Hightower Ct
Cincinnati, OH 45249

All I have to say is, "Run! Don't walk run!" We gave up our dream home 2 years ago to get my daughter into what we thought was the best school district for learning and accommodations. The rent we pay now is twice that of our house for less than half the space. We're now in debt from living here and they will not help my disabled daughter with accommodations because she's gifted and doesn't show her disabilities outwardly. She masks. Their welcome page brags that they are concerned with the whole child, not just grades. This couldn't be further from the truth. We've struggled for 2 full school years to get my daughter the accommodations she needs with notes from 4 different doctors from Children's Hospital. They just stopped communicating with us totally. Now she's going into the Junior High with no help. It's baptism by fire. The Superintendent is completely unresponsive and the administration is too busy patting each other on the back to notice the damage they've done to my daughter. She used to love school but by the end of this year she was begging to stay home. She missed enough for other medical reasons, so there's no room for anxiety.I'm worried for her mental well-being. They are definitely not and treat me like a helicopter mom who's making it all up. She's doing well acedemically in spite of her disabilities. Some bullying was taken care of, but she was offered to change classes by the teacher just to be told by her counselor that it was too close to the end of the school year to make the change. That makes no sense. Why would she be made to stay in a hostile environment?Were crying over our losses. Don't make the same mistake we did.Run, run, run!

I have had three students attend the Sycamore k-12. It offers a vast variety of opportunities for students with varying interests and needs. The support services are outstanding. And yes, they strive to get the best out of your child.

Our daughter attended this school for 3yrs. We pulled her and put her in a Charter school. (One of the best in the country and is quickly climbing the list as the top school in Ohio) but I digress . The school itself isn’t the worse, but the kids are. I’m not sure why this school is so desirable? Once upon a time, I do believe it was one of the best, but in the last five years, I would not recommend the school at all. You’re putting a bunch of kids who sit on TikTok and YouTube all day and putting them in a building together. You get exactly what you think that would create. The school is very impersonal. In three years I believe we met with her teachers once.. The teachers try to be “cool” instead of models for authority and leadership. If you want a student lead school - this is it. If you want a teacher lead school look elsewhere.

Don't be fooled by good overall test scores. Those are just indicative of the many students from rich families. Symmes has a ton of work to do. The teachers are really nice people and are trying hard but administration sets up a bad culture that is highly arrogant. That aggects the teaching. They do not take imput from families and often will not met with them. When they do, families imput and concerns are disregarded. As a parent with a special needs student , Symmes is earning their poor growth and attendance from disabled students. They are not doing well with their accelerated students either. Even if you don't have disabled or accelerated student, why would you want to send your student to a school that can't help struggling or accelerated students? Every student fits those category at some point. If your student struggles, they simply say get a tutor becuase so many families can afford it. If your student is bored they don't care as long as the student's test scores are good. That's not my idea of a great school.