Pershing Hill Elementary

Posted: July 30, 2025

All the genuinely nice teachers have left and the only ones left are rude, communicate poorly if at all, and like to gossip. The principal is warm and welcoming initially, but would rather minimize issues and sweep them under the rug than address root causes. It's one thing for my child to be bullied by other students but it's another for them to come home crying from being bullied by the art and media teachers. Unbelievable.

Posted: July 30, 2025

Posted: July 30, 2025

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Posted: July 30, 2025

Posted: February 10, 2025

Zero parent involvement. The staff is very hard to communicate with. The teachers that use to be great have all left. As a parent I felt unwelcome. A a student, my children felt unsafe.

Posted: February 10, 2025

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Posted: January 31, 2024

The staff is almost all entirely new this year and it's shows. They have dropped the ball on so many things I've lost count. There isn't a good parent/staff relationship like there was last year or the year before that. We feel isolated and unwelcome from the school as parents. They only seem to care about attendance and sent nasty grams if you miss any time from school. It's gotten pretty ridiculous. I would avoid the school if you can.

Posted: January 31, 2024

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Posted: February 23, 2023

This school lacks in so many aspects for children with learning disabilities. The environment is absolutely horrible. It lacks in so many levels for special education services and supports. The parent / school relationship is nonexistent and it’s just a horrible atmosphere and learning environment for children.

Posted: February 23, 2023

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Posted: January 9, 2018

Posted: January 9, 2018

My kids love there teachers and support staff, all together they making a great team.

Posted: January 9, 2018

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Posted: January 9, 2018

Posted: December 6, 2017

Posted: December 6, 2017

Posted: December 6, 2017

Posted: December 6, 2017

The school seems like they do their job for the most part. It’s not a terrible school by any means but it always throws me off at how cold the staff are to me and my son. However, the school counselor seems nice. I just always get this overwhelming unwelcoming feeling from almost all the staff. No one is out right rude but definitely not the nicest.

Posted: December 6, 2017

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Posted: December 6, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Posted: August 7, 2017

Pershing Hill has been a great school for both of my boys. The teachers have been fantastic.

Posted: October 12, 2015

Again, it depends on which teacher and which type of student they are. If they're special needs then there is no hope. The TA's are a joke as well. There needs to be training and they aren't getting the training they're required to have every year. Mrs. Terry doesn't make them do it.

Posted: October 12, 2015

I will say my daughters teacher was amazing. Mrs. Chambers is one of the most amazing teachers anyone will ever meet. She cares about her students. I had a chance to walk the school a few times and noticed the special education students were treated horribly. They're called names and made fun of, by TEACHERS! The principal is nice but depends on who she's talking to at the time. She has her favorites and if she doesn't like you she will treat you badly. She's very vindictive and will make you feel unwelcomed. One of the 5th grade teachers are rude and accuse the students of stealing. She is always yelling at her students. Overall the only thing nice about the school is Mrs. Chambers and the front office secretary, whom left this past year due to how badly she was treated.

Posted: October 12, 2015

Posted: October 12, 2015

Teachers shouldn't be yelling and accusing students of doing wrong. They are suppose to guide them and help them. The special education within this school scares me. If someone has a child there I'd strongly recommend getting them pulled out. The principal doesn't even understand the concept of an IEP.

Posted: April 15, 2015

This is my youngest child's first year at PHES and they are in the first grade. We have two more years in this school at least and I am very excited about it! The principal is amazing and the staff seem to get along! The classroom is a fun place to be (I know because I volunteer) and my child now comes home and reads on their own! Thank you PHES!!

Posted: November 22, 2014

This school is horrible. Nasty environment which Uncle Sam says is fine. The lack of education taught here is shameful.

Posted: July 10, 2014

We are a military family and our oldest daughter attended here from 1st through 3rd grade. She had fantastic teachers and most of the staff is great. The only poor choice was the principal, however the vice-principal was FANTASTIC. The students are held accountable and the parents that volunteer at the school are also good. There are plenty of parents at this school that bring down the atmosphere and want to complain when their child is at fault. As a parent volunteer, I have seen that many times. This is a fantastic school and Ft Meade is lucky to have it on post.

Posted: June 15, 2014

The only reason my child has continued at this school as long as they did is because of the great teacher and instrument program. However, my child will now be home schooled. The students are constantly yelled at. The lunchroom feels like a prison and often the kids are punished for it being too loud when it actually isn't. Poor staffing choices, a lack of communication, failure to do what was promised, and no self-accountability.

