James H. Ross Elementary School

We love McWhirter Elementary. Great staff and teachers. Our kids are always excited for school each day. Bus picks up and drops off down the street from our house which is convenient.

Great school so far my daughter loves it.

Bullying issues are constantly overlooked. This is my 2nd child here and both dealt with issues that were not even remotely handled. Children who are physically violent dont get any form of punishment, but the child that was harmed gets in trouble. Teachers arent paying attention and principal just writes off concerns and talks over you. The counselor, nurse, pe coaches, support staff and music teacher have all been wonderful and have been the only reason we've stayed this long.

The teachers were kind and caring, and my daughter really enjoyed her time with them once she settled in. However, the experience with the front office staff was very disappointing. At first, they placed my daughter in the 2-year-old class, but later moved her to the 3-year-old class, saying it would help her learn better. I honestly felt it was more about making room in the 2-year-old class for new enrollments than about what was best for my child.Eventually, they removed my daughter from the program because she wasn’t learning at the level of the older 3-year-olds — even though she’s only 2 and a half. They said my daughter was delayed, so it wasn’t ideal for her to be at their school. But that’s exactly why I chose a private school — smaller classes, more teachers, and better support to help her grow and learn personal skills at her own pace. It felt like they only wanted students who already knew full self-care by 2.5 years old, which is unrealistic for many kids.My daughter cried during the first few days, which is completely normal for a child who’s never been to daycare or school before. According to her teacher, she adjusted quickly and was happy throughout the day. After the July 4th break, she returned and was fine on the first day, but then began crying heavily around nap time and even threw up. The front staff didn’t acknowledge anything might have gone wrong — they insisted she was just crying for no reason. When they called me to pick her up, all of her things were already packed before anyone told me what the decision was.It’s also worth noting that she was only enrolled for the summer, not the fall. I can’t help but feel like they were less patient with her because of that. The teacher herself was always sweet and supportive — she never complained about my daughter. It was only the front office staff who had a problem. I even brought donuts and pizza during the 4 weeks she was there to show appreciation, but sadly, the way things ended was disappointing.

Full of favoritism and nepotism. There are much better schools for the money.