Dr. James Craik Elementary School

7725 Marshall Corner Road

Pomfret, MD 20675

School District

Charles County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for Charles 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 January 26, 2023

kinda mean teachers so yeah and kid gets yellled at all the time
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2022

Amazing. Well trained staff from top down. I’m extremely grateful for how well they’ve educated and helped mold each of my 4 children! They are truly professionals who prioritizes the children’s safety. Even when a parent was deployed for the military, they went the extra mile and checked up on their wellbeing which really meant a lot to our family.
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2020

Excellent. The teachers really seem to love their job. My children love to go to school each day. I can make one phone call or email and talk to anyone I need with anything my or I need help with.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2019

I've had two children in Craik and they love it. The teachers are wonderful. The kids were reading right from kindergarten. This is the best school in the county. Some of these ratings were from a few years back and the principal is different now and much better.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2017

I love Dr. James Craik. I couldn't have asked for a better school for my kids. The teachers and support staff are truly amazing. The teachers want the students to reach their fullest potential so they push the students but in a very positive way. I am at the school volunteering 3 days a week sometimes more and I can tell you every single staff member at Dr. James Craik truly care about EVERY ONE of those kids. I am so proud to say my kids go to Dr. James Craik. The comments about the staff only caring about the students who have high test scores is not true at all, it was never the teachers it was the principal that we had back then not the teachers. That principal hasn't been there for a couple of years now so it is no longer only about test scores. Every student is treated fairly no matter what their test scores are. I have never seen an entire team care so much about each and every student.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2014

A school should be valued/evaluated by more than Test Scores. When we received news that a new Principal would start the Fall Season of 2014, we were elated. "All children" are precious - not just the one's that score well on tests... and hopefully this new Principal and staff will focus equally on the most talented to the least talented - in a more compassionate and less militaristic manner then the previous regime. Most teachers at Craik are very caring... but some of them have been allowed to exhibit such quick fuses and bad tempers - that our kids are learning this is the way in which frustation should be handled -and now that the old Principal is gone - hopefully Love, Caring, Patience, and Compassion will be their mantra !! "Love is kind" - would be a great start - in attitude adjustments - and, in addition - we as parents should gently remind our children... not to receive another's slight as a garment they should ( permanently or temporarily wear - even when it is the highest authority figure in the school; but rather, to know - they are loved for their own uniqueness, and in spite of any shortcomings - they exhibit... as they learn and grow to their future potential !
Submitted by other on August 09, 2013

I spent many years at Craik. The kids are top-notch, the parents are top-notch, and 95% of the staff are top-notch. That being said, I will concur with others about the administration. It is so disappointing - Craik could be such a well-rounded, exciting place to learn. Instead, it is a place where creativity is not allowed. The focus is on the test scores, and not much more. Teachers have made this school the best in the county, yet most of them are simply rated satisfactory. Explain that one? The students are the highest performing but all the teachers are "C" teachers? If you want your child to be successful, Craik is a fantastic school. If you want your child to be creative, well-rounded, and successful, you will leave disappointed. Craik has so much potential, but it will not be realized until the focus is beyond the test scores and on creating healthy, well rounded children.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2013

I have seen the other comments about the principal. I have never had an issue with her. I have only seen her at school functions. I have never had to deal with her due to one of my children being in trouble. The school over all is an older building that is well maintained and in great condition. The teachers are top notch and seem to want to work hard with my children to get the best out of them. I have 1 child that they referred to the exceptinal program. My other child is strugling with his reading, but they are working with him and he is getting more confident everyday. If I had it to do all over again, I would put my children back in this school.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2012

Reading the other comments about this school, I concur with most of the comments. I rate the school low because of Principal Nye. She has overexagerated my child's behavior to the point I refused to take her phone calls any longer. I have spoken with other parents thinking it might just be me and a personality confilct only to learn that the overall opinion of Ms. Nye is that she singles students out that she thinks will hurt the overall school's test scores and berates the parents to the point they pull their child from the school. She finally stopped singinling my child out when I told her he would be there until he graduated to middle school so she better get to liking him. One year a teacher wanted to hold my child back because he wasn't where he should be, when only weeks before I had contacted his teacher to be informed and was told "everything was fine - he's doing great" I refused to let my child be held back due to the schools lack of communication, now he's top of his class in math and other skills. Craik is a good school, it's not a great school because of its leadership...The music program needs work too. The clear disregard for traditional christmas music is offensive.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2012

My wife and I love, love, love the teachers and quality education Craik has to offer...but we will echo the comments about the principal, Penny Nye. We recently had a bullying issue with one of the students on the bus and when my wife called to address the problem, Ms. Nye was condescending, rude, and refused to acknowledge the behavior, instead asking for resolution of an administrative issue we had not known about previously (we are new to the state). When I personally called Ms. Nye she was obtuse at best and told me the incidents clearly did not constitute the application of the bullying label despte what the Charles County website clearly describes as such. To her credit, when I made an in person visit, her tone changed and she promised to provide resolution on the issue.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2012

I have read all of the reviews and agree, teachers are great. It take a special kind of person to put up with the principal at James Craik Elementary. She has falsified my child's behavior and frustrated our patience to the point of wanting to pull our child out of school, but I refused to let her win. She threatened me once, to call Social Services because I didn't pick my child up from school when she thought I should. Frivolous phone calls, to the point I stopped taking her calls. She refused to listen to us from Pre K until our child's last year in terms of what kind of teacher we needed our child to have to be successful. Other teachers in our district refuse to consider teaching under her. I agree with all the other statements about her rudeness, lack of "bedside manner" as a school official and her overall "profiling" of a student. Other parents in our neighborhood have all the same complaints - yet the district will not remove her or put her where she belongs - in High School where I thinkshe would thrive. She had the audacity to tell me how to raise my kids in one specific mtg. I'm glad our elementary days are very soon behind us. Lots of other issues, but out of space.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2011

My daughter just started Kindergarten this year and her teacher is fantastic. She is very caring toawards the children and always willing to talk to me when I ask about my daughter and her work. HOWEVER, the front office staff is disappointing at best. The secretary seems almost lazy. She almost brushes you aside if you really need help. The principle is probably one of the rudest people I have ever met. I asked a question about a field trip my daughter was supposed to be taking and she scathingly replied "Why do you need to know?" Excuse me but I am pretty sure that I have the right to know anything that concerns my child. She is a very uncaring woman, as she couldn't care less about your situation. I dread that my child still has five more years at this lackluster school.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2008

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