White Rock North School

Cleanliness is an issue. There never seemed to be soap in the classrooms or bathrooms. Teacher concerns fell on deaf ears! 3 year olds doing pencil and paper work instead of hands on acitivies like sand/water play, nursery ryhmes, fingerplays, etc. is not appropriate. Children need social, emotional and physical stimulation. The general lack of respect for teachers' time, families and sanity is sad. Also when children are sick there is no nurse; nor do they send out alerts!
—Submitted by a parent

I am an alumni of this school and made a very conscious decision to send my kids back to my alma mater. I would challenge anyone to fill Mrs. Adams' shoes and try for just one day to juggle all that she does. Better yet, come in and be a part of making this great school even better. Any parent that thinks she's unapproachable must not really know her. She keeps me laughing all of the time and I find it charming that she taught me and is now teaching my kids!
—Submitted by a parent

Unique campus with great academic programs...well above that of a public school. A lack of organized sports is easily overcome by involvement in the community sport association. Parent involvement can be lacking, but that's at their own choice. The school is family-run BUSINESS and has been around for 40+ years...I think that speaks for itself. The principal does a fine job with the ever changing environment (turn-over). But, you can always go pay 25-50% more in tuition for your child to attend a religious private school sans horse, pool, skating rink. Or, just keep paying your taxes and send your child to the local public school...again, sans horse, pool, and skating rink. I'm pleased with my experience at WRN, to say the least. I can't say the same for the parents I've met here. Very demanding group of individuals (perhaps they should open their own schools).
—Submitted by a parent

It was with great sorrow that I learned the excellent head of the upper school would not be returning for the 2007 school year. I have had children at this school for five years and have been overall very satisfied. I believe that the head of the school was almost wholly responsible for the quality of the teaching staff and the curriculum and for the wonderful safe and homey atmosphere.
—Submitted by a parent

We believe, the WRNS family business gets in the way of this school realizing its full potential. Apparently it wasn't this way 40 years ago when it began, but generations change. I'm yet another disgruntled parent who is now forced to look at other schools.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a former WRN student, I can tell you that I tried to be involved, but the school often gets in the way of keeping strong teachers and other decisions that would benefit the school. This has not been a great back to school so far.
—Submitted by a parent

White Rock North School has been a complete disappointment to my husband and me. Overall, the quality of the education is just not there for the tuition dollars. We thought our kids would have more advantages by attending a small, private, family-run school, but we have found a much better school experience with our local public school.
—Submitted by a parent

Completely agree - poor, poor administration and prinipal leadership. Common themes here.
—Submitted by a parent

We were at this school for a while. I have to say that we believe that the negative reviews of the administration more accurately represent our experience. At first we thought that the negative vibe here was just a few folks, but over time we came to realise that it is the general consensus. The class size does contribute to the positive teacher feedback, but we felt that our children's social development was severely hampered . The negative reviews should serve as a warning.
—Submitted by a parent

Have been at White Rock for 5 years. My son graduated last year and he and his classmates scored very highly on the entrance tests that they took to get into Junior High. Excellent academics! My daughter in 2nd Grade is working a grade level ahead and achieving excellent grades. This is a very safe, nurturing school with great teachers and an excellent PE and Music program. The families are great, very involved with their children. The school is affordable, meals are excellent, and the after school program is very convenient for working parents. Discipline is good. Tour the school and see for yourself.
—Submitted by a parent

Have been at this school for a while and there are some great teachers and some not so great. The administration is terrible. It's a shame because the school is potentially great. Wish someone else would buy it and turn it into a good school.
—Submitted by a parent

White Rock starts off great first impression, but it doesn't last for the long run. Good teachers, the low cost, and location are appealing, but I was greatly dissatisfied with the quality of the administration and the principal's ability to lead the school. I think this severely hampers the school's future. We were initially attracted to the school's curriculum like art, Spanish, music and swimming. (There are no athletics, however.) I found the teachers were above average. They were genuinely excited about the students. We were forewarned about the administration but discounted it at first. Unfortunately it proved to be an issue for us like many other parents. Why take the risk with our child's educational success? We moved on to other options.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter absolutely loves going to school! She has two of the best teachers; Ms. Gran and Ms. Susan ( there is a 3rd teacher, but we just met her). It is apparent that these two teachers love their job and love the children! I have seen such an awesome change in Madelyn's behavior, vocabulary, and her overall abilities to communicate with us. She is two 1/2 years old and she and the rest of her classmates can say the pledge of allegiance, tell the name of the school and where it is at, tell what city and state they live in, and more. If you have a child who is about to turn 2, then I would, without hesitation, recommend that you have the pleasure, and experience of having these two wonderful people as your child's teacher!
—Submitted by heather tafolla, a parent

I can't say enough about White Rock North Private School. It is wonderful because the children work ahead of there grade level and they are very polite. Everything is great about this school, my 2 kids go there now and are so sad that they have leave for the summer. Not for long they also have a wonderful summer program. I love this school and will keep my children there for as long as I can. :)
—Submitted by a former student

It's important for any parent to understand that yes, there are some wonderful educators at the school. We moved on to another school after too many negative experiences with the head of school and the teachers' hands were always tied by the management. It's a shame.
—Submitted by a parent

I beg to differ, I think the principal cares a great deal about the students.My daughter had a wonder experience, and I love the class sizes were small and the home room teacher was wonderful. Rena Lawrence
—Submitted by rena lawrence, a parent

When we were there, we were frustrated with the lax approach to security (high foot traffic in and out of the building with little to no supervision on who was in and out of the school).
—Submitted by a parent

The director of the elementary school is strong however there are a lot of issues with the principal's leadership as others have noted. The class size seems to have gotten smaller (combined grades in the same classroom).
—Submitted by a parent

Despite having a few excellent teachers, the principal brings this school to new lows. Unfortunately for students and parents, the few good teachers that they have are severely overshadowed by those ultimately in charge. If I were you, and I was you at one time, I would dismiss this school as a possibility and pursue any other option that you have.
—Submitted by a parent

We didn't last long at this school. The principal has no business being in this environment. None whatsoever. I would warn parents to look elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent