Wesley Lakes Elementary School

685 McDonough Parkway

School District

Henry County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

School Map for Henry 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 other on May 26, 2024

I attended this school from 2007-2008 for 1st grade and it was by the worst experience in school i have ever had, it was not a conductive learning environment, the teachers & staff were a huge joke, and one day before i knew it i was unnecessarily restrained for almost no good reason at all and some tension ensued, that day ended up being somewhat traumatic for me and for the rest of 1st into 4th grade they forced me into a separate special ed room for much of the school day, which severely hampered my ability for positive social activity with my actual peers, and instead had to endure disabled kids who were severely autistic or in wheelchairs, and for a while fell behind everyone else, i'll never forgive for what they did to me.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2023

I have 2 children who attend Wesley Lakes. My daughter attended from 2019-2023 from 2nd-5th grade. My son attended pre k and is now in kindergarten for the 2023 school year. Both my children liked the school and their teachers. My daughter is advanced and struggled to feel challenged but that is a one off for her specifically. My son really enjoys it and is challenged every day. The staff has always been courteous and professional. There was an instance of bullying that the Assistant Principal Mr. Wright addressed immediately. Overall I believe the teachers actually take their work seriously and do a good job with the students. I've enjoyed having my children here. I think the school is stretched thin and will benefit from having another elementary school open up soon.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2023

IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CHILD’s SAFETY DO NOT SEND THERE HERE!!! If I could give this school zero stars I would. The principal Jodye Callaway does not see bullying nor does she correct it. She tells the parents it’s not bullying that is just your perception of the situation. They “investigate bullying by asking the child did you do it like a child is really going to admit yes I punched that kid. The teachers are unprofessional and can be heard screaming at students when walking the halls. Since attending my children test scores have dropped dramatically. When you question jodye Callaway on her lack of discipline be prepared for her condescending remarks and tone. Your students will not have a good learning environment when they are watching their backs from the bullies that run scott free around this school. The principal has lost total control of the school her teachers deliberately lie to her face without any repercussions. Had a teacher reach out to us about a situation that transpired and when she questioned him on why he didn’t report it he told her that he doesn’t know what situation she is taking about. RUN DONT WALK AWAY RUN FROM THIS SCHOOL
Submitted by parent on February 21, 2022

They also take opinions from the other student's as if the kids opinions matter when it comes to behavior or your own child after they have done what they did wrong to your child.
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2021

I had two children attend this school. Both were significantly bullied. My oldest attended for three years. My second child attended for most of the school year. I didn't find out that my son was even failing until I told them we had enough and were moving ONLY because of how bad the school was. This was February! The end of the year! I continuously reported to the teachers my children were being bullied. I eventually got a letter back stating "Your son is no angel either". Not because he was being mean to anyone (because he wasn't. He was so afraid to even speak because of the kids and teacher), but because he wouldn't sit in his seat. Instead of even addressing my concerns, she redirected it to my son not being an angel for not sitting still. He is high functioning adhd and a late May baby. He was super young and very adhd. His behavior was FINE. He was in EIP! My oldest son had more of a backbone and stuck up for himself. My other child was more shy. The teacher treated my son VERY differently. I saw it first hand on class field trips. She could hardly maintain the class. My older son had one good teacher and the IEP teacher was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. She was a grace from God. Other than those two people the rest of the school was a nightmare. An absolute nightmare. If your child is a minority in that school, I promise you they will be treated differently.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2020

The teachers are always willing to help. They handle bullying ASAP and put a stop to it. They even sit down with parents and teach them techniques to help their kids learn in similar ways they learn at school. I am not sure why the ratings are so bad but the school is overall a good school. It sucks when schools get bad ratings just for the simple fact that they have majority black students. This is the case across many schools and it is sad. This is a great school overall.
Submitted by parent on December 18, 2018

I hear teachers yelling at the students all the time when I go in and eat lunch with my child. Not the normal yelling neither. Also, no Christmas programs, hardly get paperwork sent home, and it’s hard to know when your child has homework, because they tell you to go on google classrooms, and the teacher never updates it . Awful just awful!!
Submitted by other on May 31, 2015

