Hyde Park

My experience with Alta Vista has been incredibly frustrating, and my student’s experience has honestly been a nightmare — mostly because of constant issues with other students. While there are a few teachers who seem to genuinely care and do a good job, others — especially in 5th grade science and math — often come across as angry at everyone: students, parents, you name it. It doesn’t exactly create a positive learning environment.Discipline feels like a suggestion, not a system. The kids know there aren’t real consequences, and it shows. It’s nearly impossible to focus on learning or doing well academically when the classroom feels chaotic and the same behavioral issues keep happening over and over with no real change.Administration seems focused on one thing: test scores. But it’s hard to produce strong scores when the day-to-day classroom environment is so disruptive. From what I’ve seen and heard, a lot of the dysfunction starts at the top. Instead of addressing the constant distractions, the focus seems to stay on the numbers.If you’re looking for structure, accountability, and a calm place for your child to learn, I’d strongly suggest looking closely before enrolling.

We bought our house to be in the Fruitville district and have had an amazing experience so far. We have one child in the gifted program, Pirate Academy, and one child in general education and both programs have exceeded our expectations. The teachers make the school and we have had amazing teachers. Highly recommend Fruitville to anyone who is considering a high quality public school education for their children.

This is a really darling school physically. It depicts a stately Florida heritage with its older architecture and natural oak landscaping. I suppose if they were to repurpose this, then, it would be to sell the property, demolish the school building and cut these oaks down, therefore desecrating the concept of heritage and greening our schools.Despite enrollment, it begs the question: what is the real meaning of repurposing? Is it a Selby Garden scenario of self gain and this on behalf of community loss? I would think enrollment is only half the cost when it comes to repurposing. The other is the community, something SCSB should consider in depth The concept of repurposing should be understood in terms of both education and the environment, as well as in terms of community input.

During a recent school tour, I was concerned about the safety procedures. Visitors were allowed to enter the building and classrooms without ID verification or bag checks. This made me uncomfortable because school safety is extremely important for families.The staff member who led the tour explained that the person responsible for issuing visitor badges was absent that day. However, it was unclear why there was no alternative safety procedure in place. Allowing visitors to enter student areas without proper verification seems like a serious security risk.I believe Ashton Elementary is a well-known and respected school, which is why this situation was surprising. I hope the school reviews and strengthens its visitor security procedures to ensure student safety.

Great experience overall. Really nice small school. Very nice teachers. Lots of fresh air.