Witch Hazel Elementary School

4950 Southeast Davis Road

School District

Hillsboro 1j
Grade

K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Hillsboro School District 1j

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 February 23, 2025

We moved here from Beaverton district. We heard lots of different reviews of this school. Our personal experience halfway throughout the school year. Do not enroll here. Our child's behavior has worsened so much due to other child's behavior. My child also has a restraining order and they do not check ID's when I've had family come get her. She did something and got written up I was not notified at all and found out a few days later. They do not allow kids watches/phones and gave me a huge argument about it till I finally told them it's a gps tracker due to her restraining order and the watch phone is fully in school mode no Internet or phone access while in that mode. They did a school assembly with parents invited I was not notified till the 5pm the day before. How are parents suppose to be involved if we don't get enough notice for taking time off work to be involved? I will say my child's teacher is nice but that is the only positive I have to say about this school. Do not enroll here.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2017

It started off positive but went down hill. It really depends on the teacher. There is almost no communication regarding days, schedules and some events. Emails are wrong on the website or sometimes not returned. Phone calls not promptly returned within 24 hours.
Submitted by parent on October 17, 2016

The is little communication between the parents and staff. No one knows how to deal with issues and emails are rarely returned. They don't have a policy in place to deal with stolen items so the issue is ignored. The teachers seem to care and express that they don't want kids to get bullied yet they do nothing when it happens, their answer it for kids not to stand out and not get the attention of a bully. When a child has difficulty learning the teachers act like it's an imposition. Unacceptable on every level.
Submitted by parent on January 03, 2016

This school was ok when they had a principal that cared and really was great. WE spent 3 years at this school and were very involved. However after serious staffing changes including a teacher that could care less about her students we transferred.!!! how sad, unless you want to allow children to be bullied and treated rudely then enroll your child here...!!! they will be bullied and abused emotionally and not learn anything except Spanish!!!!
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2015

Witch Hazel has been a great school! The dual language program is awesome. The teachers are wonderful and really care about the kids. As the others posts said, I also do not understand the negative reviews. Hopefully things keep getting better!
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2014

My children have attended this school for the past 3 years. The staff is amazing and genuinely care about the students. I have loved all their teachers and the attention they give to helping our children succeed. Schooling isn't just up to the teachers and parents need to be involved as well, I love how this is encouraged at this school. The principal is a great asset. And is always around helping and overseeing things. He is a great reputation with all the kids. We also love the diversity of backgrounds at this school. A vital thing for all children to learn is how to interact with people of a different background and Witch Hazel affords that opportunity. We love Witch Hazel and cannot understand why it has gotten bad reviews.
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2014

My kids have been attending this school for the past 5 years. We have loved every teacher our kids have gotten. The school is very diverse and the dual language program has been great for my kindergartener. The principal cares about all the students and tries hard to get to know all of them. Every month they have assemblies were they recognize good character traits and give classroom awards such as the golden book, golden whistle, and golden broom. One challenge of this school is the lack of parental involvement. Many parents step up and help out, and I always feel appreciated when I'm there to volunteer. But sadly many parents do not help. The PTA, Watch DOGS and the principal work hard to get more parents involved.
Submitted by other on November 04, 2013

Not a good school. Administration is really lacking, and if you're child is having difficulty forget about getting anywhere. Emails and calls to teachers go unanswered, office visits are useless as the principal is always unavailable or unresponsive, and no one knows anyone's schedules. Communication about a child's behavior which can easily be worked on at home is not communicated to the parents. What's the point of a red, orange, yellow or green card if the parent is not notified? I will revisit this review in the near future if things change.
Submitted by parent on July 10, 2013

After two years of attending this school I have unfortunately decided to move all of my children out of not only this school, but the school district. My first issue is that they were all in high reading, math, etc., yet my 6th grader can't spell words like "church, automobile, scissors, and many more words that an almost 13 year old child should know how to spell. She struggles in math and doesn't know her multiplication tables, and her writing skills are pretty weak. I kept in contact with her teacher but it's hard to follow what they are learning because very little of their work is sent home. This has been an ongoing battle. This summer is being spent homeschooling and working with tutors to get them caught up so they can attend their new school in the fall and be successful. My other issue is the bullying problem and lack of attention being spent on this issue. I can't go into great detail of what the circumstances were, but I can say it was handled poorly by both the school and the school district. Great teachers but poor administration and weak leadership. I feel like this school's priorities are not where they should be and unfortunately the students are the ones who pay.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2012

After years of trying and hoping we finally transfered our child out of Witch Hazel. While we have had a good teacher we have also had ones where burn out seemed to be a factor in them giving their all.
Submitted by parent on April 10, 2012

This is a great school. Quite a few teachers truly care about their students. They try to give as much one on one attention to their students. The principal has amazing relationships with his students, when they do great he gives them prizes and it encourages the students to do better. The programs that the school offer are great! The communication between staff and parents is amazing they also have great help for bi lingual parents English/ Spanish. All the events that the teachers put together to involve parents would be great if more parents would participate. The staff put together movie night, spirit assembly's, sporting events, and a Christmas meet with santa clause. I think Witch Hazel has everything put together well. I love this school and the staff. I am a parent who requested to volunteer at Witch hazel elementary before applying my child and they immediately said yes. I look forward to my child attending Witch Hazel Elementary.
Submitted by parent on October 10, 2011

This school could have great potential and I hope they can pull it together. I find they don't challenge their students enough. All of their programs lack support by teachers. My child loves to learn but is not challenged enough to make it worth going there.
Submitted by parent on April 05, 2011

After many years of trying to work with this school, we finally had to transfer our children out and into better programs. Although there are a few fantastic teachers, the lack of principal leadership and genuine care and concern for all students does not make it worthwhile. Infact, the education and safety of the students declined more each year. I truly hope this little school can pull itself together, it is sad to see it do so poorly.