Big Creek Elementary School

DCES is a great elementary school. . My son has enjoyed his time in KG and First grade at this school. The principal is very involved along with all staff. The school takes great care to ensure students are learning and growing in a safe nurturing environment.

Our son was tested as a gifted student and he enjoyed the class. The school is large and some children might not enjoy it. The morning/evening car line gets crazy, so give youself enough time.

They claim to be a Catholic school but have zero follow-up when it comes to following Christ's teaching. I had called to see about enrolling my special needs child in the school and was told in no uncertain terms that there was no place for him there.

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!

This school has shifted away from being an authentic Montessori school and now feels more like a corporate daycare. Many experienced and qualified Montessori teachers have left, often with little to no explanation provided to families. Classrooms are frequently chaotic and staffed by underqualified teachers. Assistant teachers are often promoted to lead roles after the departure of lead teachers, despite lacking the necessary training and experience.. While the Montessori materials are still present, the school no longer embodies the authentic Montessori philosophy.

We know many kids who either currently attends or attended Montessori Kids Academy (MKA) in the past. Once the kids left MKA, and transitioned to the public school system, they were all granted into the gifted program (the parents were shocked because they rarely focused on their kid's education -- yet the children got accepted in gifted. Our daughter still attends MKA (from 2 years old - currently 7 years old)... Super long time, but, we don't need to focus on additional academic afterschool programs because MKA curriculum is more than sufficient (this allows our daughter to focus on ballet during afterschool rather than just academics).. She is doing super well academically because of MKA, and her strong foundation built by MKA allows us to spend less time studying, and more time loving our child in other ways.. :)We have three kids, and I wish I knew about MKA earlier so that my two other kids could have attended there. My daughter's academic ability is at a much higher level than my other two kids at their identical age (relatively)...I see some parents mention that they are about money.. Originally, I thought so too, but keep in mind that this is a Private School experience (and the results are noticeable). A school can't run if money wasn't thought about.. Even a Catholic/Christian school (I attended a Catholic school for 12 years) are about money because that is needed to run the school (and pay the teachers).. My daughter attended to three different daycares prior to MKA, and she was always crying when going there.. But, once she went to MKA, she was happy to go every morning.Ignore the haters!!