| Date | Who | Comments |
| 10/27/2012 | parent | I have one word for the school, outstanding! 2012 is our first year, and both of my children have been welcomed with open arms. The curriculum is well thought out,concise, and meaningful. My younger child who attends the elementary campus was behind in some concepts, and was quickly assessed to receive tutoring 5 days a week. I could not be happier with this school. They care about the children, and the staff, and administration are above par. A great choice, and example of an excellent public charter school education. |
| 1/1/2012 | parent | I'd give the school 10 stars if I could. I have a 3rd grader and a 4th grader at the school and couldn't be happier. The school goes above and beyond to not only educate the kids but to help them become outstanding members of society. I truly feel my children will be happier, successful adults in part to the hard work the faculty at NCS puts forth. The school encourages full parent involvement and I have never once felt my thoughts and ideas would not be heard. It truly is a community school. |
| 3/27/2011 | other | I will not give less than 5 stars so as not affect the school rating. NCS is a wonderful program, graduating talented and responsible children. BUT, it is important for Grant Park residents to know that this is not the primary school for the neighborhood. Due to the Board's failure to anticipate enrollment trends and the large size of Zone 1 (which is apparently a sacred cow that will not be altered), the acceptance rate for this year's Kindergarten class was 36%. 18 spots for 50 non-employee applicants. The school is wonderful, but the fact that a majority of Grant Park residents are now rejected from the program creates a bifrucated community of young families in the neighborhood. Families that are left out have ZERO voice in affecting change. The entire Board of Directors is from families that are in the school, they will not respond to community concerns about the inaccessability of the school to the majority of neighborhood residents. Those that are lucky enjoy a fabulous education. Those that are not stand silently aside. The majority is now neglected. Neighborhood trends are getting younger, with an average working age of 29. This problem is getting worse, not better. |
| 10/13/2010 | other | I just think it's a really great school. |
| 10/15/2009 | parent | Great energy and great spirit drive an education further than a simple textbook. People nurturing people make the world grow into a better place. Neighborhood Charter School makes its 'mark'! |
| 10/8/2009 | parent | My daughter is in her fifth year at NCS. She has some particular educational needs, and the team at NCS has been nothing short of remarkable in making sure that she is learning at an optimal level. I can't wait for my second child to be old enough to attend! |
| 10/5/2009 | parent | The success of the Neighborhood Charter School, in additon to great Teachers and actively involved parents, is due in a large part to the Entire Grant Park community. Businses and and individuals of various profewssions who live in Grant Park as well as the extended Atlanta Community have contributed to the success of the Neighborhood Charter School (It's more than just a name). |
| 10/3/2009 | student | Our school has the best staff! We have teacher that teach because they love teaching! |
| 10/1/2009 | other | The staffing and programs are outstanding! |
| 9/30/2009 | other | It's a great addition to the community - keeps kids in the neighborhood and provides a great education. |
| 9/28/2009 | other | They are an inspiration for the neighborhood on how to live in harmony with one another! |
| 9/28/2009 | parent | the kids have a big part in creating what they learn, but they don't lose site of the curriculum needed for standardized testing. |
| 9/28/2009 | other | Having recently moved from this area, I know the staff and must say the time that is spent on improving the quality of these childrens education is quite impressive!!! |
| 9/27/2009 | parent | great school, great community, great education for our children! |
| 9/26/2009 | other | The Neighborhood Charter Schhol is what elementary schools should be for all kids, families and teachers!!! |
| 9/26/2009 | other | Great Kids, Great Teachers, Great School. What more can you say. |
| 9/26/2009 | parent | NCS used a learning approach that allowed both my sons to explore methods of learning unavailable in more rigid school curricula, both public and private. I would heartily recommend to other parents based on our family's experience. |
| 9/25/2009 | parent | It is a fantastic school with dedicated, creative teachers, a caring environment, strong academics, and extensive parent involvement. And it's free. |
| 9/25/2009 | parent | NCS has small class sizes and excellent teachers. Parent participation in fund raising, blood, sweat and tears pushes quality of the facility and class learning experiences over the top. |
| 9/25/2009 | parent | so unique & the families are so involved which makes all schools great!! |
| 9/25/2009 | parent | Neighborhood Charter School is terrific teachers, involved parents and engaged children. |
| 9/23/2009 | parent | The school really caters to the child! It has an incredible sense of community and a learning style that is fun. |
| 9/23/2009 | parent | NCS is a treasure to our community. The caring and thoughtful educators are creating caring and thoughtful scholars. |
| 9/23/2009 | parent | It's a great place to educate your child! The teachers are outstanding! They take the time and make sure all your childs need are met. |
| 9/23/2009 | parent | The teachers are amazing and the kids are kind. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | Great teachers, students, parents and staff - everyone is committed to providing the best education for our children. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | Neighborhood Charter school has dedicated parents and staff that make the school a great place for learning, and for growing up. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | It provides the kind of alternative education needed in our community. |
