Holly Ridge

There is no academically gifted program here, despite what they claim. They've previously included Spanish as a course, but my child never learned Spanish, and the class was taught by someone who had no college degree. They later changed the course to STREAM, then to STEM, but the class is merely filler, offering no substance. They got rid of the PTA facebook page, and essentially PTA - there is no longer any parent involvement whatsoever. Offers for involvement are repeatedly rebuffed, even if fully funded by volunteers. They repeatedly raise funds to improve their school and playground, with nothing to ever show for it. The school has become a stage for the principal to prance around in Disney princess outfits, forcing the kids to congratulate her on Principals Day for how great she is in her position. Children have not been able to do a Science Fair project for their school since at least 2017, despite there being two different classes on their schedule emphasizing science. What kind of school does not participate in the State Science Fair?! The entire AR program is convoluted, no emphasis on points earned but rather the thousands of words read as a class. And again - every student that would otherwise be considered academically gifted is pushed to the backburner. It is better to lower the standards of the school overall, than to make sure students who excel continue to grow academically.