My daughter attended this school for 2 years. Very unorganized. No participation from parents at all. I tried many times to for a PTO with no success. Some teachers are good but mostly bad and inattentive. I recommend if your child gets zoned to this school to avoid it at all cost!
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2014

I have 2 kids at WLE, kinder & 5th. This is my 5th graders second year and my K's 1st year despite the ratings for WLE I chose to remain at WLE. Here's why: >The Staff of WLE CARES and if you speak to any one of them at random you will know this. SERIOUSLY visit and see for yourself or if you are also a WLE parent stop a educator randomly and talk to them, ask questions that matter to you. The 1st yr for my oldest then(4th grade) was rough and when the educators realized this they contacted me at the end of the 2nd wk of school. We begin to jointly work through a plan that eventually helped my child improve significantly(5th grader now). > Many resources for you to help your child at home(Educating YOUR CHILD is a JOINT responsibility help out get involved) >Test scores for the 14-15 school yr improved, stayed the same and also declined see website for the results, use this as a factor in judging. >WLE is updating the equipment, resources and interior so far its awesome. >Drop off/Pick Up is rough without the crossing guard and police posted to catch the speeders. >Could use an assistant in the parent resource center. >Small PTO participation A village raises a child!
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2014

my child will not be returning to this school period. he is in kindergarten and this year has been horrible. the first teacher he had was nice but not stern and had no control over her classroom and failed to inform me of areas that my child needed extra help with. i continually went to the school sat in the classroom and spoke with the principle numerous times and when i suggested that my son be moved to a new class the principle insisted that he was in the best class for him and i completely disagreed. once he moved to the new teachers class his behavior improved slightly and academically they were very uninterested in keeping me updated on how he was doing i did not find out until 4 weeks before school is over that he was struggling in areas and that he was going off in a small group to get extra help. my son has improved significally with reading sight words because of me what i have bought to work with him at home. the classrooms are way over crowded and my child has not benefited from anything from this school since he has been there everything he knows at this point i have taught him. WESLEY LAKES GET A F IN MY BOOK AND I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE SEND THERE CHILD THERE
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2014

My daughter has been at Wesley Lakes for 3 years now and My husband and I are very pleased with her progress, and the staff. Mrs. T. Harris, Mrs. Paris, and Mrs Hertwig are 3 of the B E S T teachers that Henry County has to offer. They keep/ kept the lines of communication open between parents and they keep/ kept me up to date on my daughter's progress. My daughter is typically shy and mild mannered. However, since being at WLE she is building her confidence and breaking through her shell and I am very proud of her! The ladies in the office (Mrs. Montague and Mrs. Britt) are very professional and such pleasures to encounter each visit. My husband and I are considering a move/ home purchase, and one of our primary goals in to find what we want in THIS school's district. Thank you Wesley Lakes for caring for my little love bug!
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2013

This is an okay school if you're looking for an average school. This is not a school for you if you're looking for opportunities for your children to advance in higher learning. It may be helpful to enroll your child in learning programs as far as after school goes. The parents aren't too involved either so that could be part of the issue.
Submitted by parent on November 24, 2013

My son attended Wesley Lakes for Kindergarten and first grade '10-'13. Our experience with Wesley Lakes was good. I especially appreciated how his kindergarten teachers recognized his capabilities and kept him challenged. Mrs. Cortez, his assistant teacher in kindergarten was the best. There are a lot of good teachers there and I never had a problem with staff. They had the drama club after school free of charge and did their best to accommodate the many children who signed up. They always encouraged parent involvement with I mom & All Pro Dads. Someone mentioned that the school is not diverse, it is primarily African American because that is the race that lives in the area but he had a sprinkle of other races in his classroom. All the kids in his classroom were very sweet on the occasions that I would have contact with them. A lot of them would remember me when I came to the school and come and give me a hug. This was my experience. I think if you have good communication with the teacher and try to be involved, you would have a good experience.