Amanda Arnold Elementary School

We have been at Amanda Arnold for 4 years now. My daughter started kindergarten here. We LOVE this school. The teachers are wonderful and the staff is amazing. We are military and Amanda Arnold is very supportive of military families. They have a wonderful military group program which has helped my daughter through several deployments. Every parent is encouraged to join the PTO and all new ideas are welcomed. They have great advanced programs and also great programs for children who are struggling academically. Amanda Arnold have good leadership and a principal who is available anytime and is always willing to work with any situation. My daughter is very sad that we have to leave this school and so am I. It will be hard to find a school comparable to Amanda Arnold.
--Submitted by a parent

We've been at Amanda Arnold for 3 years now and love it here. My son loves to go to school. Not much bullying and great teachers. PTO and parental involvement is amazing at this school. They work great with average and above average kids. They also have a great military kids lunch group and the counselor offers individual support when requested. This school has been a very positive experience for this military family.
--Submitted by a parent

If your children is average, then this is a great school. If your child is gifted they will refuse to advance your child because keeping them at grade level increases their state scores. If you are moving from a different area, beware - this school will not honor advanced placement from other schools even though they are part in the military child interstate compact. My son started kindergarten reading at a second grade level and doing basic math. They made him stay in kindergarten. The next year he attended a virtual academy and was given advanced placement into second grade. When I tried to enroll him back in Amanda Arnold the next year for third grade they said he would have to repeat second grade based on his age, regardless of his standardized test scores. I spent to whole summer fighting with the superintendents office and got no where. We bought our house in this district because it was the best in the area; it was the biggest mistake I could have made. If your child loves school and excels then take them anywhere but here.
--Submitted by a parent

Amanda Arnold is a great school with many challenges for students of all ages. It allows kids to go to advanced subjects and skip grades, a rarity most schools don't have!

While I would consider this school to be decent in academics, the support for the children, particularly military children, is horrifically absent. I would say this is due to teachers, but more than that, this is due to lack of leadership from the principal. Unless parents have a historical or monetary relationship with Amanda Arnold, they are not only unheard, but also encouraged to remain in the background. Bullying is a major issue. And parental voice, especially military parental voices, are not welcomed. I personally cannot wait to leave this school. When your child comes home to say, "When can we move?" clearly there is an issue in validation, awareness, and individual care toward students. I would be hard pressed to recommend Amanda Arnold to anyone.
--Submitted by a parent

I recently moved to Manhattan & choose the area I lived in for the school. Amanda Arnold is a good school as far as education goes. It's not a very welcoming school, Lot of bullying. Locals say that all the schools in Manhattan are good and I agree.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has the best kindergarten teacher ever! He came to this school with a limited attention span...he now sits during circle time, reading time and interacts with all the other children appropriately. His teacher actually cares as well as the special ed teacher! My other son is a first grader and has learned to read! I'm really impressed with this school as well as the faculty. We are totally pleased!
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers are amazing and very knowledgeable. Mrs. Nash is a great 2nd grade teacher and Mrs. Dillingham is one of the best teachers I have ever met. She supports the students in and out of the classroom and helps them keep up and/or get ahead of their classmates. I am glad that my child attends Amanda Arnold and that she has such skilled teachers!
--Submitted by a parent

Bullying does not seem to be a big issue for the teachers or administration, but to the students it is. I do not feel safe at Amanda Arnold.
--Submitted by a student