Whitefield Academy

1 WHITEFIELD DR SE

Mableton, GA 30126

47 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 24, 2023

Our Middle School child has attended Whitefield now going on 3 years. Previously, our child attended AIS and Morris Brandon. I'm a graduate of Lovett. My wife attended a public school out of state. We returned to Atlanta partially to send our child to the AIS experience-- probably the most unique among private schools in ATL. While foreign language fluency was certainly a bonus, the bullying, overt displays of wealth, and constant political engagement (even at the preschool level) pushed us to switch to APS. The Brandon years for us were COVID, and our child was routinely receiving 100s for just showing up. We felt that public school education was geared toward the lowest achiever, not a great fit.We applied to many of the ATL private schools, and he was accepted or waitlisted at most. We chose Whitefield due to its mission--which is safe learning, within the context of Christian morality, in a supportive environment. We also wanted a school that was a socio-economic mix. Many of the WF families seem to hold similar ideals. Similarly, most of the faculty aligns with the mission--with a large portion actually coming from Westminster-- who universally say they left for the mission. Our experience with Whitefield is consistent with the mission - sometimes for worse, but most often for better. Since attending, the school has removed several families that did not fit the mission (some wealthy, some not). However, the school actively teaches such age-old concepts as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"--and WF lives by this. My child actually came home one day repeating this from a school lesson. He also had a couple of challenges with other children--which the school immediately addressed positively for all involved.The school has also experienced faculty turnover-- however, this turnover was notably less than AIS - we've been told most schools experience quite a bit of turnover these days--especially in recent years. Furthermore, the trend we have witnessed is a continuous uptick in quality replacement.No doubt that WF is not perfect. But, if you are looking for an environment that attempts to instill confidence in your own child's learning identity while empowering acceptance of differences--within a Christian morality context: WF is an excellent school to begin the journey.
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2023

After 10 years at Whitefield Academy, we decided to move our child to another Christian Leaning Facility. K-4th was a wonderful experience with caring teachers, proper leaning environment and good teacher retention.Once 5th grade began in the Middle School it all changed. Leaning was abandoned for "you should know this" attitude. Teachers stopped teaching and began assigning homework and tests. There is no help for those who fall behind. In a few cases, 3 to be exact, specific teachers did put in the extra effort to help our child succeed. Unfortunately once a good teacher entered to school, they too resigned. Either quitting or finishing out the school year and leaving. It was not uncommon to have 20-35 teachers/administrators leave the school after short employment history. This is troubling.I would say the most disturbing part was the cliques and bullying that happens daily. We know of several kids who left the school year prematurely due to being bullied on a constant basis. Bullies whose families were socially/financially connected to the school went unchecked. It's a disturbing issue.We are so happy to have found a better alternative in the Cobb county area and our Child is thriving. With what we saw, we would not recommend this facility.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2021

horrible!!!!!! i have gone here for 9 years and its terrible
Submitted by other on January 17, 2020

This is the worst, most hateful and intolerant school ever!
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2019

Disappointing and we regret the money and time spent here.
Submitted by other on February 02, 2019

I graduated Whitefield a few years ago, so I can't speak for how it is now. However, as time has gone by, I have gotten a better perspective on my time at Whitefield. Bottom line up front: If you are sending your child to Whitefield because you want to prepare them well for college, there are better options out there for you. I am about to graduate from a top-ranked university, and I can say for certain that Whitefield did a poor job of preparing me for what I encountered. First, I was not prepared for the academic rigor I encountered. While I was at Whitefield, the academics were not exceptionally difficult. I was able to get by without having to regularly study, and encountered a rude awakening when I got to college. It took a while for me to figure out what I needed to do in order to be successful. The success I've had in college happened in spite of my time at Whitefield, not because of it. Second, I was sorely unprepared for having to manage so much of my own time in college. While I was at Whitefield, the school did not allow its students much free time during the school day, and forced the students into unimportant activities that could have been used for more important purposes. As an example, two days of the week had shortened class periods. One day had shortened class periods because of chapel, which was a huge waste of time for the most part, and the other day had shortened class periods because the school day started later, but ended at the same time as the other school days. If you do the math, that amounts to a tremendous amount of time lost; time that could have been spent in the classroom. Third, and this is somewhat ancillary, but a lot of the other qualities of the school are second-rate at best. The athletics department was pretty successful while I was there, but it's struggled to achieve the success it once had for years since. The school couldn't afford to have a prom at a decent venue, nor could it afford to have a real cafeteria. The practice and baseball fields were prone to flooding, and the school STILL doesn't have its own facility for the swim team to practice in. Overall, if you're looking to send your children to college armed with a strong faith and the ability to succeed in collegiate academics, I highly suggest that you consider Westminster.
Submitted by principal on September 18, 2018

Outstanding school experience for several years now! There are always little things with any school that don't make sense or annoy parents and students, but overall, couldn't ask for a better atmosphere to allow my children to flourish in their God-given gifts and talents.
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2018

