Piney Branch Elementary School

Posted: September 21, 2023

Posted: September 21, 2023

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Posted: September 21, 2023

Posted: September 21, 2023

Love this school and the teachers. My son has lots of progress than his previous school.

Posted: December 20, 2020

My son is adopted as an older child and has many emotional and developmental problems. He transferred from a great public school in DC with an IEP and Piney Branch refused to put the IEP in place. His academics at the time were good but he struggled with emotional issues. His academics have since deteriorated due to the lack of help and support from Piney Branch. He has also struggled with remote learning. The school refused to help him even after being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and a multitude of other issues. I felt they were looking for things to make their case to NOT provide any additional support as opposed to a true objective assessment. If your child is doing fine and can manage on their own, Piney Branch is probably an ok option. If your child needs additional support, they will not receive it a Piney Branch.

Posted: December 20, 2020

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Posted: June 7, 2020

One of the deciding factors of moving to our community 4 years ago was the ratings of Piney Branch. My daughter has loved most of her teachers and has had a great experience with the staff there. We have had a couple incidents of mean kids, but the school handled these incidents appropriately. The school has a lot to offer and the facility is really nice. Our overall experience has been a 7 out of 10.

Posted: June 7, 2020

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Posted: June 5, 2020

Our family has had only positive experiences at Piney Branch. Every single teacher our daughter has had has been fantastic and dedicated. The principal and vice principal are great leaders and positive people. There is a major emphasis on character and kindness as well. It truly is a wonderful school.

Posted: June 5, 2020

Posted: June 5, 2020

Posted: June 5, 2020

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Posted: June 5, 2020

Posted: June 5, 2020

Posted: June 5, 2020

Perfect amount of homework assigned for my kids. They offer additional help for struggling students.

Posted: June 5, 2020

Teachers are GREAT! I have had 2 children attend, and teachers are VERY professional!

Posted: June 5, 2020

Character is imperative. Teacher are of excellent character, it trickles down to the students.

Posted: June 5, 2020

Great leadership. Principals are truly engaged in the students lives.

Posted: June 5, 2020

Piney Branch is one of the best schools in the county. The school differentiates learning for all learning styles.

Posted: June 5, 2020

I have had 2 children attend Piney Branch. I have not heard of ANY bullying.

Posted: June 5, 2020

A+. My children received and excellent elementary education at PBES. GO Cardinals!

Posted: June 4, 2020

The best decision we ever made. I t was so good we brought the second one in

Posted: June 4, 2020

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Posted: June 4, 2020

This school has kept us from moving out of the area-top notch admin and teacher staff, and the way our son’s transition into Special Education at Piney Branch was seamless and we love Mr Cerrone and Mr Thorne!

Posted: June 4, 2020

Posted: June 4, 2020

Posted: June 4, 2020

Phenomenal! The administration, staff and teachers foster a culture of learning, character and citizenship.

Posted: June 4, 2020

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Posted: June 4, 2020

The school has excellebt teachers and principal. Everyone works together to give students the best education possible.

Posted: June 4, 2020

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Posted: June 4, 2020

Very effective teachers and well run school.

Posted: June 4, 2020

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Posted: June 4, 2020

Second to none! I know families who prefer Piney Branch ES to private schools in the area!! We feel like we won the lottery to get to send our kids here!

Posted: June 4, 2020

Reasonable expectations. Consistent school policy. Extra work by request if desired.

Posted: June 4, 2020

Absolutely amazing teachers!!! Strong internal leadership and coordination within grade levels. Excellent encore programs. Can’t say enough great things about the teachers.

Posted: June 4, 2020

See above - you couldn’t ask for better leadership. Lead by example - the students see it.

Posted: June 4, 2020

Leadership is OFF THE CHARTS!!! Principal Damon Cerrone and Vice Principal Thorne are phenomenal!!! My son got bullied on the bus his first day in 1st grade. Cerrone was on the bus addressing it immediately. No further issues. Their mindfulness program “calm classroom” teaches emotional intelligence and self-regulation. They are committed, down to earth and inspirational. The kids love them!! I wouldn’t think twice about following Principal Cerrone to a different school.

Posted: June 4, 2020

Great gifted program and excellent coordination between teachers to smoothly integrate it with homeroom work.

Posted: June 4, 2020

Again strong and effective leadership. Principal Cerrone and VP Thorne make this a nonissue at this school.

Posted: May 16, 2020

submitting this review after noticing the lower great schools score. flat out shocked the score was not closer to an 8. We moved our 4 kids from a local private school. our two year experience was phenomenal enough that were hesitant to switch neighborhoods and almost waited till after elementary school. not sure why overall scores are low, but the administration and leadership is top notch across the board.

Posted: May 16, 2020

Posted: May 16, 2020

Posted: May 16, 2020

Posted: May 16, 2020

administration from the top down is effective, accountable and approachable

Posted: May 16, 2020

two children with dyslexia who received fair accomodations and excelled

Posted: May 16, 2020

Posted: March 4, 2020

Overall,it was good. Excellent principal who knew his students and always considered context in every situation. One bad teacher, but we are done with her now.

Posted: March 4, 2020

There was hardly ever any homework sent home. Worksheets to complete,no books to read.

Posted: March 4, 2020

Most were effective but they skipped basic history considering the state we live in. Questions or further consideration of slavery were not welcome.

Posted: March 4, 2020

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Posted: October 17, 2019

Experienced similar horrible situation as another reviewer. The school and principle likes to report familes to CPS. No families should be put through the kind of experience we went through.

Posted: January 8, 2019

I really feel that the teachers have identified the areas that we can get involved and also where they are excelling. It really seems the have individualized per student.

