Woolridge Elementary School

I love Woolridge! I have been a parent here for many years and cannot say enough good things about the teachers. The PTA is wonderful. They need all the help they can get and are very open to new volunteers. If your child has any trouble with bullying, I have found the counselor there to be very helpful. Our children have always had caring teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is a warm, loving and safe environment where all the teachers and students seem truly happy to be there. The pride in the school starts with the principal and goes all the way down to the youngest child. We love our school for so many reasons!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is presently a fifth grader at Woolridge Elembentary School. He has been at Woolridge for six years - starting in Kindergarten. Our experience at Woolridge has been a great one. Woolridge has been a very enriching and nurturing environment for my son. As a parent of an ADHD student I have had regular contact with the school administration and faculty. They have ensured that my son has all that he needs to excel. I have found Woolridge to be a positive environment - lots of enthusiasm from administration and faculty as well as parents. Parent participation at Woolridge is the best! My son has loved being a Woolridge Wildcat - we will miss Woolridge but it's on to our next phase... middle school!
—Submitted by a parent

Great school! My child has loved his elementary school!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent and volunteer. Not a PTA member, but do attend some of the meetings when I can...Trust me, they are begging for people to sign up and help run things!! There are currently committees with no one signed up because there are no interested volunteers (check back pg of ph.bk). I bet you could even be President next year if you said you were interested! This school is not run by an exclusive clique so get out and attend a meeting or make a phone call to see what you can contribute. These busy parents are working overtime with households to run of their own and need some help. To no pictures; There is no professional staff of paid photogs...Submit your own photos to the yearbook committee volunteers and I bet your child will show up next year.
—Submitted by a parent

Exceptional Schools - So much better than my private school experience in Richmond! Absolutely feel like my kids are getting an excellent education and being cared for by compassionate teachers!
—Submitted by a parent

I have a daoughter in 8th grade and the academics are much higher then where i go now i go to community house middle in NC and i am learning things i had learned in 5th grade..likes cells,the teacher mr.alvis was asume and really helped my kids
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are creative and dedicated.
—Submitted by a parent

Great teachers at this school and the adminstration is better than what it was previously. That being said. I DO volunteer, have done so for the last 5 years on a weekly basis, helped with after school activities, carnival, etc...And, YES this school is EXTREMLY Cliquish....if you are not a part of the 'elite board' your kid can forget about being chosen for anything. The kids are the ones that are loosing in this situation, if you don't happen to be a child of the 'board' you can pretty much kiss it goodbye no matter how well behaved, smart, kind, well spoken your child might be.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a volunteer at WES and love working with the staff and teachers. We are very lucky to have so many dedicated parents. All you have to do is show up for a PTA meeting or call someone and you are guaranteed to get involved...The only complainers I hear are the ones who choose not to come and share their time. I haven't been subjected to any 'cliqueish' behavior. I have noticed some of the moms are graduating with their older students and there is alot of work to be done by a few dedicated volunteers. Come work on something and I guarantee your opinions, experience and energy will be rewarded with a great experience for you and your family! They need lots of help on cultural nights, after school enrichment, carnival and many other fun events. Wish I could do more, but I work too...
—Submitted by a parent

Woolridge is an amazing school in an equally amazing community. I run into students who attended the school in years past who still have fond memories of their years there. The teachers are dedicated. The PTA is amazing. Many teachers are parents of current students or parents of former students...that says a lot about a school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is entering 1st grade this year at Woolridge. I agree with the other reviewers that the resource class teachers are awesome. My son's kindergarten teacher was beyond fabulous...organized, warm to both students and parents. The most impressive thing is she never raised her voice to the class. I think the class functioned so well because the students knew what was expected. I think the new principal and vice principal have been very receptive to my concerns. As for bullying, my son luckily has yet to be the recipient of this. I do agree that the school is extremely clickish and that is why I have not volunteered for the PTA. The same group of parents run everything and woe to those who go against the stream. Those same parents also have all of their kids in the yearbook. Only pic of my son was his headshot for his class.
—Submitted by a parent

