Rusk Middle School in Canton | Military Town Advisor

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	9/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 Georgia Milestones End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment data from Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement, and using 2025 Georgia Milestones End-of-Grade (EOG) Assessment data from Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement.
Student Growth	7/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement.

Posted: August 1, 2026

I feel like the administration should care for their students and they barely do anything and I just want to let you know I regret coming here the counselor say they will handle then you talk to the principal but when the person that is in big trouble gets a small punishment when the person who reported the situation get's ISS or OSS and they always let the bad kid do whatever they want but this is just for my perspective and I think the school should work on hearing what others have to say instead of pushing it a side anyways thanks for reading!

Posted: August 1, 2026

Posted: June 25, 2026

My experience with Dean Rusk Middle School has been extremely disappointing and frustrating, and from my perspective, the school feels disorganized, unresponsive, and lacking in the support students need to feel safe and successful. Communication has been a major issue, as concerns are not always acknowledged in a meaningful way, and it often feels like problems are brushed aside instead of being properly addressed. The administration comes across as dismissive, and there seems to be very little accountability when serious issues are brought forward. The learning environment has also been difficult, with classroom disruptions seeming common, discipline feeling inconsistent, and teachers appearing overwhelmed. While some teachers clearly try their best, the lack of structure and support makes it hard for students who genuinely want to learn. Most concerning, I personally dealt with being attacked and bullied, yet I ended up being suspended over the situation instead of feeling protected or supported by the school, which was incredibly discouraging and made me feel like the school failed to handle the situation fairly. Overall, Dean Rusk Middle School falls short in the areas that matter most: communication, leadership, discipline, student safety, and student support. In its current state, I do not feel it provides the positive, fair, or supportive educational environment that students deserve.

Posted: June 25, 2026

Posted: March 20, 2026

Dean Rusk Middle School is, without exaggeration, one of the most frustrating and disappointing school environments Ive encountered. From the top down, the place feels disorganized, unresponsive, and completely out of touch with what students actually need to succeed. Communication is practically nonexistent unless it benefits the administrationotherwise, dont expect emails, calls, or concerns to be acknowledged in any meaningful way. The administration comes across as indifferent at best and dismissive at worst. Issues that should be taken seriously are brushed aside, and theres little sense of accountability. Instead of addressing problems, it often feels like theyre ignored until they become impossible to hide. That kind of leadership sets the tone for everything elseand unfortunately, it shows.The classroom environment doesnt help either. Disruptions are common, and discipline is inconsistent, which makes it incredibly difficult for students who genuinely want to learn. Teachers seem overwhelmed, and while some clearly try their best, the lack of structure and support makes it hard for them to be effective. The result is a learning environment that feels more chaotic than constructive.Support systems for students are severely lacking. Whether someone is struggling academically or dealing with social challenges, theres very little in place to actually help them improve. It often feels like students are left to fend for themselves, which is unacceptable for a school thats supposed to guide and support young learners during important developmental years.Overall, this school falls short in nearly every area that matterscommunication, leadership, discipline, and student support. Its not just disappointing; its discouraging. There is a clear need for major changes, because in its current state, this is not a place that fosters growth, respect, or a positive educational experience.

Posted: December 3, 2025

bad bad bad school worse terrible horrible school

Posted: December 3, 2025

Posted: November 28, 2025

Why Dean Rusk Middle School Should Change

A good school should make students feel safe, respected, and supported. Many students at Dean Rusk Middle School feel that this isnt always the case, and these concerns show why the school needs positive change. When students feel that some teachers are rude, that favoritism happens, or that discipline is unfair, it becomes harder for them to learn and feel comfortable in the building.

One common issue students talk about is the way some teachers communicate with them. When a teacher speaks harshly or acts disrespectfully, students can lose motivation and confidence. Respect should go both ways; teachers expect students to behave, and students deserve adults who treat them with patience and fairness. If teachers communicated more calmly and respectfully, students would feel more willing to participate and ask questions.

Students also notice favoritism. When certain students get special treatmentwhether in grading, attention, or classroom privilegesothers feel discouraged and overlooked. Favoritism damages trust and makes school feel unfair. All students should be treated the same and given equal opportunities to succeed.

