Swift Creek Elementary School

We have been a Gordon family for many years and have had multiple children attend Gordon. We love the small community feel and love that the teachers truly care about the students and their families. We love Gordon!

This school does not support children with disabilities. They go out of their way to disqualify students with autism for an IEP. Students are relentlessly bullied with no support. There is no discipline and most students complain of not feeling safe due to the relentless bullying. Teachers are overworked and under paid.

We love Evergreen and everything they stand for! We will have 3 kids there in the fall. The neighborhood is lovely, the teachers and staff are phenomenal, and the families are involved! I love the emphasis on our multi-cultural community. They are being taught love, acceptance, and "ally-ship" which is above and beyond the regular curriculum. I've only had experience in general and gifted education and we have been very pleased so far.

If your child requires minimal support, this school is fine. The general education experience seems to be decent for students who don’t need much extra help. However, if your child needs more personalized attention or additional services, I would advise looking into other options or being prepared to advocate strongly for their needs. Unfortunately, the special education department at this school is the worst I’ve encountered. Despite having a medical diagnosis, my child has been denied the basic support and services they need. Communication about my child’s progress has been minimal at best, with the department assuring me that everything is fine, even though standardized tests and grades tell a different story.If you have a child with special needs, I strongly recommend hiring an IEP advocate or attorney right from the start. Without one, it’s nearly impossible to get even the most basic services for your child. The IEP team often holds meetings before the actual IEP meetings, without parents present, which goes against proper procedures. To make matters worse, general education teachers are frequently not present for the entire meeting, even though they are required to be.There have also been troubling instances where special needs students were subjected to punitive measures for behaviors directly related to their diagnoses, which is completely unacceptable.No parent should have to fight so hard for their child’s basic rights. If you choose this school for your special needs child, be prepared to advocate fiercely and consider hiring a knowledgeable advocate or attorney who understands the law.On a positive note, there are a few exceptional general education teachers, such as Ms. Gersbach. She is a standout who truly loves teaching and creates a positive learning environment for her students.

We only spent one year here. There are better Montessori options in Richmond and we have found one with much better direction & organization.

Old Hundred Elementary School has consistently ranked in the top 20% of elementary schools statewide due to strong academic performance and supportive environment. It has earned recognition as a distinguished school through high proficiency rates in core subjects and eligibility for national best elementary school awards. Particularly impressive is it's First place scoring in Virginia School's Region 1 for ESOL testing, which highlights the school's exceptional whole-staff teaching strategies and dedicated support for English language learners and all students alike. I'm proud to be a teacher at this school.