College Oaks Elementary School

This school is GREAT! last year me and my two young children relocated to Lake Charles after i took a job offer in the area, & lets just say before i decided to move them from Prien Lake elementary (also in lake charles) we weren't happy about the move at all. My kids were struggling in school, the staff members were rude, drama-filled & to say the very less, unhelpful. Brentwood changed everything! the teachers are passionate about their students/ their job, they communicated very well & made sure my kids were getting the proper education! My kids got caught up with their grades & they actually loved waking up for school which is "rare" lol , thank you Mrs. Thompson & Mrs. Janauary for being awesome teachers!

My child currently attends Dolby in kindergarten. I read the school was very good and has high scores on several sites, so i chose this one. I am slowly regretting this school. Their curriculum is trash but thats not thier fault; its the state. This is why LA is really low on education in the US. The 1st full week of school, there was a bomb threat, which I seen unfold in the back of the school. Several officers were outside as well as kinder kids. It was evident that the school had no plan for this type of emergency which is crazy cuz the handbook states there is one but no detail of what it is. I watched kids, including my own, walk to different sides of the street 3x while cops are walking around with rifles. One cop gets on bended knee ready to shoot the suspect as kids stand 3ft away from him. Way to keep them in mind. They finally walked across the street to a church 20 minutes later. Makes me furious all those kids were outside vulnerable. What does a 5 yo do when there are shots fired 3ft from them possiblyin different directions. They have a plan now of course. Strike one and that's generous. Couple weeks later, the teacher sends their nap mats home w/o mention, crazy cuz its on thier supply list and they nap for an hour if teacher feels necessary. Spent $16 for nothing. Not sure why kindergarten still naps anyway. Drop off is at 715, the line is generally long and gap filled; cars dont get anywhere near the one in front of them. Which holds up the line. It's terrible because a lot of the time, the duty teachers get there at 715, walk off to drop their stuff in class and come back close to 720. There's always older kids standing in the back as well. They're a liability and shouldn't be "helping teachers" thats a violation too if anything happens to those kids. I had someone else pick up my kid and according to school rules, the person on duty is to ask for the ID of the person picking up said child to make sure they are on their pickup card. The person on duty asked, are you the kid's uncle, he said yes and walked out after signing out. Didn't make sure of anything. The principal needs to get her teachers, emergency plans and well being of the students prioritized because it's not there.

My daughter has been at Nelson since Pre-K and she honestly could write this review and it speak more volumes. She LOVES her school and so do we. They’re organized, use remind (I’m a busy mama and need the texts), and if I ever have a concern or question her teachers have always responded. All the fun events the kids and families are a part of makes the school feel warm & safe. The before & after school care is also a life saver. Dr. Caldwell is great.

We have lived all over the U.S. and in different parishes in Louisiana. Prien Lake is an Exceptional School. The administration is by far the kindest and most committed group we have ever experienced. The teachers WANT to be there, it’s a competitive school for them to get in the door. We have imperfect children, so we’ve dealt with all levels at PLE from discipline with principals and counselors to IEP meetings, to Special Education… even their Front Office Staff is genuinely kind. They are big into positive reinforcement and awards for the children, and the kids love it! The school environment is one of Love, Respect, and Kindness. On top of all this they are passionate about educating AND manage to make the day FUN! We have never seen an elementary school do more for their students than PLE.