Barksdale Elementary School

In my experience I have seen the teacher have favortism toward certain students and in this case it seems that if the teacher knew you outside of the classroom that they were more lenient or tolerant on your child. I have seen first hand two students be in the wrong and then only one child be punished. When the teacher was approached and asked about the dispartity, the teacher quickly went to do something else and removed themself from the question of why only one child received the punishment....recess is easily taken away at the school for any infraction. Also, if the parent forgot to sign off on their child's behavior calendar, regardless if the child was on green, then the next day they start off on yellow regardless of their behavior because it wasn't signed off on. This isn't the child's fault. I definitely think that there can be better communication between the teacher and parents as to how their child is performing in class and their behavior.
--Submitted by a parent

My children attended Barksdale, and it is an EXCELLENT school. The teachers there care for students as if they are their own. Expectations are high, and, because of that, the school continues to achieve academic success. In reference to the 'loss of recess' for not doing homework...my children wrote their assignments in their planners, and they completed them at night. They knew if they didn't do homework, there would be consequences at school. I would much rather my child lose his/her recess for not doing homework than to be excused and allowed to believe that skimping is okay. Because of the standards to which Barksdale held my children, they are both excelling in middle and high school!
--Submitted by a parent

I am consistently impressed with Barksdale as a place to nurture my child in both education and confidence. We have had constant positive experiences with teachers and administration. When we did experience a particular problem concerning our child last year, Ms. Peggy Vaden, the principal, was both sympathetic and proactive in response. Once the issue was (very quickly) identified and resolved, my son went from crying at the very thought of school to now being disappointed if he has to miss any time at all!
--Submitted by a parent

I have to agree and disagree with some of the reviews here. We did open enrollment to get my son into Barksdale and have been nothing but THRILLED with the results. We are zoned for Moore...meh, went to CA for a year TOTALLY unimpressed (with the school, not my son's teacher) and then came to Barksdale and are totally in love. My son IS on the A honor roll but is also special needs. His first grade teacher noticed is stuttering and high anxiety when it came to test taking and IMMEDIATELY enrolled him with their speech & language pathologist to address this. Not because his stuttering is off the charts but more for his high anxiety when it came to taking a test and because she wants it to be under control for THIRD GRADE! (when the major testing starts) That's how far ahead she is thinking for my child. That's how much they care at Barksdale. She could have easily let it slide and let it be someone else's problem the next year but didn't. He just started 2nd grade and while he is doing fine so far, they are still working with him on his testing and anxiety. They are just fantastic here and care a LOT about all of the students including ones with special needs.
--Submitted by a parent

As another parent stated below, Barksdale is a great school if your child is a good student and doesn't need any extra help. They definitely "teach to the TCAP", but these days it seems that all schools do, so I can hardly fault them for that. Barksdale has amazing teachers who love their students and will spend extra time with them when needed. The PE coaches are phenomenal and make PE fun. At the end of the year they throw the best Field Day ever! It's time for a change of principal, however. She obviously does not value children with special needs and likes to keep them hidden away as much as possible in the "life skills" class which is little more than free babysitting. She wants to make sure no one pulls down those precious test scores, no matter the cost, and once you make her angry, your children WILL pay the price. Not to knock all administration though, the vice principal is caring and friendly and really should be in charge. All that to say, if you have a child with no learning difficulties, Barksdale is the place to go. Otherwise, research Montgomery County carefully! There are MUCH better schools in this town for children with special needs.
--Submitted by a parent

barksdale is an hand on school, they're really pay attention to your student and help them with their problems
--Submitted by a parent

This is an awesome school. I moved my children here from Sango. What a difference. This is an awesome, nurturing, and fun school with good test scores.
--Submitted by a parent

Barksdale is an excellent school. The teachers are truly professional and work well together. My children both love it and have excelled because of the caring atmosphere and high expectations. Each child is valued and my children really feel like a special part of the Barksdale family.
--Submitted by a parent

Barksdale has a great principal, Ms Vaden and she really cares about the school,the teachers and the students. It is a good school if you have a good student but if your student needs individual help there seems to be a missing link for those students.
--Submitted by a parent

Great school! We moved from out of state specifically to the Barksdale zoned area so that my daughter, who has special needs, would attend the best school in the district. Not only is the staff caring and kind, but they also try to accommodate needs that are not being met by the intermittent abscense of therapists from central office. I truly believe that the teachers and administration are interesting and actively working to help my child succeed.
--Submitted by a parent