Millbrook Elementary School

Test scores also don't tell the whole truth. There are schools that do nothing but teach to the test - ensuring wonderful EOG results - but at the expense of other essential things that build well rounded and capable students. Test scores are one dimension. It's something they are continuing to work on. Test scores are not the most important thing to us when looking at schools - everyone is different though. The Teacher survey results were far more meaningful.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a proud parent of a 4th grader and 2nd grader at MEMS! We have been involved at the school since 2007 when my 4th grader was in kindergarten. We love the school! Everything in life is what you make of it. Some people will always see things half full. I can't stand when people say read between the lines. All children are special and deserve top notch teachers. ALL STUDENTS!!!! The school is diverse. It is what we love!! The children need to learn from each other and yes other cultures. Our school has one of the highest number of teachers that are nationally board certified and/or have higher level degrees. The teachers at our school are very dedicated. They differentiate for all students. Both of my students have been placed in groups to advance them. I have not ever seen them not being challenged. My son is now an AG student because of the hard work his primary grade teachers placed in him. This school is dedicated to finding what each individual child needs. It is what I love about it!! Our administration is wonderful as well. You can write what your child needs to be successful and they try and accommodate your request. :) It is a Great School!
--Submitted by Thankful Parent, a parent

My earlier review was not meant to be spiteful at all! I am really happy that other parents have had wonderful experiences at MEMS. I first posted a review several months ago & it was not posted b/c I specifically named teachers that I felt were an asset to the school--doing so is outside of greatschools guidelines. At that time I re-posted a less specific review. I wish everyone at MEMS nothing but the best, however we had a really negative experience. Felt like it was important to share. Besides, click over to the Test Scores & Stats tab. The numbers don't lie.
--Submitted by a parent

My son attended Millbrook from 2nd-5th grade. I wanted to respond to the negative post. I never saw teachers texting in morning car pool. What I did see was teachers standing in the rain, heat, cold, etc. making sure my son got to class safely every day. Safety Patrol students opened my door and said "Good morning" and "Have a nice day." The comments about the counselors was also puzzling. I remember seeing banners hanging at the entrance of the school saying that they won NC Counselor of the Year in back to back years. Some of the issues the poster brought up are parenting issues that need to be handled at home. Parents love to blame the school for their lack of parenting skills. The AP at my son's current middle school said she can tell the kids from Millbrook Elementary because they are well behaved and well prepared academically. I ate lunch with my son regularly and went up to school quite a bit. It is amazing how well the students behave. You would never know there is 750+ students on campus. Teachers and administration are caring. We loved Millbrook. why wait until October to do a bad post about the school? That just seems spiteful to me. Address it at the time it happens.
--Submitted by a parent

We are very very happy with Millbrook Elementary. The leadershp and teachers are great and our kids are doing fantastic with the unique IB learning style. We moved from a 'better rated' school that was not putting forth much effor to challenge our oldest with more difficult material. The AG program seems to be well run and our kids are excelling. The only negatives that I can think of are the start time (early bell at 7:45) and there appears to be less independent project homework than I expect in the 3rd to 5th grades relative to other schools.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my 10th year at Millbrook Elementary. I would not go anywhere else. This is a school with an excellent professional staff who work hard to differentiate and challenge every child in the classroom. I have found the current administration approaches discipline in a consistent and appropriate manner. My high schooler and my 6th grader were both well prepared for middle school. In fact my 6th grader is taking 7th/8th grade compacted math and has a 99 average. I see the negative post about our school and it saddens me to think that there was such a negative experience. I do know that I've brought issues about students to the guidance counselor before and that she has acted on the concerns. With confidentiality, they are not able to discuss other students with a parent and without personal witness to incidents they are limited in what they are able to do. I would (and do) recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a place where their children can receive a professional caring education
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter began MES as a kindergartener and is now in second grade. We have been very pleased with all of her teachers both in their ability to teach and challenge her as well as with classroom management. My daughter is achieving at a high level academically at MES. We have been very impressed with MES at every level.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is in the 2nd grade and we've had difficulty with the school for 2 years now. We're have applied to transfer out of Millbrook and to another local school. We don't feel the benefit of the Magnet program outweighs the negatives we've experienced. We find it hard to properly express how we feel about the school, but in a nutshell, the academic program seems to be catered to specific groups, to the exclusion of those not in those groups (read between the lines). While it's wonderful to be exposed to new cultures, it should not be at the expense of others. But, then again, the school has certain target demographics and the kids need to be kept engaged. Additionally, we have had problems with the quality of teachers and what seems to be a laid-back attitude about classroom violence and exclusionary behavior.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in kindergarten at Millbrook and we are very happy with the school so far! Her teachers are excellent, the prinicipal is very responsive, and all of our interactions with other staff members have been positive. The curriculum is designed to challenge students at their own levels and encourage their intellectual curiosities. I have been very impressed with the behavior of the children in my daughter's class and in other classes I have observed while volunteering. I think the Postive Behavior Support program the school began using last year is very effective. I am a little perplexed by the previous reviewer's comments about the program. There are many different types of magnet programs in Wake County. Millbrook is an IB PYP magnet program, not a Creative Arts & Science or Gifted & Talented program. They do have specials, including arts, but those are only part of the excellent program.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my first year experience with Millbrook Elementary. I chose this school based on them being apart of the Magnet Program. I noticed within the first week that even though they offer a variety in subjects. the one class taken more then others is Spanish. I excepted to see more focus on the arts program. Administative Office staff person was rude when addressed about a concern she could not provide information about regarding Express bus transportation. I was told that no one there could tell me what location at East Millbrook my children were supposed to be picked up from. I was told to ask East Millbrook as if the concern was not as issue Millbrook Office staff needs to be aware of.
--Submitted by a parent