Pope Elementary School

My daughter is a current kindergartner at this school. I have had two incidents so far with the school that are yet to be resolved. The first is my daughter received 19 insect bites on one leg while playing on the playground in pants and the teacher did not even notice until a few days later when she was caught trying to apply antihistamine cream to herself in class because she did not receive proper medical attention from the school staff. ( I did not send her to school with this creme). The second issue so far in my first six weeks of dealing with this school is I called the school one afternoon about 2:45 PM to explain I was stuck in traffic and would be late to pick her up. I was reassured she would be waiting in the front office when I arrived. She was not. They did not know where she was nor who had picked her up. Turns out she was allowed to go home with an unauthorized person that one of the other children at the school introduced to her and offered her a ride home. I still do not know who this person is to date even after speaking with Mrs. Kilgore. She did not make me feel reassured my child was safe at her school. Thank god my kid was ok.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a very nice school..My nephew goes there and they are so helpful with him.. He is learning so many things, everyday he comes home with all these new topics he is learning.

I had a total of 4 children attend this school. I withdrew the youngest two b/c the needs of the children for gifted and talented were not being met. When concerns arose about a teacher, the responsibility was placed back on the parents to resolve the issue. There has been a sharp decline in the quality of the education. The last straw was the overcrowded classroom (24 in a k-2 class) with multiple behavior problem children and no regular teacher's aide to assist.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to this school from K-6 and all I can say is that it really isn't that great of a school. When you are in sixth grade, all they do is baby you. By the principal, she never supported us. She never attended any events that were important to the school. The school isn't that good. When I was in sixth grade, I wanted to move to Butler Elementary School. As far as fighting, there was really nothing going on. But they took off the monkey bars... and once you got older you had less and less time of recess. I didn't like it there. The cafeteria staff was also real mean and rude.

When my son transferred in from another school district, Pope was very snobbish. I was told my son would be behind since, all other schools were not as great as theirs. The principal is always pushing for TAKS scores to be higher. My son was passing all of his classes and missed the TAKS by a couple of points, in one subject, so they held him back one year. I felt they could have kept him with the rest of his classmates, and just worked with him a little more. I do not feel that a school should teach to a test, but to the individual student. They want your money to join the PTA, but not a lot of encouragement to help.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been a teacher and a parent at Pope for over a decade. I have never been so proud to be a part of a faculty before. We support each other and our students. My children have grown by leaps and bounds due to the exceptional teachers they've had at Pope. I am highly motivated by my co-workers and feel blessed to have my kids there. They are doing very well because of they great teachers employed at our school who work to reach students of all abilities. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. You will love Pope's campus and your child will leave prepared for junior high.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree...I believe the school is declining, and a big reason is due to becoming title one last year. The school is more concerned about getting the extra money by busing kids in, than keeping up their reputation as a great school. My daughter does not qualify for speech, even though she has in every other school she has attended. I just wonder if a child not living in the tax paying area is filling her spot. I am very dissapointed in this school and can not wait to move and find a better school for my children. We have been lucky the last two years and had great teachers. I just think administration is lacking and to blame
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children that have attended Pope for the past seven years and we will not be returning next year with our youngest. Principal leadership is significantly lacking and/or has declined over the past few years. Pope does have some extraordinary teachers and go above their normal teaching duties. Pope does teach and tutor for students to pass the TAKS test. The PTA and Dad's Club are great but are not fully supported by the Principal, Ms. Kilgore. Extracurricular activities only occur if a dedicated teacher wants to put forth the extra time and effort, but again, is not supported by Ms. Kilgore, you do not see her at these events. An overall decline in parental and student involvement is evident. If moving to this area or if you have a child starting kindergarten please ask around for unbiased opinions.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a first grader, fourth grader and fifth grader attending this school. I usually interact with the children and staff at the school my children have attended in the past. I only feel comfortable talking to the office staff, the PE teacher and my first graders teacher. This school I did not get that welcome feeling. Lunchtime is the worst (talk about miltary chow time). This school also seems a little socially bias and this is a discussion for another review board. I can say I honestly gave it a chance , unfortunately this will be my first and last year at Pope.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has a great PTA & Dad's club that cares about the kids.
—Submitted by Donald Moore, a parent

Pope is a great school..I think they focus more outward than inward. The appearance is there, but the education is lacking. It needs to be more challenging. The teachers are nice and kids are wonderful, but no long term values are set here...it's a test school if you will...only learn what you can for the TAKS so teachers and principals can get a bonus. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't pull my kid out and put them in any other school. As I said the education may need a little work, but the family, kids and teachers are really amazing.
—Submitted by a parent

Both of my children attend Pope and we are transfers. We wouldn't go anywhere else. The teachers are very encouraging and there are lots of extras like a Star Gazers club and Battle of the Books for the children to participate in. I love this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Pope is a great school for kids that are average or above. I have one child that went 2nd - 6th there, and two others that are still there. I have found that above-average learners are not challenged as much as they could be, and below-average learners are not given the extra support they need. There are some fantastic teachers, but there are also some that need to retire. Overall, Pope truly is a special school, but it has its problems.
—Submitted by a parent

The academic programs are very good as are their art and music departments. They have wonderful extracurricular programs such as 'Books for Breakfast' and the chess club.
—Submitted by a parent

As public schools go, this is a good school. The faculty have been very helpful with academic concerns with attention deficit disorder and any modifications that need to be made for their educational needs. I recommend this school to anyone moving into the Arlington area.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the second year has attended Pope as a transfer student. His first year we had a phenomenal teacher (Mrs Wisbrock). However, this year both my son have been greatly disappointed by his teacher. She is unfair and not willing to take responsibility for any problems within the classroom. She favors girls to an extreme. She does not listen to the kids if they have a problem with an assignment-she tells them she has already explained how to do the work and won't again. I spoke to the principal a number of times and nothing was/had done. I am not the only partent with a problem with this teacher either. He will not be attending a 3rd year due to this particular teacher.
—Submitted by a parent

The committment of the teachers to have a one on one relationship is exceptionally good. Ranked #13 amongst 250 schools in 24 districts in the middle income category. School is very diverse and sits in a quiet subdivision. School boundaries include the wealthiest and also impoverished kids in Arlington, yet no one would know it, including the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

I love Pope Elementary. I have subbed there for a couple of months and enjoyed it so much. The teachers there are awesome and are very involved in the student's learning process.
—Submitted by a staff

This is my son's first year at Pope, and I am so elated that we transfered here. He's in second grade, and I feel as though we got here just in time. The teachers have been so helpful, and the principals are always available to see you. Even though we will be transferring out of the area soon, you can believe that I'll be willing to pay the extra fee to send him here next year. We have both had such an enjoyable year here.
—Submitted by a parent

Both of my daughters are still at Pope. We have moved out of the area. And we are paying the transfer fees to have them there. Great school. My daughters love going to school. They are learning at a higher level. I wouldn't take them out of Pope for anything. Great teachers!
—Submitted by a parent