Churchland Elementary School

The teachers and the staff are great. There is little to no involvement with our principal. I believe this hurts our school.
—Submitted by a parent

Sadly, this is my childs last year at this school. We will miss every teacher and staff member at CE Schooll. This school has excellent teachers and strong leadership. The academics are challenging enough to prepare the students for the SOL's. I would like to see more volunteering by parents; it seems to be the same parents/grandparents helping out at each event and the same people in the PTA too. Our family loves this school and plan to enjoy our last year there!
—Submitted by a parent

I am less than impressed with this school! I chose to live in my neighborhood based on the initial research I did about Churchland Elemnetary School. Back then (2009) the school had higher SOL scores and rave reviews about the principal and teachers' dedication to the students, but I have seen the total opposite in my daughter's two years there. She is currently attending this school for first grade and I am reasearching other district options to pull her out! The teachers are less than motivating, focus on the childern's negatives and her particular teacher seems to hate her job! I have met with her numerous times about various "issues" she has with my daughter, tried to work different startegies with her for success for my child, only to keep meeting the same result--HER NEGATIVITY and my daughter's decreasing self-esteem because of it. If you have the option, pick a better., more dedicated school. Your child deserves the best! Don't be fooled by old reviews! I was.
—Submitted by a parent

The staff & teachers are awesome, the parents are awesome and the students are awesome. The teachers take a sincere interest in the students which is why the SOL scores are so high!
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in the 4th grade and has attended this school for his entire school time. I absolutely love the school. The teachers are dedicated and very good, the office staff is extremely friendly. Not only do they know my child's name but they know mine, too. Even the janitors say hi when you walk by them in the hall. The teachers care very much for the students and really want them to do well, as do the administrators. The class sizes are starting to get a little large but it hasn't seemed to affect performance at all. Again, this school is great and I wouldn't want my child to go anywhere else.
—Submitted by a parent

Overall this is an above average school for the area. However I have some huge issues with class size, undisciplined children, zone-waivers and the lack of a gymnasium. The teachers are wonderful yet I feel they're getting overwhelmed. How can my child learn in a class size of 25+. This is not a Title I school yet children zoned for the Title I school are taking resources that would have been available for our kids. This web site states the class size is 16 per teacher which is true if you take the PreK and Kindergarten classes which have 2 per class. Even K, 1st and 2nd grade classes have 25+ students. Ofen the kids don't have PE or recess since there is no gymnasium and the playground may be wet or too cold. Our kids need to exercise their bodies as well as their brains. -Concerned Parent
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in his second year at CES and we are extremely pleased with how well he is doing in 2nd grade. We feel comfortable communicating with the teachers and administration at any time. Our son attended a parochial school K-3 through his first term of 1st grade prior to starting at CES. We were initially concerned he would not be as challenged...we were incorrect. Our only concern has been class size; our son has complained he trips over chairs and 'can't spread out to do his work'. All in all we feel grateful that CES has been a good fit for our son.
—Submitted by a parent

We transferred both our children from Churchland Academy to Churchland Elementary last year. We are on the NCLBA. (Although CAES passed SOL's, they failed to meet other criteria.) This school is wonderful! From the office to the teaching staff, it is a world of differenence. The leadership provided by Ms. Ramey (the principal) is exemplary. We could not be happier!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is currently in the 6th grade and has attended Churchland Elementary School since kindergarten. This is his last year and I couldn't have wished for a better educational experience for my child. Considering the outstanding SOL scores, the school is on par with some of the best in the state. Of course parents who don't reside in the zone want their children to attend; it's an excellent school. I haven't observed 'stressed out teachers and faculty' nor a lack of 'one on one' attention for my child. For the last seven years, our experience has been quite the contrary and my son's education certainly hasn't suffered any ill-effects due to students attending the school on a waiver. How absurd. Obviously, the most valid and important indicator of a school's performance are the test scores, not where the students reside. We will dearly miss CES.
—Submitted by a parent

