3901 Squire Rd
Winston Salem, NC 27106

I have gone to Hanes all 3 years..Never in my life have I been so excited to leave a place. The cafeteria lunch is always old, the cafeteria itself is old, basically, the whole school is due for a remodel. We had a fundraiser last year where they just ended up using the money for decals for the gym which barely lasted half a school year. The school could benefit from proper budgeting. The school highly favors the HAG program more than anything and don't get me started on the staff. This year more than half of the old staff left and all the new staff has no idea what they're doing. The new assistant principals seem lost half the time as well as the other, very sensitive may I add, staff. Everything about Hanes is unpleasant, and the only reason it's considered a "good school" is because of the very biased HAG program that might seem appealing to new students, but it's not worth going to the school for. Instead of focusing on other issues like vaping in the bathroom and the use of illegal substances students use throughout the school day, they decided to focus on their uniform and dress code system. This should be the least of their problems. There are no jackets allowed in school, even when it's freezing INSIDE, (mind you the school heaters sometimes break which should be added to their main list of issues), They focus on the length of girl's skirts more than anything and they make their MAIN focus on how the students are dressed.Now that we are talking about the main issues, let's talk about the sanitation of the school. The bathrooms barely get cleaned and when they do, it's a sloppy unfinished job, same with the classrooms. No shade to the janitors..they try their best. The bathrooms sometimes don't have soap or toilet paper. Only water... The 8th grade boy's bathroom is almost always flooded which is more of a student behavior problem but still. One time I was sitting in my 7th-grade ELA class and a roach ran by, Near the end of the school year also they had an ant problem in the hallway where ants would crawl out cracks in the wall...gross. The behavior of the students has got to be the worst part of Hanes, they rip apart the bathroom, breaking sinks and soap dispensers. Fights happen very often and over anything and it's just overall very unsafe. I strongly discourage wasting your time at this school, I'm sure their better options out there. If you are looking for a nice, unified, CLEAN, well-behaved school, Hanes is not what you are looking for

I went here last year and I like that the teachers are fair and kind. If you don't hang out with bad kids nothing bad is gonna happen to you

Old Town Academy is a really great school! The community is great, kids are nice, and the teachers are caring and really tuned in to each students needs and academic level. My son loves it. This is his first year there and it’s been really nice to see him excited to go to school. The previous two years at a highly rated public school never felt like a good fit and he would always get anxious and want to stay home so I’m super relieved to have found OTA.

One of the worst decisions I’ve ever made I didn’t have motivation to come to class and always felt like an outsider. A lot of teachers are hard and dont think about how we have a life outside of school.

I taught at this school for many years and have nothing but positive things to say about the students, parents, and staff members. I am filled with pride when I think about my time at the school and miss teaching there very much. The students are challenged academically and held to high standards, but they generally rise to and exceed these standards. The college professors in particular will hold the kids to account, and it shows in their development both as students and individuals. If you want your child to develop a strong work ethic, feel supported by both their peers and teachers, and grow into thoughtful, respectful, and diligent individuals, send them to this school!Please be mindful that this school is not for everyone. Students will be enrolled in college courses immediately and this has proven to be difficult for some individuals. The school also does not offer after-school sports (students can still participate, just at their neighborhood school), however there is an abundance of clubs on various days that almost all students participate in. Parents also need to understand that micromanaging their students' coursework is a no-go here. College professors sometimes outright refuse to speak with parents as they only communicate with the students themselves. Don't be turned off by this - it simply encourages the students to learn how to speak to their professors when they need help (questions, extensions, etc). In my opinion, this is one of the most important life skills that is taught at the school. That being said, parents are still a HUGE part of the Early College family and are encouraged to volunteer whenever possible. The school provides ample opportunities for families to get involved and participate in their kids' high school experience. I truly loved my experience here. I am so proud of my students and I had so much fun watching them develop into incredible, thoughtful, intelligent, and creative individuals.