Another problem is how the school handles discipline. Many students feel that if they defend themselves during a conflict, they still get in trouble even when they werent the one who started it. While schools should prevent fighting, they should also listen to both sides and make sure students who report problems or stand up for themselves arent punished unfairly. A discipline system should keep students safe, not afraid.

These issues also affect academic performance. When students feel stressed, ignored, or unsupported, their grades can suffer. Students do best when teachers offer clear explanations, extra help when needed, and encouragement instead of criticism.

Overall, the concerns about rude communication, favoritism, unfair punishment, and lack of support show that Dean Rusk Middle School needs improvement. By focusing on respect, fairness, and better communication, the school can create a safer and more positive environment where all students feel valued and able to succeed.

Posted: November 28, 2025

Posted: November 27, 2025

Thsi is the wurst scool ever. The teachers are basically clapping clapping everyone's cheeks's unleess it is a show-off the theteacher does not care about. banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana banana

Posted: November 27, 2025

Posted: November 20, 2025

Over all bad and my grades got worse and every one hated on my i got depression.

Posted: November 20, 2025

In my experience, students at this school feel depressed and not happy about what they're learning and want to leave. In my experience, teachers at this school are not usually respectful or supportive and they do not at all even try to motivate their students to learn. In my experience, this school pretends like it supports students' mental health and emotional well-being when it really does not at all. In my experience, this school does not provides an environment safe from violence, discrimination, and harsh punishment, because it gives all of those. In my experience, the school does not welcome and includes families as partners in their children's learning. Overall this school is verry terrible.

Posted: October 26, 2025

ive been in ccsd since 1st grade, and this school was by far the worst that ive ever experienced. When i entered in 6th grade, the previous administration was very open about being strict and controlling. Probably a month after i entered 6th, i remember having a school-wide assembly about increasing security and locking down every single part of the building. The worst part about that grade, however, was the principal. I genuinely believe he was pure evil. I had to endure an entire week of talking to him in his office an hour a day. He would constantly talk down to me, and despite me never saying i had done the heinous act (as he called it), He wrote in his report that i had said I did and would suspend me for an entire week. Now, I knew the horror stories about him previously, so I had voice recorded the entire time during each of my conversations with him. I played these for my mom, and she ended up basically screaming at him for how he acted towards me. I ended up getting only a day of ISS, which i dont think i deserved at all. Even the teachers hated him, and Im assuming that also applies to the staff at the time as well. 7th grade was completely fine, as I had a large friend group, teachers that supported me and helped me open up, and a principal who actually cared. I had no honor classes because of my grades in 6th, but i was completely fine with it. Now, ive only been in 8th for a few months, and its not going well. The teachers are much stricter, and with the phone ban, it has made it 100% harder to complete online assignments on time. In 6th grade, we could listen to music, do assignments on our phones at any convenient time, and not worry about if our phones were going to get taken away for no reason. In 7th, we lost the ability to listen to music and use our phones normally, but we could still use them to complete assignments and play games such as kahoot and blooket. Now, we aren't allowed to use phones in any way, and getting caught using them can potentially get people suspended. Clubs and sports are the best part. The Band involvement is great, and is heavily connected to the Band of Chiefs at SHS. I believe that the school requires much more relaxed rules and restrictions, especially in 8th. SHS has seemingly much better polices and atmosphere, though apparently the condition of the building is far worse. I hope the rising 6th and 7th grades have a better time at the school, because I really didnt.

Posted: October 26, 2025

Posted: March 20, 2025

As a parent, do whatever you can to avoid sending your kids here! The Administration is focused on compliance and obedience to rules that don't even make sense, and there is virtually no importance placed on academic excellence or critical thinking. It's truly more of a prison than a school. The absolute worst school I have experienced as a student or parent of students, across 6 different states.

Posted: March 20, 2025

Posted: May 23, 2024

This school allows bullys and then punishes a child for standing up for themselves. A teacher watched a kid walk into her class stalking and trying to fight another kid and did absolutely nothing to help the kid that was in her class trying to get away.

