Olive Chapel Elementary

1751 Olive Chapel Road

School District

Wake County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
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 July 05, 2022

We have loved our time at Olive Chapel Elementary! My oldest went there from 2-5th grade and now my youngest just finished kindergarten at OCE. Both have really blossomed. It was definitely hard (for everyone I believe) during the COVID time but before/after that things have been amazing! And even during COVID when it wasn’t ideal, those teachers and admin went above and beyond! I know my son’s teacher even came to our home on multiple occasions and dropped off words of encouragement or little things to keep spirits up, as she did with all the kids in her class.
Submitted by other on November 10, 2021

The is the most loving school staff that I have ever witnessed. Dedication and attention to detail in all facets of the staff's performance!
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2019

Excellent school. The principal is one of the best we’ve ever had.
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2018

I am new to the community, so I don't have enough data yet to make a truly informed comment, but my experience with Dr. Steidinger is a very positive indicator of what is possible in the school. She is a true asset to the school.
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2017

This school is Exceptional. Although most of the schools in Wake county are great schools, this school stands out. The principal is very focused on the overall development of the child that comes to this school. The teachers are very dedicated and answer all the questions that we as parents have. The teaching methods and the learning environment is very conducive to the overall development of the kids. Our kid is always excited to go to the school in the mornings and always ready to share what happened during the day. There are always some pluses and minuses when it comes to the overall satisfaction of such a large community, but so far we are impressed.The school being a year round school works out very well for us working parents. We don't need to wait till the summer times to plan our vacation. The kids get few weeks off after so many weeks and they go back to school when things are still fresh in their mind. I was kind of reluctant in the beginning about this type of school calendar, but now I see the benefits.Overall I am really happy with how things are going.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2017

I moved here from another state which I regret. I have never met people in my life so cold and rude towards enrolling your child into school. This is the base school for our address but the school is a 30 min drive so that is problem another issue is that it's a year round school I don't even have the option to switch her to a traditional school but the school year already started weeks ago BUT they still wont accept her. I bought in all the required documentation for enrollment including the lease. I was told that since I'm not the leaseholder and just an occupant on the lease that I could not get her enrolled without a notarized affidavit from the leaseholder stating that I live at the address because being an occupant is not a permanent address. So I went to the board they referred me to the Mckinney- Vento Liasion technically since I'm considered homeless because I am not the leaseholder. Fast forward I speak with someone today told them the situation she says that since I AM an occupant that makes me a permanent resident of the address. So if that is the case why is it a problem to get my child enrolled in school? If your saying an occupant is a permanent resident even though they are not the leaseholder then why should I need an affidavit? They contradict what they are saying and give false information. The definition of occupant is as follows; a person who resides or is present in a house, vehicle, seat, place, etc., at a given time.synonyms:resident, inhabitant, owner, householder,tenant, renter, leaseholder, lesseeSo again why is it so difficult to get my child in school. I honestly feel like I was discriminated against because of my race. Both times I have tried to get her enrolled I was never greeted with a warm hello the social worker or whoever is in charge never properly introduced herself. It was just a very cold environment, lack of communication, and OBVIOUS discrimination. So with that being said I wouldn't feel comfortable for my child to attend this school. If they treat a new parent that comes in to enroll their child the way that I was treated I wouldn't dare trust my kid to be there alone all day with their staff. I thought a child's education is important and no one will be left behind but obviously it's not true in the school system here in Wake County.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2017

This is our first year but great experience. Loved the kindergarten orientation at the beginning of the year and have been impressed by the administration. Incredible hard working teachers that really care about the students. My daughter has an amazing teacher - great communication and the students adore her. It is incredible what my child has learned in six months - really setting her up for success. Excellent school.
Submitted by other on January 19, 2017

With the new administration, things have gotten much better at Olive Chapel Elementary School!! The teachers, administration, staff and parents are all dedicated to making a positive learning environment for students. Oliver Chapel elementary is an excellent school where teacher's really care about their students! We love the year around calendar that is offered there. My children love the school!
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2017

Great staff and amazing teachers. New principal Dr. Steidinger (sp?) has corrected many of the communication issues that haunted the previous administration. I've had 2 children at this school for 6 years and we have a wonderful experience at OCE.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2017

Our experience at OCE has been nothing but wonderful. My child loves going to school. The teachers we've had make learning fun. The guidance lessons aim at having open discussions including fighting against bullies and how to handle the situation if the child witnesses or experiences bullying. Parent involvement is active. There is a vast array of diversity. My child's class has children from at least six different countries. The PTA strives to raise money and treat teachers well. Parent communication has increased with the new administration.
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2016

