Athenian Academy of Pasco County School District

My Daughter has been attending for 2 years+ I must say It has been a good experience for us. If I have any problems/concerns you can ALWAYS request to speak to and I have always been given an option to make an appt. Instead of calling and complaining if a parent is that concerned with issues, why not address them and get heard in person rather than on a website? I was very fearful of my daughter attending middle school because I had heard rumors of how horrible the teachers were. We kept her in and it has been the best thing for her! Parents who pulled there kids out and sent them to private schools ect that I stay in contact with regretted the decision. They had improved by hiring what I consider to be the best of the best. The school is not perfect, but hey neither or you or me. They don't have a fancy gym or cafeteria, but why does everyone feel so entitled? Once kids do get to a school that has more to offer they will appreciate it in the long run. One point my daughter did get bullied, but it was resolved with a meeting with the counselor, teachers and getting the other parent involved. You have to be proactive in your child's life, can't expect the world to raise them!
—Submitted by a parent

To all the parents that have complained, relax. It seems like you want to focus so much more on the negative than any of the positives. What a sad attitude to have. The administration is doing everything in their abilities to make our school a safe and progressive place of learning. Change takes time, and support. Do we need more space? Yes. Would it be beneficial to have a gym rather than a PE yard? Yes. Believe me, there are positive steps being taken to make this happen, and sooner rather than later. My advice? If you have a concern, make it known in a calm, concerned manner. Be patient. Encourage your student to be an active participant in any and every environment. We are raising the next generation. Let's teach them to be content, helpful, and hard working no matter their circumstances. For those of us sticking with Athenian, let's be proactive, not reactive. Proud to be an Owl!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is very poorly managed. They cram kids in every corner of that school. There is no where these children can have gym class, even the field does not have any grass, the kids play sports on a dirt field and constantly are getting hurt. Instead of planning to expand with more children, take care of the ones you have !!! They dont have enough restrooms for the amount of children. The schools grade has continued to drop every year, and as a parent I feel totaly disconnected from the school. I have spoken to many parents who are not returning for all these reasons and we will not be returning as well.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm very happy with this school! My kids get the best education ever for free. Much better than any private school. The principal is allways friendly and caring. I highly recommend Athenian!
—Submitted by a parent

My child is a kindergartener there and so far I am satisfied. I am sure there could be improvements, all schools need improvement. This is why they encourage parent involvement. My daughter loves it, feels cared for there and definitely enjoys going to school every morning. Parents need to get involved if they want to see improvement.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids have been attending since kindergarten. I work full time & make sure I am an involved parent by being a member of the PTO, attending the meetings, & volunteering at most, if not all, school events. What I personally have seen is the parents who complain or have negative things to say about the school, teachers, staff & other students are those who are NOT involved with the school nor their own kids. They are quick to criticize anything & everything & if something involves their child, they DENY that it was their child. It appears it's the same students over & over who get themselves into trouble with NO consequences at home, so it just continues. The principal & assistant principal are the BEST the school has ever had. They truly CARE about ALL the students & they & the teachers only want the best for the kids & for them to grow to be educated adults & achieve their goals. Unfortunately, many of these kids' goals are nil. Everyone in the school gives (or wants to give) the students positive encouragement. I have never seen so many disrespectful students in my life & I tell my kids to steer clear of them so they don't bring them down with them. THE VERY BEST SCHOOL!
—Submitted by a parent

The school and doc A are horrible. Bullying by principal is wide spread. The culture here needs to be investigated. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a JOKE! Dr A NEVER returns calls no one knows what the heck is going in. There was supposed to be additional help for math which my child Never got and when I questioned why, no one knew. The bullying is out of control and no one does anything about it. I pulled my child out and would NOT reccomend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a parent

Horrible experience for my child's kindergarden years, but there has been 3 new principals since then. I hope they improved
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are great! I agree with the other parent. The bathrooms are a problem. There aren't really 6 bathrooms. My daughter says 4 bathrooms are in portables and you can't use them if you aren't in that class. Please spend some money on a decent building for the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are wonderful! The administration and staff support children, teachers and encourage family involvement at the school. Students academic and social needs are met and positive behavior intervention is part of this caring school culture. There are 6 bathroom facilities for students, which meets all codes (to correct misinformation posted).

athenian is a well run loving inviornment for your child...im a grandmother and i have to say its well run and our childrens best interests are the main goal... ive never seen a better principal dr. agresfsky who treats children like important little people and goes out of her way to praise them for positive behavior..what a happy family atmosphere, that is the goal of the teachers and office staff in the school too.the children are greeted by name every morning..what a nice way to start the day.

