Springdale Park Elementary School

My three children attended SPARK for three years and it was such a wonderful experience for them. Great teachers, curriculum, and parent involvement. My children were always challenged with the school work, enjoyed the extra-curricular activities, and facilities were new/modern. I would say this is one of the best elementary schools in Atlanta.
—Submitted by a parent

Overall SPARK is a wonderful public school in Atlanta. Teachers are competent and involved, the school environment is great, they have all the latest tools (media, computers, smart boards, etc.) that any public school would only dream of, and they have a genuine emphasis on being "green". I am not rating it 5 stars because i think it still needs improvement regarding security. The school is not gated and located near a major 2x2 road (Ponce de Leon) I find it amazing that the kids are in recess, but any child could walk to Ponce, or any stranger, could walk up to the recess area. The school will tell you that they have teachers/staff watching the kids during recess to make sure no one is going outside of the school boundaries. The school is new and is only about 4 years old. Unfortunately, one day, an accident will happen, and they will finally decide to put a fence around the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children at SPARK and we have been thrilled with their educational experience. There is a strong focus on academics (As expected - it's school!). My kids are equally challenged to grow in areas or accountability, citizenship and responsibility. The parent, teacher, student community is fantastic. We have been very happy with SPARK.
—Submitted by a parent

We attended Springdale Park and decided it wasn't a good fit for us so transferred to another public school. What an amazing difference! It's wonderful to have teachers who are teaching and parents who are listening. The curriculum is much more on track with Ga state standards and they don't just teach the test. If you are looking for babysitting Spark is for you, if you are looking for an education for your children, look elsewhere, there are some truly wonderful public schools in Georgia.
—Submitted by a parent

Springdale Park is a great school. I am really suprised by some of the comments that are appearing on this site. Springdale Park has only been in operation for four years. From what I can see and hear, it is one of the best and highest performing schools in APS. Ms. Brown and her staff are fantastic. Yes, the school is academically focused, but there are so many other great activities and enrichment for the kids. I have been very pleased with the school, the parents, the strong leadership and wonderful teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first time in a public school setting. Have been disappointed in the inconsistencies of the school from Principal on to the teacher. It appears that the school is so consumed with the academic side and forgets the overall picture of the child. Listening to students is a scarce commodity at Springdale Park. This School is below average overall in my opinion. However the environment is clean.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the recent reviewers here. The school is better than most APS schools in terms of its environment. The parent involvement is awesome. The physical school environment is lovely. The communication, however, is terrible. Their measure of achievement is purely based on CRCT testing and there is little or no experiential or hands-on learning. My child was bored and not enthusiastic about the worksheet approach to learning. With so much student talent in the school, I am surprised they are not using that to their advantage and doing more. Unfortunately, math and science do not seem to be a priority. Honestly, I don't know what the long-term vision for the school is. They seem to be riding on a few years of high CRCT scores and perhaps a few too many parents who are complacent with an all A's report card.
—Submitted by a parent

Springdale Park is surely one of the better public schools in Atlanta. The students are challenged. Parents are incredibly involved. However, the administration seems overly concerned about test scores and other measureables versus fostering an environment which promotes meaningful (vs superficial) understanding and love of learning. This is perhaps the fault of many public schools, but the principal here does not seem attuned to the desires of the broader community of parents here which demand more than proficiency at state-mandated minimum standards. A more involved administration would improve Springdale Park.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm glad to see positive and negative reviews. As a "Spark" parent I feel communication could be greatly improved. This school is just okay, we will decide over the summer if we will return or try private.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had a great experience with both of my children at SPARK. The teachers and Mrs. Brown( the principal) have a genuine interest in seeing the children succeed. The school is recognized for academic performance and green initiatives and there are great after school activities. I couldn't be happier!
—Submitted by a parent

Someone is obviously spamming this cite in the last two reviews. Springdale Park is an extremely rigorous learning environment that does not cater to parents, but instead tries to do the best for the kids education. We have many parents who are extremely involved. However, parents don't simply get whatever they want and sometimes this makes specific parents upset as you can see below. Spark is a fantastic school with an amazing principal and staff and it is in extremely high demand. 95% of zoned parents send their kids there and there are MANY requests for out of zone transfers that can not be accommodated.
—Submitted by a parent

Springdale is one of the greatest schools in Atlanta. Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Blackwell are outstanding administrators. The staff has a great love for all of the students. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting and the teachers are great! Go SPARK!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been attending this school for 2 years now. Our experience overall has been very good. When we moved into the Midtown area from Dunwoody, we were intially not sure about this new school, and the standard of teaching. But the school has met high standards, kudos to the fantastic Principal, and the rest of the staff. My son is happy with the school, and has recently been placed in the Challengeprogram, and we are looking forward to growing even further.
—Submitted by a parent