Oakmont Elementary School

My son attended kindergarten at this school and had a terrible experience. This school came highly recommended by a local private school; however, based on our personal experience, I cannot support this recommendation. The school seems plagued by overcrowding, lack of communication, and a general lack of support from the homeowners in the area. The administration also appears to have a general sense of the community and it's inhabitants which may not be accurate (low income, lack of involvement). My son's self confidence suffered immensely and I can truly state he learned nothing. His teacher seemed overwhelmed and disenfranchised. I do feel that the school principals were exceptional and extremely supportive; however, this value did not seem to transfer well to the staff. He has now transferred to a private school and his response has been exceptional. Being new to the community, this experience has definitely impacted my perception of the Crowley school district.
—Submitted by a parent

I am so ready to move my children away from oakmont! Teachers & front office staff are horrible @ communicating.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a fantastic school. We are new to the area and have been made to feel very welcome. Any concerns are dealt with promptly and the school has a good zero tolerance for bullying and teasing. Teachers are dedicated and enthusiastic. The principal is friendly and professional. Highly recommended!
—Submitted by a parent

My nephew attends this school and loves it. He was in second grade last year and enjoyed the class he was in as well as his teachers. His teacher had a rewards program in which they received school bucks throughout the week that they could redeem at the end of the week for toys or other goodies.

Now that the current administration has had two years to correct Mr. Lincolns mess, this school seems to be headed back to the old days of glory. The down fall to this school seems to be only one thing. The teachers at Oakmont work very hard in preparing the students only to find some parents not re-enforcing what has been taught at school.
—Submitted by a parent

Our Daughter goes to this school. She started in the kindergarten and has had the most exceptional teachers since. Mrs Pennell, Ms Leavitt and Ms Derouen. The staff is great, the Old Principal Mr Charles Lincoln was awesome and the new Principal Ms Kim Scoggins is excellent too. The PTA is awesome and the parents are well connected. Our child comes home with straight A's the teachers we have had, work hard with her to achieve those standards of excellence and as responsible parents we have always reciprocated with our support. Overall its a excellent school and we are glad to be a part of the Oakmont family .
—Submitted by a parent

My child has gone to this school since kindergarten and is in fourth grade. His first year at Oakmont started with the most wonderful teacher, Ms. Carlton. She made the transition a wonderful experience for he and us. He has had wonderful teachers each year, although all of them have had very different teaching styles, through support from home, and his efforts he adapted well and is an A/B student. One of the things I have been most impressed with is the monitoring of the students before, during, and after school. My child was never subject to being around much older children unsupervised when he was younger, which I liked. They also have zero tolerance for bullying. All of the teachers and staff care about all of the students. The PTA is great, and the parent network is better than most.
—Submitted by a parent

Our teacher is wonderful. She is not overly stern and manages her pupils efficiently while providing a warm environment. Some of the support staff is overly stern and cranky. Feels like a military school when these people are roaming the halls or helping out somewhere. I am there often and this negative attitude is constant with these folks.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Oakmont last year and we loved it! Ms. Biemeret is an excellent teacher! We were so impressed with this school and very disappointed when our daughter had to leave to attend a different school in the district. Our only complaint is the over-flow system used by CISD. If they are going to put a student in a school, they should allow the student to remain there until they 'graduate.'
—Submitted by a parent

Our family really like this school, the teachers we have ha are wonderful and most all of the staff is great. The only thing we really have issues with is the fact that there are so many children in that school that sometimes the ones that are having problems with certain areas of school work are not helped as quickly as they should be. The parent involvement in my opinion could be better after all they are our children. There is also too much emphasis on these TAX test.
—Submitted by a parent

This school does not cater to academically challenged children. My fourth grader failed even after several interventions such as tutoring and teacher change. The leadership of the school is very poor! Very uninvolved! As a parent, I had to initiate all correspodance between teacher and staff! Unless your child is at least a B student, this school's not for you! I will say that the PTA is wonderful, and my other two children are happy! Thumbs up for K-3rd grade! My reviews reflect 4th grade.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a fine school. Ethnically mixed but everyone gets along fine. Very nice teachers and staff.
—Submitted by a teacher

School has struggled to keep up with growth. Overall, school is good with mostly high quality teachers who are willing to offer tutoring, and test scores remain really good. There is a lack of art instruction available - it's offered only occasionally and especially for creative kids, that could be a major drawback. The gifted program begins in third grade and for younger children who need the supplement, that could be avoid.
—Submitted by a parent

Oakmont Elementary started its life as an exemplary school in the late '90s. Unfortunately, it has gone down in status over the past couple of years as more lower income families move into the area, although it did make 'recognized' for the 2004-2005 academic year. Most of the teachers are hard working and interested in providing a good education to the kids. Another indication of the school is that the PTA is very involved and active. All in all, Oakmont is a good school if it remains at its current level and does not degrade further.
—Submitted by a parent

Teacher bias in this school....some teachers have their own children here and if your child is not in their child's circle of friends then they are treated differently.....kids who are in the circle of friends are not made to follow rules and guidelines...it's now a popularity contest at Oakmont...very 'clickish' not all students are equal...some teachers unprofessional in this area...
—Submitted by a parent

Poorly run school under the new administration. In addition, the Crowley School District has a very 'bare bones' curriculum. Nothing offered except for teaching children to take a state test. Also, I pay some of the highest property taxes in the state for the priviledge.
—Submitted by a parent

Daughter completed 1st grade with great experience. Saxon math, Open court reading system, great parent support, active PTA. Music once/week, P.E. four/week, art taught by classroom teacher. Solid teachers, new principal. Wonderful school!
—Submitted by a parent

Not very academically challenging.
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of education has been diminished ever since new administrations took over. Crowley ISD is going down slowly in general but Oakmont is the worst. Many good teachers have left for other schools. The only pearl left is an excellent gifted program and a responsible Eagle teacher. Take your kids and run away if they are not in the Eagle.
—Submitted by a parent

The academics are great. The teachers teach what they're supposed to and they care about the students. they have a wonderful music and art program and the parents are very involved. Many are on the PTA.
—Submitted by a former student