Hampton Middle School earns prestigious ‘Schools to Watch’ honor for third time

The Hampton Township School District is thrilled to announce that Hampton Middle School has been re-designated as a PA Don Eichhorn Schools: “Schools to Watch.”

“The Schools to Watch re-designation is a testament to how hard our teachers and staff work daily for every one of our students,” said HMS Principal Dr. Marlynn Lux. “They care deeply about our students, as they are committed to the continuous improvement of our programming and offerings at Hampton Middle School.”

Schools to Watch is part of a recognition program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Hampton Middle School has been recognized as a School to Watch three times, having first received the prestigious Schools to Watch distinction in 2019, with re-designation in 2022 and 2025.

“Every time we have a new initiative or learning opportunity for them to consider, such as Project-Based Learning (PBL), Portrait of a Talbot, Multi-Tiered System of Support, or the hands-on learning at our HMS Learning Pavilion, the teachers are on board and embrace it if they believe it is best for the students!” Dr. Lux added. “I am blessed to work with such a creative and committed group of professionals each day.”

In addition, Dr. Lux expressed that the Hampton community is “truly one-of-a-kind.”

“The parents are always here to support us, as they are committed to their children’s education,” said Dr. Lux. “We thank them for being partners with us to ensure the students meet their potential.”

Hampton is among 14 middle schools across the state in 2024 named as Schools to Watch. Each school will be recognized at the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education (PAMLE) State Conference on Feb. 22, 23, and 24 at the DoubleTree Pittsburgh-Greentree. In addition, HMS will be recognized nationally with all the other recognized Schools to Watch schools across the country in Washington, D.C., at the National Forum’s National Schools to Watch Conference on June 26-28.

Pennsylvania Schools to Watch leaders selected each school for its Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity, and Organizational Structures and Processes. In addition, each school has strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement.

The Schools to Watch selection process is based on a written application that required schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by a state team, which observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and reviewed achievement data, suspension rates, quality of lessons, and student work.

Schools are recognized for a three-year period, and at the end of three years, they need to reapply to continue to be recognized as a Schools to Watch school. They must also demonstrate progress on specific goals in order to be re-designated. Schools to Watch requires schools to not just identify strengths but also focus on areas for continuous improvement; thus, the three-year re-designation. The re-designation process is based on the school's continued growth since their last Schools to Watch recognition.

Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle-grades schools across the country that were meeting or exceeding 37 research-based criteria developed by the National Forum. Information about the Schools to Watch program can be found on the PAMLE website.