Peachcrest Elementary School

My daughter attended Columbia Elementary for Pre-K in the 2024-2025 school year and it was a wonderful experience for all of us. The administration, faculty, and staff all impressed me, and I am grateful to them. The school is located in a beautiful little enclave of Decatur, and having it near my home has been a blessing. There is a lot of love at this school!

I regret enrolling my daughters here.Some of the teachers here seriously lack emotional awareness and proper communication with children who are still so young and impressionable. I don’t think they’re trained to handle sensitive kids and they clearly don’t know how to handle their own emotions. My 1st grader came home feeling overwhelmed more than once, her confidence is so low right now not because of studies, but because of the way she was spoken to. There’s a clear difference between guiding a child and passively asserting control over them.If you’re a parent who likes to stay involved, ask questions, or gently support your child during transitions, be prepared it might be seen as “too much.”My daughter’s homeroom teacher is often emotionally unavailable and dismissive. It’s like the moment your child needs kindness, you get cold professionalism instead, even they start to point out your kid ONLY. I expected warmth, support, and better training from a school that teaches such young kids especially from teachers who are shaping their confidence and emotional safety.The syllabus is okay but teachers don’t pay attention to what the kid is writing I saw my daughter’s classwork there were errors but still it was marked as good job. Seems like teachers here just want to get rid of their tasks asap. Unfortunately, I’m now looking for other options.As a parent to parents reading this - please don’t get your kids enrolled here if their emotional wellbeing is your top priority.

Lack of staffing.My daughter attended this school in:2nd grade (2023-24). Her teacher retired 2 months into the year, only to have various substitutes until the last 3 months of school where they finally placed a teacher who ended up retiring once the school year was complete.3rd grade (2024-) The initial teacher stopped showing up 2 months in and these children have been left without an adequate, CONSISTENT teacher for almost 3 months and counting.Unfortunately this is the ONLY elementary school in my “zoning area”. This school is full of shenanigans, doing a great disservice to its children. There is no PTA to voice my concerns, just a dismissive staff.Also, if whomever is reading this goes to this school, please be sure to check the employees ID badge. All though name badges are mandatory in EVERY school district, they seem to be either optional or hidden here. If unfamiliar, you’d NEVER be able to tell the difference between staff, parents, etc.

Rowland is a great elementary school. The teachers are supportive, student disruption minimally happens and there is a slight bug problem to take note of