Piney Orchard Elementary School

2641 Strawberry Lake Way

School District

Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Anne Arundel County Public Schools

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

My son who has a 504 has really benefited from attending poes. Teachers are great and the school has an open, accepting community.
Submitted by other on February 09, 2024

If your child has ADHD or needs any form of assistance with an IEP or a 504 plan, find another school district. Piney Orchard labels children, if your child is culturally diverse or a race other than white they do not treat them equally. They blame the child for “bad behavior” rather than trying to actively help them in the school environment and acclimate them. They allow other children get away with wrong actions but will only hold your child accountable if they don’t “like” them. The principal ignores concerns you may have with your child and pretends to not hear you or that anything is actually occurring that’s negative to your child. They do not care to notice if your child is uncomfortable or anxious about school due to the staff at piney’s actions. I do not recommend piney orchard elementary at all. If you want your child misjudged, wrongfully accused, and ignored, then this is the place for you.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2023

My kids love going to school here, they have been attending Piney Orchard Elementary for 2 years now. The teachers here are wonderful and really care about the needs of the students. They observed areas where my kids needed extra attention, communicated those concerns to me, and provided recommendations and tools to help in those areas. The staff is also a joy to interact with and they make sure that the children are safe while they are in school. Upkeep of the facility is exceptional both inside and out, it doesn't look rundown and dirty like other schools in the area. This is a reflection of how the support staff and teachers care about the safety and education of the students.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2022

School is overcrowded due to new communities being built but that is not the school administration or staffs fault. They are amazing with my child. He enjoys school & is flourishing even with the overcrowding. The new school is to be built for the 2024-25 school year. Great community to be a part of. Lucky to be Piney Orchard Snow Leopards!
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2022

This school is EXTREMELY overcrowded at 160% of its rated capacity. The Board of Education takes no responsibility for this and plans to do nothing about it until a new elementary school is built in the future. All of these good ratings are probably from years ago when this was actually a great school. Now it has been ruined and turned into more of a factory farm or prison setting. Do not be fooled by these ratings. This school is DANGEROUSLY overcrowded and has no political pull to fix it, so everyone is just holding on for dear life and praying nothing terrible happens. I wish I had learned the truth about the direction this school district was heading in before I moved here. It is now quite bad.
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2021

The faculty is great. They do a great job adjusting to your child's abilities. The teachers are very patient with children. My son, a minority student is doing very well at the school. My one concern is that the school need to do a better job at hiring talent that is representative of the student body.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2018

My overall experience at this school was nothing less than AWFUL. Despite how much I wanted this school to be as great as these reviews stated, it just was not accurate. Michelle Legrande is hands down the greatest teacher this school has and they are blessed to have her. The contrast between kindergarten and 1st grade was vastly different. I urge anyone on this site please do your research before making the decision to send you innocent child to this school. Please do not make the same mistake I did. It is evident that these good reviews were written by administration at the school or a completely misinformed parent. I used these very review when I made the decision to enroll my child and it was the worst decision I have ever made in my life.
Submitted by parent on July 18, 2017

We have had an excellent experience at Piney Orchard Elementary. Parents see the administrators at drop-off and dismissal, and are available at the many school functions. Teachers obviously like being at this school, since there is low turnover and they seem genuinely happy when I am at the school. My daughter loves going to school. Her teacher was very communicative and I felt like I knew what was happening in the school and classroom. We are very happy with this school.
Submitted by other on May 24, 2016

I came to this school last year as a fourth grader and I am currently in fifth grade. While my time here has been short I've met great people and have learned so much about life. I'm very sad that I'll be leaving.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2015

I have read the negative reviews and I really think these parents are not informed. Maybe it's because I'm a teacher, or maybe I just also spend anytime I can volunteering at this school, but I think the school is great. The mention of 20 minute lessons is particularly confusing. Occasionally only 20 minutes of work in handwriting or spelling is necessary, but most lessons (math, science, reading) are in 50 - 60 minute blocks. I've observed this myself, and it's been confirmed by teachers and my own children. During that time, they do different things- maybe go over homework from the night before, use manipulatives, and then look into the lesson further and prepare for homework. This is reasonable and I hope no school expects children in elementary school to one thing for a straight hour with no differential instruction. I find the class sizes fair, especially for public school, and that's a county and state budget decision anyway. The teachers, even part time teachers in library and art, know my children's names and can answer any questions I pose about grades or behavior. My children (who are average in many areas and one has an learning disability) have never needed a tutor, and I only know one parent who hired a tutor and she was happy to do so. I am very impressed and would never move or transfer my kids. There are tons of extra-curricular activities (considering it's only elementary school), and the school lets the community use their fields for local recreational sports. The PTA is very active and just built a beautiful new playground. The teachers are wonderful (I rarely request because they are all so fantastic), administration is very quick to act if there is a safety concern or something that can be improved, and they have struck the perfect balance between academic rigor and lots of fun/special events. I'm impressed- keep up the good work!
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2015

