Gayton Elementary School

It is a good school when I went here. Good diversity and not much trouble.

The teachers are mostly competent and good at their jobs. We've had 4 teachers so far and 3 were amazing, but 1 was just a body in the classroom. The principal is friendly enough, however doesn't seem invested. The ExEd experience needs a lot of help. The principal seems to keep accommodations at a bare minimum instead of actually giving the student all that he/she needs. The social worker seems far removed from the ExEd process and the counselor is no help at all when it comes to knowing the laws for IEPs/504s. There are a lot of unkind students who aren't dealt with prior to becoming bullies. The teachers don't notice because they are not in ear shot to hear various conversations on the playground. The cafeteria is extremely loud and is monitored by volunteer parents who have no experience in a large setting of 150 or so kids at one time. There is no way to curb bullying in the cafeteria since no one can hear students' conversations. The cafeteria manager is very helpful and kind. The school nurse is good at informing parents of incidents and cares for the children fairly well, but is not helpful nor is she kind to parents. The office staff is rude and aggressive until they get to know you, then they are very helpful. The art teacher and librarian are wonderful. The students seem to like the music teacher, but I needed something from her once and she was not helpful at all. The PE teacher seems to be OK, although I really haven't needed him/her much. The PTA is amazing and go above and beyond. With all of that said, I'd probably give this school a B. They have a few things on which to work. However, I'd still recommend this school to friends and family.

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.

When I worked here at the age of 23, I did not receive the training that they said I would get. I felt thrown to the wolves in a job that I was not trained for. I cared so much about my students, and did a good job with what I was given. I did not receive proper resources, materials, or training for being with 20 toddlers. Really unfortunate process for hiring and keeping teachers. I quit because I did not feel like I was appropriately serving the students, even if I kept being told that I was doing “great work.” I don’t recommend putting your young people in this school, and urge you to ask how the administration is supporting the teachers.

It has been a pleasure for my daughter and us parents to be a student at AAE. She has grown exponentially over the year in every aspect. The staff and the dean are very supportive and encouraging and has created a positive environment for students to thrive. I can’t be thankful enough for them for accommodating us.

We have 2 children in the Steward School and this will be our 7th year. The experience has been wonderful for us. We moved to Virginia from out of state and the Steward School was incredibly welcoming. We were matched with a host family to ease our transition. The teachers and staff care immensely for the students and their engagement is high. I see the head of school and the heads of the divisions at Steward sports events regularly. There is a good student to teacher ratio and the teachers are significantly invested in student learning. There is excellent communication from school leaders both on a regular basis as well as when problems arise. The grounds are beautiful. There are plenty of opportunities for the students to express their individuality. Our kids love the school!

Sending me to Richmond Academy was one of the best decisions my parents made. The school is one big family and the teachers truly care about helping you learn and grow academically and spiritually. The workload and the study skills I learned there definitely prepared me for college. The smaller size of the school allowed me to get involved in many different groups and develop my leadership skills. I’m so grateful for the years I attended RA.