Lake Windward Elementary School

There's a lot of unaddressed bullying in this school. The children who hit and hurt others have no consequences, except for a call home.No follow up with the bullies, they just keep bullying the next child. Concerns are not taken seriously. Some of the teachers will openly speak negatively about their class or children to other parents; as a previous teacher, this should never be happening. It's apparent where the bullying & stress is stemming from. It's is a high stress environment, teachers are not sincere or welcoming.

This is a awesome school. There is a lot of support for socially and academically. Ocee also has great activities and achievements. As former Ocee student, I definitely got help and support. I also enjoyed going to school every day.

Things were good until my child entered first grade. The class teacher, GH, appears to be partial, has clear favorites, and can be vindictive toward students and parents who raise concerns. Unfortunately, the principal, Monica IN, and Vice Principal, Martie Jones, have not been responsive to parent complaints. While they present themselves as helpful, they often become defensive and do not provide meaningful support or solutions.

Not an easy transition when we moved towards the end of elementary school, my son struggled to adapt to the new environment both socially and academically, with little functional support from the school. We did arrive 1 year post COVID so that may have had something to do with it. As a parent, I feel the school is excellent. The front desk staff is wonderful, the teachers are fantastic and the rest of the staff are kind. My son struggled but he enjoyed the school. Heavy academic focus, preferential treatent to those with high standardized test scores and in TAG (Talented and Gifted). The school has many fun family nights and after school activiteis for families to be invovled.

We have absolutely loved our time at McGinnis Woods. Our daughter has been attending since Kinder (is in 6th grade) and our son since Pre-k (is in 4th now). If you're looking for a place where your child is far more than just a number and has traditional learning values, we would encourage anyone to consider this school. We left MW when my daughter was in 3rd and son in 1st to try a year at our local public school, and within a month our children were begging us to go back to McGinnis Woods. Our exit exams from the year at public school actually showed our kids had regressed in just the one year we tried it. Needless to say, we went right back to McGinnis Woods and are so pleased. The principal is the heart of the school and her love for it trickles down through the teachers to the students. We have never felt more confident in regards to safety, education and love of our kiddos. Thank you MW!