Pine View School

1 Python Path

School District

Sarasota
Grade

2-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

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 April 25, 2023

Our daughter entered Pine View in second grade and graduated last year. She was exceptionally well prepared for the University of Florida Gainesville, where she’s thrived this past year. We have nothing but positive feelings about Pine View. We were told at the second grade Orientation that by fifth grade she would be doing everything on her own with minimal need for parental assistance and that is exactly what happened. We’re so glad that Pine View just happened to be in the county where we moved to for Job purposes 20 years ago.
Submitted by other on January 24, 2020

All Staff and teachers, and a Principal are very friendly and helpful.
Submitted by other on October 13, 2017

I moved here from Island Village Montessori School in eighth grade and it was horrible, I had to move back after three weeks I could not stand it. All they do is give you busy work. At my age, you can't make friends and nobody cares about you unless you've been there for a while. For half my classes I was in portable classrooms, which for a school that has been around for 60 years is unacceptable. And on top of everything when I was there I was taking one high school credit course and am currently taking four... That's doesn't seem right for a "gifted" school. Also, the majority of the kids aren't gifted at all, they are mostly rich kids whose parents paid them in and have them tutored by their teachers. As well as, the staff is horrendous. I wanted to be in Spanish 1 so my mother called the school to get me put in, I have taken Spanish classes in the past so I figured it was fair. The person on the phone said and I quote "If she's willing to work hard we'll put her in 7th grade Spanish and she needs to do a textbook over the summer." I am in 8th grade why do they make it sound so crazy for me to be in Spanish 1 or even 7th grade Spanish? So I walk into 7th grade Spanish on my first day and my teacher Mrs. Pauling says to me and a few other new kids "Why are so many new kids in my class? You were all supposed to be in 6th grade Spanish. We'll have you tested but you will probably be moved into the other class, this is advanced." She then sends us into a conference room for the rest of class... Is there some confidential information? No, it's Spanish class!!!! This is absolutely inappropriate! There is no reason I can't at least sit in the class! So overall, Pineview is awful and is not as "gifted" as they say, it is really just a bunch of rich kids and those who are smart get put in lower classes than they should be so they can keep their reputation.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2017

As a professor in education my family had high hopes that our children would have great success at Pine View. We were very disappointed with Pine View School. There was no support for new students and the administration was rude when we asked for assistance. Pine View expects the children to be in college in 6th grade. The curriculum is based on teaching the test without any creativity or imagination. The teachers test almost everyday from the beginning of the year until the end. Most of the teachers offer tutoring, which creates obvious favoritism. Many of the students are not truly gifted they were allowed to take the IQ test multiple times. The students are stressed out. No one smiles. I talked to many of the students at Pine View who felt like it was being run like a prison. There is an over all problem with depression and anxiety. The morals and values are nonexistent. The teachers can become mean and condescending if the students ask questions. It is so sad that this school has changed so much in a short period of time. It's rating is clearly from teaching these children to test well. It is not what it appears to be.
Submitted by parent on August 04, 2017

We love Pine View! We have kids in elem, middle, and high and it is the perfect place for our kids!
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2017

Our daughter has been at Pine View for almost 4 years now. Academically, she does excel. The learning atmosphere as well as the campus are outstanding. It is nothing in comparison to the prison-like schools in other places in Florida. While I agree that there are great teachers as well as bad ones at Pine View -like at any other school- the average staff is still way better than at several other schools we know in Florida and up north. Pine View is a school for gifted children. One problem is that many parents seem to push their kids into Pine View, even though they clearly do not belong there. Parents hear about the school's reputation, and do whatever they can to get their kids "tested in" by friendly psychologists. Later down the road, they fight tooth to nail to keep them in the school even if the students cannot keep up with the strict curriculum. Being pushed by overzealous parents, these students clearly suffer at Pine View. End results are a bunch of derogatory comments about the school and the supposedly inept Pine View teachers. Truth is, if your child is in Pine View and brings home consistently bad grades, he/she probably does not belong in there. A school can not make your kid gifted! Do your child a favor: end the suffering and register the student a school that fits the child's needs, instead of bashing the school. The proof is in the pudding. Look where Pine View High and Middle School stand in comparison to other schools in the country. If a High School consistently ranks in the top 20 in the country can it really be as bad as some reviews in here suggest.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2016

