Crab Orchard Elementary School

COE is by far the worst school I have ever had the misfortune of sending my children too. My children are constantly coming home with papers that have been graded incorrectly, they claim to want parents involved, but they do not allow parents to do much of anything other than come to lunch, children get bullied in multiple places where there are no teachers to see, teachers send snide and rude letters home, children are marked off for not turning papers in that are in the same folder as the notes saying they didn't turn them in, the classes are very large (my children's classes this year are 27 and 28 students), they refuse to change a students classroom even though the teacher is obviously not doing anything beneficial to the student, and that's just naming a few of the most recent issues I have had with them. I can not wait to get my children out of that awful school.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my child's 3rd year at COE. I feel like she has been given an excellent education thus far. Yes, COE does strive for excellence! I appreciate the fact that when a teacher sees a child has the potential to do better, they give them that extra nudge to see how far their learning will go. I totally DISAGREE with the post about parent involvement. There are several parents that volunteer on a regular basis. The school, at times, will call or send notes home to us requesting that we volunteer for certain projects. I have found the entire staff to be very caring and willing to work with me to take care of any classroom or school problem. Yes, the school does fund raising. A Bond Levy does not pay for copiers, librarians, Excel Math sheets, bus trips, AR incentives, choir trips, etc. Thank you, COE!!!
--Submitted by a parent

My child is in this school for his 1st year ,This school screams for parental involvement BUT when It comes time for 'involvement' Parents are pushed away ,The school is always selling or asking for parents to buy stuff .As long as you have a deep check book you will be ok at this school,I agree with the post about children with disabilities ,They are not taken care of as they should ,The school almost has a prison like setting
--Submitted by a parent

My children have been in school in 4 different states. Although I believe Crab Orchard may be an excellent school for children who have no learning disabilities, those who have problems get overlooked or 'picked' on as 'problem children'. I believe that they only focus on the 'Honor' children and the others get overlooked..I have sent notes that have been ignored. I am now going to either get answers or I will just homeschool my child until they get to another school. A school is only as good as the teachers who are in it. Teachers should not knit pick the children to death, some children will completely turn off to learning. I thought it was just last year's teacher but this year has the same problems..
--Submitted by a parent

I have been a parent volunteer at Crab Orchard for the past 10 years. I have a son who attended COE and graduated with honors and I also have a daughter who is now a 5th grader at COE. I can honestly say that both of my children have had an excellent quality of education here and I recommend this school to any parent looking to enroll their child at COE. The staff and principal are very caring and if you ever have a concern they are easy to talk too and will work with you because they want whats best for your child also. Hat's off to COE!
--Submitted by a parent

In my opinion, Crab Orchard is one of the best schools in Raleigh County. The teachers are caring and expect their students to succeed. The music teacher is wonderful. He has a choir and many other activities for the students. The gym teacher is one of the best I have ever seen. He introduces new activities every three weeks or so and makes them fun. I am very pleased with my son attending this school. My only problem with the school is class size in my son's room. Their are 26 third graders in one room and 24 in the other. This is not the fault of the school but the fault of the board office for not allowing funding for a third teacher.
--Submitted by Debbie Jackson, a parent

I think this school is the best elementary anyone could ever go to. The techers are nice and easy. In every school you have teachers that you don't like well at Crab Orchard Elementary you will like just about everyone. I, myself, went there from K-6. Now you can only go there to the 5th grade. I graduated from Crab Orchard Elementary in 2000.
--Submitted by Tiffany, a former student