Pleasant Union Elementary School

My daughter is a kindergartner at Pleasant Union. I absolutely love this school. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Her teachers Ms. Bandi and Mrs. Gobel are fabulous. They both really care about their students and vicce versa. My daughter comes home every day talking about her great day school and all the cool things she's learn. Thanks Pleasant Union for proving there are still great public schools around.
—Submitted by a parent

We love Pleasant Union! We had two children attend Pleasant Union years ago, and now we are starting out again with another child in Pleasant Union. When we went to register our child, we found that a lot of the staff is still the same. The teachers truly care about the education of the children! My child's kindergarten teacher, Ms. Bandi, is an exemplary teacher. It is obvious she loves what she does and she is loved by ALL her students (and the parents)!! Parent involvement is great; we built relationships with alomost every parent in our child's class. We couldn't be more pleased with any other school!!
—Submitted by a parent

PUE gets 5 stars all across the board!! Honestly this school is an example of a great public school. My children have attended PUE from 2008-3/2012 every one of the teachers my children had where great. From MRS. Bacon, Andrews, Hawley, True heart, T Clark and MR. Collins. They go above and beyond for their students and I believe there heart is truly into teaching. As far as the other staff they all are pretty much pleasant and have that same demeanor. In reference to teaching they are among the elite they are not being left behind in this new age of technology! And I'm truly serious every class has a smart board teacher s issue iPod to help aid with the curriculum and the teachers communicate very effective with the parents. The only drawback that I witnessed was that some of the parents some seemed a little Stafford wife ish.... However, they didn't impact my children s education. All in all this school was great being that my children went to a lot of schools due to military moves this school really feels like your child is receiving a private Education vs. Public. My family really loved this school
—Submitted by a parent

My family has had a mixed experience with PUE. Lots of tech, dedicated teachers & PTA, and a friendly administrators. Front desk staff are effecient but a bit unfriendly. The Great Leaps program, staffed by parents, helps 1st & 2nd graders who are slightly behind in reading. The 2011 cutbacks lost some valuable support staff. Adminstration 'passes the buck' to state standards rather than take responsibility for its curriculum decisions. Offers several extracurriculars & the wonderful guidance counselor has several groups. The track-based year round calendar means most students are with the same classmates their entire school career. New students may find it difficult to make friends. It also limits interactions w/students in other classes because each class has attended school a different number of days. Because students from other classes can't be mixed together, ability level reading, math, & spelling groups aren't as common in upper grades. PTA is very active. Communication is excellent from school to home. The special ed program has lost personnel, & some staff have poor people skills. Good policies & orderly procedures. Lots of art. Before/afterschool watches tv.
—Submitted by a parent

We have lived in Raleigh for over 20 years. When our oldest child approached school age, we researched all of the public schools and moved specifially to the Pleasant Union district. It is a year round school, and we have enjoyed the seasonal breaks. We started with comparing the school test scores on the WCPSS website. The PUE administration is amazing, and that quality and care trickles down to the teachers. Our child is advanced and is in the KIT program as a 1st grader and will proceed into AG. He enjoys school and we have had no problems at all. This website is very strange- if you are relocating talk to people/ realtors who actually live here before you decide on a school. BTW our second choice was Lacy Elementary, comparable quality, different part of town.
—Submitted by a parent

I disagree that teachers are unhappy at this school. Please look at the Governor's rating that teachers and administrator's fill out every two years. Pleasant Union is a year round school (in nine weeks, then out for a three week break). For gifted students, parents volunteer to help out with the KIT (Kids Into Thinking) program for grades k-2. The AG program identifies students in third grade and serves them as part of a pull out. To differentiate, teachers use team time in which students are grouped by their ability to master an objective and have review/extension at least once a week. It is true that there is little diversity but this is due in part to parents that opt out of year round and have their children attend traditional schools. With some of the top scores in Wake County, Pleasant Union is an excellent school.
—Submitted by a teacher

MY ratings in short: Administration (Principal): 5 stars Academics: 4.5 stars (too little room for academically gifted and advanced learners) MAth: 4 stars, because some kids are behind, everyone gets same dose of learning School environment: Ethnic diversity is poor but that is not school's fault My over all comments: My kid joined the school in the middle of her 3rd grade moving from Pennsylvania. She integrated well, we noticed that school standard was higher than PA. We were first worried as my kid was one of the very few ethnic kids (not blk or white) but the school is very supportive. Some parents are still backward thinkers in many ways but school is trying to make advances in math and reading. They caught up with math which we like very much. We wish they had better learning opportunities for highly motivated and acedemically interested kids.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is much better than some of the other public schools in Wake County. I find that there is very little instruction for students who are academically ahead of grade level. Those students are left to 'flounder' in the classroom. Public schools are primarily focused on state testing and scores rather than childrens individual growth. Unless you look to private/charter alternatives, you will be seeking additional resources to continually challenge or keep your child interested in his/her education.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is no longer consider as a good school as before. Parent involment is still 5*, however, many teachers and the office staff were rude. Teachers got behind with class work and skipped it. One teacher complains that she isn't happy, another confided she doens't want to work there anymore. This school soon will be down to 2* if things still go on like now.
—Submitted by a parent

Very disappointing academic results for our boy in the past two years. Every year there are more and more 'projects,' and very little for the smarter children. Was a good school, now just another 'politically correct' environment, where parents and children teacher themselves, and everyone enjoys 'diversity.' I.e. scores go down every year. Will be moving next year. . .
—Submitted by a parent

The school really encourages Parent involvement in the class room,media centre, field trips, fund risers. So I really like involving in my kid's class. The teachers are very friendly and highly motivated.
—Submitted by a parent

Yup completely agree with the other review - somewhat 'high maintenance' for parents - but this represents their commitment to our children and I find it a blessing if sometimes a challenge. I have other children moving to school age and would be absolutely delighted if they attain places here - which in itself tells its own story. There may be better schools than this but I havent found one!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been happy with this school for the most part. My older son has special needs and the school has been very proactive in trying to find ways to help him. My other son is a challenge in other ways, and we have sometimes felt that the teacher just didn't want to be bothered trying to deal with him. I have also felt that the school gives too much homework and too many projects that are too time consuming. As working parents, we find that we have no family time because there is always some kind of school work that needs to be done. However, the school has some of the highest test scores in the county. It is a rich school district so the kids have a lot of advantages. The down side to that is some of us can't afford to contribute/donate every time they ask.
—Submitted by a parent