Pinewood Elementary School

200 Rickswood Road

School District

Baltimore County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for Baltimore 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 June 06, 2020

Great community overall, caring and knowledgeable teachers! My daughter loves going to school!
Submitted by other on November 30, 2018

Good school but had one teacher that ruined the whole expiereance at the school so now it is bad
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2018

If you are the kind of parent who never tells your child "no" and who wants your child included in ALL rewards--even without doing the work-- then this is the school for you! If, on the other hand, you are the type of parent who is trying to raise your child to be responsible and accountable for their choices, then you will have a lot of opportunities to explain to your kid that life is not fair and that "entitled" people tend to ruin things for everyone. All you have to do at this school to get your way as a parent is whine to the principal (Mrs. Reuter) and she will quickly give you whatever you want for your darling snowflake. The teachers are great, but there is little they can do when the principal undermines them. I had high hopes for this place, but I will be removing my child from this school.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2018

Having been a teacher myself, I say with confidence that the school is doing an excellent job. My child says, "Pinewood is awesome!"
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2018

Not the best it has some Strick teachers and some of them are nice and the things that they teach the kids in fourth grade Are meant for six graders
Submitted by parent on November 23, 2015

Pinewood is an excellent school with teachers and an administration who really care about the students. The programs that the faculty and staff organize for the kids outside of the regular school day are fantastic and offer lots of learning opportunities for the kids other than those inside the classroom. The administration does a great job of supporting the families and also the teachers - not an easy balance to strike. There are high expectations of this school in our community and it does well with meeting an many time exceeding those expectations.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2015

The teachers and parents are fantastic. We have had an amazing experience at the school so far.
Submitted by parent on June 16, 2015

This is the last week of the first year of my daughter attending elementary school, she will graduate Kindergarten Thursday!! I do not understand any of the negative comments on this board as I am very pleased with Pinewood. Both my daughter and I absolutely adore her teacher, Mrs. Berline. She has been wonderful and really helped both my daughter and I make the transition from preschool to elementary school. She has been very flexible in scheduling parent meetings and very responsive to my emails - which in the first few months were often! I am very puzzled by the parents below who have said the quality of the staff and their lack of help with the students - my daughters teacher has always been very helpful as have her other teachers. Honestly, I am offended that their quality is being quetioned! While my interaction with the other teachers is far less frequent, my daughter has had nothing but nice things to say about all of her teachers, administrators, cafeteria personel and play center teachers. The principal Mrs. Brown is very nice and has never made my daughter or I feel awkward or unwelcomed. In the beginning of the year my daughter was crying on the way to class (the transition to K was rough for her) and Mrs. Brown stopped her in the hallway and consoled her - she also provided her encouragement that helped going forward. I have also bumped into Mrs. Brown when I have been to the school for various reasons and she has always been friendly, inviting and seems very approachable. Overall, I am glad my daughter will be attending Pinewood for the next 5 years!
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2014

The school has changed greatly over the time my three students have attended. It no longer is a genuine happy place and the tension is almost palatable. In meetings where the principal is present, it is evident that she is the cause of the tension. She exudes happiness at one moment and almost scorn at another. People do not see her vision through her actions and are afraid of her retributions if you get on her wrong side. Many of the teachers hide from her, which is not as difficult as it seems as she often is in her office and rarely seen around the school. I stopped volunteering this year because she would see me in the hall and not even address me, even though I had been active in the PTA up until last year. Very unhappy school on the downward slope. So sad.
Submitted by parent on June 16, 2014

Why are so many awesome, dedicated, quality teachers trying so badly to leave Pinewood Elementary this year? And why aren't they being told where they will be working next year? It's the last day of school and teachers still do not have their assignments for next year. How is the principal going to recruit staff near as talented as all of the great staff transferring out?
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2014

The school is wonderful with excellent After School programs like Art Clubs, Spelling Bee, Math24, Black Saga & Early Bird Gym. They however do not have good entry/exit points, if you are dropping kids to school by car. The school district border was recently rezoned, to eliminate areas to minimize overcrowding.
Submitted by other on August 04, 2013

The teachers don't help students as much as at other schools. They need to improve that.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2012

The previous review mentions the prinicpal's race as the cause of her poor reviews. That is simply not true. As some first year principals do, she had a terrible first year. She has displayed improvement during her second year, particularly in dealing with interpersonal skills towards both parents and her faculty. Although she has a long way to go, she is learning that leadership does not need to be handled in a heavy-handed manner. Again, her lack of interpersonal skills were one of the main causes for her lack of success, not the perceived rascism of the families she interacts with.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2012

My two kids go to Pinewood and it's a great school. Teachers are excellent and principal is also nice. I do have to say that the school is not as mixed as the previous schools my kids went to before pinewood, so it took a little adjustment. I seriously think a lot of the comments below are because the principal is an African American principal in a primarily Caucasian school. Principals have to follow guidelines and if they do not agree with something then they are the bad ones. I see lots of praises on the AP, but of course she is white. It's sad how race always plays an issue. If the school test goes down then she is not doing her job, but if the testing grades are good then she is doing her job.
Submitted by other on November 18, 2011

Not satisfied how this school is applying behavior policy. They are more concerned about kids fingerpointing than they are about education.
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2011

The new principal is out to prove something to the parents. A few years back I was proud of Pinewood but I really don't like the direction the school has taken. I'm glad this is the last year there for my child.
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2011

Teachers are amazing, but the recent turnover at the top has caused a setback. The new principal's attitude has certainly contributed to that; she's rubbed more than a few parents the wrong way. But the new assistant principal, who just started this year, seems promising. Hopefully she'll stay.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2011

I have to agree with the other reviewer, the new principal has brought the atmosphere in the school down. She seems very antagonistic towards parents. I rated the teachers three stars because between my two children I have had wonderful teachers and horrible teachers. There isn't a strong consistency and when trying to deal with the administration regarding any issues it can be difficult because of the new principles poor people skills. I wish I could be more enthusiastic.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2011

I have two children at Pinewood and I cannot say enough wonderful things about this school. Their teaching staff is tremendous; truly committed to developing strong academic and social skills in each student. I volunteer at the school on a regular basis and feel my presence is extremely welcome by both the teachers and administration... I know dozens of other parents who feel the same, I really surprised to hear other reviewers indicate otherwise.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2011

Teachers are highly qualified with an unusually high number of teachers who are nationally certified. I was very pleased with my child's preparedness for middle school. Currently have a second child who is happy and successful. They are a Maryland Green School, but since the new principal came on board this year, it seems as if environmental literacy is no longer stressed. The new principal seems simply overmatched. She makes little to no effort to communicate and has been quoted numerous times saying things such as "I would rather not have parents in the building." Her efforts to exclude parents makes for a very unfriendly atmosphere for what was once a good, old fashioned, community-oriented school. As if that wasn't enough of a downer, it is difficult to tell if she has interpersonal skills because she comes off as very unfriendly. The school succeeds in spite of her.