My son got a new teacher this year and even she is great, pleasant, kind, patient, and a phenomenal teacher all around. She really cares about each child and you can tell. It shows. (Ms. Morrow) Is everything I want all of my son's teachers to be. She teaches 2nd grade. Ask for her next year if you have a first grader. I love all of her ideas for dealing with emotions in the class room. She has a cool off jar where if you're mad or sad you pick out an ice cube to help you "cool off" and do what it says on it. It's adorable and works. Great school as well, the fact that in her first year she is so impressive says a lot to me about the hiring process and school in itself.
Submitted by parent on March 12, 2015

I have three kids currently enrolled in this school. It is a fabulous school; my kids love going to school, the teachers challenge students with advanced lessons yet are very approachable and open to unique solutions to my child's classroom behavior. There are many opportunities to volunteer as a parent, we love POES!
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2014

I have two children enrolled in Piney Orchard this year and could not be happier with their teachers. I like how the teachers communicate with me frequently through written notes and emails. There is a lot of homework to do, but I appreciate that my children are being challenged and the work, for the most part, appears to match their skills and abilities yet pushes them a bit in terms of stretching their thinking. The women in the office seem alright, although I haven't really interacted with them very much.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2014

The negative reviews are accurate. The children are rushed through the day in a series of 20 minute "lessons"with no teaching done at all. Children go completely unnoticed if they aren't top 2%. The teachers cannot explain the grades given because they don't know your children. In order for your child to learn you will need to teach them at home or obtain tutors, which most parents are doing. The teachers are mediocre and cruise since the parents are doing all the work. Although the student population is diverse, there is a noticeable lack of diversity in the staff outside of one white male music teacher every staff member is a white female. The relationship between the staff diversity and the achievement gap of the schools minority and male students is evident as this children are ignored and are not given opportunities to participate in the limited extracurricular activities/clubs. It took me a few years to see the issues because it is in a great middle class community, after spending time at other schools in the county I realized this school is doing a disservice to its students. Class size is 25-30 per class with one TA in each grade alternating between 4-5 classes monthly.
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2014

Our son will be going to Piney Orchard in the fall and the staff has been great in terms of going through the process to get him registered. If this is the way they run the school, I'm sure it will be a superb environment. Everyone is polite, professional and organized. I like the way this is going.
Submitted by parent on January 01, 2014

Overcrowded, larger than normal class sizes, and teachers/faculty that just seem to be doing a job. No ownership of their roles of educating our youth. Very disappointed in this school. Looking forward to the ability to move out of the enrollment zone of this school. Looked great on paper, but does not live up to the hype.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2013

I have been following this school for years as my daughters were enrolled here since kindergarten. Pleased to see the ratings start to reflect the change in administration as I have seen and felt the difference and was concerned it was only myself.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2013

Piney Orchard Elementary School is a topnotch school. The teachers and staff are committed, dedicated professionals. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the school community, whether it be by volunteering at home or in the classroom, joining and being involved in the PTA, or attending school events. The school has been recognized by the State of Maryland for excellence in gifted and talented education. All students receive increased opportunities for advanced instruction in both math and language arts. The cultural arts classes are engaging, and the instrumental and choral programs are incredible. Being located so close to a military base, it is understandable that the student population changes throughout the school year. We are thrilled that our children have had the opportunity to attend such a fantastic elementary school.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2013

I am so glad that I am not the only person head over heels in love with this school. My son attended POE last year for the first time. We are military so I picked the location to live in based upon the reviews. If your child is not a "genius" they are very likely to be over looked. You must advocate for your child, ask questions, and stay on the teachers. His teacher recommended him to be placed in another "on level class" for next year, even though his reading Dibels score at the end of the year was double the requirement. Her reasoning was he needs to finish work in a more timely manner. I 'm not buying it. His teacher showed no genuine interest in my child, and had I not addressed my concerns he would have just been passed on by.. another child left behind. The office is not welcoming, The principal is almost none existent, field trips are done by lottery picking (so they say) and only 5 parents can go; you can't go to field day to be with your child unless you are volunteering, you are limited to eating lunch only on birthdays and can't bring younger siblings to any functions! For meet the teacher, or any other events, children are not allowed. Please proceed with caution
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2013

This school is in a great area, but its only viewed as a GREAT school if your child is smart. My child has been struggling since grade K and i have talked to teachers and everyone else you can think about in order to have him tested to see if he can get whatever extra help i can get him. In the meeting EVERYONE voiced the same concerns, but apparently when they "tested him" to see if he qualifies for "extra help" his scores were on the lower side, but not low enough to qualify. As his mother, i can tell you whatever test they did with him was not correct because my son is probably more on the lower 2nd grade level and here he is about to go into 4th grade. This school is all about "ratings" and having that bonus in their checks. Its sad that these people don't have a true desire to help this children. I guess since it isn't their child it isnt a big deal!