Our school is dedicated to helping all students become the best version of themselves by developing the World Class Skills outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. We provide opportunities for students to be self-aware, creative, innovative, and industrious. Since our founding in 1965, Tanglewood has fostered a rich tradition of nurturing and supporting students and families holistically through robust community partnerships.
Located on the Westside of Greenville County, Tanglewood Middle School sits on 60 acres of land, nestled between a growing industrial community and residential neighborhoods. A unique feature of our school is its cultural and multilingual diversity, with students representing multiple Latin American countries. Currently, approximately 51.2% of our student body is of Latin-x descent.
As a designated Title 1 school, we receive additional funding to enhance educational opportunities. This funding allows us to decrease class sizes by hiring more teachers, increase parental support programs, and provide additional academic support resources to at-risk students.
Recognizing the high poverty rate in our area, our district and school teams identified a need to address the whole student to bridge opportunity gaps that hinder academic success. This realization led to a unique partnership in 2015 with the United Way of Greenville County, transforming Tanglewood into a wrap-around focus school. This partnership brought together multiple agencies to support families with unique needs and challenging circumstances. Programs such as OnTrack, Communities in Schools, Prisma Health, and Greenville Mental Health ensure that Tanglewood meets both the academic and social-emotional needs of our families.
Our current motto, “We’re going places,” reflects our recent leadership transition and the unwavering commitment of our staff to strive for excellence and maintain high standards. While students take increasing responsibility for their education, our teachers make instruction more relevant, engaging, and aligned with state standards and high school readiness.
Tanglewood Middle School offers a wide variety of classes and clubs to challenge students' creative genius, including:
- AVID
- Student Council
- Student Ambassadors
- National Beta
- Band
- Chorus
- Honors classes in Math, English, Social Studies, and Science
- Momentum Bike Club
- Afterschool Tutorial/Saturday School
- Career Education
- Gateway to Technology
- STAR Academy
- Math & Reading Intervention Courses
- Google Apps
- Business Applications
These opportunities allow our students to think critically and solve real-world problems in both classroom and extracurricular settings. We emphasize collaborative settings embedded in teamwork, continuing to expand the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by focusing on essential life skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, agency, adaptability, and global awareness. Our morning advisory sessions reinforce these skills alongside social-emotional learning.
Our diverse staff, hailing from various countries, enriches our collaboration and professional learning communities (PLCs). These PLCs ensure that our classrooms provide student-centered instruction where curiosity and hands-on experiences help students develop the skills needed for success in college, career, and life.
Our teachers work diligently to create a student-centered culture infused with technology, supported by our one-to-one Chromebook initiative. Google Classroom and various computer applications enable collaboration among students. We aim for students not only to learn the fundamentals of these programs but also to earn high school credit while in middle school, embracing the Greenville County Schools’ Graduation Plus model.
We are proud to be an OnTrack Greenville school, an innovative approach to enhancing academic achievement made possible through support from the United Way of Greenville, the Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy, and a growing list of funders.
Our numerous community partnerships and diverse instructional staff provide our students with a global perspective, preparing them for higher education, the global workforce, and active citizenship. As our vision states, we exist to inspire, motivate, and guide middle school students to develop socially, intellectually, physically, and psychologically, equipping them with the awareness, strength, and courage to be the best versions of themselves as they transition into adulthood.
Leroy Platt - Principal
Keyisha Smith - SIC, Chair
