23 GYPSUM Place
Saint Augustine, FL 32086

I was worried going into 6th grade about the more advanced classes, but they are actually amazing! There are many opportunities for High school credit, including Spanish 1, Biology, Algebra 1, and Geometry. Many teachers are very kind and supportive, and the majority of them (electives and core classes) seem to genuinely love their job and care about the kids. The guidance counselors are helpful and cooperative; my interactions with mine, Mr. Canoura, have always been pleasant and productive. Administration sends out weekly newsletters that (unlike others) are actually quite informative. There are lots of fun electives, including agriscience, (which was one of the most interesting and hands-on classes I’ve taken) which is unique to only this middle school in the county. I’ve found comfort in many staff members here, but I would like to specifically shout out Ms. Garner, the media specialist, for always checking up on the students, and forming connections with everyone. Overall, this is a wonderful school.

I have 3 children, 2 are adults and college graduates, 1 attended this school for 9th grade. We have lived all over the US and Europe. I can not even begin to understand how this school is allowed to exist. The school leadership believes that their whole job is protecting bad teachers. It’s alarming how bad some of them are. I love teachers and have several in my family. This school seems like the place they send bad teachers to live out the rest of their days- With a few exceptions (thank god for her honors physical science, art, and history teachers). My student applied to this school to attend an academy that she was actually passionate about. Now she would rather just attend regular high school. That should tell you something. The architecture career academy teacher and the honors geometry teachers were the main problem. One of them likes to answer legitimate questions students have with smart-butt remarks like, “You can’t fix stupid,” or, “Look it up yourself.” He allows racial and homophobic slurs to be used in class and has been overheard using them himself. The geometry teacher doesn’t teach as much as he talks endlessly about the marine corps and how much he loves Trump. The students knew they could get him off topic by bringing up either of those 2 subjects, and they did so regularly to disrupt the class. My student ended up teaching herself geometry on her own time on Khan Academy. Again, the administration doesn’t care. Complaints go unanswered or you get gaslighted. A lot of these bad teachers are tenured so our community will never be rid of them until they retire or die. Is it a coincidence that so many bad teachers end up at this particular school where the county’s most disadvantaged students live, or is it on purpose?This school does not care about safety at all. The parent pick up situation is absurd. You have to leave the roadway and drive in a ditch to stay in line. The front desk staff just lets anyone in like our country doesn’t have a school shooting problem at all. It wasn’t until after the 2nd semester that they sent out an email explaining the new safe entry procedures which were then only sporadically followed. It’s an open campus so kids can come and go- this has been proven to be an unsafe practice time and again.

My experience at South Woods this year has been deeply disappointing, and I’m incredibly relieved that my son will be attending a different school next year. Despite reaching out to the school board and superintendent multiple times, my concerns were never properly addressed. One particularly troubling incident involved the principal putting her hands on me in the lobby — something I find completely unacceptable.My son has faced ongoing bullying from both students and even his teacher, which created a hostile learning environment. Academically, he has always been a strong student with A’s and B’s, but this year his grades dropped drastically. When I raised these concerns with the teacher and administration, I received no clear explanation or support.If you have the ability to enroll your child in a different school, I would strongly recommend doing so. In my opinion, South Woods either needs to be shut down or placed under serious oversight from higher authorities.