The Cartay Plan in Mountain Valley Estates by Aspen Building Co.
Hoschton, GA 30548

I am aware that Duncan Creek is experiencing an influx of many new families and they are keeping order and a healthy environment as it is evolving. I would like to see more diversity with the staff and administrators primarily due to the community now being so diverse.

I have had 3 kids go through this school with different experiences. The school does not offer enough electives. They don’t offer electives for kids not going to college, without having to transfer to another school or go online.The trailer classrooms are a continuous problem, impacting safety. The county is responsible for this, but will never own it. The vestibule does not foster family engagement, in fact it’s a deterrent to keep parents out. Not the schools fault, the county made the dumb decision to install those. But it won’t feel like you are welcome in the school, you will be interacting with a camera and a machine. Drugs and vapes are a problem in the bathrooms. It is handled, but remains a concern. I do feel this school is safe and secure, despite the trailers. I do feel the principal is concerned about keeping it safe and goes the extra mile. For special education, the AP doesn’t allow for discussion, she talks to you in a way that you will agree with what she thinks is best. The teachers have been great, but the AP isn’t interested in doing what’s best for the student, when she gets involved. My students achieve, but it’s all on accommodations, which they fail to acknowledge. They won’t get that in college, so beware special ed families. The teachers have been wonderful in our experience. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place. When the district went to restorative practices, things were out of control. But I feel admin were support of progressive discipline policies and things were not as bad as at some of the other schools. I feel discipline is handled appropriately, but there is always room for improvement, especially with kids who chronically disrupt. Athletics are so so. Coaches focus on winning and forget the cost to the families-they don’t find the balance. (It’s really expensive to play here). Since it is pay to play at a public high school, I would expect better balance on play time for this that make the teams. Some of the coaches we have come across spend more time trying to be one of the kids, rather than focusing on the sport. They refuse to make changes to their lineups, even when the line ups are not working in their favor. It’s just some criticism I have seen in many of the school teams. There is no reason to build a team and not utilize your picks, other than playing favorites or catering to bad behaviors from parents or the kids.

My dughter feared going to this school every single day. Between constant metal detectors and a chaotic environment, it never felt like a safe or supportive place to learn—it felt stressful and intimidating, more like entering an airport than a middle school.The administration consistently ignored student and parent input. One major example was when parents overwhelmingly voted against clear backpacks in a poll. Despite this, the school spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on them anyway—without testing samples first. The backpacks quickly broke, and that money was completely wasted.The counseling department was especially disappointing. In 6th grade, a counselor told my child about an accusation made by another student without ever asking for her side of the story, and was punished without a fair conversation. That completely broke her trust and made her feel unsupported.Overall, the school felt unsafe, chaotic, and dismissive of the people it’s supposed to serve. Moving away was a massive relief. I would not recommend this school to families looking for a secure, student-focused environment. I would, however, recommend it to an enemy.