Weddington Elementary School

I cannot say enough about the entire staff at WDES. My children came from overseas, and they have been at WDES for three years, and I cannot say one bad thing about the school, its teachers, cafeteria staff, etcetera. It in essence is a "private school" and we look forward to every year. We thank you all at WDES and Union County for a superb job.
—Submitted by a parent

Weddington Elementary School is a wonderful place for children to learn and grow. The principal, staff, and teachers demonstrate not only a desire for excellence, but also, care and concern for the total well-being of each child. This school is located in a community where parents desire the best education for their children, and that desire is reflected in the level of parental involvement in the school. Reading some of the reviews from 2010 and 2011 increased my concern about the quality of the education my children would receive, however, my concerns have been completely allayed after interacting with the teachers and the new principal, Mrs. Blanchard.
—Submitted by a parent

Awesome teacher - awful principal. Our experience with this Weddington principal has been horrific. She has no people skills and is on a power trip. Parents are owed no respect or time. Overrides parents' judgment without even a conversation. Terrible attitude. Don't send your child to school with a cut, scrape or bruise. She'll report you to the Dept of Social Services. Dangerous individual in a position of power.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child has special needs and attends WDES. Our experience with his teachers, the administration and the supporting staff for special needs has been outstanding. Ms. Kassle, the Principle, has shown direct involvement with our child's needs and has gone above and beyond to make a difference. His teacher proactively communicates with us and has made our child's' learning experience very positive. In addition, we are actively engaged as parents with the school and the staff as partners in the educational process. It makes a measurable difference in the learning experience. To the other parents expressing reservations... perhaps you should reevaluate your approach and process to learning. An open mind, effective two-way communication and a shared goal for educational excellence is the key to success for our children. WDES is an excellent example of this in action!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is horrile! From administration to the teachers no one cares. The teachers are unfriendly and careless. Most of the staff bad mouth parents, and do not respect parents. Adminstration is far worse, no accountability from the school system allows the staff to bully parents and students. I am like many parents on here just fed up WDES. When will someone care and remove all the bad apples from their jobs. WDES use to have great teachers, they have all quit, due to the mess that has been made since WDES got a new principal.
—Submitted by a parent

Awesome school! Great teachers, great community! Our kids have had a great experience and a superb education.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent, we work hard in encouraging our children to enjoy school and learn from others. My child attends this school and thus far not impressed. The teachers attitudes lack excitement and believe the principal is doing very little to weed out those teachers who are just biding their time . While they are certified teachers I believe they still should teach and inspire children not give constant criticism where other students can over hear. I agree with the prior posting the school admin gives of a very negative vibe to parents. Plus I feel the school is too concerned about their test scores vs relationships with teacher/student/parent.
—Submitted by a parent

Fantastic School - Have been in the school for 3 years. Teacher's are ALL exceptional. This year, new Principal. Already it is proving to be a great year with her on board! Look forward to the remaining years in this school.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at Weddington Elem. for a couple of years now. The teaches are great but are handicapped by the school's administration. The 08-09 WDES Administration emits a very negative environment and are demeaning to parents and staff. Many of the staff and parents 'avoid' contact as much as possible with the school's administration. Capital contributions are very small - shows the heart of the community towards this school! We can't wait to be free of WDES! In spite of the poor administration, the teachers have great hearts.
—Submitted by a parent

My child is at Weddington and we are unimpressed thus far. The first semester has passed and we can't say he learned one new skill or task. He is at the top of his class but no challenging work is given. The class does alot of peer groups. I don't feel like another student has the ability to teach academics. The classrooms are large with little relief from teacher assistants. Good test scores don't necessarily mean a great school. If Weddington suppose to be top notch, I wouldn't want to see the other schools here in Union County. How sad for our children.
—Submitted by a parent

The good news about this school is that it has good test scores. The bad news is that test scores are the only aspect of your child that is valued at this school. Your child will be an expert at testing and scantrons upon graduation as this is what he/she will do for much of the year and for 3 solid months in the spring preparing for the EOG's.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school! Happy teachers=happy kids! Quality education, caring enviornment, lots of parental involvement is encouraged- and appreciated!
—Submitted by a parent

Great school with caring teachers and involved parents that delivers fantastic academic results. It doesn't get any better than this. We'd like to move closer to work, but can't bear to leave this school system. We (parents) went to private school growing up, but think this public school is A+.
—Submitted by Tami H, a parent

Great staff. Parental involvement is encouraged and leads to a strong learning environment.
—Submitted by Vann Walters, a parent