Edmund G Ross Elementary School

I would not recommend this school for any child with special needs. It appears they have very low communication with parents and when parents inquire to know more or request to sit in class due to bad daily reports they are treated as if they are in the wrong. It appears that the teacher and principal retaliate when a complaint is made against them. It got so bad that we ended up transferring our student due to the lack of support, and what seemed like retaliation. The principal appears to not be a neutral party when having issues with a teacher or education aide. The communication between the special ed classes and gen ed classes is almost nonexistent. Last year my student was supposed to take a field trip they changed the dates last minute, and didn’t let me know. Had my child’s father not asked about it my child would have went on a field trip that didn’ t have an updated permission slip with the correct date of the field trip, and would not had been at school where I thought he would be. My child elopes, and as parents we feel more comfortable accompanying our child on field trips.

This school truly stands out for its student centered approach and the intentional care shown by staff. Both the general education and special education programs are exceptional, with a commitment to meeting children where they are and helping them grow. The educators are thoughtful and invested in their students success. It’s clear that inclusion, support, and meaningful relationships are priorities here, creating a learning environment where students (and parents) feel valued and supported.

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.