Sunset Elementary School

400 West 8th Street

School District

Edmond
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

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 August 18, 2023

I've been trying to enroll my son for 2 daysWent there this morning and he's still not able to attend now until the nurse makes sure his immunizations are up to date. I'm an educator as well... This school Definitely don't have it together. Mind you I tried to enroll him previously and the portal was down so I thought going to school would help it didn't. Very unorganized school. I will be looking to transfer my son very soon...
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2023

Learning: My son has come home and has shown us so much he has learned over the year. His reading level has exceeded. Teaching: My sons teacher was AMAZING. Mrs. Murphy cared about him and always expected a lot from him every single day. Any time there was a concern, she would immediately notify me and vice versa. She was very responsive on all of my emails when I had questions or concerns.Social- Emotional support: My son always received love and support from his teacher. The lady in the front desk and nurse were very helpful on days where my son was sick or needed to speak to me.Special Education: I can not speak 100% on this as my son was not involved in this department.Safety: From the moment where I realized that parents were not allowed further than the front office is what calmed my nerves on safety. The school is very very serious about letting just anyone into those doors. I hope that never changes.Family Engagement: The school has a PTO where any parent can participate in and be as involved as possible with the school and child.This is the school my child will be going to for the next couple of years, I will always speak positive about it.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2023

We've had kids in Sunset for the last 3 years and generally enjoyed our time there until this year. Administration changed over the summer, which began an exodus of many teachers and other staff (last count was more than 12). Even through COVID, the prior principal tried her best to cultivate a family type atmosphere at the school. She welcomed parent involvement and seemed to work well with the PTO to promote unity and respect within the school and between the school and families. It really seemed like the principal last year knew a good portion of the students and took time out of her day to make them feel welcomed. She did the same with the families. The new principal doesn't seem as interested in making connections.We're leaving Sunset before next year. Our kids have come home with stories of fights and kids cussing each other out inside their classrooms and on the playground. Our older child spent most of the year in her classroom's reading area to try to escape the chaos in her class. We were concerned for our kids' safety by year end because of the stories from our kids and other parents. The teachers and support staff I know truly care about the kids and are trying to do the absolute best that they can. They just have ZERO support or help from the current administration. School, district, and state level leadership seem to have left them to survive on their own.Sunset is a school mainly comprised of minority and economically disadvantaged students, which makes it very different from the majority of schools in Edmond. Under previous leadership, many of these differences were used as an advantage. Current leadership came from another school with a VERY different student population and has not adapted well to Sunset's student population. We were a very involved family - involved with PTO, volunteering at events, and attending many other events. This school year, it felt like school went from a welcoming environment to being very closed off. Even the PTO parents weren't allowed by the new principal to help in ways they had been able to in previous years. It's disappointing seeing other elementary schools allowing and encouraging parent involvement and feeling like your kids' school is taking steps to prevent it. This year communication and organization were so bad that parents didn't have any information about yearbooks until the beginning of May, causing all of the student yearbooks to be delivered to students' homes instead of the school.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2023

I had three children attend Sunset Elementary School over the course of 6 years. I often volunteered and worked with my children's teachers. I found everyone to be polite and professional!I could not answer the questions regarding emotional support or special education, because we did not need these services. However all three of my children did receive free speech therapy, from a licensed speech therapist, and made great improvements.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2021

Stay away from this school. If you’re in the district, apply for nearby transfer. The staff from top to bottom are subpar. Subjected to religious xenophobia by first year teachers who posted questionable content online and targeted one of my children. Had to file complaint with the state. I know OK has low resource pool for teachers but they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. These teachers will not think twice to make your and all your kids a living hell if they feel like it. They handled the pandemic extremely poorly compared to friend’s kid’s schools in same district. I was appalled the way some kids in my kid’s classes were talked to on zoom during virtual “schooling”. These people are paid by OUR taxes and it’s their JOB. They do not get to pick and choose their student body, especially being literally rated the worst elementary school in Edmond. Dr. M get to work. Some unnamed teachers I’ve filed state complaints against I see are no longer there this year, go figure. Cringe to think what replaces those poor excuses!
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2017

I feel that communication between the administration to the teacher is very, very poor. My children recently started to take the school bus home instead of the daycare bus. When I went up to make the changes, I asked about what to do if my children need to take the daycare bus home instead, and was informed to call the day to let them know. Despite already making the changes to their bus schedule, I call EVERY DAY to remind them to send my children on the school bus. Today I called like usual and was told that they would "let them know". Well they didn't and when the school bus came my children were not on it. I called the school to transfer my calk to transportation to ask if the bus was running late and to make sure that my children were on it. The woman I spoke with was short with me and made exasperated sighs when I asked for her help. She informed me AT FIRST that the bus had not made the stop at our apadtments, so I asked if they were for sure on the bus, she said she would check, then when she was back on the phone, told me that the bus ALREADY went to our apartments and dropped the kids off. I told her that my children weren't dropped off and asked where they were, which she rudely responded, well, you'll have to call the school, then kept talking about how she has so much to do. I called the school back and spoke with the same person that transferred me to transportation and asked where my children were, after giving my childrens names she said also very rudely, "we don't have a transportation change, so we put them on the daycare bus." I let her know that there was a change I had made and I also called the school earlier just to try and prevent this sort of thing from happening. I then got rude and said something along the lines of "now I have to pay for a day of daycare the kids didn't need, thanks a lot." I also tried to reach out to them about viewing my daughter's report card, because for some reason they don't give out copies to sign anymore! The priorities are so messed up with this school a huge reevaluation is due for all members of the administration including the principal and vice principal.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2017

