PEARSON A Plan in Glen Creek by D.R. Horton, Bradenton, FL 34208

My oldest has been enrolled at Samoset since 2022 when we switched schools. She finished out the remainder of 2nd grade and is currently in 4th grade. My youngest just started kindergarten at Samoset this year. Both my kids have had good experiences so far. There are some fantastic teachers at this school that really love working with kids and making sure they understand the material being taught. After-school tutoring is provided for intermediate grades through 21st Century per request. Tutoring is also offered on Saturdays for intermediate grades to assist with learning components featured on the FAST test. Perfect attendance is recognized and celebrated monthly with prizes, snacks, or a party. They've implemented a new Positive Referral to recognize outstanding behavior in students of all grades. Samoset just had a new front office addition built which makes the school much more secure. The playground is brand-new as well, installed in 2022. Many of the students that go here need additional support, whether it be due to a language barrier, restricted income, behavioral challenges, etc. The school recognizes this and has corresponding staff and teachers to work with these students to help overcome obstacles. Teachers work together closely and are familiar with every student in the grade they teach, not just their own classroom. Fine arts classes are a daily part of the students' schedules and include STEM, Library Skills/Information Literacy, Music, PE, and Art. They also offer clubs like TSA and K-Kids. My oldest was in the Cambridge pre-AICE program last year, and if you have an advanced child who needs to be challenged more in school, I definitely recommend it. Cambridge is more fast-paced and covers current grade level as well as next grade level standards. Expect your student to have lots of homework and classwork if you elect to go this route. It can be overwhelming for students who aren't used to the high workload the program requires. Overall, my kids are happy at Samoset and get fantastic grades, their teachers work hard to ensure everyone is successful, and I believe the school is on the right path to turn things around. Test scores are troubling, but when you take into account that 44% of students at Samoset are English language learners, you understand why standardized test scores alone are not the deciding factor in whether this is a "good" or "bad" school.

It wasn’t until I moved that I realized how much of a great opportunity it was for me to learn here and that I took it for granted to be able to go to school here.

We moved from Missouri to Lakewood Ranch 3 years ago, as my daughter was entering sophomore year of high school. We though Lakewood Ranch High School was a good choice, but we were so wrong. Avoid sending your kids here!! My daughter absolutely hated this school. The teachers did not care if she learned or not and were unwilling to help her outside of school hours. The worst part about my daughter's experience at this school was her counselor. My daughter excelled in school with all A's or B's, but had horrible testing anxiety. We discussed this issue with her counselor and asked her what help was available to her. Her counselor advised us not to pursue testing accommodations due to her good grades and passing all of her standardized tests. She said most likely she will not be given any accommodations. My daughter decided to enroll in their dual enrollment/ early college program just so she didn't have to go into the school anymore. That program through SCF was a perfect fit. My daughter was able to fight for herself and what she needed and went directly to the college, bypassing Lakewood Ranch High school, and received testing accommodations for her severe anxiety. This high school, in my opinion and my daughter's, do not care about their students. Their website might look pretty, and they may flash fancy numbers and statistics, but rest assured they do not go above and beyond to support their students and give them the help they need to succeed. Many times, my daughter would reach out to her counselor and would get no reply or very short and rude answers, like she was an inconvenience to them. I would only go to this school if you can get your student into the dual enrollment/early college program, where Lakewood Ranch High School basically pays for your student to get college credit. Otherwise, I would never recommend this school to anyone.