Spalding Drive Elementary School

I toured this school and was very impressed! I thought I was going to put my child in private school for kindergarden but decided to tour the school since it was in my neighborhood and a charter school. Wow! It is a absolute neighborhood school! Very small classes and the kids wear uniforms. I was very impressed with the curriculum, the teachers, etc. It's like a hidden gem in the neighborhood!!

The school including the leadership, staff and teachers is great. The school dramatically shrank in size after the additional school was opened in 2009. The balance and emphasis on both core fundamentals and technology is very good. If your student qualifies for TAG there is a very great program as well. It is a very neighborhood oriented school with an active PTA and parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Spalding Drive is an amazing neighborhood school with excellent teachers and staff members. We are proud to have the 2010-11 Fulton County Elementary Teacher of the Year at our school. I have 2 students who have thrived at SDC due to the leadership and education they have gotten here. I, like most parents have had issues along the way and have chosen to address them with the administration. In doing so, I have always felt that I was heard and the needs of my children have been met. I highly recommend this school!
—Submitted by a parent

Some of the best teachers, one of the worst principals. You get out of the school what you put into it. Spalding Drive Charter is not the school for you if you don't plan on spending a good amount of time volunteering & generally being an advocate for your children. The tragic flaw of this potentially great school is it's principal...
—Submitted by a parent

my kids love this school and they feel loved by there teachers. if one looks hard enough you will always find a problem to complain about. consider this; are you the type of parent that is in the school volunteering, talking with the teachers asking questions, attending the activities....or are you home belly aching about it? get involved!
—Submitted by a parent

I must comment that most of the reviews you see both positive and negative of schools on this site are posted anonymously. So the fact that the author of the Jan 5th posting does not share their name is neither here nor there. Given the current state of education in this country we all must be willing to hear where our schools can and should improve. I must agree that the administrative team at Spalding is overly driven by test scores and unfortunately while this may help a school to impress the Fulton County Board of Education it does nothing to further the development of our children. Principles have a duty to their community and if they aren't willing to improve in light of what their community offers both positively and negatively than they have failed in their responsibilities. Spalding Drive as many schools has much work to do when it comes to understanding what students and parents need and deserve on their road to education.
—Submitted by a parent

Hi all, If you are considering Spalding Drive as your choice for an elementary school please do the right thing and research it for yourself & your child. Go to the school, take a tour, actually meet parents, the admin team and base your decision on actual information. It's never a good thing to base an opinion on one person's negative experience as there is always more to the story... yes, I am referring to the comment from Jan 5. It's awfully brave to gripe, attack, and lash out on the school principal & admin team when you aren't required to sign your name. Chances are that this parent had an issue but never spoke directly to the person they are frustrated with. So please do the research for yourself! Please feel free to contact the school- ask for me- Amy, PTA President, and I will be happy to talk to you about Spalding Drive or get you in touch with other parents/staff/faculty to give you a complete picture. FYI- I have 2 kids at Spalding- long before I was PTA President I was & continue to be an involved parent. Please make up your own mind about our wonderful, neighborhood school!
—Submitted by a parent

My child attends Spalding Drive and I'm happy with his progress. The school's test scores and stats are lower compared to some neighboring schools in the area, but the teachers and staff are extremely nice and its a family environment. My child is always excited about going to school and sharing all the learning at home. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer time at the school and help the kids. The technology focus of the school is a great asset as well. We as parents need to do our share of ehnacing our kids education at home, and not just rely on the schools, no matter their ratings.
—Submitted by a parent

For the most part, teachers are great but they are stifled by the principal. She is not a 'kid person' and her goals are all focused on her achievement and not that of the kids. It is unfortunate because there are a lot of great teachers and parents there. Unfortunately, the principal's adminstration of the school outweighs the great staff. She needs to go if the school is going to succeed. PS: notice all the dates of the positive reviews- the principal gave a directive for the teachers and staff to boost her ratings....
—Submitted by a parent

