Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School

Posted: January 18, 2013

We couldn't be happier with Hilton Head International Bac. This is one of the few elementary schools that offers challenging immersion courses in both Chinese and Spanish. More importantly, they focus on teaching children to accept new cultures and ideas. Our daughter was allowed to start a difficult Chinese immersion class mid-year and was given a warm welcome despite being the new kid from a European country who spoke a foreign language. She was greeted with enthusiasm and curiousity. The teachers are excellent, the principal and school staff are well organized and do a great job keeping parents informed and involved. I've read a couple of reviews from other parents who like to refer to their children as "gifted" or in the top "%" who seem to have unrealistic expectations of special treatment for their kids. Hilton Head IB provides quality education to all of it's students. If you want a well balanced child who develops excellent communication skills and a broader understanding for how the world works I would strongly recommend Hilton Head International Bac. If you want to obsess over your child getting special treatment maybe you should have them pampered in a private school.

Posted: August 8, 2012

My fourth child is going into her 5th year at this wonderful school. My three older children, two in college and one in high school are also alums of this ib elementary school. My oldest, in fact, was in the first class of ib students when the ib program initially came to Hilton Head. All four of my children have been identified at "gifted" in both math and reading. I am a huge fan if the IB philosophy. Inquiry based learning works for my children. The classes consist of mixed levels of students with the gt students pulled out for math and reading from 3rd to 5th grade per state mandate. The fact that the gt didn't start until 3rd grade was a bit of a disservice to my daughter who is currently enriolled because the work came very easy to her in first and second grade so when she was more challenged in 3rd it was a bit of an adjustment. The teachers at this school are wonderful and the leadership is quite responsive. I wish there were better answers to the discipline problems that always exist in public schools but this school does an okay job in dealing with them. Parent involvement has declined due to the economy. The art instruction at this school is amazing.

Posted: February 21, 2012

we started this school last year after coming from an International Baccalaureate private school in Atlanta. I was seriously worried about starting public school in SC and keeping the same level of academics up that we had experienced. I met with the principal and thought she was extremely smart and well connected to the school and also teh individual needs of students. My son as excelled amazingly coming in the 99th percentile nationwide in scoring. The teachers help focus on giving more challenges to kids who need it, and they have also allowed my son to sit in with a higher grade level for his language arts. There is no way our previous expensive private school would have allowed this much flexibility. I am blown away by this school , its teachers and also how responsive the teachers are to email and any concerns.

Posted: October 10, 2011

well my experience has been very bad with hilton head IB...i move from california about five months ago where i did have a nice experience with my kids elementary school. When we visit HHIB i was very happy with all the programs they have and the teachers..but when school started everything has been very different..my kids have been bully and also hit by other students...blame of been bad kids when back in california they never got in any trouble or fights.My kids have told me the also the bus service is not good...i know this is not controled by the school...i just want it to mention what my kids have been trough..bus drivers scream at them..they don't care if kids are in a fight...i just feel so terrible about how my kids feel in this new school...they have also experience bad situation in the school cafeteria with the attendants.I wish i can go back to California.

Posted: December 13, 2010

As a parent of two elementary students at Hilton Head Island Elementary- IB I have been very pleased with mine and my children's experiences. This is our third year in this school and the staff has been extraordinary with showing how much they care about children and their families. I cannot imagine my children going anywhere else because they thrive at this school!

Posted: March 23, 2010

Fabulous school! My children are recieving a challenging curriculum in a welcoming environment. The teachers are very dedicated and willing to go the extra mile.

Posted: April 21, 2009