High Bridge Elementary School

While the teachers are great the new principal Mr. Kelly is terrible. He need to learn to respect and listen to parents. He lacks the social skills you would think a principal would have. Very unprofessional.
—Submitted by a parent

I am the mother of five children. My oldest has moved on to middle school after having a very successful time at High Bridge. I currently have two children attending with another one getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall. I am very proud to be a High Bridge parent. High Bridge is an often overlooked Bowie school. Many people do not realize what a gem it is! The staff and teachers are wonderful and really care about your child(ren). The teachers take the time to get to know your childs strengths and weaknesses and they work off of that information. My children are TAG level, and the work they are given is challenging. The children are taught not only the basics, but also respect and responsibility. I really believe that parents need to look beyond test scores to see what a wonderful school this is.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a proud parent of a 5th grader at the school. He has been at High Bridge since Kindergarten and I can honestly say he has had great teachers since he's been there. He is a TAG student and the school has the resources to challenge him beyond the regular school material. It has also been a blessing that he has never had more than 19 to 20 kids in his class. I am very pleased with this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent of a special need child. I read the prior reviews which were great if you have a non-disabled child. My child is in the third grade in the CRI class. The first three years the teacher was wonderful and went out of her way to figure out what motivated my child. She was very successful and work with me and my husband. However, I'm very unhappy with the third grade teacher who only concern is for the special need children to pass the MSA. I feel my child is a product on an assemble line. I think that school is doing a very poor job with the special need kids. These kids never play outside with their non-disabled peers let alone eat lunch on a consistant basis in the cafeteria. These kids are kept apart from the other kids. I do not recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent of a 3rd and 5th grader. As a parent and an Engineer with post graduate work, I rate this school as excellent. We have recently transferred from the Magnet Montessori. Surprisingly, the Montessori was predominantly teaching the kids MSA material to ready them for tests and that reflected in higher MSA scores, which doesn't necessarily correlate with 'good education'. To my relief, this school teaches a comprehensive curriculam, focusing on all major subjects even those not on the MSA!, such as social studies and science. In my opinion, the kids are getting a much better preperation for middle and high school. Both my kids transitioned very easily into the new school thanks to the friendly staff and the highly qualified administrators and teachers. They are both TAG students. This is also a great school with a lot of resources for special need students.
—Submitted by a parent

My kindergartner goes to Highbridge and has a great teacher. I find that when people make choices for Bowie schools, they assume that Highbridge is a low-performing school, without looking at the actual staff ! and also the fact that it caters to special needs students.
—Submitted by a parent

High Bridge is a good school. My fourth grader is an advanced student. She skipped a grade and is n the Tag program. I found the school to have adequate resources that has and is supporting her growth. I also have a kindergartener who is flourishing under the care of his kindergarten teacher. She is very humble and is willing to do whatever it takes to help the children be successful. It's a joy observing her class.
—Submitted by a parent