Varner Elementary School

Compton is one of the best schools in Cobb county

This is hands down the worst school experience I’ve ever had as a parent. I’m originally from North Carolina, and after going through elementary, middle, high school, and college, I have never dealt with administration this rude, dismissive, and unprofessional.Communication is a constant issue. Calls and emails go unanswered, and when you do reach out, you’re basically told to wait 24–48 hours for a response. Even then, you still have to call back and follow up yourself just to get basic answers. It feels like parents are not taken seriously.What scares me most is student safety. My child has been harmed by other students, and the school didn’t even contact me. I only found out when my child walked through the door at home. That is unacceptable. Parents should never be the last to know when something happens involving their child.Also, be extremely careful with transportation. A substitute bus driver removed my child’s yellow tag from her bookbag (the tag that helps ensure kids are dropped off correctly), and my child was not dropped off at home. This happened with a male substitute driver. As a parent, that’s terrifying and completely avoidable with proper procedures and accountability.I do not feel confident that this school prioritizes student safety, respectful communication, or basic responsibility. I’m actively working on getting my child out, and I strongly suggest other parents do serious research before sending their child here. If you can prevent your child from attending this school, please do.

We moved here only 9 months ago and started school with knowing absolutely no one. To say this school welcomed us with open arms is an understatement. The counselors even held a coffee meet and greet for all the new parents to come in and meet each other, along with the Principal and assistant principals. Everyone has been so kind, the teachers and staff LOVE their jobs. The school is clean, safe, and all about inclusivity. We’ve grown so much since we first started, making friends with parents and building our community here. This school is night and day from our old school. I couldn’t be happier with our decision to come here. We hope this helps the next family moving in!

This is my sons second year attending GCA and the experience has been horrible. The environment lacks stability. In 6 months, they have had 3 lead teachers. His class is behind the other two pre-k classes due to the poor hires. The staff does not communicate well with parents and sadly, we will not be returning next year.