William A. Diggs Elementary School

My children went to this school up until this current school year. We LOVED this school. We found the principal organized and ran a good school. The only drawback we encountered were whites that were not used to strong black leadership. We found there were a small few teachers that constantly tried to undermine the principal. Those teachers should be weeded out and sent packing as the county is growing ever more diverse each day. My children loved their teachers and learned in leaps and bounds. They were already a bit ahead of their grade level and their teachers made sure they stayed this way. The PTO was awesome and we enjoyed being very active. I give Diggs the highest of highest for the strong leadership and change in culture that Charles County is going to eventually have to make. We are a multi-cultural family and I loved the examples shown to our children each and every day.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had a student at this school since the doors have opened and I still do. With the exception on one teacher, who was removed, I have been very pleased with my children's teachers. Some members of the administration can be challenging to communicate with but this school has met the needs of my Gifted and Grade-Level children. The school is overcrowded but I suspect that there are many children in this school that do not live in this district. I have found that when you are an involved parent then the staff will respond positively. Most importantly, Diggs has properly prepared my children for Middle and High school where they are in the Honors Programs.
—Submitted by a parent

I have positive and negative experiences with the school. I have two kids attending the school. With my first kid he's been so lucky with his teachers and he continue to excel in his academics. My second child had a great first two teachers, his first grade teacher was not so great. Forgets to give my child his homeworks. Happened few times and I have to remind the teacher at times not to forget to give the homework to my child. Totally unacceptable. Her teaching method was far less compared to my eldest child's previous teacher. To summed that , my child did not learned a lot during his first grade that he had a hard time catching up with the second grade curriculum. Kids lunch break time is not enough, kids are being rushed to finished their food . I agree, with the previous comments about kids bullying other kids. My kid was bullied and the child that bullied should have gotten a graver punishment than counselling.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has been a huge disappoint. Many in the county said it was wonderful and they are sadly wrong. Starting with the principal who is a bully and a terrible figure head whom the staff dislike and so do the parents. There is major racism happening within the walls of this school that is being widely ignored by CCBOE even after numerous complaints for numerous parents. Overall, the staff is pleasant to work with. My child had a terrible first grade teacher who in my opinion and the opinion of many of the parents she taught, should NOT be a teacher at all. She can not control her class and has no teaching skills- I know of many families that complained of her lack of teaching and their children were well below their grade level and the principal refused to see that problem like many other problems in her school. There is a MAJOR problem with bullying in this school but its no surprise considering the way the principal acts towards her staff. THe CCBOE and the school board need to wake up and re-haul this school before there is nothing that can be done with it!!!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My son was here for 2 years and it seems that the school is not performing or as dedicated to the children as once thought. I have since placed my son in private school. Not blaming the school for the overcrowding issue (county commissioner please stop selling land to developers), but it just seems the curriculum is not as strong and challenging as need be to compete in today's world.
—Submitted by a parent

My experience with William Diggs Elementary has been very positive. I gave 4 stars because of the overcrowding, but other that that I am very satisfied. My son has excelled and we find the work exciting and challenging. The teachers and staff and very accommodating, and always seem very happy to see me when I come to check up on my child. My husband and I are pleased with the education our son is receiving at Diggs and we would definitely recommend this school to a relative or friend.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at Diggs for 2 years. I've been very happy with her teachers both years (Zanca and Donaldson). Each teacher stayed in close contact with me throughout the school year and was very responsive to me. Both have worked with me to find solutions necessary to assist my daughter with being successful at school. The school's counselor is also a valuable asset. Each time I've visited the school I've been impressed with how organized the activities are. My only concern is that 30 minutes is not enough time for lunch for young children, especially when that time includes clean-up, but I have to say that again, the whole process is very organized. Overall I am very happy with the school.
—Submitted by a parent

Let's be fair; yes the school is overcrowded but that is due to the large influx of new homeowners in the area. Diggs is a brand new school but still was not equiped to deal with the rapid growth due to new construction. They are making the best of a bad situation which is occuring in other schools in the area as well. Concerning the staff and teachers; unfortunately the majority of teachers and staff in every school system have less than desirable people skills so it is up to us as parents to demand they provide the tools we need to ensure our child's success. My husband and I have done just that and once the teachers see that we are not going to back down, they comply. If you attend the PTO meetings, you will be informed in details exactly how all the money from the fundraisers is distributed.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has been a huge disappointment to us. It is way over capacity. The office staff are very rude and unhelpful. The whole atmosphere of the school is negative. The children spend way too much time on activities such as fundraising (and who knows where this money goes?) and not enough on learning. Achievement awards are arbitrary and reward children for things like good attendance (which surely in elementary school is the parents', not the childrens' accomplishment). Communication from teachers to parents is poor. Teachers seem overwhelmed by large classes and too many behavior problems. We are desperate to move out of this school district.
—Submitted by a parent

This school way overcapacity. The majority of students my children go to school with are overindulged by their parents. The school administration does nothing but accept mediocrity from the students and lame excuses from parents. If I could, I would move just to get my children out of this school.
—Submitted by a parent