7604 Gorse Dr, Winnabow, NC 28479

I am speaking from our individualized experience and specifically on the topic of children who require support needs. If your child does not require support needs, you can "get by" on their educational programing. We have had several issues that are even outside of their lack of knowledge/compassion/involvement for children that require support needs. Our experience at Belville Elementary has been challenging, particularly regarding support services and student safety. While the general curriculum may be sufficient for children without additional needs, the school demonstrated a lack of understanding and involvement for children requiring support (e.g., language used "he/she isn't low enough on the spectrum to qualify for that"). Despite a formal ASD and SPD diagnosis, staff dismissed our request for on-site services without assessment (e.g., IEP). We did request an IEP immediately, but the other issues (listed below) just made us realize that it is not worth it to fight it and to ultimately discontinue our child's educational journey there. Additionally and most importantly, safety concerns arose when our child was being bullied and then was ultimately disciplined for defending herself, while more concerning behavior from other students was minimized (e.g., the statement, "boys will be boys" was allegedly mentioned by the principal when I was speaking to another parent about a different issue). These safety concerns is what ultimately led us to seek alternative education. While some families may have a different experience, we found the environment lacking in support, structure, and responsiveness.I am rating this school at 2 stars because my child loves their teacher and the teacher seems to be separated from the political climate of the administration.