Peabody Charter School

Posted: February 4, 2025

Peabody Charter is not a good school.

Rude special education team. Horrible classrooms.

Admin not so great.

Posted: February 4, 2025

Posted: February 4, 2025

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Posted: February 4, 2025

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Posted: February 4, 2025

Posted: June 3, 2022

Very disappointing experience and lackluster school in my opinion. I do not recommend Peabody and know many parents who feel the same. My children have been bored and unchallenged with lackluster teachers (although there are some truly great teachers at Peabody too, we just didn’t happen to get them). No music program, no STEM program, no formal art program besides ceramics occasionally (which my kids do love). I’d look elsewhere for a high quality education that sets kids up for success in junior high and beyond.

Posted: June 3, 2022

Posted: June 3, 2022

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Posted: June 3, 2022

Posted: August 22, 2020

Posted: August 22, 2020

Posted: August 22, 2020

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Posted: August 22, 2020

Posted: August 22, 2020

I am very impressed by this school & am so glad my grandchildren are attending!

Posted: September 12, 2019

Posted: September 12, 2019

Posted: September 12, 2019

Posted: September 12, 2019

This school is great if you have a typical learner who is a rule follower, but not for kids with trauma or learning differences. Punishment is how they deal with struggling kids. They need to look into trauma informed care training for everyone from Drama teachers to playground helpers.

Posted: September 12, 2019

Posted: September 12, 2019

Posted: September 12, 2019

Posted: April 1, 2019

The amount and quality of homework is well balanced from grade to grade.

Posted: April 1, 2019

There are some really great teachers at this school and the physical education program is excellent! Coach Holbrook is one of a kind and kids and parents just love him and rightfully so!

Posted: April 1, 2019

Tremendous inconsistency from child to child when it comes to discipline and respect. It really depends on who your parents are and whether or not your family gives the school a lot of money.

Posted: April 1, 2019

Principal Barnett and his assistant principal Bolton are flat out arrogant and unapproachable. If you are giving the school money, they love you no matter how poorly your child performs or BEHAVES. Kids with rich parents get away with horrible behavior and it has been this way for years with these two administrators. Barnett is flying at 50,000 feet and really doesn't know what is going on in his school. He likes to call himself the Superintendent of the school which clearly shows his ego and it translates to the rest of his administration and the office. Sad, didn't expect a Charter school to be this out of touch.

Posted: April 1, 2019

Posted: April 1, 2019

This school has a horrible track record with bullying and doesn't even have a policy of any sort to address it. Read the student and parent handbook because it is vague when it comes to exactly how any bullying situation would be handled. The reality is that the principal loves this vagueness because it allows him to make the decision on how to handle anything and he does NOT have to answer to the school district because this is a charter school. Ridiculous but true.

Posted: April 1, 2019

Poor. There are some great teachers but god forbid you have a problem and need to get the administration involved - they are flat out horrible. There is no other way to say it. Sad because we held this school in such high regard until we had a problem.

Posted: June 21, 2017

Both of my children love their teachers and going to school at Peabody. There are strong academics as well as special classes like Dance, Drama, Ceramics and PE offered on a regular basis. There is always something fun going on at the school and they work hard to address the needs of the whole child. I can't say enough good things about the school.

Posted: June 21, 2017

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Posted: April 27, 2017

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Posted: April 27, 2017

My son, who had many difficulties at the beginning of school is now thriving due to the hard work of the administration, teachers and support staff. You do have to work with them as a parent, but if you do your child will thrive at this school.

Posted: February 3, 2017

Posted: February 3, 2017

Posted: February 3, 2017

Posted: February 3, 2017

Posted: February 3, 2017

Posted: February 3, 2017

Posted: February 3, 2017

The principal and assistant principal are two of the worst administrators we have ever seen. They clearly play to the big donors of the school and frankly do not care one bit about anyone else. The school does not have an anti-bullying policy and there are problems all over the place but the administration does little about it, especially if it is related to any of the donors' kids. A comment from a parent on this website from 2012 states the following:

"I am disappointed with the new principal that came from Washington Elementary. He was rude and arrogant upon meeting him and seemed disrespectful to his staff."

Well, clearly nothing has changed since Principal Barnett started at the school and it has only gotten worse over the past 4+ years. There is definitely a disconnect between the administration of the school and many of the teachers. While some good work is done in the classroom, problems exist outside of the classroom and the basic communication between administration/teachers/parents is often times non-existent.

If your child has any special needs or experiences problems at school and you expect the administration to do something about it, think again - this might not be the place for you.