i really think that t his school could use some improvement. The teacher he has this year compared to last year is awful. She has not called and let me know how my son is doing. I ask her when the we as parents are aloud to go up to the school how my son is doing and all she can say is ok and I ask her is there anything he can do to catch up since he has been out alot to do being sick all the time and she says he he is doing fine. I can't wait to get him out of this school. I do not like Dr. Mcdaniels, I don't think she likes the kids at all or at least the ones whose parents aren't donating money into the so called pta.
Submitted by other on March 05, 2017

I went to this school from the years 2008 to 2013 and my sister went there from 2009 to 2013. It is one of the worst schools in Oklahoma. The Principal Dr. McDaniel and Asst Principal Mr. Pratt DO NOT care about the students at all! My little sister was getting bullied daily, a group of boys kicked her everyday and they kicked her so hard there were bruises on her legs. My mother and father went to the school many times to complain about this and to try to get someone to stop them but Dr. McDaniel and Mr. Pratt did not care. They said that she caused the bruises herself and that she should stop trying to be the center of attention. My sister went to the nurse's office one day because she didn't feel good and as soon as my mother walked into the office to check her out Mr. Pratt walked up to my sister and said "Stop being a cry baby". Don't even get me started on the past principal, Mrs. Simpson-Miller. She was an evil woman. Overall Sunset Elementary School is not a good school and I do not recommend that you send your children here.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2016

My son began attending Sunset for Kindergarten this past fall and has done wonderfully. He loves his teacher and his classmates and loves going to school in general. The principal and vice-principal are very involved and all the kids loves them. I was a little wary due to the previous bad reviews but they are from years ago and the school seems to be getting better and better. We are very happy there!
Submitted by parent on February 29, 2016

My son is a pre-k student at Sunset for the 2015-2016 school year. He loves his teacher and looks forward to going to school every day. He knows what is expected of him and does his weekly homework without complaint and even looks forward to the special projects that comes home. He is excited to do the nightly reading and sometimes even adds an extra book. The faculty and staff at the school are great and I know my son is in good hands every day. I am a very involved parent and wish more parents would get involved with their students but overall our first year at Sunset has been amazing.
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2014

I am a parent who submitted a previous review (Posted November 8, 2012). I felt an extreme need to update my review of Sunset based on the 2013-2014 school year and the changes that have been made. Sehawks are making progress!! There is an AMAZING new Principal Dr. McDaniel and Asst Principal Mr. Pratt. Since this school year started my child has had so many positive experiences and loves the encouragement from teachers and Principals. I have met and see the Principals on a regular basis and I really appreciate that. Family Night was a huge success and we had a great time. Parent involvement still needs improvement however, this is not the school's fault. Bullying is not tolerated and is handled properly this year.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2013

My son went to this school and it is TERRIBLE. They let him get away with not doing his work (did not mention this at ANY parent teacher conferences, even when asked how he was doing) for the ENTIRE YEAR. They love kids, but do NOT hold the students accountable. They cant always argue that it is a parent thing, because I was 100% involved the entire year. They are frustrated and LOST and do not know how to manage a classroom. I have never seen the principal (not a single time, even at events), and when I mentioned it to the office ladies (who wasn't the nicest person in the world) they just laughed and shrugged. They wasted an entire year of my son's life. Ridiculous. Bullying also a huge deal. My child was bullied many times. Teachers seem to try to handle it, but it happened way too often. Some children this year threatened his life at one point and he was very shaken. This is not a good school if you care about your child's future at all. WORST school in Edmond.
Submitted by teacher on April 19, 2013

Faculty at Sunset care deeply for their students, and work hard to advance learning. Many opportunities for growth are available, including after-school tutoring, Success Maker, and differentiated instruction. The school, however, has extremely low parental support and involvement. PTO meetings are sparse. While many parents are supportive, some often only initiate communication to complain, and when they do so are sometimes disrespectful and ignorant of school and classroom policies despite numerous opportunities to be informed. Sunset is not the "typical Edmond" school; it is fighting an uphill battle against low parent involvement, apathetic students and parents, and increasingly jaded and frustrated teachers. I love this school and want to see it improve, but we need a great deal more help and support from parents, students, and faculty alike.
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2012

Bullying is a serious issue at Sunset. My children witness fights on a weekly basis. I would not recommend this school unless things change. The teachers do a great job but the office staff are not always friendly and principles are never seen. The PTO is almost non existent. There is almost no parent involvement. It is very sad.
Submitted by parent on November 26, 2011

I have a child who attends Sunset Elementary. Her teachers are excellent, but I haven't been too impressed with the new principal. It seems like my child's class for the past 2 years have had some violent and emotionally disturbed students. It has been difficult for my child to learn what she needs to learn because of the violent behavior in her classroom. I don't blame the teacher. I just think the administration could help by placing the emtionally disturbed students in an emotionally disturbed classroom. I know they used to have a class for them, but now they are being mainstreamed. I wish they would have gotten parental input before making this change. I am looking into sending my daughter to another school next year.