Posted: May 23, 2024

Posted: October 24, 2023

I am a seventh grader here, and this school is pretty good academic-wise, but the children are another story. I am constantly bullied for being who I am, and I am mocked and laughed at. The kids swear, say slurs, there are fights, and the class environment is often rude and messy. Not a welcoming environment for neurodivergent or queer kids. Teachers are kind, but prickly about work due dates. The orchestra program is incredible and much different than the rest of the school. 6th grade was the exact same experience. I failed ELA one quarter over an assignment that was overdue by 1 hour. Please just take your kid to a private school.

Posted: October 24, 2023

Posted: June 22, 2023

As a previous Dean Rusk student, the teachers are really respectful and I love the teachers! Theyre all so funny and sweet. One year all of the teachers on my team (classes are split into teams) used their own money to buy all the students on the team snacks and drinks. Theres constantly fun events going on.

The education is WONDERFUL! Theres a handful more kids in advanced and accelerated (you learn the same stuff the grade above you is) than there are in the on level classes. Theres multiple different types of special education teachers and I know lots of them personally and they are all wonderful and so kind! I definitely recommend sending your kid here.

Posted: June 22, 2023

Posted: November 18, 2022

Like a few other reviews that mentioned negative comments about the DRMS principle, its comes as no surprise to me and I concur with them. To begin with my daughter attended Hickory Flat Elementary there was never a problem whatsoever all her years attending school there. But DRMS was a completely different story. There were some situations in which my daughter, who is an honor roll student, had some personal issues that were none of the schools concerns. She was questioned by a school counselor and my wife and I were never notified. When I responded to the school the principal was very defensive and spoke to me with an angry demeanor that I did not appreciate. Theres an old saying, its not what you say, but how you say it. This is the exact problem of this schools principal. I left the school with no information in regards to what I sought. I then filed a OPEN RECORDS REQUEST with the school and they denied any conversations with my daughter, which I knew was not true. So the person who handles OPRA requests just flat out lied in her response. I then complained to the superintendents office, spoke with someone who looked into the incident, but still nothing but denials from the principal and the school. This principal does not know how to talk to people and should be given a job where she has no contact with the public. My daughter is in 8th grade now and I cant wait until she graduates the middle school and moves onto Sequoia High School, where Im hoping and expect the administration there is more professional and honest than Dean Rusk, with an honest principal who knows how to relate to parents, because she is typical of the type of administrators that we are reading about in the news these days. For the record Im a retired law enforcement officer who also worked as a school security director, working side by side with school principals and administrators. I know the difference between competent and unqualified, especially when it comes to relating to parents of students. Overall I think DRMS is an average to good school. Its just a shame the principal tarnishes its image.

Posted: November 18, 2022

Posted: August 21, 2022

For the most part teachers have been great. If your child is neurotypical they will not have any problems. If your child has special needs, especially any that involve behavior, they will be written up and sent to admin at a drop of a hat. Administration is the most unfriendly I have ever met, the front office staff is cold and unwelcoming. Big changes need to happen to make this school up to par for Cherokee County.

Posted: August 21, 2022

Posted: March 22, 2022

We love Dean Rusk. My daughter is in her 2nd year their and we couldnt be more pleased. We switched from another school in the county and she says she is much happier because she feels the teachers care about her. We have interacted with administration and have felt their decisions were well thought out and fair. The opportunities for extra curricular activities is plenty.

Posted: March 22, 2022

Posted: October 29, 2018

The experience we've had at this school has been awesome. My daughter takes advanced classes and band, and has blossomed. I also had a child that needed extra help in classes. Both were accommodated amazingly. Proud to be a part of such a well established school and community.

Posted: May 15, 2018

This school does not do anything about bullying.

Posted: May 15, 2018

There are many reasons why Dean Rusk is not the school you have always dreamed of. Some of those reasons include dress code, the fact that bullying is not really cared for. Also, the ladies in the front office treat students AND PARENTS rudely. Dress code is taken way too seriously, and it is not fair either. Most of the times if a girl is wearing shorts that are too short they get dress coded. However, if a boy does the same, no action is taken. Also, bullies do not get taken care of since teachers don't really care. More so, the food in the cafeteria is absolute garbage. Personally, I have found blue eggs in my salad multiple times. Furthermore, multiple people have found actual PLASTIC in their chicken. Not to mention, every time we leave the cafeteria the whole place is a mess. Students don't know how to behave during lunch or even clean up after themselves. One kid even slipped on peaches that missed the trashcan, and all the janitors did was watch. DON'T LET YOUR CHILD GO HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted: May 15, 2018

>:^ i want to die because of school

Posted: May 15, 2018

People are rude and cuss all the time. They also think that they are better than everyone else. People also treat people with disabilities like aliens.

