Hampton Oaks Elementary School

Really bad school if possible pick a different school

Nothing wrong with school or teacher or kids. One of the greatest ways for parents to help their children learn English is by attempting to learn English themselves. When parents are able to use English at home, more opportunities will arise for children to practice speaking and listening. Parents and children practicing their new skills together can be a great motivator.Even parents who are fluent in English can demonstrate the importance of learning by focusing on an area of improvement, such as studying a difficult novel to learn complex vocabulary or bettering their writing skills.

Stafford Cty is experiencing serious growing pains. With the boom of new single family & town homes the school board is struggling to accommodate the population. Without overburdening one school, redistricting lines are re-written almost annually. Hampton Oaks is no exception. What was once a neighborhood school now accommodates children from other, new neighborhoods. Far more children are bussed into Hampton Oaks than before. Yes, there is a high percentage of ESL students. But, children assimilate quickly. I volunteer in the school and don't see much of a language barrier with the kids. With the parents yes, adults just don't learn English as quickly as their children. Is there a cultural difference? Yes. But, it's a difference, not a divide. The Hispanic children tend to stay together and that's not surprising. They live near each other, they ride the buses together, they grow up playing the same games. Are they trouble? No. They're good kids. The children who live in Hampton Oaks tend to stick together for the same reasons, they walk home together and play together. That creates different bonds. If the school board would redraw the district to include the whole of Hampton Oaks, half the neighborhood is bussed to another school (which is clearly an asinine decision by Stafford Cty Schools) then the test scores would probably go up again. But, really look at the scores. The ESL kids do quite well on the state tests despite having parents, for the most part, who probably do not offer a lot of guidance when it comes to homework and studying because of the language deficit. So, as a reflection of the school's performance I'd say the teachers and staff do extremely well in educating and leading the Hampton Oaks Elementary School children. In addition the school also has a population of Autistic students. They have special programs for them and parents are quite pleased to have their special needs child at this school. Are you concerned about the Free and Reduced lunch numbers? Sure, I was too. But, I've learned that a Title 1 school can actually be a blessing in disguise, if it has the right teachers and administration and Hampton Oaks Elementary does! The benefit of Title 1 is that the classrooms can't be overpopulated so the student/teacher ratio is controlled. That's a benefit for all the kids!

For such a great community the school is a serious let down. There is too much emphasis on the ESL program, and not enough help for the rest of the students. My daughter was thriving before coming to this school, and now she is falling behind. We haven't had issues with the staff or teachers, everyone is friendly enough. There is a very high percentage of free/reduced lunches, and a big language barrier between parents and teachers. Most need a translator.