15803 Garrison Cir
Austin, TX 78717

awful. terrible. repulsive. nasty. disgusting. unnerving. sickening.

I'm a current student here. I'm going to try to give a review that'll help people who will might go to this school.This school and its teachers talk a whole lot about how many students pass the STAAR tests and have good grades in classes. What I'll say is this is true, even ones that have learning complications do pass in grades. This is because this school does have a decent amount of wonderful teachers that teach splendidly and keep us all engaged. I am someone who is great at math, however I struggle with English and other languages, yet I've had very good language teachers that teach their lessons in an organized, easy to understand manner. Even if you struggle, most teachers will come to you and teach the information to you one-on-one. But the key word is MOST...I have had far too many teachers, who were quite unpleasant. I'm not just talking about them being strict and giving too much homework, these teachers simply don't understand the way a child's brain develops. They teach the subject through a slideshow, then they don't bother to help you and expect you to do the homework even if you still don't understand. Some have even criticized me for simply asking a question or making a mistake. These types of teachers can be super unpleasant for a student's self-esteem and even mental health, because of the way they treat and talk to students. Honestly, this district is super oblivious when it comes to the people they hire. Another thing, some teachers and other staff members are very unorganized and never communicate, which is definitely a pain if you're a parent.A huge problem in this school that is never addressed is the bullying and a student's well-being. Look I get it, this school as over 1,000 students who learn here so of course you won't know the problems of every kid. But if a fight, argument, or even talks of suicide, come along, and talks of it spread about like wildfire in the school, nobody will do anything about it. Something that I absolutely hate about this school that almost disgusted me, was that the principal and staff are constantly talking about how a peaceful, bully free school this is. PARENTS! THIS IS NOT THE CASE! I guarantee no matter how introverted your child may be, they will always hear talks of fights and such. And the staff does nothing, NOTHING about it. They'll only do something if it affects the image of the school, which is selfish and gross honestly.This school gets the learning job done, that's it.

I am writing a review after reading all of the previous reviews written I have a few things to say. I have two kids (twins) that are now in 5th grade and have been there since Kindergarten. I have only had positive experiences with Great Oaks Elementary. I have not met a teacher that doesn't LOVE GOE and many have been there for many many years. This fact is an excellent sign that this school is a welcoming and positive place to work and attend. We experienced the Covid years at GOE when my kids were at end of 1st grade through maybe the beginning of 3rd grade. I was very impressed with how the principal and staff dealt with this very difficult time for the education system. My kids luckily were able to bounce back and really didn't experience any gaps during this time. I have a kiddo with a 504 and he was able to stay on level the entire time. i have only ever felt that GOE provides a well organized, super communicative, warm and welcoming environment. If that doesn't provide an excellent environment for learning then I don't know what does.