1]

Sent a daughter through Anthony, have a son going there next year. It is one of the highest achieving Middle Schools in Mpls along with the K8 programs at Lake Harriet and Barton. The science offerings for 6th graders really inspired and motivated my daughter, which is a tough thing to do with 6th graders.

I also attended Anthony in the 80s and when I did, disciplinary problems were epidemic, culminating in a hilarious semi-riot in 1985 over dress code. Things have definitely changed - back then, Anthony was a "fundamental" school, meaning it had a fairly strict approach (see: dress code), but that approach seemed to provoke pre-teens into acting out. Fundamental is long gone and when my daughter went from 2007-10, discipline issues were minor. In many ways all you can ask for from a Middle School is that your kid comes out unscathed, and Anthony seemed to to do well for that. It is the school I'd want my kids going to.

However, Anthony is a victim of its own success As the school has prospered, more people have clamored for their neighborhood to be districted there, and Anthony faces a serious overcrowding issue.

Middle school sports are loosely organized and a bit of an afterthought. For baseball, you can do it through the parks, or for a more competitive experience, through the Minneapolis Millers, where my son plays (Minneapolis Youth Baseball Association)