| 9/22/2009 | other | our neighborhood is very lucky to have this charter school |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | I love the emphasis NCS places on learning outside the classroom. The school gardens are wonderful places for the students to observe habitats and life cycles and to develop curiosity about nature. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | The teachers, prinicple, and support staff are caring, the families are involved,everyone is energized about learning. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | The teachers are amazing. |
| 9/22/2009 | other | What a gifted group of educators!!! The community of teachers, students and parents are committed to the learning and enrichment of each other. The neighborhood and the extended community are very supportive. The children are amazing! I can't imagine a better learning environment for children! |
| 9/22/2009 | other | Bright, inquisitive students, dedicated teachers and supportive families make this school a total package! Keep up the great work NCS!!! |
| 9/22/2009 | other | NCS is the happiest school I've ever seen. Children are good and smart, parents are so supportive and staff...amazing. No better place on earth to spend time! |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | I feel that having this amazing school in our neighborhood is great for East Atlanta! |
| 9/22/2009 | other | it's the best school for my niece, who is exceptionally intelligent and likes to learn about different things, in a hands on way |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | It is the most nuturing amazing school I have ever been in. I can't believe such a gem exists in our little intown neighborhood. I am so fortunate my child gets to learn and thrive in this school. |
| 9/22/2009 | teacher | At Neighborhood Charter School there is a passion for kindness and a desire to be the best people we can be. We have the most incredible parents, teachers, and STUDENTS in all of Atlanta. |
| 9/22/2009 | other | This school has the most interactive programs being taught by the most loving, intelligent, caring teachers. The only reason we aren't in this school right now is because we relocated to another state, and we miss NCS each and every day. The community of families that continually support and stay actively involved with the school are one of the things we miss most. Vive la Neighborhood Charter School! |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | Most wonderful staff, families and students. Fabulous teaching philosophy that really creates a community! |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | NCS has very high parent invlovlement is a cross cultrual deight. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | My son is learning to enjoy the process of learning. It is a wonderful school filled with great teachers and families who take pride in the diversity of the school. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | My daughter started kindergarten at Neighborhood Charter School this year and the entire experience has been 'magical'. She wakes up every morning elated to go to school and claims 'I go to the best school and have the best teachers in the world!' To create this love and excitement in learning is fundamental for future years of success in education. . . Yay for NCS! ! ! |
| 9/22/2009 | other | I couldn't ask for better teachers and administration to educate my grandchildren - and the parents and special friends that get involved make the environment for a childs development excellent. |
| 9/22/2009 | parent | For the sense of community it provides to parents,students, & teachers. More can be accomplished by working together. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | My son attended Neighborhood Charter in the 4th and 5th grades. He really loved it. The set up was more layed back although not as structured as I would have liked. The only problem is now that he's in the 6th grade at another charter schoool, he is having problems in areas he was doing great in at this school. He said that the class work at Neighborhood Charter was not up to the level of the charter school he know attends. Where he was a straight A student at Neighborhood Charter he is now getting A's, B's and C's in the core subjects. I am not against students having a good time in school but not at the expense of learning the fundamentals that are expected when they leave this school and attend another one. The studentis so far behind and have to take tutorial classes to catch up. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | The student, parent and teacher inaction is outstanding |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Because our community of students, parents and teachers come together in times of need, in friendship and support. Every year I am more and more impressed at the level our teachers teach our children. They not only teach them how to be good learners but how to be good people and thoughful of the world around them. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Care and attention to the kid's education from the school, the students, the parents and the community. The way things should be. :) |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | It's a warm, welcoming place that has my children smiling when they go in and smiling when they leave! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Great teachers, great atmosphere, great community culture. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | It's a great school with an excellent curriculum! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Neighborhood Charter School is creative, nurturing and has so much family involvement. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Every day, I feel like I won the lottery. I have two boys, and I know that they are getting an amazing education in a constructivism-based environment. I am also very active in the PTCA, which goes way beyond bake sales. The teachers are fabulous, the admistration supports the staff, and the kids learn how to handle differences and challenges as a community. I wouldn't consider sending them anywhere else in Atlanta! |