I cannot say enough about how wonderful woolridge elementary is in all areas. The administration as doing a wonderful job as are the teachers. The pta does many great things for the school. You only have to look at the money raised each year to see their success and I feel they are constantly encouraging everyone to get involved. As a parent I have always felt welcomed in the classroom although sometimes the office staff are not quite so warm and friendly. The real success of the school can be seen in the great kids that are there. Thank you so much Mrs Edwards, her staff, PTA volunteers and children. You are awesome!
—Submitted by a parent

Transfered our 2 kids out Of Woolridge due to bullying.Huge disappointment in this school.We had our 2 kids transferred out after 3 years.Constant bullying,and no resolution was provided by adminstration or teachers to stop the bullying.Our special needs child had exceptional teachers,but there hands were tied when it came to dealing with the bullies.After 3 years,we moved to Clover Hill.Like night and day difference,at Clover Hill all children are responsible for their actions.Unlike Woolridge where if you are the child of a 'core group' of parents,your child can get away with anything.Sadly,this 'core group' are allowed to control everything from the PTA,field trips, parties, and most of the sporting events locally.Sadly,Woolridge has become a very cliquish society of a 'core group' of parents.Move your kids to Clover Hill if you want a safer and all around better learning environment for your children.
—Submitted by a parent

Look at the data/ratings/comments for other schools in this area/Chesterfield, and you will see that Woolridge is rated well below others in the area.PTA stands for Parent Teacher Administration where open dialogue can occur on a monthly basis with all teachers & parents.Enough said.This school has potential in the teachers who can return this school to greatness.Its sad when your school is ran by a small group of parents who are adult bullies who children bully others consistently. Its a sad state of affairs. Thankfully,Woolridge is getting new leadership who can help create a more friendly and peaceful environment where hopefully all are welcomed and heard.
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of academic programs at Woolridge is exceptional when compared to other elementary schools in the Midlothian area and across the state. Teacher quality is the cornerstone of the school's success. Teachers at all levels create a classroom environment that contributes to student success and achievemnt in all areas. The resource classes (art, music, PE, and technology)are among the very best. Woolridge is a fully accredited school and has consistently exceeded its targeted assessment goals. Parent involvement is no different than at any other school. There is a core group of highly dedicated and motivated parents who make up the PTA board/committees and who make wonderful things happen for our children. There are also parents who help in less visible ways. Finally, there are ample opportunities for parent involvement within the school. One simply needs to fill out a PTA questionaire and then volunteer when asked.
—Submitted by a teacher

Lets hope this school will change for the better when new adminstration is put in place in July.Woolridge is a cold unwelcoming environment that is not open to parent interaction.PTA is a joke!No Parent-Teacher-Adminstration meetings only the PTA board, no Teachers, no parents (we are not welcome)!Hopefully,the new leadership in July will kick out this group of people and fix this problem and bring our school back to greatness!The one light in this school is the Art, Music, and P.E teachers.Bullying is a big problem in all grades, and not much is done to solve it.Very scary.Even the current admin. are lacking greatly in people skills.A lot of the learning time is devoted to reading and AR/accelerated learning points;however, more time needs to be given to the other subject areas especially in the 3-5 grades!Very glad that my child only has one year left here!
—Submitted by a parent

Woolridge Elementary has provided a wonderful education to our son for the last 5 years. My husband has actually commuted to jobs so we would not have to move and change schools. We are EXTREMELY happy with the administration, especially Mr. Monroe, and all the teachers and staff. All the resource teachers are extremely talented and have a pure love for their students. My son has participated in the after school enrichment sessions each year. We look forward to sending our second child to Woolridge next year and have recommended to school to prospective neighbors. A big thumbs up!
—Submitted by a parent

We are extremely happy to have our 3 children at Woolridge. We came from the north and found this school to excel in all areas of academics. My kids have gotten a fabulous education. The music phys ed and art programs are wonderful. This has been a great experience for our kids. The special ed dept has been wonderful for our child. Recommend this school any time!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a definate dissapointment.Its a cold, unwelcoming environment from the moment you enter the front doors. Little to ZERO communication is giving to the parents about what the children are actually working on. Their is not a open line of communication whatsoever as to what the children will be working on for the next 9 weeks.Sadly, bullies reign supreme at this school, while nice caring children are shut out. Hopefully with the retirement of some adminstration this year, the environment will change with the leadership change. One bright spot is definately the Gym, Music and Art teachers!
—Submitted by a parent