I have four children at this school and we could not be happier. This is our sixth year and every year has been such a positive experience. My husband and I have lived in the neighborhood for over sixteen years and have seen this school transform into the wonderful school that it is today. We are so glad to be a part of the Spalding family and community.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Spalding Drive and have been very involved for a number of years. The teachers are truly top-notch and are very accessible. In my experience the teachers have gone above and beyond to communicate with me and bring out the best in my children. The curriculum is challenging and children are grouped according to their individual level. While this creates more work for the teachers, the teachers and the school are committed to continuous achievement. While I agree with some of the comments about the administration, my focus is on the fantastic teaching staff. The parental support is also very strong. I don't know why anyone would pay private school tuition when they have a school like this in their backyard.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children at Spalding Drive Elementary (4th and 1st grader) and we love the school. Two years ago we transferred to Spalding from a private school. The teachers my children have this year are outstanding! They are dedicated, hard-working and they genuinely care about my children. I love the level of parent involvement at this school. Parent involvement is welcomed and encouraged, which makes it so much easier to truly see what your child does during the school day. We are extremely happy we chose to move our children to this school as they are excelling in their schoolwork due to the support and dedication of their teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in kindergarten and we have been very happy with Spalding! We have a wonderful teacher & he is really excited to be learning to read! Spalding is a great neighborhood school w/ a lot of parent involvement. I would recommend it!!
—Submitted by a parent

My son just started kindergarten at Spalding Elementary. He loves it! He is so excited to go to school each day. He is already reading and comes home full of information to share. We love the fact that this school is truly a neighborhood school. Both myself and my husband have volunteered to participate in classroom activities so we can get a feel of what is really going on in our child's day and meet all the new friends he has made. Spalding's focus on technology is very unique and will give our child a wonderful foundation for learning for years to come. Our fear of "public" schools has been laid to rest! Spalding has exceeded all expectations.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family could not be happier at Spalding Drive Charter. We have been at the school for over 5 years and have three children attending. Each child is very different but all three have excelled academically. The quality of the teachers is above average and the principal does a great job of thinking outside the box. The technology focus of the charter allows our children to utilize tools that other children their age never even touch. If you are looking for a small neighborhood school, with a very warm, friendly atmosphere, then you will be happy at this school. You will be hard pressed to find the quality academics and down to earth feel in any other school in area.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at Spalding five years and could not be more pleased. Every teacher our daughter has had has been absolutely wonderful. The teachers encourage different forms of learning. Technology plays a big role in the school. Our daughter loves doing homework on the computer, learning spelling words by creating her own crossword puzzles online and other such inventive ideas to make learning fun.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family is entering our 4th year at Spalding Drive Charter with a rising 4th grader, 3rd grader and kindergarten student. My husband and I have both been very pleased with how our children have been challenged academically. They have also broadened socially with exposure to a wide variety of experiences in and after school. We love the wholesome diversity at Spalding along wtih the tight-knit community. We were especially impressed with Spalding's first year with a major auction party fund-raiser that far surpassed all goals - a true testament to what can happen when school leadership, staff, parents and students all work hard together. Very pleased with our school choice!
—Submitted by a parent

This school was not good for us. We realized it when kids went there, but we understood it even more when we moved and placed them in different school. When you have experience of really good school, Spalding drive compare to it is at very low level of education. There is a lot of haos going on in Spalding Drive. Tichers don't know what they are doing, half of the students don't even think about doing their home work and behave very poor at school. So the second half is always affected by this 50% of lazy children. Do not recommend.
—Submitted by a parent

SDC is wonderful for my son. The teachers there take such pride in their work, and so the students do too. They offer many different ways for the parents to volunteer. They encourage parent involvement. It's just an amazing school.
—Submitted by a parent

Spalding Drive Charter school is one of the best schools around. My son is a kindergartner at SDC and absolutely loves it. He used to have trouble paying attention before he started school at SDC. Now, in just a little month, he's already starting to read and do math! SDC is an excellent school. Their fundraiser this year, instead of going around selling that unhealthy candy, was a 'Tiger Trot-a-thon'. The students collected pledges and donations and ran small laps to raise money. It was such an awesome idea for a fundraiser! They make parent participation mandatory, which I think is wonderful. Parents should always be involved in their child's education. SDC is just an amazing school. I couldn't be happier having my son in that school.
—Submitted by a parent