Bill Hefner Elementary

7059 Calamar Drive

School District

Cumberland County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:9
Type

public

School Map for Cumberland 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 June 07, 2024

the teachers are great, the principle is not. the old principle is gone, do not bring your children here, they won't get the services they need and the principle is rude and a bully. AVOID this place!
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2019

My daughter has been here since Kindergarten and is now in 5th grade. She has had some problems with bullying and Dr. Cahill has always taken care of it. He not only listens to her but he has also listens to me. He communicates on a daily basis and does his best each and every year . I think now he’s hiring the best of the best and so far, the teachers or staff that we met make her feel comfortable enough to wake up happy to go to school everyday .
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2017

My 6 year old son has been attending this school for two years. He had a good year in Kindergarten and I was thoroughly pleased with how hands-on his teacher was with him. First grade, I am pleased with the teacher as well. She is very hands-on and communicates effectively to allow my son to be able to excel well in his academics. As far as Principal Cahill, I am completely infuriated and frustrated by his completed inaction and lack of leadership to ensure the safety of fellow students. My son had an issue with bullying on the school bus that I brought to his attention the last week two times in two days each being separate incidents. He could have stopped those two little boys from putting their hands on my son, but he let it go on until after I stepped to him for two days about the issue and on the third day resulted in the boys retaliating against my son with FOUR boys total physically assaulting my son resulting in a Pediatric Emergency Department visit and x-rays. Nothing was done by the school until I contacted an assistant principal in charge of the bus system, which the boys were suspended for 5 DAYS!!! If Principal Cahill had acted on my sons behalf when I brought the issue of bullying toward my son the first two times my son wouldn't have been beat up by four boys on the school bus!! He only offered me an "I'm sorry"...and when I asked him who would be paying for his medical expenses his response was "You will be". My son doesn't deserve to go to a school where he doesn't feel safe and can't even rely on administration to enforce policies in regards to child safety.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2016

My daughter has been in this school since 1st grade and so far we love it! Dr. Cahill is a great principal very friendly and nice to the kids always there to greet them in the morning and sending them home. 1st grade teacher Ms Nacy is the best! My daughter adored her and she communicates to us very well about our child's performance. Until now everytime my daughter see her, she gets so happy
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2014

My son has attended Bill Hefner since 2011. At first there we issues with a few of the teachers but now I do not have that problem . My son has just finished his 2nd grade year and even though it was rough for him personally the staff and especially the principle Dr. Cathill have made it a great place. They care about the kids, they laugh with them, encourage them and never hold mistakes over their heads. We will be attend as long as we can because it's not every day you find staff and a principle that really have a passion for education. You will have teacher here and there that don't always fall into what you think educators should be but that is when you as the parent need to step in and address the situation. Good job Bill Hefner keep it up
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2014

My son is currently enrolled in this school. The staff is all very friendly and the principal is always out and interacting with the kids. My son's current class separates into groups based on their knowledge. This way no child is rushed to catch up, and children that learn easily can have more challenging assignments. Love this school and am excited for him to continue here.
Submitted by other on February 06, 2014

Ugh, this school would've been slightly okay if it weren't due to how I was treated by my peers throughout 2nd to 5th grade as I was constantly teased and picked on for various reasons. Of course, I talked to my teachers they said nothing... It was really annoying and the experience I had here has affected my life today. To be honest, it just wasn't the bullying and how uncaring some of my teachers were, it was also how unoriginized they were. I was tested for AIG and passed with some of the highest scores, but they ended up losing all of those papers. So when word got out I "failed" I was then even more ridiculed and mocked by others. ugh. I actually did retake the test the following year and they didnt lose the papers! I passed, but then I immediately moved to another school district... I suppose that was my insight towards Bill Hefner.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2014

My son has been at Bill Hefner since Kindergarten. I love the school and the staff!
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2013

My child has been at this school since Kindergarten and currently in 3rd grade. This school has taken a change for the worst. It no longer has an open door policy and lacks communication skills in the parent involvement area. I am greatly disappointed in the schools atmosphere and even more disappointed that my child has lost interest in learning because of a poor classroom setting. I am an involved parent and I like to know my child's progress and I have just not received that this year.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2013

My daughter was bullied from the first day of the school year and the principle did nothing in the way of correcting the problem.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2012

This 'school' was a nightmare. Simply put. We have known some previous teachers who have worked there and they all say the same thing, the principal is failing at her job, the school has numerous flaws in their 'dealings' with students and the parent/teacher communication is extremely lacking, partly due to the horrible attitudes from some of the teachers and staff. When trying to get an answer about anything, you are given a 'Im not sure about that one, let me get back to you in ...100 years" statement. It is sad because this could be a good school, unfortunately it is in the hands of someone who has no idea how to effectively communicate with anyone that is not in her 'corner' and staff (not all of them) that are very prejudice in their way of dealing with certain students. If your child goes here, I strongly suggest taking a look at your other options until the staff is educated on being respectful, responsible and mature adults, especially with the children who attend the school. I would not put my child here if someone paid me to.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2012

Overall I am pleased with this school. We moved to the area in the middle of my daughter's Kindergarten year and she's now in the 1st grade. The principal, Mrs. Bethea introduced herself and gave us a warm welcome to the school which I really appreciated. She always has pleasant words or a warm smile every time I encounter her. Test scores have gone up in the last year. The staff is very friendly and the teachers have done a great job challenging my daughter. She was able to participate in the Discovery Program for two years in a row and she was also recognized with a Terrefic Kid award last year. In Kindergarten my daughter had Mrs. Coward and in 1st grade she has Mrs. Matthews. Both teachers have done an outstanding job in recognizing my daughters strengths and have challenged her to do her best. Mrs. Matthews has done an excellent job in keeping the lines of communication open and is always willing to call or schedule a conference to discuss my child's progress and any questions or concerns I may have. The only thing is I wish the school offered more extracarricular activities for the kids. But overall, I feel like this is an excellent school and I would highly recommend it.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2011

My daughter is in the 4th grade and has been attending Hefner since Kindergarten. She loves the school and the staff/faculty. The teachers and staff are great with her. We have never had a problem that could not be solved by talking to the teacher and/or the principle. The school is very safety oriented, which is a huge plus.