Collins Elementary School

We have been at Collins for 7 years and it is a great community school. The staff and administrators are motivated and approachable. Both of my kids have had a successful start to education, learning the fundamentals of academics and achieving high test scores.

No issues here at Collins! The staff is great, my son is very happy and is learning quickly. Look - let me tell you something. "Greatschools.com" is not a reliable source of information. In fact, I think this website does exactly what it's trying not to do - promote segregation and privilege. I would highly recommend NOT judging this school by using this idiotic website.

I'm disappointed with the administrators at this school, specifically the principal Ms. Pinney. I would like to say that my children have had some very wonderful, supportive teachers here... and have academically flourished under the guidance of those teachers. However, the social dynamics of the classrooms and the school makes it hard for students to concentrate on learning due to the many distractions happening. Instead of having any real effective techniques at supporting students on this important social-emotional level, teachers and administrators resort to the status quo punishment of detention. My children have come home every week with stories of how this or that child has gotten detention for acting out in class, only to engage in the same behavior the very next day. Bullying at this school happens often, and administrators are not effectively dealing with these social issues which will only become exacerbated as the children get older. Other schools have programs such as restorative justice and peer-counseling as well as methods to incorporate social-emotional learning into the curriculum, and more effective consequences than detention which has proven to have little influence.I feel that if the teachers were more supported to deal with the social dynamics of their classrooms, supported by the admin, then they could focus on teaching and learning.

Ms. Pinney, the current principal, is not supportive of her teachers. She takes things that happen to her due to her lack of experience personal, and then she tries to pass the blame on to the staff. She has no filter, and many times says things that are inappropriate. If she does not like a teacher, she will harass them and make the situation and the class an uncomfortable place to be, even at the students' expense. Not a happy place to be.