Pioneer Park Elementary School

I recently was returning home to Maryland from a visit to Florida. There were numerous students with GOVE Safety Patrol tee shirts. They were obviously on a field trip. The kids were very polite, well mannered and quiet on the plane ride as well as in the terminal. This is a great indication of how they must act in school. well done kids!

I loved this school, while my children attended. I also attended this school when I was a child. The principal is not on some dictatorship craziness and everyone works together for the greater good of the students. This school ROCKS!

This school does not prepare students for college. Most students go to community college or not at all. The teachers are all alumni. I thought this was nice until I realized that they just cycle old students into poor teaching and admin roles. Those former students/teachers then have children, who attend the school and eventually become the next generation of mediocre teachers. The teachers and students look miserable when you walk around campus. There is a lot of favoritism toward alumni teachers and their kids. If you are not related to an alumni, you will feel as though you don't belong there. The rest of the students seem to be kids who struggled in local public schools and had nowhere else to go. There is no way to gauge whether or not your child is at grade level or way below. The school cares more about its sports, so there's very little homework. This seems great until you realize your child isn't learning anything, ever. GDS is very proud of its roots and founding families. This is strange, given that the school only started because the government desegregated schools in 1965. Local farmers wanted to continue to have a segregated school, so they started GDS in its original location in Pahokee. I don't think this is something to be proud of or celebrate. I would not recommend this school unless you live out by the lake and literally have no alternative. Students who transfer say their public schools are much harder and the teachers are better.