Churchland Elementary is a wonderful school full of caring teachers, specialists, support staff and administrators. My child has attended CES for the past two school years. We had tried for several years to zone waiver our child here because of the outstanding test scores but were unsuccessful because of the large number of zone waiver requests received each year. My child does attend under a No Child Left Behind waiver (which is no longer available) and will continue to attend until she completes the 6th grade. She is treated no differently than any other child attending this school. My child's class size is no different than when she was at her previous school. We also love this school for the support it receives from the PTA and the entire bussiness community.
—Submitted by a parent

Churchland Elementary was, once, a great school. The biggest problem now stems from outrageous class sizes due to uncontrolled student waivers. No other city in Hampton Roads allows parents to choose whatever school they wish their child to attend regardless of the school zone in which the child resides. What this means for Churchland Elementary is simple. Stressed out teachers and faculty, less 'one on one' attention for our children, and a PTA Board with 35% of its officers being parents of children attending the school on a waiver. Something is wrong here. When does the madness stop? Every school in every school zone needs accountable and involved parents tending to the needs of its students and faculty. The district elementary schools ALL need to work together if we are to prepare ALL of our children for Middle School. Short term fixes will not, in any way, provide long term solutions.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is excellent. The teachers sincerely care about the children's education and work hard to provide it. The Principal and assistant Principal are also excellent. You know the children love the school & the principal when the Principal is given a dozen red roses by a student on the first day of school! The PTA is very involved. There are several parents who volunteer their own time as well. I agree there are many children attending who are not zoned to attend CES. I'm not sure whether parents have lied for the children to attend CES or they have gotten waivers but it is affecting the class sizes negatively. Overall, I'm very glad my children attend CES.
—Submitted by a parent

Churchland Elementary School has been an outstanding help for me and my son who has ADHD. He has been blessed for two years with excellent teachers who have stood by him and helped him make it through difficult situations. Not only where the teachers helpful, but the principle as well. I am very grateful for all they have done! Thank you CES.
—Submitted by a parent

The school year is young, but so far Churchlad Elementary is wonderful! The school is small, everyone is friendly, all the teachers know my child's name, even the crossing guards seem to love their jobs. I think the biggest problem this school has is that people lie about where they live to get their children in there. I walk my son to school, he eats the free breakfast before going to class. They have a great play ground, music program, art program, physical fitness program, parent and teacher involvement is high. We absolutely love this school. My son is in first grade and I look forward to seeing him grow up attending this school. The classes are small, the teachers spend a lot of one-on-one time with the children, the PTA is strong, we couldn't have hoped for a better school!
—Submitted by Stephanie, a parent

I also have a child who is ADHD. Our experience with CES has been mixed. I feel academically my child has received an excellent education over the last two years at CES. My child currently has an outstanding teacher who has made every effort to work with my child's ADHD limitations; and she has very good communication skills. My child's previous teacher was not as gifted; and did not respond to many of our messages. In the two years my child attended CES we made several inquiries through the two teachers about setting up an IEP that were either not answered, or discouraged. We feel this is an excellent school if your child does not have special needs; but may be lacking in knowledge and skills for handling behavioral special needs children.
—Submitted by a parent

I have one child who went to CES from 1st-5th grade and one who is currently a third grader. The faculty, staff and PTA here is amazing and works together as a team for the benefit of all the children. My children have not required any special attention, but I know that if it was needed it would have been available from each of the wonderful teachers they have had. The teachers not only work hard in the classrooms, but most of them have volunteered many hours outside of regular school hours to assist the PTA with fundraising projects. I have volunteered many hours at the school and know most of the teachers, and can honestly say that I would be happy to have my child in any of their classes. Churchland Elementary School is the best!
—Submitted by a parent

I have a child who is being treated for ADHD. She has been a student here for 2 years. We are now about to move and can't stand the thought of having to leave this school. This school is great. The teachers worked with us in helping to educate, discipline, guide, and develop self esteem in our children. The dedication this staff possess is amazing. SOL testing is a very, very serious time at this school. They devote so much time to studying and preparing their students. Some teachers even come in early and ask if you can bring your child in before school starts if they feel this child may need additional help. Overall, this school is by far the best elementary school in this area. The SOL scores prove this!
—Submitted by a parent