Bear Creek Elementary School

Amazing principle, some great teachers some good and a few straight up bad teachers. (jones) The PTA and fund raising make sure the science is top notch and lots of fun things to do.
—Submitted by a parent

this is a great school! it also has Excellent teachers. and Strong principal. and Challenging academic programs.

I strongly disagree with the previous reviewer. Bear Creek is a well-organized and well-run school. All schools experience a few bumps the first few weeks of school with car drop-off and pick-up patterns. The bus system works quite well :) As for class sizes, they run between 21-27 and are set by the school district. Good luck finding a smaller public class size. The curriculum is also set by the school district and cannot take into account what individual families have been studying at home. I do know that several kids have gone from Bear Creek to advanced classes at Timbercrest Jr. HIgh and local prestigious, private, prep schools. Furthermore, regarding the the school flyers that have come home so far this year, I have read through all of them and not seen any grammatical or accuracy errors. Lastly, the playgrounds are well supervised, and I have always appreciated the parents (including myself) who volunteer to come in and organize games at recess to supplement the school staff in this area. Bear Creek is a great school and I encourage anyone with complaints to work with the school staff and/or move on - why wait a whole year to look elsewhere if it is such a bad fit?
—Submitted by a parent

I disagree with the other reviewers. The class sizes are on the larger side, my child's class has 25+. The school feels overcrowded and disorganized. There is very little parking here and this creates a problem when trying to pick up or drop off your child. I have yet to see any quality schoolwork and the curriculum for my child's class is well below what we have already been studying at home. Every flier sent home so far this year has contained misinformation (wrong dates, locations, etc.) and has been riddled with typos. There have already been several playground mishaps and a lot of excuses. Overall, not impressed and will be looking elsewhere for next year.
—Submitted by a parent

Top-notch school! Overall, the teachers are dedicated, warm and passionate about their work and the children. The annual auction and other fundraisers bring in $$$$$ which serves to offset state-wide budget shortfalls allowing for additional staff and smaller class sizes, not to mention the many enrichment options - including art, drama, and Spanish, to mention only a few. The community of families is friendly and our children look forward to all of the school functions. We are so pleased that we took the extra time needed to find a house in the Bear Creek's area
—Submitted by a parent

The parent involvement is spectacular! The kids benefit greatly from it.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is entering her 7th year at Bear Creek and my son will be entering his first this fall. Over the course of our time there I have never had a single complaint about the school, staff or activities. Parent involvement is huge, the teachers are amazing, they're wonderful at bring the best out in each student. With my son starting kindergarten this fall we were extremely pleased when his new teacher sent a letter scheduling an appointment BEFORE school started with my son to get to know him individually before school started. Not many schools/teachers take the time to do that.
—Submitted by a parent

Great leadership at this school from the principal's office.
—Submitted by a parent

This was my daughter's first year at Bear Creek and we have been very happy. There is a huge parental involvement in the classroom and PTA. She is in the EAP classroom and it has been a positive experience. The curriculum is strong. The children are adorable and well behaved. The only negative is that I wish there was more activities after school throughout the year.
—Submitted by a parent

I am happy to have two children at Bear Creek. Mr. Keeler is a great principle who acts as a leader to both the teachers and students. He is responsive to the parents, but doesn't bend to popular opinion if it is detrimental to the school/students. Squires (1st grade) and Donaldson (2/3rd split) are phenomenal teachers. Both balance the need for academic excellence and engaging content for youngsters.
—Submitted by a parent

The academic programs are top-notch, with extensive focus by parents and teachers (together!) on new curriculum and methods. heavy parental classroom involvement, with lots of upper income families represented.
—Submitted by a parent