Thomas S. Stone Elementary School

I loathe this school with a passion. This school is not well-kept and no one seems to follow up with an issue when brought until it becomes a bigger issue involving too many students or other people. I am very upset and horrified by my experience at this school. I will alloe my child to finish the schook year but there is no way I will put her another year at this school. I would rather pick up a second job and pay for a private school. I will never recommend this school to anyone.

My child is entering his third year at Thomas Stone in August. After reading some of the reviews online I felt that some of the comments are old and do not reflect the current situation at the school. My son is one of mixed heritage and so in not in any of the minority or majority groups attending the school his best friends are of different backgrounds. With this in mind the school makes tremendous efforts in incorporating balance and respect to all backgrounds. This is not to say that on any given day there will be no frustrations due to staff members/teachers whom have been rude or burnt out, but they are human not robots and we can not expect more of them as we would ourselves. Any person can have a bad day and the same teachers whom have exhibited this have been warm and welcoming on another day. Our family have been impressed by the teachers that have taught our son and genuinely want the best for him. They are definitely not working for the "paycheck" showing care to inquire even about our family and our younger child whom has yet to start school, and instilling a sense of self worth in all the students. The principal held a monthly chat for any parent who wants to talk about his/her concerns or ideas. The new principal promises to do the same. My son has a lot of students in his class whom are very bright in many different area's with actively involved parents. So I am not sure of why the school is ranked 1 out of 10, hazarding a guess it’s due to the impact on test scores of the large English-as-a-second-language immigrant population. All of the materials are sent home in both English and Spanish due to some of the parents not being able to speak fluent English. This never made us feel like our son was not being helped in anyway. We would love to be able to get enroll our daughter into its Pre K program when she is ready. So please go and talk to the school faculty before making any decisions about sending your child here based on the score published.

My child is in his second year at Thomas Stone. I cringe reading some of these reviews -- and not just for the awful grammar. (When someone says a school is terrible and then he can't get the English basics right in his comment, does that prove him right or wrong?)My son is one of the 7% of white kids in the school and when we were first considering where to send him, I worried that being in such a tiny minority would be isolating for him. Thus far, it hasn't been. His crush is African American, his best friend in class is Latino, and so on. The school seems to make a real effort to have the kids treat their different backgrounds with respect, and the kids really seem to.As with any institution created and staffed by human beings, there are some staff members who’ve been rude on some days, some teachers who seem burnt out, and so on. But by and large we’ve been impressed by the administrators, teachers, staff, and paraprofessionals who work at Thomas Stone. Far from ‘working for a paycheck,’ they know the kids’ names, care about the kids’ success, work to engage parents, etc. The principal holds a monthly chat for any parent who wants to talk about his/her concerns or ideas. At one I attended last year, a parent made a suggestion that was then implemented almost immediately.A lot of the kids in my son’s class are whip smart and their parents are active participants in their education so if I had to guess why the school is ranked 1 out of 10, I'd guess it’s due to the impact on test scores of the large English-as-a-second-language immigrant population. (And truly, if Donald Trump has your vote for president, this school is not for you. Many of the parents speak no English and all of the materials are sent home in both English and Spanish.) But we have never felt like our son wasn't getting individualized attention. So I would urge you, before judging a school by its test scores, get in and talk to the principal, observe the classrooms.In fact, nearly all of the concerns I have about my son’s education have little to do with Thomas Stone or even PGCPS and a lot to do with the national shift in education policy priorities away from unstructured free play to shorter recesses and mandatory testing. And none of that is going to change if people like me abandon quality public schools just because Congress has its head up its ass.

Worst teachers ever do not care about the kids at all only teach for a pay check if teaching is what you wasn't to call it.....principal only helps the Spanish community when asked to speak with her she sends out her side kick who in my eyes should be in her seat