Wells Branch Elementary School

My child has been at Joe Lee Johnson for a few years now. When we started, the school was struggling, but under new leadership, it's really turned around. We've had excellent teachers and my child is a super reader! The campus itself is gorgeous and well-maintained and the kids love the playgrounds. The PTA is SUPERB, very active, and incredibly involved. I encourage you to join if you enroll at JLJ. Principal Dean is very transparent about the changes and the work being done to turn this school around and the teachers have been working incredibly hard to ensure all students get the attention they need.

This school helped kids learn a lot, but its been bad (at least in 2025, currently). They make the children run laps nonstop sometimes, plus they make them have silent lunch, even though lunch is one of the only times they get to talk freely with each other. The lunch monitors make the kids go outside after their lunch, and make them run laps, also wasting one of the only times they get to talk and have free time. Their excuse is: "Oh, we expect more of 5th graders because they're the leaders of the school." Also, whenever one student does something bad during lunch, like face the opposite side of their food, the WHOLE 5th grade gets in trouble, and they can't talk for the rest of lunch. Their excuse for this is that "5th grade is a team". Like what? Your punishing them all for something small, and something 1 person did? Some of the staff just seem really controlling. But either way, I think this school is good to send your kid to.

in 3 days the school has made us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. I chose this school as it was well rated and I was seeking structure from an honest school l

We have been part of AIS for over ten years and have seen the school evolve in many ways, most of them positive. One of its most enduring strengths is the small class sizes, which create a more personalized and supportive learning environment for each student.The elementary program is led by some of the most engaging educators we’ve encountered, with three teachers supporting instruction across the three languages. This structure not only strengthens language exposure but also keeps students actively engaged throughout the day.The admissions process, which includes an evaluation of both the student and their family, helps foster a strong and engaged community. This intentional approach contributes to the overall positive atmosphere of the school. A great example of this community feel is International Week, when students from preschool through 8th grade study and present on a different country. Each class explores aspects such as music, food, dress, art, and culture, and families are invited to participate, making it a meaningful and memorable experience.While the goal of students graduating in 5th or 8th grade as trilingual is admirable, in practice the amount of time dedicated to Spanish can limit opportunities for achieving true fluency for many students. This is especially notable given that the Spanish teachers are among the school’s greatest strengths and bring tremendous value to the program.As our family looks ahead to eventually graduating the school, we know it will be bittersweet. AIS does an excellent job of ensuring that students feel academically prepared transition to high school. One area to be mindful of, however, is subject-specific vocabulary, particularly in math and science, which are taught in French throughout middle school. Since local high schools do not offer instruction in French, this can present an adjustment as students transition to English-based coursework.