4031 Iola Dr
Sarasota, FL 34231

I had been a sub here for a few years. We see the inside of schools in all their totality: admin, teachers and the all-encompassing variety of subjects and students taught. We also see morale. In this latter respect, this school seemed okay despite a lack of equity. In view of subjects, however, the strongest departments were math and science. Civics, social studies and history were also good. Other than this, I found the following. This school lacked inspiration and giftedness, Art was flagging, and language arts were terrible. ESE and Spanish students were often left without aides and the ESOL department there failed to give their students a sense of acculturation. This latter department seemed like just a gateway for immigrants and the head teacher was unpleasant to work with, therefore making you wonder about this school's claim to give sheltered English.Other than this, I didn't find many students willing to learn and their ISR department was often filled. Support had to be called often in classes. Admin seemed to turn a blind eye, or rather took the students' side, (as most SCSD assistant principles and principles do).. There was also a lot of disrespect to teachers, which made this an unpleasant school to work at. This, in effect, was probably why I found jobs here so often.In the end I felt admin just couldn't run the show and I felt a real disconnect with the assistant principle and admin staff. I actually made a complaint about this department to the Equity Department and must say, there really isn't a sense of equity for teachers and possibly even students, when it comes to teaching and learning at this school..

Wonderful diverse school with multiple programs. The IB Diploma Program is particularly strong, with high-achieving students who take very challenging course loads. Expectations are high and kids are well prepared for college, many of whom go onto top-tier universities. Facilities are well maintained and administrators are approachable and want the best for the RHS community. Really impressed with many of the teachers and a high percentage have advanced degrees.

As an alumna of Wilkinson Elementary School (Class of 2013), I can say with great certainty that this school has improved since the last time I've attended classes there.The teachers I've had the pleasure of working with during the Youth Experiencing Art (YEA) Program in 2023 were friendly and seemed to have interacted with the kids quite well.I've had my fair share of bad experiences at this school in the past, but WOW has this placed improved since 2011-2013!