Only one bathroom, can't get a straight answer from Dr. A or any one else at this school. Very poorly run. They all say they will call you back but they never do. The State should do an investigation on this joke of a school.

I had my son in there for one year, last year and pulled him out. The bullying situation there is out of control. Definitely was disappointed.
—Submitted by a parent

MY FRIENDS CHILD ATTENDS THIS SCHOOL & SHE TELLS ME THEY HAVE 1 BATHROOM IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL FOR OVER 300 STUDENTS. I FIND THIS TO BE UNHEARD OF. WHAT SCHOOL COULD OPERATE LIKE THAT? WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LITTLE ONES? DO THE TEACHERS HAVE TO TAKE THE ENTIRE CLASS IF 1 STUDENT HAS TO USE THE BATHROOM. I AM TOLD THEY HAVE NO TEACHER'S AID TO HELP. SHE TELLS ME SHE IS LOOKING AROUND TO PLACE HER CHILD IN ANOTHER SCHOOL. SHE HEARD NICE THINGS ABOUT THE SCHOOL, BUT IS VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED IN WHAT SHE ACTUALLY SEES GOING ON THERE

My son has been going to Athenian Academy for two months and I must say what a difference in him already! My son was struggling with his first year of middle school and I had to do something. Even though Athenian Academy does not have "high class" classrooms or suppplies, that is not what it is about. The teachers are loving and the staff is caring and wonderful. The teachers here actually communicate with me in regards to how my son is doing and keep me posted all the time on his studies and behavior. My son actually enjoys going to school and has made many nice friends. His grades have turned around and I am so proud of him. I know this is because of the teachers at Athenian Academy. Mrs. Bell is wonderful as well. I really hope this school doesn't turn into the other public school and overfill their classroom. This is what worries me and I hope that at som epoint they do stop enrolling children and "cap" the amount of students that can attend. This is what leads to failure, over crowding.
—Submitted by a parent

I think its important for people to realize that Athenian has only been around for six years. It takes a lot to get a school off the ground, especially when they are not backed by someone with a lot of money. Sure we have had our ups and downs, but the heart has been there since day one. To put down the school and especially the teachers seems very counterproductive. Even though we have admittedly had a lot of change over in leadership we just haven't found the right fit, until now. Every person who has held this position, has had their heart in the right place. If you spend one day watching the teachers (and principal) interacting with the children you will see and feel the love. Dr. A knows what she is doing and is doing everything in her power to get us to where we need to be. There are no claims that we are perfect, but I challenge you to find a school that is. I love Athenian, the staff, the kids and the parents and that is why I have been there for four years and will continue to stay as long as they will let me!! :)
—Submitted by a teacher

As a parent who dilligently researched schools to place my child in, I selected Athenian Academy based on its outstanding merits. My son had went to several top paying private schools and was miserable and his grades suffered for it. I then found Athenian, and was hesitant because it was not a "private" school. My son has since grown by leaps and bounds at this school. I asked him why he liked this school so much and he said , " they are nice to me, they don't yell at me, or rush me." My son is now a straight A student and loves going to school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am proud to say that this school has truely made an amazing turn around now that we have new administration. Dr. Fern is amazing! I'm more than happy about the changes and there will always be improvements to be made but this year is a dream come true compared to any other year I've taught at Athenian. Sometimes you just have to weed out the bad apples to see the fresh fruit blossom:) Thanks to all the volunteers and hard working staff that make it possible to have such a great school. I find it humorous that another teacher said there should be an alternative for PE when it rains - out coach does his best with what he has. I thought teachers were suppose to work together not tear each other down. This year will be the best so far and it will only get better! Great job staff - your hard work will pay off! never give up!
—Submitted by a teacher

As a guardian who has been involved with Athenian for five years, I am impressed with the changes made by the new administration, and for the first time am confident that there is indeed a bright future for this school. The teachers and staff who have left the school in the past year were part of the problem. Those who remain and the newly hired staff truly have the best interest of the children at heart. Unlike many of the recently departed (many of whom have recently posted here) those who remain hold no ill will, and wish those dearly departed would get on with their lives apart from Athenian. Sour grapes don't look good on anyone. I have to add that this is the first year, out of five, that there is a functioning Parent Teacher Organization. Kudos to the PTO board and all of the PTO participants - and many thanks to the parents who carried the weight all of these years - You know who you are :)
—Submitted by a parent