Penn Wood Elementary School

My children love SSJ. The teachers are kind, caring and work hard to help your child grow academically, socially and spiritually. The principal is newish but she genuinely seems to care about the children and the school community and is always looking for ways to improve. The students seem to be a nice group of kids. Academically, I am pleased with my children's progress.

Our experience was a disappointment. The lower school has really gone downhill since Covid and it hasn’t turned the corner yet. We experienced an environment of out of control classrooms, repeated verbal and physical bullying, and an administration (not just one person) who minimized parent concerns for years. In addition, the academics in lower school are not grade level. In math, multiple students who left Westtown have been told by their new schools that they’re significantly behind grade level (which is news to the parents). In science, once past first grade, the kids sit in class and watch Bill Nye videos. In Spanish, there was a teacher who did not know how to speak Spanish. The admissions team is excellent at painting a picture of project based learning, using the campus, academic rigor, and individualized differentiation. None of it is true of the current school - perhaps it was true before Covid? The facilities and campus show well and the old reputation still lures people to it, but don’t be fooled. Look elsewhere.