Ben Gamla-Palm Beach

8600 Jog Road

School District

Palm Beach
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

charter

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 December 05, 2023

Ben Gamla is truly a gem!. The entire staff and faculty are family. The school is small but my kids aged 5.5 and 8.5 received so much attention, love, and care. I have never seen a school care so much about their children. I always felt safe knowing my kids were at Ben Gamla. The level of learning is top notch and the curriculum they teach is as solid as it gets. The princible Elanit is straight forward, sharp, prompt, and caring. Everything that you'd expect from a principle and more. Jacob is warm and all around awesome at everything he does. I appreciate the extra mile he goes to be of service. Pam is soo sweet and kind. Her energy is contagious and she cares about the children so much! Hillary is one of a kind. She really helped my children feel welcome and made sure we were taken care of every step of the way. Last but not least, Ms. Don, my daughter's kindergarten teacher is out of this world! My daughter is very shy and English is her second langauge. I honestly don't think my daughter would have had a positive experience if it weren't for Ms. Don. She cares so much and was a miracle for us! Thank you Ben Gamla for taking such good care of my family! I'm incredibly grateful!
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2022

If you’re vetting schools, stop with this one. We went through the same thing when our oldest had reached kindergarten. Ultimately, we decided to put him in Franklin Academy because we thought he’d do better at a bigger school. We were wrong! By the time our youngest reached kindergarten, we were fed up with the lack of communication and turnover at Franklin. We checked out Ben Gamla, applied and both of our kids were accepted.At first, I was concerned about some turnover at the school at the beginning of the year but Mrs. Weizman, the Principal, is a professional and handled the transition really well with additional support for the new teacher as well as the kids.At various points in our oldest’s 3rd and 4th grade years, he was having some behavioral problems. His 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Tracy and the principal and the assistant principal were so patient and really worked with us to get him on the right track. I can only imagine how frustrating it was for Ms. Tracy and she handled it so well. In his 4th grade year we began having issues with a teacher. I am not the type to blame a teacher for issues my child may be having but it eventually became very clear that this teacher was certainly part of the problem. The principal and the assistant principal were phenomenal in this situation. They stood behind us and they stood behind our child, doing their best to coach the teacher in effective disciplinary techniques. Unfortunately, the teacher ultimately decided to leave and wouldn’t you know, our son hasn’t had an issue since.You should know that this school is small, very small. But every aid, teacher, principal and assistant principal knows my kids by name. They always respond in a meaningful way to my concerns. I feel heard and more importantly, I feel that they have my kids’ best interests at heart and that they are learning in a safe and reputable environment.Best thing we did was move from Franklin Academy to Ben Gamla. Don’t make the same mistake we did. Start here.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2019

2 or 3. The teachers need more training. Grading polices are confusing.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2019

10/10. We have been at Ben Gamla for 4 years and it is family and a community. I feel my kids are safe and loved when they go there. I love the atmosphere, the other students. It’s a wonderful school and I’ll be sad when my kids go to middle school, but I’ll be glad the started on a good foundation in their early years.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2019

Horrible. That is why we had to leave. Had one of the best teachers ever and when she left I knew it was time to pull both my kids too. Sad to say admin does not support teachers and therefore they don’t support the students in the end.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2018

My daughter has been here for 3 years. We are happy, teachers and principles are very involved and hands on.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2018

My son started at Ben Gamla in Kindergarten and will be graduating 5th grade this year. Every year we watched him grow and excel. Every one of his teachers practiced differentiated learning in their classrooms. My wife and I directly attribute this type of teaching to his success. All the teachers and staff know all the students along with their parents. This creates a strong bond and a true sense of family.My son over the last 6 years went to school everyday excited to be in school. He never experienced any type of bullying or teasing. Ben Gamla makes it very clear that there is no place for that there.Teachers and staff are extremely accessible and respond to emails very quickly.I could go on and on about all the great things about Ben Gamla.The bottom line is I entrusted them with my son as a Kindergartner and they were instrumental in turning him into an intelligent, caring, athletic, confident student who is now more than prepared to excel in middle school.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2018