| 9/21/2009 | other | My nephews attend - the teachers, staff and parents create a fantastic ecosystem of lifelong learning. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Great teachers, fantastic curriculum, very involved parents. Everyone one could want in a school! |
| 9/21/2009 | teacher | It is pretty fantastic, child centered and has a great love of the earth. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Awesome teachers, awesome parents and awesome students!! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Great teachers, super-committed parents, curriculum that encourages lifelong exploration and learning. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | I learn so much from the teachers...they are strategic, wise and loving. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | NCS is a terrific school. The teachers and staff are wonderful. They are smart and innovative, but most importantly, they love what they do and they care about their students and the community as a whole. NCS is a place that truly nurtures children and encourages them to grow both as learners and as people. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | We have organic gardens run by the students, and teachers. The children are learning from real life situations. |
| 9/21/2009 | other | great buildings, classrooms, facilities, teachers and parents. |
| 9/21/2009 | student | My son says about his school--I love everything about the Neighborhood Charter School. It's fun, great, love all my teachers, they let us pick what we want to learn with our subjects. It's a blast! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | I love NCS because of the community and respect it fosters among students, between students and teachers and between teachers and parents. We take care of each other at NCS. My kids (1st and 3rd graders) LOVE school! They are enthusiastic and excited learners and I have to drag them out of the building at the end of most days! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | My boys are enthusiastic about learning, and it comes from teachers and staff with open minds who foster creativity, listen with patience, encourage explorations into whatever and invite parents to take part in their children's learning. I love relearning elementary school through my children and am astounded daily by just how much I really don't know...and that they do. Thank you NCS. |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | We moved to the neighborhood to make sure our daughter would have a place in this wonderful school. We have not been disappointed! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | Our shcool is awesome. Our teachers are commited to the children and truly love their jobs and it shows. We have a high degree of parental involvement and we take part in our children's education. This is a one of a kind enviroment that offers a great education for our kids. It is truly a community based school. I love this school! |
| 9/21/2009 | parent | I love the caring teachers, dedicated parents, and the passion for all that everyone involved with the school have for the success of the kids. |
| 9/21/2009 | teacher | It is a place where all cultures and family makeups are embraced and celebrated. |
| 9/21/2009 | other | I'm a neighborhood resident and love the way the community, kids, parents and administration have created this wonderful resource for our city. |
| 9/18/2009 | parent | NCS - Neighborhood Charter School prepared our kids for middle school and has made them life long learners! What a great school and example of community! Great Staff and Teachers! |
| 9/18/2009 | parent | NCS promotes strong community and instills a sense of inclusion, confidence and peace within the children...the elements necessary for a sustainable, peaceful society. It is unlike any school I've ever been apart of. |
| 9/18/2009 | parent | NCS is great because the staff and parents create a loving environment to learn. |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | I love this community school that takes a whole child and hands on learning approach |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | Because NCS is a wonderful, nurturing caring environment in which my child can learn. The teachers and staff are amazing. The school has helped our neighborhood so much. We are extremely lucky to have NCS in Grant Park. |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | It's the Best! We have a PTCA meeting every morning. Kids perform, teachers love it, kids love it, parents love it... |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | The constuctivist curriculum, caring teachers who consistently go the extra mile for their students' success, and an involved parent network. |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | NCS is an amazing place - the teachers and staff are wonderful! My child loves going to school everyday and our family loves being a part of a community school! |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | I love NCS because they have a great team of staff that absolutely love working with children. Awesome school!! |
| 9/17/2009 | parent | I couldn't have wished for a better community for my children than NCS! |
| 6/22/2009 | parent | I love this school! More importantly my son loves this school. The quality of the teaching staff and the care that they give is off any chart. This is a diverse school that like it's diversity, it allows children to be individuals and encourages acceptance. The only negative if this is one is that because it is a charter school it does not get the same funding as a regular public school, so fundraising is very important. Through parent involvement and a great staff ,funding is never a problem with the care and quality given to our children. This is a wonderful school! |
