Fernbank Elementary School

Our family left Fernbank last year and haven't looked back. Our kids loved learning before we started at Fernbank, but it only took until 1st grade for Fernbank to crush that joy. My kids came home everyday hating school. I discovered that the teachers and administrators focused on social issues that were too heavy for their age and made them anxious about the future. The focus on activism meant that my kids were not getting the fundamental lessons that they needed. One of my boys was having trouble writing his letters correctly in 2nd grade, but the teacher was "not concerned". It was only at the end of the year that I discovered why the teacher wasn't concerned, they didn't do any handwritten work, all of their lessons on tablets. In addition, the DCSD heavily focuses on MAP testing students to look for "progress", which sounds like a good thing....except it means that the kids are constantly doing standardized test and teachers are only teaching to the test performance.

We heard glowing reviews from parents about Fernbank, so we bought our house specifically to be zoned for this school. We were told that parents are highly engaged and that academics were great. Both things couldn't be further from the truth. Parent "engagement" is a constant barrage of fundraising and because of covid rules parents aren't even allowed in the building, which means the after-school clubs can't be expanded because they won't allow parent volunteers. As for academics, "gifted" means nothing in this school. A gifted child is not challenged and are actually behind when they get to middle-school. Fernbank is no longer the jewel of the Dekalb school district.

This used to be a great school with a diverse student body and inclusive environment. During the pandemic, the superintendent and Fernbank principal have developed a curriculum based on social and political issues. If your beliefs do not align with the district and staff at the school then it is an unwelcome environment. Teachers lesson plans are not focused on reading or math and helping kids catch up from their learning loss due to a full year of virtual learning (March 2020-March 2021). Instead of focusing on reading or math, they focus on gender and racial identity. It is a shame that our children are in the hands of people that don't care about anything other than their own radical political points of view. Some veteran teachers are amazing, but other teachers are dividing 3rd grades in the bathroom line by boys, girls and nonbinary. Pushing gender identity in 3rd grade is not appropriate and against state guidelines that sexual education not be taught without informed parental consent. The administration should be focused on closing learning gaps not pushing social and political issues.

Great school

This school is an example of what elementary education in America should be. The administration is effective, the teachers are well qualified and excited about their students and their job, and the parents are very involved in supporting the school. They have a wonderful art program and a free-standing science lab. They also have a stellar musical education program. This is a wonderful school!