Orchard Lane Elementary School

Great school, great programs.

I have had my children going to this school for about 10 years now. This used to be an actually pretty good school and I would have definitely given it a better rating until the school year of 2011-2012. This was the first school year with the new and current principal. The principal there before was very good and it was evident that he truly cared about the students and the importance of their learning in a good and welcoming learning environment. The students just loved him. He connected with the students and amazingly knew most of the students names. I definitely saw a change when the new principal took over. Problems started occurring and she didn't do anything about them. Bullying became a big issue in the years that followed. The principal and staff say they have rules but it is evident that the rules are not being enforced. In addition, the food there is just bad. My kids have said that sometimes the milk is expired. In fact, I remember my daughter telling me about how one of her friend's milk had expired over FIVE MONTHS ago. This friend had told the principal but the principal said that was okay because the date on the milk carton had said "best buy" and not "expire by"!!!!! This school used to be one of the best in the district but now is for sure the worst. I have nieces and nephews at the other schools and I know that they haven't had nearly as many problems at their school. I will say though that there are a few good teachers here. That being said, overall I think that this school will never return to its former glory and, unfortunately, will only go downhill from here. The transition of one of the best principals to one that just doesn't care about the students really negatively impacted the school.

This school could definitely use some improvements. The system that they use to handle children who need extra assistance is not the best, because you constantly see young children running in hallways screaming, and nothing proceeds to happen after this. The teacher lets it happen. There are definitely some teachers who care about the students and know exactly how to meet every individual student’s needs. This is not an excuse for the other teachers who have no idea how to teach. I have seen a teacher who was yelling at her students to get them to quiet down. The classroom was compete chaos! Kids running around, yelling, and they looked like kindergartens even though they were in 4th grade. Horrible and overcrowded school.