Lawton Chiles Elementary School

Horrendous school for a child. The principal Donald Vega comes across as friendly but he’s not wanting to help the children. He doesn’t care about what’s best for them. My son cries every time he has to go to this school. The bullying is out of hand and the teachers do not care if the children learn or are struggling. These teachers only want to quit and don’t want to be there. The teachers rushing the kids to do the school work instead of helping them understand. The open house was a disaster, every year the principal before Donald Vega was so kind and considerate for parents that work but this year 2025 he chose to start 1:30pm right in the middle of the day. So many parents couldn’t go, so heartbreaking that here comes a new principal Donald Vega making changes for him. He also has a breakfast for ONLY fathers smh, not every child has a father but he’s arrogant and doesn’t care about this community. I will never participate and support a breakfast that is ONLY for fathers. Be careful with this school, if he’s the principal., save your children from this school. The children and parents need to be supported.

It’s a good school over all. My daughter is very smart has top 8% in the nation and they can’t accommodate her with a gifted teacher

Great school with amazing team. My daughter loves her school teachers and the class. It has a welcoming atmosphere that makes everyone feel part of one big family.

I was so excited for my child to start this school only for me to have to pull them out after a few weeks. I have a *very very* well behaved child that also excels in school. With that said…ugh…Recess was almost non-existent, no talking in class, no talking in the hallway, no talking at lunch. There was very little fun or socialization to be had. Recess when not skipped lasted all of 10 min or so because the teacher didn’t want to be outside. There is no play equipment for older kids.My daughter tipped her chair back on two legs and the teacher told her she had to sit on the wall at recess. She has *never* gotten in trouble at school and this crushed her. She started have anxiety attacks at home and during the day at school. I later found out that she was being ignored and mistreated daily by her teacher. (Who ended up leaving the school a month after starting). The kids were given no study materials for tests. All of the children were failing their tests with my child having the highest failing grades. I asked for resources and was told there were none.Besides the bad teacher, I had rude and cold interactions with several of the staff…I’m pretty bubbly and didn’t understand this. My husband had the same experience. I saw the red flags at the open house when the principal was standing at a distance trying not to talk to parents. I ended up pulling my daughter out a few weeks in. She was so stressed and I could see her little light dimming. I was not rude or confrontational with anyone at that school— I was met with an attitude at the front desk upon leaving. I would not recommend this place to a single person. It’s like a military school. I hope they find a great leader for the school—it has a lot of potential.

Mi hija ha estado asistiendo a la escuela por 5 años estoy muy orgullosa de que haya estado en esta escuela maestros excelentes la administración es excelente en tercer grado mi hija estuvo algo atrasada en lenguaje pero poco a poco con la dedicación de los maestros y el esfuerzo que hemos realizado como padres en casa ha salido sobresaliente en las notas finales de quinto grado muy feliz Gracias Mrs Cutcher una de las mejores maestras de mi hija estoy muy feliz de que haya sido su maestra este año. Amo a Mrs Stennett que fue su maestra y a Mrs. Murillo la mejores las adoro My daughter has been attending school for 5 years I am very proud that she has been in this school excellent teachers the administration is excellent in third grade my daughter was somewhat behind in language but little by little with the dedication of the teachers and the effort What we have done as parents at home has been outstanding in the final grades of fifth grade, very happy. Thank you, Mrs. Cutcher, one of my daughter's best teachers, I am very happy that she has been her teacher this year. I love Mrs. Stennett, who was her teacher, and Mrs. Murillo, the best. I adore them.

This is an excellent school that I highly recommend. My grandchildren have been educated here and are thriving into adulthood. The staff, administration and all athletic coaches are dedicated to helping the students to thrive, not just academically, but spiritually and emotionally as well.