Holman Middle School

Our daughter attended K-5 at SPES. We had a great experience.

My experience with Echo Lake Elementary School has been extremely challenging, particularly as a parent advocating for a child with unique learning and behavioral needs.Throughout our time at the school, I have consistently had to advocate for my child to be understood beyond a traditional classroom model. My child is capable of learning and engaging, but requires a more flexible, supportive, and individualized approach. Unfortunately, much of what we encountered felt rigid and not adapted to how he actually learns.One of the biggest concerns has been how easily his needs were misunderstood. When he becomes overwhelmed or shuts down, it is not due to lack of ability, but rather an inability to access tasks when they are presented in a high-pressure or traditional format. Instead of this being recognized and supported, it often felt like it was treated as non-compliance rather than a signal that he needed a different approach.As a parent, I have had to take on the role of bridging that gap myself. At home, I have seen firsthand that he can engage, respond, and learn when material is presented in a natural, low-pressure, and interest-based way. This has made it even more difficult to see those strengths not fully reflected or supported in the school setting.Communication has also been a challenge at times. I have worked to collaborate and share what works for my child, but it has not always felt like that input was fully integrated into his educational experience.I believe schools have an opportunity and responsibility to meet children where they are, especially those who do not fit into a standard mold. My hope is that moving forward, there can be more openness to individualized, flexible approaches so that students like my child are not defined by how they perform under pressure, but by what they are truly capable of when supported appropriately.

My sister and many of my friends went here and it is a great school. Lots of educational opportunities for those willing to study well.

It has the worst principal, Erin Traylor. My son was bitten by someone; she even did not provide an apology. she is very selfish.

The students are expected to know how to read and write proper A,B,Cs both in upper and lower cases and numbers or 1,2,3… before they even begin KG at this school. They expect students to know how to draw people, animals, things, etc. before they even begin KG. They want your children to know American history, science, social studies, math in kindergarten and in grade 1. Teacher to students ratio is 22:1 or 23:1. The teachers purposely grade the exams at CTES very strictly even in KG and in 1st grade. Students in first grade are expected to read extremely well and write multiple paragraphs with proper English grammar, spellings, vocabulary and punctuations before they can move up to the next grade.Principal and teachers at this school never listen to parents’ concerns or use parents’ advice to alter or make small changes into their rigid and extremely difficult curriculums. Kids are often bullied, made fun of and ridiculed. Most teachers purposely make learning very difficult even for the average students. They expect students to study and learn everything at home. They expect parents to teach kids how to read and write at home and to read them stories and ask questions on a nightly basis as if we don’t have jobs or other responsibilities.Teachers at CTES make their curriculums purposely, extremely difficult for students with a little bit of learning problems. May God help you if your kid(s) suffers from ADHD, anxiety or any other physical, mental or learning disabilities. My kids often come home crying cause someone said or did something mean to them. My kids hate going to school and cry every morning. Parents concerns are often neglected. We find it is not a safe place. I don’t recommend this school to anyone except to those people whose kids can multitask, are above average, super smart and who can stand up against bullies. Even though this school has an 85% minority student population, most of their teachers are white.They don’t care about diversity except as a lip service or to celebrate it as a superficial, one day event. If you’re a minority or speak a language other than English then this is not a good school for your kids. I wish someone had warned me about it before I moved into this part of town. Some teachers pretend to be sympathetic, but they really aren’t on your side. They would gladly fail your kid at the end of the year. What really upsets me is that teachers cover for one another instead of caring for the well being of our kids.

Great school with mostly exceptional teachers and core values. Teaches kids leadership and presentation skills from an early age!

Most teachers are wonderful—I want to start there. My issue was with the administration. I learned early that going straight to the teachers was the only way to get things done. But the system itself? Exhausting. The 7 a.m. bus time meant everyone—kids, teachers, and parents—were worn out before the day even began. To make that work, bedtime would have to be around 7 p.m., which was nearly impossible. Sports, family dinners, or even just letting kids be kids in the evenings—forget it.If your child has ADHD or autism, though, run far away. They’ll gaslight you, say, “It’s not a disability if they’re at grade level,” and try to talk you out of testing. Even when your child never smiles, avoids other kids, jumps like a bunny for hours, or hits themselves all day, they’ll say, “But they’re so smart!” This school acted like Level 1 autism didn’t exist as though they've never heard of Young Sheldon or Rain Man. They even warned a diagnosis would “stay on their record forever.” In truth, a diagnosis gives kids coping tools and better outcomes.The focus on screens didn’t help. Flashy math games and cartoons were treated as learning, but they just shortened attention spans. Recess? Often canceled if it was under 40 degrees or slightly drizzling. “Indoor recess” meant more computer games. For a supposedly “top-rated” school, it felt soulless at times.Socially, quiet or introverted kids were left behind. My own child spent months lying on her coat at recess before anyone mentioned it—and only after her grades crashed. Once we restarted her ADHD meds, she got straight As again. Communication shouldn’t be this lacking.The truth is, those glowing test scores mostly reflect how much parents do at home. Many hire tutors or micromanage homework to keep up. We didn’t. We wanted time outside, creativity, and sanity - and likely due to that, my kids score high without stress.By fifth grade, most kids there turn out fine—bright, polite, resilient. But for neurodiverse kids, it’s survival, not success. The school wasn’t cruel; it was just outdated. In the end, I learned to stop chasing prestige and start chasing understanding. A “good” school isn’t the one with the highest rating—it’s the one that listens, adapts, and sees your child for who they are. And in the end, maybe that’s the real lesson: that no ranking or reputation can replace a school that genuinely understands your child.