The school isn't bad. Very solid academics and good facilities. Your child will be college ready if they are there for academics (you will see why I said that later in the review). It has most of the issues you will find at most private schools entitled kids and parents who buy their way into preferential treatment. The parents with the big pockets call the shots, the moms who jockey for positions on certain boards or committees and dictating which kids are accepted into social circles or not.Academics are solid. There needs to be more STEM incorporated in the curriculum but they are working on that. Activiities - For a school this size they have an array of activities, something for everyone. There is a big focus on sports and the arts. They do some amazing theater productions and have produced some very talented artists.Environment - As with any school you have mean kids. I see this more among the girls than the boys. The parents are particularly tribal and which can cause the kids to behave the in the same manner. There are a few genuinely kind people there, you just have to seek them out and tune out the rest. Race Relations: Have a lot to be desired. The blacks that have access to make difference aren’t impacted by racial issues due to their connections (staff member, board member, etc) so they sit silently. The blacks that want to make a difference end up leaving. Personally, I don't think you must be a minority to work on improving the bias that exists. The advice given by the blacks to the older children experiencing issues is “just ignore it”. This school is particularly harsh for African American boys in that they have inequities of consequences for the same offense. Also, parents whose children are there for sports need to be vigilant in making sure their children are college ready. Do not count on the school to do that, for them if they are an athlete. They will do enough to make sure they are passing only. My advice is don’t get caught up in the hype of sports and ignore what’s important.Whitefield has the potential to be great and I hope they one day reach their full potential.
Submitted by parent on July 03, 2018

Overall, we have been very pleased with Whitefield. It is a very challenging school, both academically and socially. It remains a newer, smaller school relative to its more established peers in north Atlanta, which can be a double edged sword, but the sense of community is strong, the growth and development plans are exciting, and we love that our child is growing, learning, and developing in a Christ-centered environment.
Submitted by teacher on May 15, 2018

I am a parent and a teacher at Whitefield, and I truly believe in the mission of Whitefield. It's leaders value prayer, and seek God's wisdom in all decisions. It addition, Whitefield has excellent academics!
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2018

Exceptional academics in a strong Christ-centered environment.
Submitted by parent on December 21, 2017

Excellent christian school fostering proper values and strong academics.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2017

It works for now. If your student plans to study liberal arts this is the school for you. If you are planning on studying anything science or math driven, look elsewhere. I think most parents are at this school because that's where their friends are and they never consider changing because they don't want to break their social circle.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2017

Excellent balance of academics, athletics and the arts. Student body is diversified and has a strong nurturing culture. Very pleased so far!
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2017

Whitefield has provided a solid, complete education for my child as he moves from lower to middle school. The curriculum is well designed and delivers results. The students know and understand proper grammar, cursive handwriting, their math facts and application of math skills, and how to read and write with a critical thinking mindset as we head into 5th grade. I'm excited to watch what he learns next as he continues into Middle School. This school provides solid academic learning enriched with Biblically-based faith lessons and demonstrated faith leadership from teachers, coaches and parent leaders. Children don't just recite Bible verses - they learn the lessons of faith and how to apply them in life, as well. This school has been a blessing to our entire family.
Submitted by other on April 11, 2017

This school is supposed to be a "Christ Centered" school, yet they discriminate against certain students as well as tolerate bullying. A true Christian school would embrace all of God's children and not stereotype certain ones!
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2017

The first incident took place August 2015, a band teacher told my son in front of the class that he looked sloppy and instructed another student to tell him. After a meeting with the Principal she agreed to apologize to my son but the apology never happened. I followed up several times with the school and was told it was being handled. To date, the teacher never apologized for her actions. In September 2016, a Spanish teacher had what she called a brutally honest discussion with my son where she told him she did not have good thoughts about him, she was disappointed to see his name on her roster, she thought about reassigning him and her heart drops every time it is his class period because of him. She accused him of plagiarism with no proof and told him the work was way too good for him. The Principal defended her actions and did nothing to the teacher. However, my son was suspended for 7 days because of how he responded to her degradation via social media. Upon returning from suspension, my son was accused of calling a female student a liar out loud in class and the principal interrogated my son, used intimidation and made bias comments. This same female student had made unfounded allegations against my son while he was on suspension and nothing was done to the young lady for defaming my son's name and character. Yet my son was treated like he had no rights or wasn't deserving of a fair investigation. My son was degraded and belittled at the hands of the teachers and Principal and was treated like he didn't matter.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2017

We have twins in 7th. grade at Whitefield Academy. They joined this school five years ago when they were in 3rd. grade. My children were at a local public school before that and we were looking for Christian schools in the area that would not only enforce the values that we believed in at home but would also challenge them academically. Whitefield Academy met both of those criteria. My kids are happy to go to school everyday! They are challenged to think outside the box by outstanding teachers, they are offered multiple options for excelling in areas of fine arts and sports. Above all, they are encouraged to live out their Christian faith. I can truly say that Whitefield Academy has been the right choice for my children and our family and we are very blessed to be a part of this community.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2017

My 16 year year old twin sons have attended Whitefield since kindergarten and we have thanked God every day for that blessing. While Christ-centeredness is the cornerstone of the school, don't let that make you think that Whitefield does not have a highly rigorous academic schedule. My sons have been challenged at every stage of their academic careers and have been motivated to succeed by a highly decorated but still caring faculty.Whitefield Academy is the place for any family looking for a place for their child to excel academically while still being taught the Christian values modeled in their home.
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2017

This is our third year at Whitefield and we could not be more pleased with the academic rigor, the wealth of options for our children to get involved with sports and the arts, as well as the overall community feel that comes with the school. We were a little concerned coming in the that our children would receive "watered-down" Christianity, but that is not at all the case. Additionally, we wanted to make sure our children would be academically challenged at a healthy level....to bring out their very best. I am confident our children (5th & 7th) are being cared for, are safe and are part of a community that has really partnered with us parents to get to know our children's personalities, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, all in order to provide them with a strong educational foundation for future success in college and beyond.