Upchurch Elementary

730 Turnpike Road

School District

Hoke County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

public

School Map for Hoke 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 parent on February 07, 2022

The lack of communication between the VP and Principle is astounding. To start, I introduced myself, and the vice-principal said, oh, so you're the big dog? What is that supposed to mean? I recently had an issue with my son and another student. My son was suspended for two days without having any problems before this, minus minor stuff. Yet, when I talked to the VP, they didn't seem to care about my child's needs. I had expressed several times to the principal and VP that my son is going through medication changes. We are currently waiting for a psych eval, and so far, the system has failed him in getting him tested. Even the school said we don't or can't test him because of lack of personnel and the same issue last year when I requested my other son to test for an IEP. I am currently seeking a psych eval. Instead of being understanding and supportive, the administration said, we are treating this no different as if your son brought a gun to school. Keep in mind that my son is five and did no physical harm to the other student. I have asked several times to speak in person with the VP or Principle to no avail. I showed up this morning, and the person at the door said they were helping in the car lane couldn't speak to me right now. I emailed the school on Friday to set up a time to talk to them about what happened. This was at 5:12 pm Friday. I still don't have a response back from anyone. I emailed again this morning, and still no response back. I even left my cell number. Yes, I understand that my son isn't the only kid in the school, but If a parent shows his concern, It's important to address that parent rather than ignore him.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2016

Pleased with my daughter's progress in just a few short months!
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2016

I am very pleased with my son's progress and the safety this school provides! Also I am very grateful with the school driver, best one ever bus 38!!
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2015

Worst school ever! I wish I could give it zero stars! I had to come to the school every few weeks to yell at the principal. The food is horrible. The teachers cannot speak proper English and cannot speak it in complete sentences. The administration loses paperwork. No one is at the front desk half the time. The busses picked up my kids at 6:45 am. They were exhausted from getting up so freaking early. They rarely had recess because "school policy" says if the outside temperature is below 50 degrees, they have to stay inside. The teachers, however, kept them inside if it was below 60, and even then, the kids just sat around and read books. Kids need exercise; they need to run around to help improve their studies. I spoke with the North Carolina board of education in Raleigh, and they said that the principal can make that kind of change. Upchurch's principal denied that she had the power to do anything: It's all dictated from the NC board of education. My pre-K was suspended for bad behavior for yelling at someone --a pre-K is suspended? The instruction is dreadful, and the school is an embarrassment to the American educational system.
Submitted by principal on September 18, 2014

Welcome to Upchurch Elementary School. It is our goal to provide your child with many opportunities to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally. We strive to help them become independent thinkers who make good choices and contribute in a positive way to their school community. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. The door is always open. Upchurch Eagles are, as always, soaring through a successful school year!
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2014

Worst school ever! If I could rate it zero stars, I would. We have attended other schools throughout the country, and this school is disgraceful and by far the worst I've ever seen! The teachers do not return calls or e-mails, the administrators are disorganized and rude, and the assignments are ridiculous. My kids would come home nearly every day with yet another complaint about: *how the teachers constantly yell at the kids; *the kids are bullied all the time; *they don't get guidance on confusing homework (if they have any); *they sometimes get big projects with very little time to complete them, and so on. This school is so bad that we are moving to a different school district because of this school. Horrid!
Submitted by other on September 10, 2013

This is an awesome school! I would like for students to be challenged more by their teachers especially with my grandson. He is a smart student but is easily bored when not challenged.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2013

My child went to Upchurch for kindergarten and will not be returning for 1st grade. The building is old and overcrowded. My child's teacher couldn't spell his short, common name correctly. She constantly tried to teach him to spell it wrong. He began to have identity issues because she refused to correct it since, and I quote "it was spelled wrong the first week." We had multiple e-mails, several conferences, and contacted the principal about how she kept spelling his name wrong. I should have gone to the school board. Don't bother seeing the principal with issues--it won't do anything. It never stopped, my child just stopped caring. The last week of school, all the certificates, boards, and papers had the wrong spelling. I asked why and got the same response: "it was spelled wrong the first week.'' So what? That was nine months ago and you have no other child's name spelled wrong, not even the kids with super long names and more vowels than anything. The teacher assistant constantly marked every child every single day as "red light." If every single student gets in trouble every single day (and I mean all the kids) then where is the incentive to behave? Goodbye Upchurch.