Brookwood Elementary School

Completely dissatisfied with Special Education Services and Education at Big Creek Elementary. Needs were not met and IEP is Incomplete and Disputed.As a parent was left hopeless, frustrated, unsupported and discontent from IEP Team.

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.

Our family has had a wonderful experience at LWE. The teachers (and all staff members) are truly the best part of the school — every single one is kind, caring, and genuinely invested in the students. My kids not only love their classroom teachers, but they have also built trusting relationships with so many other teachers and staff members throughout the school.The academics are strong, and we have always felt that our children are being challenged and supported. Safety protocols are top-notch, which gives us great peace of mind as parents.Communication from the school is excellent. We are always informed about upcoming events, important updates, and anything else we need to know in a timely manner. They also offer great after-school options, which has been such a huge benefit for our family.Overall, Lake Windward Elementary has been an amazing school community for our family, and we are so grateful for the caring teachers, strong academics, and supportive environment.

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!!