Posted: May 13, 2014

We just transferred to this school. The staff and students have been unhelpful and rude to my daughter. She has complained about the lack of discipline in the classroom and that certain students can do whatever they want. Being new she still doesn't know all the rules (she's been there 5 days) and was made to sit on the stage by herself and eat her lunch in front of all the other 5th graders because she didn't see the talking light turn red. To top it off her teacher told another student to sit their a$$ down yesterday. My normally happy go lucky daughter has come home crying almost everyday. This is NOT her first time being at a new school but this is the first time she has had a problem. I would have thought being a base school would have made this transition easier for her but that has not been the case.

Posted: January 17, 2014

My sister and I went here as kids, and the school was ok. There was ALOT of bullying for me. And I don't remember if teachers noticed. I went here from '03-'05. The classes were good, and the teachers were friendly, but really, the students (who are now out of high school) who were in my classes were jerks. So really, my rating isn't really about the education or staff, more along the lines of students.

Posted: August 10, 2013

It is funny how the comments about the quality of special education at Pershing Hill keeps getting deleted.

Posted: August 10, 2013

Worst experience at a school, EVER. My child was placed in her class by the secretary. Not based on her knowledge or past achievements, but by which class has the least amount of students. The teacher had never experienced military life before and knew nothing about his students. My daughter is an advanced learner. Before he even got to know my daughter the teacher told us that she wouldn't be able to be involved in the advanced learners program. There was no classroom management and the rules of the class changed every day. Children were breaking pencils and slamming their desks around the room. When this was brought to the administrations attention they said they would take care of it. After some time passed and nothing was done to correct the deficiencies it was brought to their attention again, and again nothing was done about it. My daughter was taught more about the teacher's fraternity than the history of the state of Maryland, or the United States. We will be homeschooling, and then moving out of this horrid school district. Don't believe the hype of "best schools in the nation" that is standardized testing scores, not quality of teachers or education.

Posted: July 12, 2013

This is not the correct naming of the school. Pershing Hill and Meade Heights are two completely different schools. The address here is for Meade Heights not Pershing Hill. We loved Pershing Hill! We had a first grader and had no issues.

Posted: June 15, 2013

Upon attending this school, many parents have decided to warn me about the staff there. I want to make sure you give the school a chance before making any decisions, the staff is very committed to the students and for their success. I believe many parents do not trust the teachers to do their jobs which can cause many problems. My child did not have an issue and had a great year.

Posted: June 14, 2013

My child attended first grade at this school in 2011-2012. I homeschooled my son and when I registered him the principal didn't even look at my sons portfolio to place him in the most appropriate class. She placed him by his age. She said that after 30 days they would test him and they never did! My son had a horrible year. He would cry at night and in the morning about how bad his teacher was. He even had melt downs and crying in class. My son has ADD ADHD and mild autism and his teacher did not work well with this. We switched to South Shore Elementary this school year and my son has had a wonderful year!

Posted: January 11, 2013

The special education department of Pershing Hill was over worked and under staffed. The administration was not willing to be proactive to resolve issues and instead tried to pass blame for shortcomings on to the teachers. The principal was not the least bit understanding of the needs of the special needs child and had zero interest in helping achieve the goals of the student. The principal actually sat in the IEP meeting and worked on her computer instead of being an active participant. The staff is over worked and try the best the can for their students but sadly administration is more concerned with meetings than the actual military child.

Posted: February 18, 2012

This school needs lots of Special Education training. Military children endure lots of unexpected stress, the most we can give them is a solid, positive education environment in order for them to succeed. The administration needs to be more informed on military life and the changes that military children have to experience especially special needs children and families.

Posted: January 6, 2012

This is our 3rd year at PHES. The past 2 years were fabulous. This year, however is a different story. The school was merged with another one on post and enrollment went from 200 kids to over 600. Classrooms have an average of 27-29 students. Teacher morale is extremely low due to the administration, namely the principal. She is completely unapproachable and does what ever the county wants not taking into consideration the military community at all. Younger siblings are not allowed in the building, not even for lunch. So, I can't go have lunch with my daughter b/c my son is 2 and he is not allowed in. We are happy to be leaving this summer.

Posted: December 2, 2011

Pershing Hill is an excellent school. The entire school staff is professional. They care about children. They value collaboration, diversity, high expectations, and they ensure that all students are moving toward success. The motto at Pershing Hill is, "Together we can achieve greatness!" I am committed to working with Pershing Hill along the journey to greatness.