The school is great. The proof is the rankings, test scores, and for me, my child is happy. She has been there 3 years and her grades are good and she has adapted to the school's agenda. If making a decision on this school, look at the facts, and visit the school. If it is the right fit for your child, they will succeed and be happy. All the nay sayers are the ones that like to write negative responses, and it is probably because their child did not succeed at Pine View. The school is exceptional. The people that are happy with the school usually are busy, and don't take time to do reviews. I just ran across this and thought, this is very skewed. Reading these reviews should not be the factors weighing in on sending your child to Pine View. Go by the facts, the visit, and if your child is truly gifted, they will succeed.
Submitted by other on January 27, 2016

My experience here was horrid. Absolutely horrid. I've been everywhere - private, public w/ part-time gifted, regular public, and I can honestly say this is the worst school I have attended. Everything is a mess. Administration is awful. The office staff is not concerned about students or their whereabouts whatsoever. The outdoor campus was ridiculous - Florida is not the place to have an outdoor campus. The classrooms are literally in trailers - um? The teachers. Yikes. The teachers. Maybe it was just my experience, but ALL of the teachers I had were moody. The majority could not teach for their life. The minority that could teach didn't have good personalities. Not to mention the homework is useless - all busywork, nothing that truly makes challenges students or makes them think. And a large majority of the time, it is simply self-learning.The kids are stuck in their cliques that they have had since 2nd grade or however long they've been here. None of them are really friendly to incoming students. I was awkwardly alone for a large majority of my time here, and when I moved, I was making close friends within a week; I would dare to say it's not me that lacked the capability of forming relationships. Most of the kids are narcissistic and believe they are in the "best school in the world." You will hear this everywhere, when in reality, they have not had experience anywhere else half-decent.People who tell you this school is great have obviously not had the experience of any other type of school. The ranking means nothing; It just means they have intelligent kids who will prosper anywhere. It says NOTHING about its facilities, its staff, or its administration. If you're in the area, this may be your best option. I don't have experience with other Sarasota County School, so I can't say how they stack up. But if you're considering moving for this school, or considering the area for this school, please reconsider. If you're looking for a place with a good education system, Florida is not it. Florida education is horrendous, and Pine View would be at best, comparable, to schools up north and in urban areas. If you are really set on moving to Florida (or within FL), look into maybe an urban city (Tampa is close by) and consider a private school or a good public school there.
Submitted by other on December 10, 2015

Our son is truly gifted, and we are disappointed that his teacher and the administration are so poorly equipped to deal with the needs of a typically gifted child. The work he is given is busy work and not at all challenging (i.e. crossword puzzles and word searches.) Halfway though the year, his 2nd grade class has not done a single hands-on math or science activity. Not one. Just a huge stack of worksheets that aren't challenging in any way other than the fact that his handwriting is expected to be perfect. I can't even begin to summarize how ineffective and outright damaging his teacher is. The good thing about Pine View is that while about a third of the kids there clearly bought their way in and are not gifted, there are some peers our son can relate to. So I suppose he could be in a public school with ineffective teachers and no other social or academic peers, or he could be at Pine View and have a few peers with which to weather the storm. We thought qualifying for this school was a privilege, but it has been a disappointment.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2015

After ignoring numerous warnings regarding putting our child in this school, we decided to go for it. Our child was excited to learn and be challenged. The first year went okay, a little rigorous but that's expected. The next year would be when we started to see the school's true colors. If you want your child to come home in tears, be overwhelmed with the amount of work and feel humiliated by the teachers who try to put the students against each other, this school is for you. The best thing we did was take our child out of this school.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2015