We have been a family with Ben Gamla since the first day it opened it's doors in Palm Beach. We have seen the school grow and mature and shift it's thought processes to put the children's education first always. Ben Gamla has always been at the forefront of cutting edge technology and teaching practices and I believe it will continue these trends long after our family leaves it's halls for the final time. We have been very happy with our overall experience with the Administration and Staff. Our entire family has always been greeted kindly and with open arms by all members of the Ben Gamla Family. Very rarely did we have any concerns, but when we did, they were addressed immediately by Administration and we were personally called or emailed by the Principal or teacher within 24 hours. There is a sense of family that runs through the building that can not be experienced in a larger school. We hope future families are able to enjoy Ben Gamla for years to come as we have for the past 7.
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2018

Awful, principal is not on top of the teachers. There is a lot of preferences to other students. One of the teachers had her kids there also and made sure her kids got all kinds of test,leaving out the kids that really needed it the most.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2018

This school is just O.K. Nothing great and nothing terrible to speak of. The administration does not know how to handle anything that happens. Some of the teachers/staff resort to yelling because they have no management skills. Mediocre.
Submitted by other on December 04, 2017

Ben Gamla provides a warm, secure learning environment for their students. the teachers and support staff make sure that every student is given the best education possible. I am a grandparent who is contantly in and around the school doing pickup and drop off as well as volunteering in the classes. I see the teachers develop great relationships with the students which gives them confidence in class. All of the staff care and go the extra mile to make the students succeed.
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2017

Amazing and unlike any other schools out there we or others have came across! You can tell there is a passion for teaching students from the teachers to principal! Hope they can find a way to extend grade levels!
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2017

My experience has been extremely positive. My children are valued and loved. I feel that we are not just a number, but rather a part of a family. Very fortunate to have found this gem. Go and see for yourself.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2017

The school has gone downhill and is no longer an A . The teacher and staff turnover is way more than it should be. It is time for the principal to be replaced.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2017

This is a small school and the administration, staff and teachers will all know you and your child, which is one of the main positives of the school. However, the teacher turnover ratio has been very high over the past few years and the consistency you would expect in a small school, without a principal change, is not there. Classroom sizes are very small. Although they do have some art instruction, it is very limited, so if you are seeking an actual art class with multiple modalities or any music exposure, this is not the school for you.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2017

The school goes on a witch hunt if the child does not meet the mold they are looking for
Submitted by other on September 17, 2016

Amazing school with excellent teachers and values.My kids are there since kindegarten and this school offers everything I wanted for their education.Thank you Ben Gamla's staff
Submitted by other on November 17, 2015

Hi! I am new to this site and very interested to enroll my 3rd and 5th graders, but the greaterschool.org said it's K-8, but when I went into the school site, it only have K-5. It's not true that they're not k-8. Please advised!
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2014

My son has been at Ben Gamla since Kindergarten. He is now starting 2nd grade. My wife and I could not be happier with his growth academically and socially. The teachers and the administrators are all excellent. There are not many schools where everybody goes above and beyond to help the students. Ben Gamla does a wonderful job at this. The parent involvement at Ben Gamla is the highest I've seen at any school. Everyone there cares! Our younger children will go there soon. Both my wife and I went to elite private schools and Ben Gamla stands above them. If you're a parent that does not want to be actively involved in your children's education maybe Ben Gamla is not for you.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2014

I have read all of the reviews on here and you cannot please everyone BUT I do want to mention a few things. Many people tend to forget that this school has had and will continue to have growing pains. I hope that my daughter will be able to go to middle school here too. She is gifted, but I feel that she would get lost in a big school setting. For those parents that regret sending their kids to BGCS because they offer Hebrew but other things like arts, PE etc were not available. That simply isn't true. BGCS offers Meet the Masters program and does have regular PE. They try their best with the tools they are given, but you can't please everyone. Please remember that you are not enrolling your child in private school, and as such, you should not expect that kind of treatment. The teachers and staff are top notch. What other school has parents and staff opening doors for the kids at car line (just to make light). Give me a break. You saw the size of the school and knew the academics when you signed up. You are entitled to not like the school, but the comments that some people are leaving, are skewed. I suggested this school to a BUNCH of people, and everyone is happy!. Proud mom :)