Posted: April 16, 2016

Dean Rusk Middle school focuses on dress code more than anything. I'd rather my children learn than be worried about what they wear is dresscode. Only the team 7s focuses on dresscode. All the other ones just don't care. Some of the teachers cuss and slam doors and just lose it. As an adult you should be able to control yourself whether student as acting up or not. You rarely ever see any of the principals doing their job, you catch them on their phones all the time meanwhile if a student is in their phone they get it taken up immediately. This school is not very recommended.

Posted: August 17, 2014

So far so good...? I have only met the band teacher (great guy) and the "office staff" so I am a little torn in my review. I have to say the front office staff seem to not know what is going on at their school and they are VERY rude! I hope the rest of the staff are more like the band teacher. I will update my post later on during the year. Hopefully by then the office staff will have found some other form of employment.

Posted: May 11, 2014

The long and short of it is the administration is horrible. Most notably the Principal.

Posted: November 12, 2013

This school is bad. The teachers barely teach. I can only think of one teacher on my team that actually teaches. When the teachers are teaching, the kids misbehave. They are throwing pencils, making weird noises, screaming, and they never stop talking. I get distracted easily, and these kids are distracting me. I want to go to college and get a well-paying job. These kids NEVER get disciplined. The teachers just say "Stop!". They don't take points off of their discipline cards. Honestly, that's what the cards were made for! I want to be homeschooled, just so I can learn. I never thought of doing that at my old school.

Posted: July 29, 2013

Dean Rusk Middle school is a very good school curriculum wise, although I would just like to say that this school DOES NOT adapt to your needs as a student or as a parent. The staff members have a very poor school justice policy, and the front off staff are very disrespectful & blunt. They have some good teachers, but most teachers are unfair, unfocused, sarcastic and arrogant. I love their Rainbows program after my dad passed, although the principals don't give guidance counselors ANY time to do their job. To me, as a student the students are less playful than the teachers, and the seventh grade teachers focus more on fun and games than the value of learning in students. It is highly agitating and the majority of their staff are highly unprofessional and disrespectful

Posted: January 29, 2013

Everything about this school says "TRASH." From the princable to the students who attend. I really do not know how this school has gotten 9 out of 10.. If there was a 0 stars option, i'd choose it. This is my last year at Dean Rusk, and I cant be more HAPPIER. The princables are disrespectful and unfair. If you breath by them they'll give you iss for a week. Along with the front office ladies, they are very rude.. Has even hung up on people before. The teachers DO NOT know how to teach.. theres only a handful of teachers that are actually GREAT teachers.. Other than that.. its like learning from a wall. This school is FULL of drama, fights, curse words (even some coming from teachers and staff members.) This school is VERY unprofessional in every possible way. The princables are new this year, which has made this school even worse. Very poor decision made by Cherokee County. I would not recommend this school to ANYONE. I honestly HATE this school. The princables and teachers make me want to become homeschooled.. Thats how bad it is. I don't feel safe at all, the food and bathroom conditions are just to the point where you want to throw up. And again, I VERY MUCH HATE THIS SCHOOL.

Posted: October 15, 2012

As I attended DRMS and now have a family member attending DRMS I have nothing nice to say about the school. No one at the school, other than a few teachers, seem to have any idea what they are doing. They (most of the school, with some great exceptions) are careless. The school does not do a good job of preparing you whatsoever. They seem to have a different principal every few years, and none of them can get a handle on the school. As a current senior in high school, Dean Rusk provided me with the worst years of my "school life."

#	Name	Type	City	State	Overall Rating	Distance
1	Heritage Farms	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Marietta	GA		10 mi
2	Garden Hills	Condominium/Townhouse	Atlanta	GA		23.6 mi

Base	Distance
Dobbins ARB	18.6 mi.
Camp Frank D Merrill	36.2 mi.
Fort Gillem	38.4 mi.

Rusk Middle School

Canton, GA 30115

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Rusk Middle School

Canton, GA 30115

School Ratings

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