Joseph Van Pelt Elementary School

Horrible!! My daughter is special needs and can’t speak English at all so I can’t just enroll her and put her on a bus. I got ignored and transferred everytime I spoke to some one. The just said enroll her online. I had to uproot my entire life to send her to school in Virginia instead because the school wanted nothing to do with her! The one time someone spoke to me they swore they could make a plan and get her iep meeting done on time. Never heard anything back ever again. Thankfully Virginia cares and got her iep and everything done on time. The school ignoring me and my daughter put a level of stress I had never felt before. 0/100.

Our family has never felt less welcome in an educational environment. I have the very strong impression that our children are considered sub-standard citizens because they are new to the school. They are great kids and also bright students. They have been talked down to and reprimanded including phone calls and emails home for things such as not standing with their hands at their sides in a school photo (his hands were behind his back instead) and sitting near a group of kids who were talking during a class visit to the counselor. In the phone call the counselor actually gave me a list of names our kids should and should not be friends with. These calls and emails are not only petty but unnecessary in a child’s first 5 school days. I can’t speak toward the academics at this point other than both kids were given poor grades for assignments they weren’t actually present for by 3 different teachers- these were or will be corrected after we brought this up. Again, not a welcoming environment by staff and a very sad start to what we hope will be a quality academic future in Bristol. One positive the students have all been very kind.

I love that school they were so kind

awesome school I highly recommend going here.

A few years back there was a change in administration. The founder of the school retired, and nothing’s been the same since. Excellent school as long as you allow the higher administration to do as they please. Be aware the administrator will try to control your family's entire life. Also, be aware the administrator will have access to your personal information and will use it when it has a benefit to them. The administrator will lie to parents and employees in an attempt to control every aspect. I have personally caught the administrator lying to me on multiple occasions instead of just admitting mistakes were made. The administrator will try to create and set up conversations and situations to cover their mistakes. They will use employees as pawns making them lie and play games as well. If you want to play childish games daily this is the place for you. If you are more interested in your child's education you should look elsewhere. This school has the potential to be excellent with better leaders who actually care about your child's education and less about trying to remain relevant and in position. The vast majority of the teachers are highly motivated, trained, and interested in providing a positive educational experience for your child. It is a shame to see leadership ruin the school, especially in a private school setting where parents are wanting and willing to pay for a better choice. It’s so bad, teachers are constantly resigning, and students come and go just as much. The only ones that stay are the ones that have no other choice but to keep their child there and/or full tuition paying families because they’re treated differently than anyone with a grant. It’s absolutely disgusting.

If your child has learning differences, even if they’re highly intelligent/gifted, look elsewhere. The teachers at this school don’t have the tools to work with kids who don’t fit the traditional schooling mold. This isn’t entirely their fault, as they aren’t geared towards dynamic teaching methods, but if you have a child who needs a lot of stimulation, might have ADHD or is hyper-aware, they will be bored senseless here along with being singled out, and you’ll be paying a lot of money for those privileges. Now, if your child does well in a highly structured, traditional class environment, this will be a good school for them.

There is no longer enough money at this school -> not enough staff -> not adequate ability to handle all situations thrown at the school both in and out of the classroom. Leaves a path for parents with a high competitive drive and/or high levels of pride to be unchecked school bullies. Impressed with the fortitude of some of the staff but obviously without enough backup their hands become easily tied or they’re backed into a corner. A private school is a business and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one didn’t make it without some wealthy alumnus intervention.