Westchester Elementary School

We've had a great experience at Westchester. The teachers are involved and truly care about the kids. The new Principle has made a positive difference in the past few years. My only complaint is the class sizes are a bit large (22-27 kids), but probably similar to other schools in the area. Most of the other kids at school appear engaged and respectful.

The school pats itself on the back and awards itself for being a non-bullying school, when that is not the case. The kids have "roasting sessions" where they gain up on one kid and try to humiliate him/her. They don't want a reputation for bullying or have to log it, so the school's administration claims that parents don't know the difference between bullying and kids "just being rude" to your child. Until it escalates to your child getting physically assaulted does the school do anything about it. There is a strong sense of parent/child vs. admin/teacher conflict when there is a problem. Vile things are said in the classroom which certain teachers ignore. The school gets very defensive when you ask about or address certain issues. (At one point, the assistant principal insisted that my child wasn't telling the truth, until it was proven otherwise.) The school backs the teachers instead of your child if something happens in the classroom such as bullying, something stolen/taken (your child will instead be blamed for a lack of responsibility), harsh remarks by a teacher that were not professional or necessary, etc. If the school would just work on these issues and realize that the teachers are there to monitor their classrooms as well as teach, then they would not have to be on the defense constantly. Instead they will claim that it is not their responsibility, but your child's to act accordingly whether they are a victim or not.

I've had 2 children attend Westchester from Kindergarten through 5th grade. We were extremely happy with teachers. Both children were challenged. They were well prepared for GT classes in Middle School. The atmosphere here is very welcoming. Parent involvement is encouraged.

This school is pretty strong academically. It has some really great teachers and the students feel secure for the most part in their environment. The PTA is very active in the school. WES provides great services to kids with special needs on both ends of the spectrum. The school does have an issue with how it handles discipline. It can be at times applied unevenly and sometimes even unfairly. WES students are for the most part really good kids with very involved parents. That's why this issue seems so strange and out of character with the school.