William J. Underwood School

We're military, there for 1.5 years. School is ok if you have normal kids. If you have kids with an IEP, or needing one, watch out & steer clear. Unofficial policy is to get all kids off IEPs (whether they should be or not). Theory is to save money - don't need special educators if you don't have IEP kids. 2 months before our move to a new state, they wanted to remove child's IEP eligibility. Said goals were met (they were not), no new goals could be written (they could), child made "tremendous progress" (no data was collected). Had a 6 month battle involving advocates & outside evaluations (paid by us), husband moved while we stayed 4 months to finish this, only to show what was already in IEP & need for it still exists. District supervisor still wanted to withhold IEP, saying child would be fine. We fought, got IEP and moved 2 days later. After, District said they learned they should have had us sign permission to change our incoming IEP to something they would want to do. Now, another family in that school is having the same troubles. Only this time, school had them sign an IEP change (learned for our experience), and now that new family has a harder time than us.
—Submitted by a parent

Underwood is all you could ask for and more. I know not only is my sone being taught the prescribed curriculum, but the other important things in life each day (like being kind to others, not hurting feelings etc). The small class size is great and all teachers knowing the kids is nice too. The principal is wonderful; she is aware of all that is going on. I have had 3 children now go through Npt Public Schools at the elementary level and have been extremely pleased.
—Submitted by a parent

This is not simply a school. It's a family. The staff cares and nurtures every child. As a parent, I genuinely feel the staff has a vested interest in my child's future. There is a positive energy at this school that is unmatched.
—Submitted by a parent

My sons attended Underwood for one full school year and one partial year. One positive comment I can give this school is that it has a favorable student to teacher ratio. My third grader had 15 kids in his class and my first grader had 16-18 kids in his class. The school also deals well with the high turnover rate of students due to a large military population in the area. Other than that, I was not impressed with the quality of education that is offered here. The academic standards were not rigorous and my kids, who are above average in their studies, were not challenged. Furthermore, I did not feel like the school was receptive or responsive to changes to the school environment that are important to me, e.g. teaching the kids about good nutrition, providing adequate opportunites and space for recess, nuturing creativity in school projects, and establishing a school garden program. In their defense, the school is functioning with a severe shortage of space and are trying to make the best of a difficult situation. Finally, I feel like this school spends entirely too much time on standardized testing, though I could probably say this is true for any public school nowadays.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughters both went to Underwood and we loved it. The teachers were terrific. My younger daughter had the best kindergarten teacher ever.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm worried about this school after they joint with Carey School kids. Underwood is a great school with very nice children and nice teachers. I'm so glad that my child got a chance to go there. Hopefully, they will continue to keep a great school for all the children in Underwood School next year.
—Submitted by a parent

We are a military family and have been involved in several schools. I am also a teacher and have very high standards for the schools that my children attend. Underwood Elementary is a fabulous school. The faculty is extremely qualified and caring. The Prinicpal, 'Mrs. G' is marvelous. The curriculum is challenging my children (grades 1 and 5) in ways that they have not been challenged before. I would highly recommend this school and the Newport school district to any of my friends.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers at Underwood are outstanding but the facility and ability to meet the needs of special education students leaves much to be desired. We are a military family and have experienced schools/school districts in CA, VA and KS and by comparison, the facilities at all the Newport schools are truly substandard.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a son in the fourth grade and had a daughter go through Underwood and will attend college next year. Underwood's base education was great 12 years ago and under the present principal and the updated curriculum the school has improved tremendously.
—Submitted by Steve, a parent

My daughter has been attending this school for the past 2 years.The entire staff is wonderful.My daughter came to this school with learning disabilities and the teachers that work with her are great.I would recommend this school to anyone.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been going to Underwood for 4 years and I have been a Volunteer for the entire time. They have the best Teachers at this school who really keep the Parent up to date on what is going on.
—Submitted by donna, a parent

I am absolutely thrilled with Underwood School. I can't believe it even crossed their mind for it to be permanetly closed!! Well, Please help me protest against Underwood shutting down!
—Submitted by a parent

I have been overly impressed with the staff here, however, the lower school, in particulat grade 1 seems not to be on the same page as the rest of the school. Grade3 and 4 are perhaps the best classrooms/teachers in the entire district.
—Submitted by a parent