Posted: January 8, 2019

Our younger kids both have been learning about it I think that’s great they start early teaching kids to be nice and kind to all kids

Posted: January 8, 2019

This is a wonderful school and I can’t say enough about them. Our kids love it there and I’m so happy to be part of the school district where my kids can attend.

Posted: January 8, 2019

The teachers have solid curriculums and have a good balance in class work vs homework.

Posted: January 8, 2019

We have had 4 teachers that have been such an influence and inspiration to both our kids. Really felt like they care immensely.

Posted: January 8, 2019

I feel the school has wonderful processes and because of that the students are learning how to be a good person.

Posted: January 8, 2019

The principal is just an amazing person who somehow knows most the students names. He’s front an center in highly involved.

Posted: June 16, 2018

Posted: June 16, 2018

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Posted: June 16, 2018

As an educator myself I can tell you the current leadership of Mr. Cerrone is fantastic. It’s what we all want for our children. His focus on the whole child (social, emotional, physical, and cognitive)- not just academics is to be applauded. He is visible at every event from school concerts, performances, to PTO events. His dedication to our children and our community is commendable. I hope he stays for a long time!

Posted: May 21, 2018

We had a very positive experience in all three years we were at this school. Parents feel connected to the school. Students take pride in the school. Administrators and teachers work with parents and students. This elementary school set up my child to be very successful entering grade 6 where he was placed in the most advanced classes. He started this elementary school with challenges because of sensory issues and left this school able to deal with all social issues as if he didn't have sensory issues. The support the school offered my child during an important social growth period of his life set him up to succeed in middle school.

Posted: May 21, 2018

Just the right amount of homework for elementary school students to teach them the importance of getting school work done when they get home, but still have time for after school activities or unstructured play time that is necessary at this age.

Posted: May 21, 2018

My son went here for kindergarten, 1st grade, and 5th grade. We are a military family and move a lot. In all three grades we had teachers who worked to keep my bright child engaged and challenged. They also worked closely with my family on challenges we had because my son has sensory issues.

Posted: May 21, 2018

Posted: May 21, 2018

The principal we worked with during 5th grade in 2016-2017 was fabulous. He had high expectations, was caring, and new students and parents.

Posted: May 21, 2018

In class my child was effectively challenged. I would have liked their gifted program to be more like what I experienced in another State where they let bright children work 1 to 2 grade levels ahead of their peers in various classes, rather than just pulling them out for a special class a few times a week. This, however is a State program issue and not a specific school issue. Each of my son's teachers worked to challenge him though by finding him advanced books to read and letting him work ahead in math.

Posted: May 21, 2018

Posted: August 29, 2017

We moved here last year, in part, because of the schools. We were not disappointed. The principal is a fantastic leader and just a really warm and caring man. He is at almost all of the school events and his door is always open for srudents and parents. The teachers have been so great and my child has thrived. My child hadd a rough start and the faculty and staff could not have been more caring. We are so glad our child goes here.

Posted: August 29, 2017

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Posted: August 4, 2017

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Posted: August 4, 2017

Posted: August 4, 2017

My family move around a lot and of all the school this one is by far the best! The teachers and the administration staff are very supportive. The principal go out of his way to speak to everyone. The school offers chorus, strings, coding, robotics, and so much more! You won't be disappointed!

Posted: April 22, 2016

Posted: April 22, 2016

Posted: April 22, 2016

Posted: April 22, 2016

Do not send your children here. The children are left unsupervised with visiting parents. These parents extract information from your kids and have inappropriate conversations with them. The parents interpret the conversation iin thier own way and the principal reports the families to CPS. He used this as a scare tactic towards our family. No family should go thru this. Accusations were false. Because of this school my family will never feel safe again

Posted: August 6, 2014

The initial principal hired a great staff. The staff remains. The current principal lacks interpersonal skills. She also has questionable judgement and management skills. Both self contained autism classes were removed due to her poor leadership. The AP that was there in 2013-14 was fantastic and a great balance for the qualities the principal lacked. I am not surprised that she left since the principal is not good.

Posted: May 18, 2014

The school has only been open since 2011, but there has been an administrative change - either the Principal or the AP - EVERY year since it's been open. Many parents are concerned with this constant transition. It's very challenging at the school to get answers over concerns. The administration, especially Principal Herritt, tend to run back to higher-ups at the Kelly Leadership Center for direction before they'll answer any concerns. We are lucky to have excellent teachers, an excellent support staff, and parents who give a darn - even though we could use more parent volunteers. Let's hope the next AP is parent-friendly, and isn't simply a pawn who has already drank the Walts' Kool-Aid. Just call me a dreamer...

Posted: May 14, 2014

Overall the school is good regarding teachers and other staff, like the office staff. They are all friendly and my child has gotten a good education. However administration lacks a lot. Herritt only appears to care about test scores and finances. I doubt she even knows my child's name. I am hopeful that she will leave next year and someone else will take her place!

Posted: April 1, 2014

Piney Branch is very well organized from the administration, down to the teachers. Each teacher I've been involved with has been very easy to communicate with and my kids have loved school since the 1st day on. There's a lot programs for kids to get involved with too, like robotics, cheerleading, math, sports. There is a lot of community support and ways for parents to get involved as well.

Posted: December 10, 2013

Excellent school. Provides a vast program from 1st grade on up, including robotics, and computer science, mathematics, science and much more.

Posted: November 17, 2013

We love this school. The teachers that we have worked with have been wonderful and they take their job seriously. There is fantastic community support here also.

Posted: October 6, 2013

We just move to this area , but we all ready meet the teacher Mrs Grassy,she seems very nice and kind person. Everybody love her,kids and parents!!!

Posted: October 3, 2013

I have 2 children here (1st and 3rd). The teachers are wonderful and open and are great to work with. The education they are receiving is excellent. I am thrilled.