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  • About Midtown Academy

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is The Midtown Academy?
   
   The Midtown Academy is a Baltimore City public charter school. It was founded as part of the Baltimore City Public School System's (BCPSS) News Schools Initiative in 1997 by a grassroots coalition of parents and teachers in Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill. In 2003 the state of Maryland passed charter school legislation; in 2005, Midtown converted to a charter school.
   
   
2. How is The Midtown Academy different from other Baltimore City public schools?
   
   The Midtown Academy is one of 23 charter schools in Baltimore City. As a charter school, it receives a certain amount of flexibility-in such areas as school management and administration, educational programming, curriculum and instructional focus, and budget-in exchange for high academic performance. For more information on charter schools, see: http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/charter_schools/.
   
   Midtown is also smaller than the city's zoned schools, with 20 students per grade. It is located in the heart of the city's cultural arts district, and offers students a rich experience in both the language and fine arts. It is diverse by BCPSS standards, and closely reflects the population of Baltimore City: 69 percent of students are African American, 24 percent are white; 5 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2 percent are Hispanic.
   
   Finally, Midtown works hard to preserve a small, nurturing environment in which parents are active and engaged participants in their children's education. In order to achieve that, the school requires all students' families to perform at least 75 hours of volunteer work each year.
   
   For more information on Midtown, please see the About Midtown page, where a school overview and its mission and history are presented in greater detail.
   
   
3. How does Midtown compare to other Baltimore City public schools on test scores?
   
   Among city schools with similar student demographic profiles, none outperformed Midtown on the Maryland School Assessment in reading and math in 2006. All students in all grades exceeded state averages in reading and math, except for Midtown's 7th-graders who lagged the state average in math, and its 8th-graders, who equaled the state math average.
   
   For more-and-detailed information on Midtown's test scores, please see: http://mdreportcard.org/ or http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/md/311
   
   
4. Which standardized tests do Midtown students take?
   
   Midtown students are subject to the same assessment standards and requirements as all Baltimore City public school students. For more information on those assessments, and particularly standardized tests, please visit the Baltimore City Public School System web site to read about its Student Assessment Program.
   
   
5. What curriculum does Midtown follow?
   
   Midtown's curriculum is aligned with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) for Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies at all grade levels, kindergarten through 8th grade. The VSC was developed by hundreds of educators across the state with the goal of providing all students with a rigorous and meaningful education, while meeting the state's content standards and assessment requirements.
   
   For more detailed information on VSC, please visit http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/index.html .
   
   
6. What is the class size at Midtown?
   
   Midtown has one class per grade, kindergarten through 8th grade, and each class has 20 students.
   
   
7. What are the demographics of Midtown's student population?
   
   Midtown students are:
   69 percent African American
   24 percent white
   5 percent Asian/Pacific Islander
   2 percent Hispanic
   40 percent are eligible for free or reduced lunch
   
   
8. Who is eligible to attend Midtown?
   
   Midtown was originally founded to serve the communities of Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill, and that continues to be its top priority. Over the years, however, its lottery process has allowed its reach to extend beyond those two neighborhoods, and today Midtown serves students and families from across Baltimore City.
   
   Students are admitted strictly on a lottery basis, and there are no admissions criteria-other than proof of residency within the school's target zone.
   
   
9. How does Midtown's lottery work?
   
   The lottery, conducted each year in early spring, works like this: 10 slots each are set aside for Reservoir Hill and Bolton Hill. Because siblings of current students are grandfathered in and guaranteed admission to the school, some of these slots are typically taken by incoming siblings. All applicants' names are then put in a hat, and those whose names are drawn are granted the available slots. If either neighborhood fails to fill its slots, the lottery is then opened up to a wider catchment area-to include families with a parent working in one of the two neighborhoods, families living or working in the larger Midtown area and families citywide.
   
   
10. If my child does not get in during the lottery, do I have to reapply for the following school year?
    
    Yes.
    
    
11. Does Midtown have a waiting list?
    
    No, Midtown does not have a waiting list. All children must go through the lottery process every year, until they get in.
    
    
12. What calendar does the school follow?
    
    The school follows the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) calendar, which for the current school year runs from Aug. 28, 2006 to June 12, 2007, provided there is no need to close school due to weather-related emergencies. In the event of the latter, up to five school days will be added to the calendar.
    
    
13. How long is the school day?
    
    The school day begins at 8:30 a.m. with opening exercises. Upper team students are dismissed at 3:20 p.m.; all other students are dismissed at 3:30 p.m.
    
    
14. Is there before- and after-care for Midtown students?
    
    Play Centers Inc. provides before- and after-care for Midtown students in the school building starting at 6:30 a.m. and up until 6 p.m. Play Centers operates independently of the school. For more information, call (410) 225-0142.
    
    
15. What meals are served during school hours?
    
    Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 8:20 a.m., and is available-free of charge-to all students. Students can either purchase lunch through the Baltimore City Public School System (the full price is $2 for students who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch) or bring lunch from home. Primary students are also asked to bring a healthy snack to school each day.
    
    Midtown is a peanut-free environment.
    
    
16. Does Midtown have a uniform?
    
    Yes, Midtown does have a dress code that is to be followed every day.
    
    For boys it includes navy pants or knee-level shorts, or navy jeans in good condition; a solid, white shirt with a collar, white polo shirt, white turtleneck, or the official Midtown Academy logo T-shirt; and a solid, navy, gray or white sweater, vest or sweatshirt. Upper Team students may substitute khaki pants or knee-level shorts for the navy.
    
    For girls the dress code entails a navy jumper or skirt (knee length or longer); navy pants, knee-level shorts, capris, or navy jeans in good condition; a solid, white blouse with a collar, white polo shirt, white turtleneck, or the official Midtown Academy logo T-shirt; and a solid, navy, gray or white sweater, vest or sweatshirt. Upper Team students may substitute khaki jumpers, skirts and pants.
    
    On TaeKwonDo (TKD) days, students must wear the Midtown TKD shirt with navy or gray shorts or sweat pants, white socks and athletic shoes. There should be no stripes, logos or other decorations on the pants or shorts, and whenever students wear long pants, they must also wear their TKD belts.
    
    
17. What is the application process?
    
    The application process is explained in more detail on the Application Process page.
18. What special or "resource" programs does Midtown's academic program include?
    
    All Midtown students participate in art, music and TaeKwonDo classes up to twice a week. Teaching these classes are two art teachers, both closely affiliated with the Maryland Institute College of Art; one full-time music teacher; and an experienced TaeKwonDo master. TaeKwonDo is the school's official physical education program.
    
    
19. Does Midtown have tutoring and gifted-and-talented programs?
    
    Yes.
    
    
20. Does the school have after-school programs?
    
    Yes. The school has basketball, dance and cheerleading programs, among others. For more information, please contact Rev. Wheeler at (410) 225-3257 ext. 202.
    
    
21. How does the volunteer program work?
    
    The volunteer year begins March 1 and ends Feb. 28-29. Families must complete 75 hours of volunteer work during that time. Families of new students entering in September start the school year with an 18.75-hour credit to cover the period from March 1 to Sep.1. The 75-hour requirement works out to 7.5 hours a month. See our Volunteer page for information about volunteer opportunities.
    
    

1398 Mt. Royal Ave, Baltimore, MD 21217
midtown@midtownacademy.org
Ph: (410) 225-3257
Fax: (410) 225-3514
Bolton Hill | Reservoir Hill