Arroyo Del Oso Elementary School

GBES is an exceptional place where students and families are welcome. The staff at Governor Bent is dedicated and hardworking, always going above and beyond to support every student. They foster an inclusive environment that works with English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and Indigenous students. We are truly a community school by providing resources to families.We commitment to social-emotional learning (SEL), which helps students develop vital life skills, including the school's core values of "Solve Problems, Show Respect, and Make Good Decisions." The school also has a great sense of community, hosting fun events that bring families together, like the Pumpkin Run and the Festival of Lights.The students and school has also shown progress academically. Attendance rates are improving, and students are achieving notable gains in both math and reading. The school’s consistent improvement in iReady and iStation scores. With a fantastic staff, a strong commitment to both academic and social-emotional growth, and a strong sense of community, it's no surprise that GBES is the place to be!

Our two daughters have been a part of this wonderful school community for three years where they have benefited from high standards in behavior and academics. Most importantly, they are growing spiritually in a positive and supportive community that encourages them to love Jesus and develop a personal relationship with Him. The sports program is well organized and teaches good sportsmanship and keeps students physically fit. The teachers have inspired my daughters to play school at home!

Oak Grove is okay for elementary, but quite lacking for middle and high school. The STEM program is abysmal, and the student's standardized test scores in math and science attest to that. Grammar and writing programs are excellent, but the subject matter and reading material as the students progress to higher grades are boring and tedious. Many of the teachers do not use the classical method to teach, and there are teachers who are not certified to teach at all. Sports and arts programs are pretty much nonexistent. The school has been renting space in a church for like 15 years now, with no hope of ever having a permanent building, so students never get to hang their artwork on the walls, leave their science projects on display, etc. They have to schlep all their books and materials back and forth between school and home, and the "sentinels" have to police every piece of loose paper or pencils, water spilled, or anything left behind they aren't allowed to leave one shred of evidence that they were ever there, lest the church has a fit. The headmaster came from another school that had no strategic plan, and he brought that same lack of skill and planning to OGA. So there is really no plan for a permanent school. The description of the school is grossly inaccurate also. This is not a non-denominational Christian school. This is an Evangelical church ONLY school. Families will be looked down upon for being Catholic, Orthodox, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. Evangelical students will make negative comments to non-Evangelical students, how they are wrong, etc...and there is very little done about it, bc the teachers and admin agree that there way is the only "right" way. There is a strict, but unspoken but very thinly veiled code there that if you aren't part of a working dad, SAHM trad-wife family, you are lesser. There is also a very strong current of right wing political sentiment, and quite a bit of hierarchy among students whose parents are deemed more important due to money or having a special standing in church, etc.

In my short term as a teacher I fully was impressed with the mission and vision of the founder and school. Instruction was fully supported and the faculty very professional and collegial. The behaviors were insufferable, however, and poorly managed because of lack of administrative scaffolding and standards that a larger system would support. Such is the charm of a charter school that promotes and promises an attractive student to teacher ratio. The information missing is the fact that students that require services aren’t fully supported, and when not fully supported behaviors arise. These behaviors cannot be adequately addressed. As such learning will fall below the standard being sought from a parent. A lot of the population were of a lower economic status, military family, APS expelled or disenchanted status. So, not the cream of the crop despite the misleading of lottery process. Do not be mislead of the charm of a school’s mission or focus. This one is no different.