Apex Elementary

700 Tingen Road

School District

Wake County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

public

School Map for Wake County School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 25, 2024

My daughter is finishing Kindergarten. She loves school, her teachers and gets very upset when we had to miss a day due to some circumstances.As a child who didn't speak English at all in the beginning of the school year, she now can talk, explain and write. Wonderful school! Thank you!
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2023

My daughter will be first grade and she loves her school. Teachers are very friendly and experienced.
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2023

My daughter has just graduated from her Kindergarten oin Apex elementary. She knew English on very low level at first (we had moved here from another country). So, all the teachers were very helpful to her, she got all necessary support to learn English. Her primary teacher, Mrs.Harris, is amazing! My daughter loved the school and teachers there a lot!
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2023

My 9-year-old and 5-year-old go to this school. They come home happy everyday from school. The teachers and staff members are very friendly.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2022

Lost my sibling because they didn’t do a head count and proceeded to lie to my mother and say that I picked him up when i never planned to!!! This behavior is unacceptable especially due to the dangerous events happening around America in the school system!! Be aware of Apex Elementary and their lazy staff members!! This could’ve been the last time I saw my baby brother!!
Submitted by other on April 25, 2021

If you want your kid to not do anything this is the school for them. There is only 4 days of some kind of live lectures a week. Every Wednesday is asynchronous day, basically day off. I'm sorry to say but I feel that teachers are overpaid for what they do. If someone told me how bad our public school system is before my kid went to school I would not believe it. I wish there is 0 star option.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2020

amazing until 4th grade. we were forced to move schools in 5th grade. the teahers started to be raciest to and blame him for things he did.t do. kids were treating my son like an animal.
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2019

We are very happy with the academic and social atmosphere at AES
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2017

This is my daughter's second year here. Her academic growth has been amazing. The teacher's work hard and communicate effectively with the parents. It has been nothing but a positive experience for us.
Submitted by other on February 21, 2017

Both my children have attended this elementary school since kindergarten and my oldest is in 5th grade now. We've been a part of field trips and events at the school and it is always a good time. The office staff has been very helpful when we've needed anything. The style of teaching varies from grade level to grade level, but any difficulties we've encountered have to do with the system and how teachers are being forced to teach. It hasn't been all roses as we've had to deal with issues with both kids, but I never felt the school wasn't there to support us. Remember you are your child's number one teacher. If you teach them to blame the school for their mistakes, be prepared for a hard life.
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2016

WCPSS is notorious for reassignments so my family has attended five different schools over the years, but Apex Elementary has been by far the most problematic.The culture of the school is one of contentment with the status quo, and compared to other area schools there is no drive to improve any aspect of the school. Communication is parents is poor - you have to join the PTA to become aware of any school events, and even then details can be hard to come by. Newcomers have to spend a year or two here and learn from experience what's expected of them during things like the Fun Run or the Cookie Exchange. I think some people have been here so long they forget that newer parents must be told these events even exist in the first place and how they function.Responsiveness to parent and teacher concerns is also poor. At my other children's schools the principal and front office staff are eager to resolve any situation big or small, but here the front office (and especially the secretary staff) comes off as indifferent or even downright adversarial. In all my years in education (both as a parent and a former teacher) I don't recall an administration that's been more difficult to work with. All other parents in my neighborhood have expressed the same complaint. Morale among parents is low, as are expectations that their opinions will ever be taken seriously.I echo the serious concerns others have expressed about the male gym teacher. My daughter has complained that he yells at her and terrifies her. I assumed she was just being a bit sensitive until my husband and I both had separate, frightening run ins with him. He is highly aggressive and I agree that he has no business being around children.The classroom teachers my child has had here have been friendly and competent, and that's the biggest bright spot. Test scores are also good considering they have the largest low income and minority population of any area schools. If you have a child who can coast through school without needing much help from the higher ups (such as a bullying situation) and don't intend to become very active on campus, Apex Elementary may be good enough for you. It's certainly better than others in the WCPSS system. But, before you enroll your child I would highly recommend exploring all other options first.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2015

This school has issues , I'd suggest parents to not judge a school only on test scores because a positive learning environment is more important for elementary school. This school Isn't fostering lifelong learners like it should.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

