Woodford Paideia Elementary School

We have been extremely dissatisfied with this school. Our son was diagnosed with ADHD & the staff at Woodford just can't handle it. If he gets slightly hyper or talkative, they send him to the principal's office. Or they assume that he's not being given his medication. They send home daily behavior sheets, but downplay what is actually happening. They allow things to escalate to "out of control" levels before contacting us and then when they finally do, they blame us for not knowing what has been going on. Our son has been bullied- physically, verbally & emotionally- and nothing is ever done about it. My boyfriend placed his son, now 8, in the school at the end of his kindergarten year in order to get him out of his neighborhood school, Roll Hill. We hoped that a magnet school would give him a better chance because of smaller class size, etc. We even moved to be closer to the school. The last 2 1/2 yrs have been horrible for him, and us, & we are putting him in the neighborhood school, Pleasant Ridge, for next year. I hope & pray it's the answer to our problems. At this point, anything has to be better than Woodford. I also know of 3 other parents pulling their kids out. Sad.
--Submitted by a parent

When my daughter went there, I had to supplement her learning . When UI did she was the only one to pass a test on complex and compound sentences. At a conference, I was told her writing lacked quality, but the teacher would not tell us how to raise the quality of her work. We were told she was lacking a skill, but that it wasn't something taught in that grade, so they would not help her get that skill.
--Submitted by a parent

My children have attended Woodford for the past 6 and 7 years. Woodford has always had excellent staff, those that left due to retirement and those that were added. The majority of the teachers are excellent, and care for the students. The principal and assistant principal complement each other well. The Paraprofessional in the 2nd grade pod is excellent, as are the teachers, my child can't stop talking about school and the staff. I love it.
--Submitted by a parent

They love children! They have an excellent staff. Fine arts, gifted student enrichment, special needs support, current computer technology. A safe, orderly, & friendly school!

My son was one of the students that transferred to Woodford when Eastwood Paideia was closed. I think Woodford is a great school, but not a good match for everyone. The transition to the pod classrooms was a very hard one for my son and he missed a lot of information because he was distracted by what was going on in the other classes. I believe this would have worked out for him if he started there, but it was too much to take in for a nosy kid who wasn't used to it.
--Submitted by a parent

My child has been with the school for the past 4 years. The teachers and principal are excellent. The staff is willing to listen to the students concerns and are willing to assist the students at all times. I could not have choosen a better school for my child to attend!
--Submitted by a parent