Many local school officials refer to this school as having "gone rogue" and that is pretty accurate. The principal is extremely out of touch with the day-to-day of the school and defers everything to his assistant principal Bolton who is extremely rude and dismissive. The Board at this school is not engaged with the problems at the school because the principal keeps a tight wrap on what is really going on around there. The principal has a tremendous ego and is quick to refer to himself as the superintendent of the school, not just the principal as he is referred to throughout any district documentation - really?

Take a look at the fine print of the parent handbook and ask a lot of questions before you enroll your kids at this school. It's a good place until you have a problem and then there is absolutely no oversight from the district because it is a charter school and can do pretty much anything they want to.

Posted: April 16, 2014

Peabody Charter has helped develop some of the finest minds and wonderfully well rounded young people since it's inception in 1928 when it opened as Fredrick Forest Peabody Elementary School. It has been 53 years since I last attended but when I visit today I see the same vibrant young faces and the most dedicated staff you can imagine. Students, teachers and parents are still all on the same page working diligently, and with great joy, to make the Peabody experience the superior one that it has always been.

Posted: February 11, 2014

It's interesting how relevant old reviews are today. The school is fine, but if it were located anywhere else, it may not be considered a good school. Yes, there are some good teachers, but just as many bad. In general, most have been there too long and some seem to take their jobs for granted. Four years ago, a parent with a 6-year gap between her children's ages, posted "The younger one is simply repeating project-per-project everything that the first child did, without the introduction of any new ideas, methods or approaches. So true! Peabody alumni from 15 years ago have shown me samples of the same projects. It's as if the school has been locked in time and is operating in suspended animation. It's time for new ideas and fresh blood to reinvigorate Peabody and its curricula.

Posted: January 20, 2014

We switched from a Montessori school to Peabody and couldn't be happier with our decision. Our children have flourished academically and socially. The teachers are enthusiastic and clearly love their jobs. They strongly encourage parent involvement and you're always made to feel welcome.

Posted: September 25, 2013

Peabody is a great school! I am so glad that we live in the area and that our son will attend for the next 7 years! We love our kindergarten teacher and we have been pleased with the rigor of material taught. Demian Barnett (principal) has a great vision for the school and works hard to make the school a safe learning environment. Julie Bolton (vice principal) is very approachable and works tirelessly for the success of the student body. The small class sizes (as compared to other public schools in the city) allow for individual attention for each child, and the daily home cooked cafeteria meals (by our amazing Chef Laurel and crew) are a rare exception to the traditional, government-sponsored, cafeteria food. If you are fortunate enough to live in the neighborhood, then Peabody is an educational gem - not to be missed!

Posted: November 16, 2012

Peabody operates as a charter, so it has a pretty autonomous operation. They have a wonderful school garden. However, I am disappointed with the new principal that came from Washington Elementary. He was rude and arrogant upon meeting him and seemed disrespectful to his staff. I hope he was just having a bad day.

Posted: June 6, 2011

Wow---on October 9, 2010 a parent posted a comment that is spot on. However, rating this school on a star system is difficult. If you are comparing it to many of the other public schools around the country, then it gets a 5. If you rate it just on teachers, then it also maybe gets a five. If you rate it on its own overall merits, I'm afraid it comes up short. Peabody is a pleasant school, but there is certainly nothing cutting edge or outstanding about it. My kids have a large age span; one entered kindergarten as the other entered 6th (seniors). The younger one is simply repeating project-per-project everything that the first child did, without the introduction of any new ideas, methods or approaches. It s interesting that the teachers don't get burnt out from the repetition.

Posted: May 20, 2011

This school does have some amazing qualities being the cafeteria witch uses organic ingredients and its own personal chef. yum. However, when it comes to the children, especially if you have a child with special needs, the staff including the principal or horrid! They are rude to the children, even ruder to the parents, and do nothing to help the child. They are only interested in what is best for them and easiest for their day. They use outdated power play on the children instead of positive teaching and reinforcement. Our experience with this school has been to say the least a major disappointment.

Posted: October 21, 2010

Great parent support and great Principal.

Posted: October 8, 2010

School is a bit focused on fundraising, fundraising, fundraising. Preferential treatment is given to those who donate the most money or raise the most money. The principal is ok as long as you don't bring up any problems. The classrooms are old portables and there is very little supervision of the 700+ children on the playground. It has some stellar teachers but some really bad ones as well. Feelings are a bit mixed.

Posted: April 18, 2010

peabody is a great neighborhood school with lots of wonderful families and parents who volunteer

Posted: December 3, 2009

Posted: March 20, 2009