Grace School

Grace School is our home away from home, I have three children there, the oldest in 8th grade. We have had every teacher at Grace and I could not pick a favorite. They are all loving and nurturing and truely stand behind the child with the students success a priority. Grace prepares their students for life by instilling values of serving, giving and academinc excellence. These children are learning to master various instruments at the 4th grade level with the exeptional instruction of Mr. B. In the band. They are stepping out of their comfort zone daily in their particiation in weekly church services, courtyard, NJHS, Student Council and plays/productions at many grade levels. These children graduate from Grace well prepared academiclly, socially and confident to speak in public or in front of their peers. They are challenged by their teachers and led academincally, spiritually and in everyday life by our exceptional Head of School Dr. Dan Patton and his hard working staff. Good things are happening at Grace School and we look forward to many great years of academic excellence in a Christ centered environment.
--Submitted by a parent

We have had 3 children go all the way through Grace School (K-3 - 8th) and have seen the many changes that have taken place there for over a decade. My children were well taken care of and properly prepared for a competitive HS environment. I'm sorry that someone felt like it was an elite school, there are certainly some that are wealthy, but most struggle to make the financial/educational choice for their child to attend. The preschool and elementary teachers are nurturing, caring and prepare the children well. The middle school is better than most and seems to keep the kids engaged in extracurricular activities while maintaining high academic and personal standards. The teachers, staff, parents and students become like family and overall, our experience at Grace has been wonderful. I will forever be grateful for the positive Christian environment they provided and how they loved and took care of my children.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the parent who posted on Feb 27. Grace School's primary strength is in it's ability to connect your children to Ocala's elite. Academically, when my child left Grace School they were substantially behind public school children, most pronounced in core subjects like math and science. They were "less" behind in other areas, but still behind. As for Grace School consistently out preforming public schools, I think that has more to do with parents of Grace who can afford to to hire the best tutors and support network rather than Grace's superior academic standards or faculty's acumen. In fact, with wealthy parents like Grace's, I would expect them to out preform less advantaged children. So, trumpeting Grace's academic prowess rings a little hollow and misplaces the true source of it's student testing success.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm surprised to read the review that says Grace School is 'behind' academically. That review author is simply not aware of the facts at all. Grace School has a consistent record of producing Marion County's highest achieving students. I can't imagine what the other writer is referring to, but Grace School's academic achievement is excellent. The most recent academic standardized testing shows from April 2010 shows that Grace School students achieved over 2 stanines higher than Marion County's top-performing schools. No other school in Marion County has produced higher achieving students - period. Grace School hasn t cut back on art, music or anything else and the kids there receive a rich, full curriculum that is beyond what they can get anywhere else in Marion County. I want the best for my kids, that s why I send them to Grace. You should check these facts out for yourself.
--Submitted by a parent

Academically this school is behind the local public schools though the faculty are kind hearted people and try very hard. What Grace offers the most of is connections to the upper crust of Ocala. So, if your goals include being seen and known, this is the place to go. There is no question: Grace School is THE elitist school of Ocala.
--Submitted by a parent

Grace has a very warm and nurturing environment. I feel the teachers, staff and other families genuinely care about my children .
--Submitted by a parent

Grace is an absolutely outstanding school in all aspects. It has a warm, loving, family-like environment that encourages students to create close relationships with other students and teachers alike. My children have learned so much from the excellent academics - I am very impressed by the quality of education. The administration is wonderful - the head of school, Mr. England, knows all of the students by name and takes the time to talk with parents and be involved in every aspect of the school. The teachers that my children have had are fantastic, and I have heard nothing but excellent reviews of the other teachers, as well. My children are receiving excellent academic instruction, a solid foundation in Christianity, and are a part of a loving, safe environment.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is exelent. The teachers are so nice and kind.
--Submitted by a student

I love the educational atmosphere of Grace Episcopal. All the instructional and non-instructional staff are very nice and helpful. It definitely has that small school feel, which was part of the draw for our family. As far as the other parents, on my personal experiences they are not as friendly. It tends to be very cliquish. I have kind of gotten the feeling that if you are not extremely wealthy or have a big family name then you are an outsider. Even if you have grown up in the area with all the same people. However we look past that because our child's education and religion are more important than that. It is really a wonderful school with an excellent curriculum.
--Submitted by a parent

Excellent academic programs. Small student teacher ratios. Music, art and sports are all available at Grace and the Students do very well with the program. The class sizes are small enough to gain personal interaction with each child. Parents are expected to be involved at a high level.
--Submitted by a parent