We entered the school thinking it was a privilege and quickly learned it was a school of entitlement. Though there is a IQ requirement, we found that many of the students were privately tested (i.e. Bought their way in) only to be taught by teachers whom though they have gifted endorsements, don't have much experience with the intricacies of a truly gifted mind, mainly because they infrequently encounter them. That said, it's up to the teachers to engage and inspire gifted children, not overwhelm them with homework and strict parameters more akin to a boarding school. The work itself isn't hard, and my child is able to breeze through academically, the cost is belittling comments from teachers who turn learning into a competition and division between peers, stress from constant pressure to perform on assessments, and missing out on a lot of childhood due to homework, projects and busy work.Though I will admit, you don't necessarily have to be gifted to achieve high marks at Pineview, you just have to be a subordinate child who plays by the rules and never questions authority. If your child is creative, sensitive, a free thinker, a dreamer, an artist than this "public-private" military type institution just might not be the place for them. Children are held to an extremely high standard academically with very little wiggle room and an obscene amount of busy work, while behavioral issues, harassment and bullying from students and teacher alike are swept under the rug. Teachers encourage competitiveness and continually "assess" student work, effectively teaching most children to learn to hate school. Communication is infrequent and dismissive, which trickles down from an inept administration who's hands always seem to be tied in one way or another.
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2015

Not one positive review has been written in the last year. Since Covert has taken the reigns from Largo, PV has sadly quickly gone downhill. PV has moved from #6th on US News to #24th. PV response? Raise the required GPA to stay at PV View to 3.0 from 2.5. This is ridiculous. Truly gifted students may not always make the grade, while less gifted, conformist students might. Often, gifted underachievers may decide to only do the minimum work; their heads are stuck inside a turbine or writing a novel or some other endeavor. They often lack study or organizational skills because in the early grades they didn't need to develop them. PV kicks out students with a lower GPA only for the interest of the school and their ratings, not the student. The high schoolers used to have more freedom of movement and thought. Students there no longer feel free or respected for their own thoughts. Attire policy has gotten stricter. Freedom of movement around and on campus has been limited. It might as well be Pine View academic Military Academy. The academic rigor expected at Pine View is indeed high. However, you could get the same or even better rigor without requiring so much homework.
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2014

This is a school where students self-teach. The "teachers" assign notes from the textbook and the students spend the class writing. Math teachers don't quite understand the math themselves, but don't worry, these kids are bright enough to figure it out on their own! The students are not treated like individuals, they are numbers-both scores and money. If you have trouble, forget it! Nobody wants to help. You're the square peg, trying to fit in the round hole; maybe this school isn't for you. Carry on and teach yourself! Don't blemish Pine View's scores because it'll make Dr. Covert look bad.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

This is our daughter's first year at Pine View. We moved to the area for her to attend the school. We are very happy with the overall leadership of the school. With a new principal this year, you would expect some snafus, but there were none! Kudos to Dr. Covert! Our daughter teacher, Ms. Cookerly has been wonderful, helping us navigate our way through the year. Academically, it was just what our daughter needed. She looks forward to more challenging work in years to come, but it was a good way to start her tenure at Pine View. We look forward to the years ahead.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2014

As a parent of 2 Pine View graduates I have been extremely happy with the education they received. They learned great study habits that have made college easier for them. It is a wonderful embracing school for the children, they are free to be smart and be proud of their accomplishments. PV is not for children who are not motivated and have been pushed by their parents. Make sure the school is the right fit for your child not for you.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2014

Pine View is a wonderful school for fostering learning. We enjoy the relaxed campus atmosphere and the philosophy of going 212 degrees, "the extra degree" that makes water turn into steam, which can then power engines.
Submitted by parent on April 03, 2014

My two daughters graduated from Pine View School. One is a Chemical Engineer the other A Biomedical Engineer.. I am a proud mom... thank you PV,..!! The Spanish teachers are no good though!!
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

This school has been wonderful for my third grader. Individualized attention, great kids, super curriculum. Couldn't be happier.
Submitted by parent on November 27, 2013

Pineview is amazing, we moved to sarasota to be able to go to this school, I am sure my daughter would be bored at a notmal school, she loves the challenge, she wants to be pushed, it is designed for gifted children and it is just excellent, the teachers ate motivated, enthusiastic, highly recommended.
Submitted by parent on November 11, 2013

Our daughter is completing her 3rd year of middle school at PV and we are very pleased. Each year we attend the open house and without exception we meet astonishingly talented and committed teachers. The pace is demanding and the quantity and quality of work required is challenging, but for a true gifted student there is no better formula. Our daughter would be bored out of her mind working at the same pace as general population classes. PV is no place for the student that needs large amounts of parental motivation and help with classwork. The student has to be up to the challenge PERIOD. Finally, Florida's ESE program is noteworthy.