Penn Forest Elementary School

There's bullying in this school. The principal will disagree and tell you that your kid is probably hitting himself/herself. And if you call them out on it they send you to court out of spite. The principal has suspicious 1 on 1 "lunches" with his students. He is manipulative to try and get his way as well trying to convince you that your kid is ok and that he has good relationships with the kids when in reality my son didn't even know his name. Be careful with this school. It's very odd. I don't recommend it.

Excellent experience. My daughter says it's the best school.

We were worried moving the kids again, but read that south Roanoke county schools were great and that is an understatement when it comes to Clearbrook. The staff is great, the teachers care, and they invest in the kids. Don’t be afraid to send your kids here.

The kids love it. The teachers nd staff have been great.

This school is an utter disappointment. For the amount of money you pay to have your child be representative by teachers and staff who should show them how to be a civilized respectful human in life when they become adult adults is something that the faculty will never be able to who give. The athletics department is 10 times worse., encouraging students players and parents on how to be the most disrespectful and unsupportive patrons during every single sports game. The lack of morals and ethics is absolutely mind blowing.

Positive notes: The lead teachers that my children had were very kind and supportive. It seemed they were eager to teach and help my children learn. The nature studies program was an amazing component and the kids got a lot of outdoor time which is important. I loved that students from all grade levels interacted socially and educationally with one another. Regular parent involvement and ability to participate in classroom events was another positive attribute.On the other end, administration really lacks the behavior you would expect from employees of a Christian school. Very rude and condescending conversation that make you feel like a failure as a parent. There is very little tolerance for a child who even steps one toe out of line. This applies for children in their JK program (as young as 4). Unrealistic behavior expectations for such young children, causing them to encourage parents to make their child repeat the level unnecessarily. A lack of trained assistants in the JK program made this considerably worse. Overall, a lack of support amd patience from administration, with the teacher's having to follow suit.I wholeheartedly agree with other reviewers who mention a very cliquey atmosphere which is highly influenced by financial status. Basically, if the school wants you out, you will be pushed out by any means necessary, regardless of child performance. This is contradictory to their website which encourages families of all financial backgrounds to apply for aide and attend. There is a hugh push for donations from parents and grandparents for nearly every school function which sucks the joy out of enjoying your child's education and growth.All in all, we spent months reparing the damage that this school caused to my child's self-esteem, personality, and anxiety. My kids are much better off in their new school with zero complaints of "bad" behavior. If you don't want your child to turn out to be a perfect little robot with all of their individuality squashed, please do not send them here.