Laurel Park Middle School is a comprehensive public middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 in Henry County, Virginia

Henry County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,952 families residing in the county. The population density was 152 people per square mile . There were 25,921 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...

. Named for the Laurel Park subdivision in which it is situated, it is located approximately six miles (10 km) east of the city of Martinsville, Virginia

Martinsville, Virginia

Martinsville is an independent city which is surrounded by Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,821 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes...

. Laurel Park currently enrolls approximately 700 students in grades 6-8. It is one of two comprehensive middle schools operated by Henry County Schools

Henry County Public Schools

Henry County Schools operates 14 schools - two high schools, two middle schools, and ten elementary schools - a community learning center, a regional alternative program, and a parent resource center in the local mall. HCPS operates preschool programs at ten elementary schools.-History:According...

.

Laurel Park was established as a middle school in 2004 when reorganization of the county schools resulted in the consolidation of Laurel Park High School and Magna Vista High School at the Magna Vista site. Laurel Park Middle School operates in the building that formerly served as Laurel Park High School and now serves as the feeder middle school for Magna Vista High School. Axton Elementary, Carver Elementary, Drewry Mason Elementary, Mt. Olivet Elementary, and Rich Acres Elementary are feeder elementary schools.

The campus consists of a 137904 ft2 building situated on a 44 acres (18 ha) tract of land. Owing to its history as a high school, the school features a large gym, auditorium, greenhouse, and extensive athletic facilities. Substantial renovations were completed as part of the middle school conversion, including reconfiguration of science labs and vocational shops to serve as classrooms.

History

The building that houses Laurel Park Middle School opened as Laurel Park High School in 1970. Declining enrollment in the 1990s

1990s

File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...

 left each of the four Henry County high schools operating at less than 50% capacity, and long-term deferred maintenance left many schools in a state of disrepair. In 2004, the county implemented a controversial reorganization plan which closed five schools and consolidated four high schools and four middle schools to create two high schools and two middle schools. Laurel Park Middle School replaced the former Axton Middle School and Drewry Mason Middle School, both of which became elementary schools.

Demographics

Laurel Park Middle School's student body is 59% White; 34% Black; and 6% Hispanic. 49% of Laurel Park students receive free or reduced lunch.

The school serves a large, mostly rural geographic area which encompasses the communities of Axton, Chatmoss

Chatmoss, Virginia

Chatmoss is a census-designated place in Henry County, Virginia, USA. The population was 1,742 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, Chestnut Knob, Horsepasture

Horse Pasture, Virginia

Horsepasture is a census-designated place in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,255 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, Irisburg, Laurel Park

Laurel Park, Virginia

Laurel Park is a census-designated place in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 781 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Laurel Park is located at ....

, Leatherwood, Preston, Rich Acres, Ridgeway

Ridgeway, Virginia

Ridgeway is a town in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 775 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Ridgeway is also home to Martinsville Speedway.-HIstory:...

, Sandy Level

Sandy Level, Virginia

Sandy Level is a census-designated place in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 689 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Sandy Level is located at ....

, Spencer

Spencer, Virginia

Spencer is an unincorporated community in Henry County, Virginia, United States. It takes its name from its earliest settler, James Spencer Sr., who moved from Loudoun County to Henry County with his sons in the eighteenth century. Spencer's son ensign James Spencer, Jr. died of wounds suffered...

, Mountain Valley and the eastern, southern, and western suburbs of Martinsville

Martinsville, Virginia

Martinsville is an independent city which is surrounded by Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,821 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes...

.http://henryva.schoolwires.com/magnavista/lib/magnavista/Attendance%20Zone.pdf?3442_60119111832Nav=|&NodeID=282

Reflecting the long-term enrollment decline in Henry County Schools, Laurel Park's student population has decreased by more than 200 students since 2004.

Academics

Laurel Park Middle School is fully accredited by the Commonwealth of Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 based on the 2009-2010 results of the Virginia Standards of Learning

Standards of Learning

Standards of Learning ' is a public school standardized testing program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It sets forth learning and achievement expectations for core subjects for grades K-12 in Virginia's Public Schools...

 tests. The school has not met federal standards for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

Adequate Yearly Progress

Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...

 as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The school's failure to meet AYP is due to failure in 2009-2010 to meet math performance objectives for students with disabilities. All other objectives were met.

External links

• Official website
• Aerial view
• Henry County Schools
• Virginia School Report Cards
• SchoolMatters