Samuels Elementary School

Both of my children attended Holly Ridge, and it has been the absolute worst experience we’ve had with a school. The principal lacks strong communication and leadership skills, and there seem to be little to no consequences for student behavior. Unfortunately, the assistant principal has been even more difficult to work with.This school would benefit greatly from stronger, more effective leadership. The current environment is disappointing and, at times, frustrating.The front office staff has been kind and helpful, but there has been a lot of turnover as there’s been someone new nearly every year for the past three years, which adds to the instability.Overall, I would not recommend this school. We are very eager to move our children elsewhere.

Pros: Overall I think this is a well run school, Teachers are top-notch and eager to keep the kids engaged. Administration keep this school operating smoothly, at least from a parent's point of view. Parent participation is high. It's in a good, safe neighborhood and I feel comfortable letting my kids walk home on thir own. This is a school where teachers send their own kids. Very diverse populationCons: Morning drop off is a circus, walk if you can. The building is rather small, and feels a crowded. Class sizes are acceptible, but the classrooms are small and music and art classrooms are inadequate. The playground is dated and needs a makover. Speech therapy has a high turnover (but I think that is a district problem more than the school)

Yeas ago this school was a G&T magnet school. It was rated highly and had a stellar academic record. It was one of the reasons that we moved into this neighborhood. Since the change in leadership, that curriculum has been removed and subsequently the academic rigor at this institution has suffered. Currently it is a "decent" school but previously it was better. It was a bit of a disappointment. I would recommend reinstating the G&T program and focusing more on academics.

This wazwaz academy seems like its en route to even more failure, unfortunately. The school has a monthly budget deficit of at least $80,000, which has sadly opened the way for very aggressive fundraising at the expense of good quality education and teaching calibers, favoritism at the expense of fairness, and corr-u-ption at the expense of Islamic-aligned practices.