Smith Elementary School

I had two students go through GHES, one K-5th and one Prek-5th. Both of my kids had a fantastic experience here. My oldest is now a senior and doing great. My youngest is in middle school and excelling. The youngest got to do the Spanish DLI program, and she has learned so much! If you have concerns, go tour the school. I don't believe 5/10 is an accurate representation of this beautiful learning community.

My child attended this school, and unfortunately our experience was marked by poor communication, limited transparency, and disappointing academic rigor.Communication was inconsistent throughout our time there. It wasn’t until our second year at AIS that the school began sending biweekly newsletters, and even then, parents had very limited visibility into what students were learning. Aside from occasional portfolio samples, there was little opportunity to review student work, understand academic expectations, or meaningfully track academic progress throughout the year.They place a heavy emphasis on play-based learning and the use of manipulatives. While these methods have their place, I found they were often used to justify a lack of academic accountability. Too often, concerns about academic progress were met with explanations about philosophy rather than evidence of results. Many families ultimately sought outside tutoring because their children were not receiving the academic foundation they expected.Another concern was the amount of instructional time devoted to the second-language immersion program. Students spend years learning in a second language, yet many are not conversational by the end of primary school (5th grade). Given the significant time commitment, the results did not appear to justify the tradeoff in foundational academic instruction.Some of the faculty and administration was difficult to work with. Parents frequently had to follow up repeatedly to receive answers or action. Concerns were often met with committees and extended periods of “brainstorming” that produced little meaningful change. The school regularly cited research and educational theories to defend its approach, but our experience did not reflect the academic outcomes those theories were intended to produce.The school deserves credit for its cultural diversity, which is its strongest attributes. Students are exposed to a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds, and that is valuable. However, diversity cannot compensate for weak communication, limited transparency, and significant academic shortcomings.Ultimately, I would not choose this school again, especially for the primary grades. Families considering enrollment should look beyond the marketing and ask detailed questions.

If you don’t care about your child’s future, send them to Holy Spirit Prep. HSP was an incredible school years ago, somewhere along the way it plummeted and has only gotten worse recently. HSP accepts children that have severe learning differences as well as severe behavioral problems. The president of the school ensures that staff are equipped with handling difficult children, but in reality, everyone is overwhelmed, and the students are suffering; there are no resources for them or the children. This inability to take care of the needs of the children and staff has led to the severe decline in admissions and a record number of faculty jumping ship. The new principal of the school, the only one with qualifications and genuine care for the children, unfortunately left as well. Holy Spirit hides behavioral and academic issues from parents. This is due to multiple admin having children with these issues and not wanting to draw attention to their own family. Students are not held to any behavioral standard and the children rule the school. Holy Spirit Prep used to be an amazing school, but I warn everyone against coming here anymore.

I went to Galloway from K–12, so this comes from a very long firsthand experience. There are definitely positives: it is a kind, supportive environment, the teachers generally care, and the school does a good job making students feel seen as individuals. I understand why a lot of Buckhead families are drawn to it.That said, looking back as an adult, I do not feel like it prepared me especially well for real life. There was a lot of emphasis on “be your best self,” which sounds good on paper, but in my experience there was less emphasis on discipline, toughness, accountability, and the kind of academic rigor that actually helps once you leave a protected school environment. It helped get me into Alabama, but I was not especially well prepared once I got there, and that became obvious pretty quickly.Now I work in residential real estate, and while I do fine, it is not exactly the kind of challenging or deeply fulfilling professional path I once thought a school like Galloway was preparing me for. It is a very relationship-driven job with long hours, and if I am being honest, a lot of where I landed had more to do with family connections than with any real edge the school gave me. That is the part I think prospective families should think about. Galloway was good at making students feel comfortable and affirmed. I am less convinced it was good at pushing them hard enough to thrive on their own later.

I have loved my time with DVIS. Since we first entered the school in 2016 to now I have felt that DVIS is a nurturing environment for my kids. Both of my kids started at 18 months there. What I think DVIS does so well is teach kids to their level and make learning fun. My kids loved going to school and I credit DVIS for instilling the love of learning and a sense of worldly community to the kids. I truly was blown away by the projects, vocabulary and reading comprehension my kids were exposed too. Our children have made friends and learned different cultures from DVIS too. Soraya ( the school's director) makes herself available around the clock even after school hours as needed. She cares about the children and it shows. I love the trilingual program DVIS offers. My children are fascinated with languages and want to learn more! I can't say enough good things about DVIS. If you are looking for a worldly and caring environment for your kinds that is full of diversity and uniqueness this is the place for you.