Lake Murray

The principal has good communication skills and greets parents in the morning. I feel the curricular activities are up to par above standards.

Benchley is a good school overall, and after four years of having my child attend, I have seen many of its strengths. The teachers are generally very good, with some truly exceptional educators who clearly care deeply about their students. At the same time, I believe there is significant room for growth in how the school approaches the overall educational experience. From my perspective, there seems to be a strong emphasis on academic performance and state testing, sometimes at the expense of a more engaging, creative, and well-rounded approach to learning.One of my biggest concerns is the lack of hands-on and experiential learning opportunities. My child frequently describes school as boring and feels that many days follow the same routine. I have also heard similar concerns from other families about children having limited opportunities for play during the school day. While strong academics are important, elementary-aged children also benefit from creativity, movement, exploration, play, and hands-on learning.The teachers are a real strength of the school, but they appear to be working within a structure that can make it difficult to fully embrace a whole-child approach.For a school with such high academic standards, I was also surprised by how limited the enrichment opportunities are. Students have PE and occasional art instruction, but other enrichment offerings feel minimal. The school previously had a media arts program, and since losing that teacher, there has not been a clear replacement with another creative or engaging opportunity.One particularly positive example comes from parent volunteers, who created a gardening program that gives students the opportunity to garden about once a month. It is a wonderful program and shows how meaningful hands-on experiences can enrich children’s education.Overall, Benchley has dedicated teachers, involved families, and academically capable students. My hope is that the school continues to grow beyond a narrow focus on academic metrics and invests more in creativity, enrichment, hands-on learning, and play. I believe this would help the school better support students not only academically, but as curious, creative, and engaged learners.

My child loved going to school every day. As a parent, I receive frequent communication. They are excellent at addressing each child's needs individually. They think outside of the box to address learning styles and have a proactive approach to dealing with behaviors. The class sizes are small enough and well staffed enough that no child slides under the radar. I highly recommend this school.