Pine River Elementary School

if you want to worry about your children's safety daily send your kids here my child missed his bus no one knew this because there was no adult supervision at all I frantically searched for my child for 2 hrs before finding out where he was he was able to approach a parent on the playground and make a phone call off of their phone thankfully he knew them it could have been anyone the school didn't know he didn't get on the bus they told me my then 8 yr old now 9yr old was to be sufficiently responsible to act on his own the principle did nothing to rectify this nor the district I of course was fuming what parent wouldn't I be I was treated as if I had no right to be so angry and since then it's been a spiral of issues from the principal privately speaking to my child daily about supposed behavioral issues yet I'm never contacted and when I stated this is not to happen again without contacting me I was told too bad talk to my bad because I can and will speak whichever students I choose without contacting the parents send your kids anywhere else

My daughter has attended this school for over three years now. She is four years old and in kindergarten this year! She has excelled academically, developmentally and socially. I am so pleased with our decision to send her here. Her teachers are so involved and personally invested in her education. I can't say enough about this school. Only that it has been such a blessing to our family.

We have been a very satisfied St. Mary's family for several years but have recently decided to seek other academic opportunities for our children for the following reasons. While the teaching staff is very competent and caring there is a high turnover rate (60% in the past three years, 20% last year). The school is underfunded and over-budget which means they will not be able to update curriculum material. There is money to fund a new science lab, however the text books are not up to date (they do not teach using S.T.E.M. Approach). There is not enough money to buy workbooks I.e. Spelling books so teachers are forced to make copies. There is no guarantee this school will have a full staff for the 2014-15 academic year. That decision will be made after the current registration process is complete and they know how many teachers the school can afford. We have many great memories with our children at this school but we cannot risk their educational outcome during this period of financial instability.