Walnut Springs Elementary School

My kids have been at WSE for several years now and they both love it. What frustrates me the most is the amount of coloring / worksheets I see being used in the primary grades. I see a lot of 'busy work' and the amount of differentiation / hands on learning is lacking. The teachers are positive and devoted, although parent communication could be improved. My kids rarely cause trouble, therefore, I never hear anything at all from the teachers. A positive phone call every grading period could really improve the parent / teacher communication.
—Submitted by a parent

The school alone is not bad, but the administration could be more involved with the students. If your child has a learning disability this probably is not the district for you. Their are just not enough programs implemented for children with disabilites. Also, the parent teatcher communication is very poor. That's the biggest thing I hear from other parents as well.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is lovely. The administrators really care about the students and are very approachable. Most of the teachers are wonderful, caring and work hard to inspire their students. That said, there is one teacher to avoid. She is emotionally abusive to students. Difficult to work with. The principal needs to remove that teacher...she is the one negative about an otherwise wonderful school.

The teachers are the best. They work hard every day to make sure they provide a quality and creative education.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school system and community. Can't beat it.
—Submitted by a parent

The staff, parents and most of all kids are amazing! Not to metion the exemplary ratings WSES gets. Go Walnut & Go Tigers!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I was afraid to take my son back to school after having his tonsils and adenoids removed last week, but the Walnut Springs Elementary School staff was awesome. The nurse called me early this morning to confirm his care, and his teacher was vigil. What was I thinking??? We are blessed.
—Submitted by a parent

I love Walnut Springs because the students are wonderful, the parents are supportive, and the teachers are dedicated.

Teachers work hard to make sure the kids are having fun learning. When they have fun with it, it sticks for a long time. What a great staff. I couldn't hand pick them better than that.
—Submitted by a parent

WSE has an incredible staff and awesome parents. Everyone is anxious to help and love on our kiddos.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in 3rd grade and my daughter is in 5th grade at WSES. After attending this school for 6 months, my children have gone from loving and being excited about learning to not wanting to go to school at all. Between the bullying (by teachers and kids) and lack of challenging cirriculum, we are sorely disappointed. They teach to the lowest standard and have no interest in helping find a place for kids who are ahead. They just ignore them until they are on the same low page as everyone else. There is absolutely no communication from anyone at the school and TAKS is their main concern. We should have never put our kids in this environment and are actively looking for alternatives.
—Submitted by a parent

I love WSES... My 3 children are getting an excellent education here. The teachers are caring and creative. I do not see the daily TAKS drilling that I have seen in other schools. I feel like my kids are prepared for whatever test comes their way because of the quality of instruction. Both the principal and assistant principal are involved and visible. The entire staff at WSES seems excited about their job everyday. My youngest daughter is in special ed. and I have been very impressed with the level of service and the expertise of the staff.
—Submitted by a parent

WSE is awesome!! We love the new principal and the staff is great. My 3rd grader is a GT student and all of her needs are being met. She is in love with school. My 1st grader is thrilled to go to school and loves his teacher. TAKS is a reality and we just have to live with it until more people get involved in education in this state. If you're not involved you really can't complain. I feel as though my kids are getting the best education possible (including private schooling).
—Submitted by a parent

I am in total agreement with the majority here. This school IS test driven. There are too many 'PC' people in this town.
—Submitted by a parent

My son in first grade, and my daughter in second grade both attend this school. I highly recommend it. My son has needed assistance in speech and other specialized areas, and the school has been great. As with all schools, the teacher makes all difference.we have been very fortunate in both grades. None of us really agree with the TAKS curriculum, but it is mandatory. Overall, we are very, very pleased here.
—Submitted by a parent

I strongly believe the tests scores in the district are high because the students are drilled daily on them. Seems like the principal is more concerned with good test scores then anything else. I think the pressure these kids have with taking these tests are unreal. Our teacher this year is wonderful, I am happy there, but like any other school, it is pretty much the luck of the draw as far as a teacher can go.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is in 5th grade at this so called 'recognized' school. We are unsure what the recognition is for? The teachers are unmotivated, unaccomodating and set in their old fashioned teaching styles. It is overcrowded, undiversified and the Principal still remains unknown and untouchable to us and the year is nearly over. There are no routine teacher/parent conferences. There are limited to no extracurricular functions as it is overcrowded and parking is an issue. This school is test result driven so as to achieve the 'recognized' status and additional funding although the property taxes we pay for DS district are already through the roof all at the cost of my childs day to day learning. Thus far we are not impressed, should have stayed in California, free from the stress of the mandatory TAKS testing and the many other negatives this school and the Texas education system has to offer.
—Submitted by a parent

Dripping Springs Intermediate School is a great school. The entire staff is dedicated and strives to meet each and every student's needs. While no school is perfect, DSI comes as close as you can get. With all the demands that are put on schools today, it is amazing how well DSI meets the challenge. My child's experience has been very positive.
—Submitted by a parent

This school district is a white flight community. This campus has teachers who are opposed to diversity education. The science department has an incredible lab provided by their PTA that is not utilized by the teachers. My daughter went to a science lab twice in the 5th grade and not once in the 4th grade. It is an upper middle class community that is proud of the fact we have few minorities. They have high test scores because they drill and teach the 'test' daily. Classisim is thriving.
—Submitted by a parent