Audrey & Robert Ryan Elementary School

Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Barron is the worst possible for a child. She will ruin the child's interest in school forever and she lets bullies get away with beating other children. She is not impartial.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids have been at Ryan for the past 5 years when we moved here from the east coast education system. We have been extremely happy with this school. My kids have NEVER had a bad teacher. All the teachers have been wonderful, easy to communicate with and very responsive to any problems or concerns. The front office staff is very friendly and helpful. My children have received an excellent education here.
—Submitted by a parent

I read most of the comments published before, and I have to say I am surprise. I can't think of a perfect school, there are always going to be issues. I personally had one (indirectly) with another parent regarding the bullying, and as someone mentioned before, some parents abuse this great tool by blaming other kids for their kid's insecurities; but still having the bullying system in place is wonderful considering how nowadays kids get easily depressed. That the parent drop off-pick up structure is bad? It is great to have this school in the heart of the community and it takes no longer than 10 minutes to get in or out. Parents please don't act like spoiled children, I come from a third world country, things here are so easy and there are such beautiful buildings, that is sad that you don't appreciate this anymore and complain that easy. Ryan is a rank 10, very well deserve, my son is a perfect example of how good the school is, he has learn so much this past year and his first language is Spanish. Teachers are good, I don't know how the management people are, but they seem nice and in charge. I suggest parents should volunteer more as I do, in order to be more objective.
—Submitted by a parent

I find it hard to believe that there are legitimate 5stars ratings for this school. Our experience and many others saw the poor attitude of the administration from the beginning. We did remove our children because of the poor leadership here! I believe those who say other have their head in the sand,don't care or are bamboozled by someone. This schools is terrible.
—Submitted by a parent

Our entire experience at Ryan Elementary has been unsatisfactory. The principal & administrative staff are VERY diificult to work with or get clear consice answers from. I think a lot of times they just don't know what to say when asked about procedures or decision made within the school. The parking and traffic at drop off and pick up is HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!! This school is in the worst possible location.
—Submitted by a parent

We've had a wonderful experience the past 3 years. Everyone is warm and friendly. The school does have a lot of students, but handles the situation well. There is great communciation from the administration and the PTO. We don't feel like there is an "order" if you will, because you have money/don't have money. Everyone is treated the same. Each year we have seen more and more parents getting involved. The school and administration handles issues very well (not that we have every had any, but have heard from others). Our kids love it, we love it and we would never go anywhere else.
—Submitted by a parent

Ryan is an average school that is EXTREMELY over crowded. During my daughter's 1st grade year she had over 30 children in her reading group and there wasn't even enough desks for all the children. Come to find out my child wasn't in the correct reading group the first half of the year due to numbers and space:( Test scores are high, but my daughter wasn't growing academically (especially in math). State standards are taught, but nothing above and beyond!!! I am glad we made the choice to change schools. I really can't believe two schools in the same district can be so different academically. My daughter loves her new school and we have never looked back!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I just want to share my experience of this school during the kinder year 2009-2010 of my daughter. The school looks nice and roomy because it is new. The traffic in and out to school in the morning was chaotic. The streets around that school were not built to handle many cars in the morning. In addtion, school allows only 20 minute window to drop off students, that makes parent in the position of rushing. If your kid take bus, it should not be a problem, but my daughter was afraid of taking the bus due to the big kids on the bus. My daughter did not learn much academically because the teacher spent too much time to handle the troubled kids (told by a parent who volunteered to help the teacher). I moved her to CTA school for the 1st grade even I have to drive longer and off traffic to my work. To me the reason the school is rated 10 because of the test scores. The school has the programs for the advanced students for 2nd grade and up. So it could be a good choice if your children go there at older age.
—Submitted by a parent

I've had kids at Ryan for the past 5 years. The principal and office staff are hard to work with if you have problems. Some of the teachers are wonderful, and others are terrible... just depends on who you get... and if you try to request one they will make sure you don't get whoever you wrote down. They also have a "bully prevention" program in place at Ryan that I don't care for. It teaches the kids that there is someone else to blame when there's a problem... They are constantly telling me that they have been "bullied". I asked my 6 year old to do some jobs around the house and she told me I was a bully. I wish they'd get rid of the bully program. The school is overpopulated (and they will use that as an excuse if you have a problem with how they do things)... the enrollment is over 1,100 this year. They've also got a "dean of students" who is nothing but an overpaid police officer who has terrible people skills. I really wish I could say more good about the school, but it really is run more like a boot camp than an elementary school. Needs new leadership really bad. The test scores are good though, and the academics are okay... as long as you fit in the box.
—Submitted by a parent

I would never recommend this school to anyone. They expect your child to be perfect! They refuse to work with parents when there are concerns, it's they're way or no way! This school gets NO STARS!
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are subpar, classes are chaotic. The principle is apathetic. Any issues that arise will result in deportation of your child to other schools; they will even fill out the application for you, not informing you of their intentions first. They are under staffed. Student to teacher ratio from this site is incorrect. There are 25-30 children per teacher, well over the nation s average. Classes are run like a boot camp, only thing missing is an effective leader. Our child will be removed from this school as well; the previous post is 100% accurate.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our third year at Ryan Elementary, we love it!! All of the staff help to provide a safe, fun environment for the children to learn in!! We could not be happier!! Our child loves it and is very happy, that makes for happy parents!!!
—Submitted by a parent

Ryan Elementary is the BEST! From the administration to the teachers to the students. ALL the staff provide such a warm, caring atmosphere for the students and the parents. WE LOVE RYAN ELEMENTARY!
—Submitted by a parent

We are so happy with the school, the administration, teachers and staff. They really care about the kids!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Ryan for 3 years and my son is in Kindergarten. They both have a dramatically increased learning experience from what I received and both love their teachers, school, and Principal. Hat's off to the Ryan Royals.
—Submitted by a parent

We removed our child from this school due to the apathy of the administration. They truly do not want to correct problems but rather deny them. Many parents have removed their children for this same reason.
—Submitted by a parent

Great sense of community. All 3 of my children's teachers are top-notch. I am very impressed!
—Submitted by a parent

My boys have been at this school since it first opened. The principal is wonderful and very hands on with the staff & children. I've always seen her out supporting the school. As for the teachers...they have been wonderful as well! I couldn't say enough positive things about the ones my boys have had there. We love Ryan and my boys can't wait until next school year!
—Submitted by a parent

Our experience at Ryan has been outstanding. The professionalism of all staff and adminstration has been apparent from day one. The staff works hard at balancing curriculum with a strong level of school spirit that creates a really strong parental involvement from the families. We were updated weekly on our child's progress and extracurricular activities are widely available and participation is strong. We couldn't be happier!
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school, my son will be going into 6th grade this school year.
—Submitted by Michelle Titus, a parent