Great teachers, excellent communication. A lot has changed in the past year and most of the issues from older reviews have been addressed. The new Principal has a lot to do with these changes. We are happy our child goes to this school.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2015

Administration seems more interested in covering themselves than listening to parent concerns. They do not take responsibility for their actions. If you have issues, I recommend keeping it all in writing and not only phone and conference. Unfortunately I thought this was a great school until I had to speak to the Administration.
Submitted by parent on July 18, 2015

Unless your child is starting kindergarten, new families are in the dark. The administrative staff does not clearly communicate procedures for carpool, meal plans, ID's or anything. I think they are very disorganized with their "learn and apply as you go" way of doing things. We came from a traditional school experience where all the meal, transportation and other logistics were done on Registration Day, BEFORE school starts. Maybe the track schedule makes this more challenging for the school, but since 3 of the 4 tracks start the same day, I don't see why logistics can't be completed before school starts. They even had a welcome night for new OCE families and didn't provide a "new family packet" of sorts including necessary forms for the start of the school year. What on earth?!As though this is not enough, I feel like we're being nickel and dimed for the supplies. We're being required to purchase agendas for our kids and pay for subscriptions to children's publication's as part of their curriculum like Time for Kids. I don't mind investing in my child's education, however, I prefer to have a choice over the books and magazines I want to purchase for my kids. Again, in traditional school we paid a registration fee, the teachers provided the agendas and we the parents got to choose to order publications from Scholastic instead of the school imposing publications on us. This is our first year in this year round experience and I'm not happy. I will stick it out the rest of the year and see how my kids do. I'll try to update my review as the year continues.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2015

The only reason I'm writing a review on this site is because there isn't a site called poorschools.org. The ineffective leadership team at this school is driving a once thriving learning atmosphere into a place filled with poor attitudes and horrible culture. We've had 2 children (one now in high school and one in middle) come through Olive chapel and have wonderful experiences. Our youngest (now 4th grader) is not on pace to have anywhere near the same experience. Due to Mrs. Lavery's poor leadership and guidance its been relayed to us that over 1/3 of the staff are leaving this year, this is in addition to the over dozen that have left the prior 2 years. What once was a great learning environment for our children is now being filled with inexperienced, inferior educators. Decisions are being made NOT with the school or children's best interest at heart. I don't blame any of the teachers for leaving and myself and most of my neighbors are doing everything we can to get our children out of there as quickly as possible. If you are looking for a school to shape our leaders of tomorrow, look elsewhere. Olive chapel elementary is NOT the place to send them.
Submitted by parent on May 12, 2015

We've been at OCE for about 8 years and we have really been sad to see current administration's lack of leadership. While many of the teachers have been great there is a flood of talent leaving and its clear that administration is a root cause. Its time for a change at the top. Glad we are almost done.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2013

I feel OCE has an exceptionally strong bond among the parents because the parents and kids (in each track) have an opportunity to bond over time since they are together for all of elementary school versus a year round school where your child will be placed with kids in their grade which includes 5-6 classes versus 2 classes in a year round school.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2013

My daughter finished with Olive Chapel and had a good experience, but my second grader has not. New and inexperienced teachers at every grade, overcrowded, and no nurturing support. I feel my son is loosing valuable time at this school. I feel the school has gone backwards in terms of progress.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2013

My son is in 2nd grade now. We are not pleased with the qualification of teachers. Instead of focusing on providing quality care for little children, they are rule keepers. They do not care about students' emotional/mental/psychological health at all. They worry too much about not being in trouble after incidents or problems happened by students. The education is not good at all. My son is 1-2 grades behind.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2013

my son started there in 2009-2010 school year, first grade was rather bumpy!! second grade better!! i absolutely loved mrs price, third grade, great!! love mrs adame!! fourth grade, good, loved ms cowen, but she left!! i think that mr tussey is great for my son, i love the school, though communication can be fine tuned some but it is still a great school. (bus transportation issues) i have been dealing with wcpss since 1994 consecutively!! and with my last child starting school in 2008 this is the first time i actually had to deal with the zone issues that put my son ( who lives in cary) in a school that is in apex, with the bussing issues that has him getting home more than sometimes 2 hours after dismissal when there are 4 schools that are closer and 3 in walking distance. my son loves his school very much! and that is worth keeping him there and not moving him again!1 thank you!!
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2012

We have not been pleased with the school. The parent volunteers make the school work. In my opinion the administration has had bad communication. The teachers have been hit or miss as far as quality of education.