Manatee Elementary School

Worst school experience we have ever had. Thank God our oldest only started middle school here in Viera and did not have to attend. Teachers are elitist and condescending to students. If you ask questions and look for clarification your child will be targeted and given unreachable goals so they can set them up to fail. Took a gifted 5th grade straight A student and made them appear to be incapable of success due to their lack of teaching and structure in general. Ruined any opportunity for being considered for any special programs in middle school. Quest is a much much better choice. The teachers and administration at Quest actually care about the children and want to help them succeed. Run don't walk away from this school.

Manatee is a great school as long as you are on admins good side and even then you better be some one that can do something for him. The teachers are great from k - 3, only about three I would stay clear of. After that your kid is on their own to fend for themselves on a daily basis. Don't worry so much about the rest of the kids but about the teachers and the admin on how they handle it all. No consistency what so ever. The teachers at this point are untouchable. They push the kids way too far and just to say how great they are but the kids really get no credit for it at all. The parents are ridiculous the ways some treat the teacher’s right in front of their child. The teachers only grade by test so if your child only had three math test and/or quizzes they better have received an 80 or better on each, because that is their grade for the nine weeks in math. I already had a child that was there from k to 6th and I thought well they just lost their way. They have been doing great in middle school and are looking forward to high school. I thought with my youngest being the opposite it would be different. Was I wrong, what a ride it has been. Unfortunately, they will not finish their last year at Manatee next year. It saddens me because this is the reason we moved hear so many years ago. But I cannot put my child through another year of this anymore. ALL ADMIN NEEDS TO GO ALONG WITH THE FIFTH GRADE TEACHERS. There is a sixth grade teacher that should go to, but they also could do no wrong.

I have a daughter that has attended Manatee since kindergarten, she just now started third grade. I have been very pleased with all the school has to offer. The teachers through the years have offered great ways to stay connected, through emails, notes, and last edline. The principal and staff do a great job making the school feel like a community, they do several activities through the year for the family. Their library is awesome, my daughter has a love for reading and she constantly brings books home. They have fostered in her a love for learning, and she has great appreciation for her teachers. It has been a great experience, we are now learning how to deal with the more demanding structure of third grade, but there is a learning curve with anything, this is just one more example. I hope you find this helpful.

No school is perfect, but the sign of a good school is when you have a problem, the teachers and administration are quickly helpful to parents and students. This is the case at Manatee. They are helpful and really do care. It is a great community.