Grady Burnett Junior High School

Our experience at R.F. Hartman Elementary has been nothing short of exceptional. From day one, the environment has felt incredibly welcoming; seeing the teachers and the leadership team, including Principal Shawnell Bradshaw and Assistant Principal Meagan Wendt, personally greeting the kids with glowing smiles at drop-off sets such a positive tone for the day. That same enthusiasm, care, and personal connection are just as evident at pick-up, providing our son with a safe and loving space to grow both academically and socially.What stands out most is how the staff truly lives 'The Wylie Way,' fostering a genuine love for learning through core values like grit and gratitude. We have seen a remarkable transformation in our son’s confidence, socialization, language, and mathematics. We are especially grateful to Rachael Howe and the entire teaching team in her class for their dedication—they truly see each child as an individual.We also want to highlight the incredible support from the Counselor’s Corner. Melanie Brune has been instrumental in our son's emotional growth, helping him find his voice and navigate his feelings with kindness. We couldn't have asked for a better foundation for his elementary years.

This review is written specifically for African American families with Black children considering a move into Wylie ISD. This is the review I wish I had read before relocating.We moved here from another state, and since arriving, my family has had a consistently negative experience with this school and district. This is not based on bias or comparison it is based on what I have personally witnessed and experienced with my own children.From the beginning, there has been a lack of hospitality, care, and basic respect. Texas is often described as “the South,” but there is no Southern hospitality here. Interactions have been cold, dismissive, and at times openly discriminatory. I have spent months in meetings and email exchanges advocating for my children.My Black children have been treated differently. I have also spoken with other Black families locally who report similar experiences. The district does not appear to prioritize or protect Black students.Teachers have yelled at, threatened, and spoken harshly to my children behavior that is unacceptable under any circumstances. Some of these teachers were Black themselves, which raises serious concerns about the school culture and pressure to “blend in” rather than protect Black children. Regardless of the reason, it is not okay.We attempted mediation, and even pursued due process, hoping the system would work as intended. It did not. The experience felt dismissive and nonchalant, including interactions with legal representation that gave a clear “don’t care” attitude. If you are a Black family considering mediation or due process in Wylie ISD, I strongly advise against it. It was a waste of time, energy, and emotional labor.Because of all of this, I withdrew one of my sons and am in the process of withdrawing my second. The system simply does not work for our family.I do not recommend Wylie ISD for families with young children especially Black children or children with special needs. Do not rely on the online ratings. The “10/10” scores are misleading and do not reflect lived experience. Academic rigor is lacking, homework is minimal to nonexistent, and accountability is low.If you plan to homeschool, Wylie may work for you the neighborhoods are quiet, safe, and well-kept. But if you are relying on the public school system to nurture, protect, and educate your Black children fairly, I urge you to reconsider.

This an amazing school. The student body is diverse, the parents are involved, and there is almost NO teacher turnover! This means you get teachers who are experienced and dedicated. The test data is high and students are given tons of educational experiences. Cox has been a great place for my children to go to school!

As someone who has been to multiple schools due to moving around the state a lot, I can say I have a pretty good grasp on what a good educational environment looks like. Wylie Prep is an absolute waste of money and time. It’s normal for students to complain about their school but the extent that they do is insane, and after two months I learned exactly why. The students in general are extremely negative, and while I’ve dealt with many negative students they’ve never been the majority like they’ve been at WPA. Bullying is off the charts and never have I seen multiple students cry in class like this. The entire sense of humor revolved around inappropriate and crude jokes and the students even got a teacher to participate in one of these jokes. The Christianity at WPA is more like a badge of honor than a life-style and they’ll get other students in trouble because what they’re doing is “sinful” but knowingly live lives mocking the very religion they use as a form of persecution against people. Normally I don’t focus primarily on social situations and instead focus on my education, but at this school there was no point in that. The education was the worst I have ever seen and you’d be far better off just letting your kid go to a public school and I’m saying that as someone who prefers private (I’ve been to both). I only have a basic understanding of Spanish yet the Spanish teacher constantly had to ask me for verification (I’m not even hispanic). The math teacher would constantly make mistakes and essentially made us teach ourselves. The standards for education are so low there and I had a 4.0 GPA there without even studying. Some teachers would even complain about having to do their own job. It’s honestly so sad because going to visit the school it seems like such a nice community environment and I was fooled by my first impressions of my teachers and classmates. You’d never expect many students giving you dirty looks for participating in worship. Also students have no respect for property or anyone else. They vandalize, steal property, lie to teachers as if it’s funny, and one student planned on sticking an adult object to the toilet that is shared with elementary students. There are skunks living underneath the buildings and wasps living in the buildings. I’ve also been spam messaged disgusting things by students there after leaving and a friend of mine who used to go there has also experienced spam messages and creepy messages from random numbers..

not the best school when comes to helping my special ED child, the teacher would not respond to emails or calls very nostalgic when it comes to communicating with me, does not listen to instructions when I want a certain thing done. overall experience I would say it was 1 out 10.