Baylake Pines School

Not a great experience for our family -ancient workbooks for EVERY child. No independent teaching at all and for what we are paying, I expect more than that. Same homework, boring worksheets for every child. We will not be returning. My child has not been challenged at all and I am afraid is behind academically.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at BLP but we have found it to be nurturing and challenging, with a lot of parent involvement. Children are given every opportunity to learn, and these opportunities are individualized depending on students' strengths and weaknesses, so that children may go above and beyond in subjects of strength. Our child's teacher cares about their character development, and the small class size allows her to get to know them well. Highly recommend.
—Submitted by a parent

This has been a fine experience for our children. The kids have been treated fairly and have been given an opportunity to learn. We fell very fortunate to have found this gem of school in the Hampton Roads area.
—Submitted by a parent

This review I read posted below was true for me. I went to Baylake for two years and had the most self-esteem crushing time of my life: "Past reviews I feel are very important now- "Principal is VERY controlling.. Minimal parent involvement encouraged" - "disappointed in the principal.. amount of control & power she has" - atmosphere of intimidation among staff & director - warned 'not to get on her bad side!' Wonder why the upper classes are small? This "atmosphere" isn't confined to staff, a caste like system filters entire school. A child can also be on the "outs list" which = psycological damage & pain" SO TRUE! PLEASE DON'T PUT YOUR LOVED ONES THROUGH THIS!!

My nieces and nephews attend this school and they absolutely love it! The teachers are friendly and enjoy teaching!

If you're looking for an accelerated curriculum, a nurturing environment with individualized, student focused teaching, an award winning foreign language program, PE and recess daily, music and art instruction/appreciation, as well as open communication in a non-institutional environment, this is the place. We live in the "top rated public school district" (quoted from our Va. Pilot newspaper) but not every place is for every child. Its the parent's responsibility to determine what that is. Our experience (over 6 years with 2 children) is that the lines of communication are wide open between the teachers, administration and parents, family involvement and input is encouraged (and should be required- after all, its your child) and there is a ton of love at BLP. Its hearbreaking to hear about any child having a negative experience at any school. Hopefully the Oct. 2010 poster found a better fit for his/her child. Would be curious to hear about the rest of that story (what drove the initial school change, etc.) By the way, I went through our VB public schools and turned out just fine.
—Submitted by a parent

Read these "before" sending our child to Baylake, the negatives I thought "well there's always a few nuts". After a while, our kid who had always loved school, for the1st time ever started to complain. Saying "I think the teacher hates me" " she's mean to my friend --- too" the 1st sign of many I wish I'd taken more seriously. Past reviews I feel are very important now- "Principal is VERY controlling.. Minimal parent involvement encouraged" - "disappointed in the principal.. amount of control & power she has" - atmosphere of intimidation among staff & director - warned 'not to get on her bad side!' Wonder why the upper classes are small? This "atmosphere" isn't confined to staff, a caste like system filters entire school. A child can also be on the "outs list" which = psycological damage & pain. I now sorely wish I'd listened to the "nuts"
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at BLP and we love it! I love that all of the teachers and staff, not just her own teachers and bus driver, know my daughter. She is definitely a big fish in a small, cozy pond at BLP. She has excelled in BLP's advanced curriculum and we love all that BLP has to offer even the lower school children: French, two music classes, science, library, Gymstrada, P.E. The student to teacher ratio is terrific and a full-time aide in every room allows the teacher to split the children into different reading groups based on their abilities. Without that flexibility, I'm afraid my daughter would get bored and lose interest quickly! We love everything about BLP and plan to stay all the way through 8th grade! We would higly recommend the school to anyone looking for an advanced curriculum taught in a small, nurturing environment.
—Submitted by a parent

My three girls have been at Baylake since pre-K, and they are all in middle school now. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect school. Baylake combines love, patience, discipline, and a great curriculum to create the perfect environment for children to grow and learn. My fourth daughter went to several different schools, none of which offered the environment we were looking for in a school.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have attended Baylake since they were in kindergarten. BLP offers something most schools do not-an accelerated curriculum in a nurturing environment. The teachers know our children, their strengths and weaknesses, within weeks of the first day of school. I am confident that if there is a problem with any of the students, the teachers work tirelessly with a smile on their face to remedy it. The teachers are knowledgable and skilled. The administration is professional and caring. The doors are always open and all questions are answered. Most importantly, my children's character has developed with the high moral and ethical standards at BLP. You must overlook the facility-like I tell my children-it's what's inside that counts.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Baylake Pines since she was in kindergarden (5th grade currently) and she has excelled at the school. The children have the advantage of small class size and individual attention. It is considered a feeder school for Norfolk Academy and many of the children end up there after Baylake or other similar top schools in the area. I will admit that the buildings could use updating, but the tuition I pay here is less that other larger schools of its type.
—Submitted by a parent

