Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School

We couldn't be happier with Hilton Head International Bac. This is one of the few elementary schools that offers challenging immersion courses in both Chinese and Spanish. More importantly, they focus on teaching children to accept new cultures and ideas. Our daughter was allowed to start a difficult Chinese immersion class mid-year and was given a warm welcome despite being the new kid from a European country who spoke a foreign language. She was greeted with enthusiasm and curiousity. The teachers are excellent, the principal and school staff are well organized and do a great job keeping parents informed and involved. I've read a couple of reviews from other parents who like to refer to their children as "gifted" or in the top "%" who seem to have unrealistic expectations of special treatment for their kids. Hilton Head IB provides quality education to all of it's students. If you want a well balanced child who develops excellent communication skills and a broader understanding for how the world works I would strongly recommend Hilton Head International Bac. If you want to obsess over your child getting special treatment maybe you should have them pampered in a private school.
—Submitted by a parent

My fourth child is going into her 5th year at this wonderful school. My three older children, two in college and one in high school are also alums of this ib elementary school. My oldest, in fact, was in the first class of ib students when the ib program initially came to Hilton Head. All four of my children have been identified at "gifted" in both math and reading. I am a huge fan if the IB philosophy. Inquiry based learning works for my children. The classes consist of mixed levels of students with the gt students pulled out for math and reading from 3rd to 5th grade per state mandate. The fact that the gt didn't start until 3rd grade was a bit of a disservice to my daughter who is currently enriolled because the work came very easy to her in first and second grade so when she was more challenged in 3rd it was a bit of an adjustment. The teachers at this school are wonderful and the leadership is quite responsive. I wish there were better answers to the discipline problems that always exist in public schools but this school does an okay job in dealing with them. Parent involvement has declined due to the economy. The art instruction at this school is amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

we started this school last year after coming from an International Baccalaureate private school in Atlanta. I was seriously worried about starting public school in SC and keeping the same level of academics up that we had experienced. I met with the principal and thought she was extremely smart and well connected to the school and also teh individual needs of students. My son as excelled amazingly coming in the 99th percentile nationwide in scoring. The teachers help focus on giving more challenges to kids who need it, and they have also allowed my son to sit in with a higher grade level for his language arts. There is no way our previous expensive private school would have allowed this much flexibility. I am blown away by this school , its teachers and also how responsive the teachers are to email and any concerns.
—Submitted by a parent

well my experience has been very bad with hilton head IB...i move from california about five months ago where i did have a nice experience with my kids elementary school. When we visit HHIB i was very happy with all the programs they have and the teachers..but when school started everything has been very different..my kids have been bully and also hit by other students...blame of been bad kids when back in california they never got in any trouble or fights.My kids have told me the also the bus service is not good...i know this is not controled by the school...i just want it to mention what my kids have been trough..bus drivers scream at them..they don't care if kids are in a fight...i just feel so terrible about how my kids feel in this new school...they have also experience bad situation in the school cafeteria with the attendants.I wish i can go back to California.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of two elementary students at Hilton Head Island Elementary- IB I have been very pleased with mine and my children's experiences. This is our third year in this school and the staff has been extraordinary with showing how much they care about children and their families. I cannot imagine my children going anywhere else because they thrive at this school!
—Submitted by a parent

Fabulous school! My children are recieving a challenging curriculum in a welcoming environment. The teachers are very dedicated and willing to go the extra mile.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been in every grade at HHI IB Elementary School from first to fifth. The Principal is passionate about every child and believes in giving 110% every day to the school. She is supported by amazing teachers, a phenomenal staff and a truly incredible Superintendent. Our new Superintendent has worked tirelessly since her first day to make the necessary changes to ensure our district is the best it can be. Like anywhere in the United States there is diversity and challenges that come with students with such varied socio economic and ethnic backgrounds. Every public school on HHI works together and offers more resources, more qualified teachers and more technology than any other learning institution on the island. The success of any school depends on the partnership between school and home. There needs to be a commitment from home to support the child s school and contribute to its excellence.
—Submitted by a parent

Hilton Head International Baccalaureate Elementary continues to shine above all schools (Private and Public) in Hilton Head. Led by a dedicated teacher and faculty department, the school continues to demonstrate superior results and successful students. I applaud them for not catering to the special interest groups or parents attempting to manipulate the classroom.
—Submitted by a parent

My experience with HHIBE has been amazing. From 1st grade to 5th grade, my three children have had exceptional teachers who challenged and encouraged them to excel. All three are identified as gifted, scoring in the 99 percentile on standardized math tests. Their teachers, led by an outstanding principal, offered multiple ways to meet their needs. principal, offered multiple ways tomeet their needs.
—Submitted by a parent

Having come upon this website and a parent of a student in the Baccalaureate Elementary program, I feel a great obligation to share my experience. First & foremost, I would like to note that after reading the other two reviews, I could not agree with them more. Being in a middle-income household, there are not a lot of educational options in Hilton Head, so we will be switching to the Creative Arts. After two disappointing years with this school, my expectations are not very high with the Creative Arts either. My only gauarnee is that it cannot be worse than the Baccalaureate. South Carolina does not exactly have a good reputation for it's high quality education, but, like the review below me states...it's ashame that this so called 'world class' resort town has such disappointing and problematic schools.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is not the place for gifted or high achieving and well behaved students. There are so many underachievers and behavior problems that the good kids are lost in the mix. There are too many problems and the teachers cannot possibly keep up. We have two sons and it has been impossible for them to get a good education here. So it leaves those of us with hardworking elementary students with few options. We are on a waiting list at the Christian Academy and the Montessori for next year because they seem to be the only schools in Hilton Head that can really help academic focused students, strong readers and advanced math students (which is why there is a waiting list). It's ashame that this so called 'world class' resort town has such disappointing and problematic schools.
—Submitted by a parent

We have three children in the IB Program at Hilton Head Elementary School. Although our kids consistently score in the top 5% of their class work - thanks to help at home, the prevailing attitude is to teach to the lowest common denominator. As of 2 years ago, the 'IB' classes were infused with lower performing students...'to provide greater balance.' Many of the more qualified teachers left in frustration, as they became babysitters and disciplinarians. It seems the leadership is full-speed adrift, trying anything to fix the problems without much direction or success.
—Submitted by a parent