| 6/15/2009 | parent | Great teachers, great classroom ratios, beautifully integrated into the community with field trips/science trips to the Park and Zoo. |
| 6/14/2009 | parent | Our son has been in the school for years and we also have a younger child enrolled. Overall the school is fabulous at teaching language arts and teaching the kids to love learning. The math program is, at best, adequate. If you want your child to excel in math you'll have to work with them extensively at home. There are internal politics that are unpleasant and occasionally exclusionary but mostly avoidable. The teaching staff can't be beat. It's worth the experience to see your children LOVE school. |
| 6/13/2009 | parent | We've been very pleased with the community of education at the Neighborhood Charter School. Parent involvement is VERY high, children are honored - each for their unique contributions to this amazing learning environment. And our family - two moms and two children have always been treated with genuine love and respect! |
| 4/8/2009 | other | Amazing school! Teachers care about the students and the lessons are built upon the needs and interest of the students. I would love to teach there! |
| 3/15/2009 | parent | Couldn't be happier!! The sense of community, the parent involvement, the staff...all incredible!! |
| 3/8/2009 | parent | As a parent of a third grade child at NCS, I couldn't disagree with the preceding poster more. Day to day and administrative decisions are made by the principal, staff, and teachers who are extremely knowlegeable of constructivism as well as education in general. There is a board of directors comprised of teachers, parents, and community members as described in the charter approved years ago. They are responsible for the direction and mission of the school (i.e., budget, strategic planning, fund development, etc.). I also completely disagree with the poster's comments about the teachers treating parents as outsiders. Our experience has been the opposite and we have always felt welcome in the classroom and have been treated as a partner in our child's education. |
| 12/6/2008 | parent | The Neighborhood Charter School of 688 Grant Street, SE Atlanta, GA is as a whole a very good school, but the weakness of this school is that it is public school acting like a private school. The reason why I say this is that the school is controlled too much by internal politics from parent groups that base their decisions for the school and its students on their own collective philosophy and friends which boarder on cronyism. I agree that parents should be involved in the decisions of a school and be involved in general, but the amount of decision making of parents is beyond that of the charter and comprises the overall mandate of a public school. The other concern is that teachers treat parents as outsiders and don t treat them as a part of the overall teaching philosophy of the school. |
| 10/21/2008 | other | Excellent program. My grandson loves this school. Maximum parent participation. Superior teachers and staff. |
| 9/18/2008 | parent | I am in love with NCS, the satff and the students. My daughter is in Kindergarten. I love the constructivist learning approach. The parent involvement is what we were looking for, the attention to education is similiar to my 3rd grade daughter who attends a private school. |
| 12/14/2007 | parent | My daughter attends NCS and we love it. After a disappointing kindergarten through 2nd grade at another public school here in Atlanta, NCS is a breath of fresh air. The teachers are loving and genuine, the parents are highly involved and the administration stays on top of all the other important things. One of the most important elements of the school though is that the curriculum teaches our children how to think! I can see my daughter using newly aquired skills to navigate the world around her in imaginative and innovative ways. She's no longer getting just enough to do well on standardized tests. This school is properly preparing her to be the global citizen that she needs to be to succeed. |
| 12/6/2007 | parent | My daughter is in the 1st grade - this is her second year and LOVES it. She has learned so many other life lessons besides reading, math and the normal ciriculum. Her time management and problem solving skills are superior to her cousins in the NJ schools system. I can't say enough great things about this school - the arts, spanish and parent involvement make it a strong, strong school. |
| 11/10/2007 | parent | My son is in Kindergarten and loves this school! They are very heavy on arts, music, gym, movement, and spanish. All kids attend all these classes every week. |
| 5/23/2006 | parent | My daughter transferred to NCS in the winter of 2004 in the fourth grade and has blossomed under the construtivism curriculum. She has become an active learner with encouragement from her peers and teachers. The parental involvement is superior to the other schools my child has attended. We has truly enjoyed this experience and are continuing with another charter school for middle school next year. |
| 1/19/2006 | parent | The grade levels are actually K-5. My son attends this school and we love it! He is absolutely thriving. This school has everything we are looking for - great teachers, great administrators, diversity, PE, Music, Art, Spanish, high parental involvement, small class sizes, and much more. |
| 5/27/2005 | parent | in Feb 2005, they moved into the newly updated and renovated facility which is great. All of the teachers are very interested in teasching the kids and have a lot enthusuasm forwhatever they teach. The curriculum is based on a method called constructivism, in which the children seem to thrive. The extra curruculars, including spanish, are of the highest caliber. I cannot say enough good stuff about this school. T |