Buildings and grounds are poorly kept. The teaching is unimpressive.
—Submitted by a parent

Baylake Pines School is an absolute blessing!! It's family like atmosphere, combined with a demanding academic standard, and its top of the line moral behavior code, is just what the children of this country need. Things are not stolen, lockers do not have locks, the students actually like each other. All the teachers know all the students by name, and the parents as well. Tuition is a struggle, but can you imagine what it must cost to insure a school like this, let alone pay the teachers, electric, books, etc, with out government subsidies! I am a Girl Scout Troop leader, and the things I hear from my girls about other local schools scare me, and make me sick. The children going to Baylake Pines will actually have a chance to form a good and decent character, before going on to High School. One very satisfied parent.
—Submitted by a parent

I would like to preliminarily thank the students of Baylake Pines Private School for the most generous and heartwarming donation they made to the Suffolk tornado victims. These compassionate children raise $792.00 for The Fuller Center For Housing. It is with such heartfelt appreciation that I accept this check and will be calling upon the administration to arrange a visit to thank the children in person. I have made Millard Fuller aware of this wonderful gift and he will be calling up the children as well. I rate this school 10 stars for compassion and caring hearts!

My children have attended Baylake Pines since they were 3 years old. My daughter is currently in 2nd grade and has always excelled. She loves Baylake Pines and all of her teachers. She exhibits great citizenship and is very respectful to all of her teachers. My son is currently in the 4 year old program and loves his school and his teachers. He will be going to ALL Day Kindergarten next year. He has areas that he needs to work on, but his teacher has taking time to communicate his needs. She has also made recommendations to which we are exploring. His teacher genuine Loves him and all of her other students. All the teachers that we have encountered with our children have been wonderful. Yes, the school is a bit run down and could definitly use some upgrades, but that is NOT adversly affecting my children's education.
—Submitted by a parent

Third year for our child - lack of better public schools in our area keeps us here. Outdated curriculum, no computers until upper grades, French only language classes, academics are not reflective of other private schools here. Mix of great teachers and those who should find a new profession. High teacher student ratio. Principal is VERY controlling, and not with good results. Minimal parent involvement encouraged or solicited except for fund raisers. NO PTA, and NONE encouraged. Principal & administrator pushed Primary grade between K and 1st as 'gift of time' based only on age regardless of academic abilities. Doors often unlocked! Buildings old and in poor condition. We have no viable option or we'd go elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

Baylake Pines is a wonderful school. We moved our child from public school gifted classes to BLP, and are so happy with the challenging and nurturing environment. The teachers are all highly educated, talented, and caring, as is the Director. BLP has an accelerated curriculum, music, drama, French, sports, and a level of citizenship not found anywhere else. Family involvement is high. This is a wonderful school for Pre-K through 8.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child attended 1st grade at Baylake, after which we decided to send him to another school. First, there were 26 students in the class, though it seems enrollment for the upper grades drops off and perhaps those classes are not as large. We also found there to be an atmosphere of intimidation among some staff and the owner/director. Such complaints were overheard first-hand while I volunteered at the school; I, too, was warned by others 'not to get on her bad side!' We found our child's teacher rather un-dynamic and very awkward with adults, making communication with her strained at best. While it seemed a difficult decision at the time to move our child to another school after only one year, we are much happier with our new school. Classes are half the size, facilities far better, and well, we prefer the more democratic environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Poor environment as school needs to be updated. Kids are overly polite and nice, do not need to worry about child learning about the real world. Nice teachers. Tuition is overpriced by far for kids who are far from college.
—Submitted by a parent

Our children have attended Baylake since 1st grade and we have been very pleased. The class sizes are small and the teachers know all of the students. The principal is very involved with the students on a day to day basis. Our students place very high on all the national tests that are given and are one to two years ahead of the local public schools. We have great sports teams and coaches and all of the students have the chance to participate, if they desire. It is a well run school and the students shine because of it!
—Submitted by a parent