We have a great experince with this school. We moved from chapel hill in mid of the session and our son who is in KG got well settled in a day and is always excited about going to school. It's a great change from his previous experince in Chapel hill where he will always try to get reasons not to attend the class. Teachers are very friendly and energetic.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

Apex Elementary is a wonderful school. The teacher and staff involvement are a plus. My child attends kindergarten and has been very happy so far. The staff and her teacher are always available to speak should you have any issues.
Submitted by parent on July 24, 2013

Well as the new school year is right around the corner , I have a few things to share , my son just finished kindergarten at apex elementary in june . Now my son will be heading to 1st and my daughter will start kindergarten there, I was not impressed last year at all not even half way thru the school year I received a letter from my sons teacher telling me he would not be going to first grade , that he wasn't at the level the others were, number one my son did pass with flying colors, number two its wasnt even half the year and if you as a teacher are telling me this tgen you need to quit . She should have said I think you son needs a tutor or special help . Not how it was put. This year I will be prepared to deal with the teachers and the principal , and the male gym teacher . If I could my kids would attend Balcum elementary.
Submitted by parent on July 15, 2013

We have experienced several exceptional teachers at this school and one ineffective teacher. My primary concern with the school is with the administration. Both Dr. Crissman and Ms. Pratt are very curt in email communication. Paired with the excessively wordy ramblings Dr. Crissman writes in the newsletter, the email communications feel dismissive. I'm especially disappointed in the way the administration marginalizes working parents. Meet the teacher day is always in the middle of the morning (~10-noon)-- impossible for children of working parents to attend! Ms. Pratt's response to this concern was pretty much a curt "too bad". Yes, Dr. Crissman does know the name of all the children. But my child informed me she has *never* spoken to her in 4 years. That makes it feel more like a parlor trick than any real concern for the children. All in all, my children are happy with the school because of *mostly* good teachers and because of the positive peer group environment. The high test scores in the school are likely primarily due to the socioeconomic status of the children who attend, and for a fair share of dedicated teachers. The male PE teacher is definitely an issue, as well.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2013

Not to discredit anyone's experiences or opinions, but the negative reviews below are a stark contrast to my experience at AES. Each teacher we have had over the years has been incredible and my children are receiving an excellent education. The principal is extremely involved in the daily lives of the students, even attending the end-of-the year class party for my son's class. In my experience, the school has done an excellent job taking issues such as safety and bullying quite seriously. And, parents can be involved if they so choose and take the time to get a volunteer badge (which is not difficult or time consuming to do). I'm proud for my kids to attend AES and am thankful for the individuals (i.e., parents, teachers, PTA, administration, staff) who have given so much of themselves to make AES one of the best schools in NC! Thanks AES!
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2013

I definitely disagree with the last few negative reviews regarding this school. I am a former elementary teacher and I am very pleased with the way the school is run. Dr. Crissman does a great job of providing a welcoming environment and knows all of the students by name. My son has ADHD and he has received great support from the classroom teacher and special education staff. He has made great strides throughout the year due to the hard work of the staff. Parents are encouraged to volunteer and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. The PTA is wonderful and most of the families seem to play an active role in their child's education. In my opinion, this type of attitude strongly determines your overall experience at any school Apex Elementary is an excellent school and it shows through the high test results and nine out of ten rating on this site.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2012

school is ok, the principal needs to act like a principal , the gym teacher picks on kids who arent white , best advice be on your p's and q's my kid will not be there next year , id prefer switching before gym man thinks he can be mean to my kid , My friends son won't eat breakfast now because the man was mean to him he's in kinder and he was going and eating every morning until gym man said mean things and now the kid won't go near the man !
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2012

This is our children's first year at Apex Elementary, and I'm not really impressed with the way things are being ran. Very little support and/or presence from the principal. If your child has any academic issues, then be prepared to jump through hoops to get assistance because it isn't available, and funding for Title 1 will not be an option next year. This was my first year missing the children's field day because the school only allows volunteers, that's right, no parents allow at field day. They really need to work on inviting parents to be apart of their children's activities. It's unfortunate, but there is a 'clicky' and closed minded atmosphere which is obvious. Some of the teachers aren't happy with the leadership. As with any school, some teachers are willing to work with their students and others will pretend to care. So be prepared to fight for A.G., I.E.P and other programs that may or may not be offered at the school. Hopefully next year will be better. We will give it 1 more year, afterwards, we will submit a transfer request to remove the children from this school.