Elon Park Elementary

Excellent! I don’t have a child who attends the school but volunteer to help whenever I can. The biggest challenge the school faces is not the students but some of the parents. They whine and complain about perceived inequities or inequalities but don’t do anything to support the teachers and staff. They expect their children to be treated better than others but don’t do much if anything to help their own children outside of the school environment. They treat the teachers and staff like babysitters and cause more disruption than any of the students.

Imagine a school consumed by upholding their image in the community through test scores BUT when you go through their car line to pick up your child on a rainy day, the teachers are either under awnings or umbrellas and your child is standing in the rain beside their assigned pole to be picked up a few minutes later. Teachers that care would be standing with a child under their umbrella. A school that cares about more than its image would have a better pick-up system in place for inclement weather. Thank god we live in a mild climate region. Parents, I would encourage you to have lunch in the cafeteria to better understand how your children are treated by school staff members. (Lunch ladies have serious attitude issues. If you do not like children, find a new job). The lack of genuine care for children and joy within these walls just doesn't seem present. The low teacher wages and large volume of children may be the cause but I assure you this is not a 4 or 5 star school environment. The location (Ballantyne) and test scores of the children living in this location make the school a 4/5 star rating. Not the staff or daily operations in place.

I absolutely LOVE Elon Park and so does my child. We moved in the district last year and I'm so glad we did the. The teachers seem extremely friendly and care about the children's learning as opposed to test scores!

School is getting better since vice principal from last year left. New vice principal this year is much better. She seems really upbeat, and treats the parents respectfully. The Principal is better this year with engaging parents. In the past we found him quick to want to defend staff, and not give parents and children the benefit of the doubt. Teachers still need some coaching, and need to work on their professionalism, and their interaction with a parent. Seems to my wife and I that the older more seasoned teachers are the problem. No enthusiasm, and "some" very unprofessional. The younger teachers are fantastic. They're very excited about teaching, and we love to see that in our teachers. The classroom assistants are a waste of money. Some of them think they're an extension of the teacher, and try and discipline students. We should do away with the classroom assistants, and get the teachers from behind the desk playing on their Ipads, and cellphones. Devices should have never been introduced, and our kids pay for it. Time to teach. We are spending 2-3hrs every evening having to do the actual teaching so that our children keep up. Ridiculous.