Hibbett School

All I can say is, "Wow". My daughter loves this school. The new principal goes above and beyond making parents feel welcomed in the school apart from what it use to be before he got there. We had a bullying issue early on in the year and he quickly resolved the issue. Also, my daughter has fallen in love with the GOTCHA's. Hibbett is one of the few schools that rewards good behavior. I have a son at Forrest Hills and he is very excited about attending Hibbett. I hope Mr. Combs, the new principal stays at Hibbett for a long time. He and his assistant principal Mr. Behel seem to work well together and they have the respect of the students. We are very fortunate to have such a high quality of principals at this school. My daughter loves her team this year. She is on the Vision team and she says that Mr. Duncan is her favorite teacher. Hibbett is awesome.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the statement that it seems there is preferential treatment and bullying issues that are not resolved. I am sending my child to a different school next year. After attending Harlan Elementary in Florence beforehand, I expected a certain level of learning and interaction. I was disappointed with Hibbett by comparison. It just fell flat. Dress code seems to be an issue. I bought 4 separate jackets from teachers telling her one was too heavy, the other was a windbreaker type that was too noisy, etc. Seems like certain kids get away with wearing certain things, but I always get odd complaints about shirts and clothes. They might as well make basic tees and polos standard dress and eliminate everything else. She's never worn anything but those things that didn't get a complaint. I also have issue with gym teacher giving out religious materials at the school. Completely inappropriate. My child does have several teachers that she really does love. Hit or miss there.
—Submitted by a parent

Hibbett is an wonderful school with excellent teachers and administration. I have not had any of the communication issues that have been posted in previous reviews. My son and his many friends have been incredibly happy. They have an excellent reading program as well as advanced reading and math programs. I would HIGHLY recommend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great for some kids who always tell their parents what is going on and always stay up to date on the latest school activities such as dances, club meetings, etc. If you child is not in the above catorgory, Hibbett is not for you. Hibbett is divided up into teams so if you are not a teacher, doctor or other popular person in the community your child will get on a 'bad' team with kids whose parents could care less. The school also have several problems with bullying that the administration does not want parents to know about. This school has lots of problems and it starts with the principal and her assistant. Stay away from this school!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

Overall if you enjoy problems, do not need parent teacher involvement, and would enjoy having teachers who do not care about your child's grades, this may be the school for you.
—Submitted by a parent

Hibbitt is a fine school. I would prefer if the teachers communicated a little more with the parents. I found out many things, accidently, after the fact(aka: bad grades, dances, fundraisers,etc.) because the school relies on the students to deliver said information to the parent. That is not always an effective mode of communication. Anyone who has ever had a middle-schooler will tell you that. The teachers do not follow up to see if a message has been delivered. (This would be easily solved with requiring a parent signature on all communications). Over all the school cares about the students and they have a quality curriculum.
—Submitted by a parent