Whispering Oak Elementary School

15300 Stoneybrook West Parkway

School District

Orange County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for Orange 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 May 22, 2023

As someone who moved into the area from out of state, I was excited to see what an elementary school that rated 10/10 would be like. My overall reaction was simple: disappointing. The school probably did best in the academic area, but was just average at communicating with parents and pretty poor at fostering a sense of school-wide community and making newcomers (of which there are quite a few) feel welcome and included. We never felt like the principal made any effort to connect with us as parents. The clubs and activities seemed geared toward a few select students and information about how to get involved in or qualify for those clubs was very hard to come by. In short, I'm glad my children are moving on after one year in this school. They were made to feel excluded by their friends as well and even bullied at times. We're hoping for a better experience in middle school.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2021

Good schoo overall but If you have an extra hour in the morning & afternoon to spend in the drop off/pick up line this is the school for u!
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2020

Excellent overall, very positive interactions with teachers and school officials.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2019

This school is a A school through and through. The only negative might be the pressure they put on students to pass the FSA. Other than that, this school is amazing.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2019

HARD PASS, so glad we left. Way too much homework, teachers are very negative, students aren't inspired. Too much emphasis on testing skills and not enough on actual education. Silent lunches, no focus on arts, short and restrictive recess. Over crowded, parking lot is filling up with more and more storage container classrooms. Homeschooling is a better choice or finding a charter. Only wish we hadn't picked our house based on this schools test scores, will never make the mistake of judging a school on those- it just means that is where the focus is rather than an actual education. Parent feedback is a better indication of a schools approach.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2018

Great experience at this school with both teachers, administrators and the after school program.
Submitted by parent on June 12, 2018

We are not impressed with the lack of communication and support from teachers and administrators. The school performs well because of the neighborhoods they pull from. Students are coming from highly involved homes. The gifted unit is a joke at this school. They lack compassion for gifted and low achieving students. I hope that administration takes back the school and realizes that teachers are letting kids play mindcraft on their iPad all day and see that communication is severely lacking.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2018

We have been here for 6 years. When we started I was completely blown away at how amazing the school was. The top school in the county yet my children enjoyed school. All has gone down hill since the new admins. He is so scared to not keep the school #1 that he doesn't care about anything else. Music performances, STEM programs, media time, character parade, mother's day tea, and more were all cut. If it takes away any instructional time aka test prep time, it's gone. Bottom line is do not move here solely for this school. DO NOT GO BY TEST SCORES ALONE. You will pay more for your house because of this school. Find real parents to talk to. More and more seasoned families and new, are leaving this school for others. This school has sadly turned into an all iReady test prep factory. The teachers can't do anything about but collect more data from your child to make the school look good. And all of this AND overcrowded by 400 + students. There are so many kids they can't even have a decent recess time. Portables have taken over a large area ofPE and more come in every year. Do your research, A schools don't mean a great school at it's core.
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2018

I love this school, my daughther has been there for 2 years an her ehperience has been great. Teachers allway keeps comunicatin with parents.
Submitted by parent on February 23, 2017

Pros; The facility is aesthetically appealing. It's a blue ribbon school in a state that is not the best. Cons; It's overcrowded they have had to take the music room over for a kindergarten class. They do most PE classes on a concrete covered area. The covered part is great, concrete seems like a poor choice for safety. There's an EXTREME amount of homework. Some evenings my 3rd grader was working until 8,9 even 10 pm. Not a healthy childhood. No field day at the end of the year, no halloween parade, kids could not wear costumes to school, no concerts, or plays. The transport to & from school is the most atrocious system I have ever had the displeasure to encounter. The car line starts 1-2 hours before dismissal (hello bad for the environment running your engines that long!), comes from three directions wrapping around the school & streets. We live in a neighborhood across the street where you have to either park closer to the school at least 30 minutes early, or ride bikes. The floods of bike riding/scooter/skateboard kids and their parents takes a very long time to get through. The school start & end times are "approximate". I was told last year to pick up my son at 3, when I got there at 2:55 most students were already gone & he was distraught because I was not there. Again this year I was told in writing & verbally 3pm but dismal can begin as early as 2:45. According to the website the school day begins at 8:45 but my sons teacher starts class at 8:30. This should be basic, yet is completely disorganized. This is our third school (relocation). My son has excelled in all the schools and states, yet his teacher had nothing but negative comments about him academically, I was surprised to find he made honor roll with all the negatives he and I were told by her. His teachers catch phrases were, "you guys bombed this" and "your work is caca". Nice. Way to inspire your students. When I asked my son her catch phrases for a good job he drew a blank. She flat out lied to me about reminding my son to get his class work done. I don't honestly know why you have to remind students to do class work but the lie never sat well with me. This school needs to get its act together. Until then, it's not surprising that many families are seeking alternatives- I pulled my son to homeschool as did another neighbor and I am hearing multiple similar experiences.
Submitted by parent on February 04, 2016

It is very frustrating that my child education has been limited to reading and math, because the school wants to make sure that students do well on the FSA since this is what gives the grade to the school ( and of course the funds) and they don't want to loose their "A" rating and their blue ribbon. This school doesn't care about giving a child a well rounded education and specially formation. They overwhelmed the students with above grade level tests because "we don't know how the FSA test is going to be so we have to give the students tests that are diffcicult to be prepre for the test" and this quote has been the answer to all of my questions and complaints since the beginning of the school year.
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2016

For an average kid that's not too smart to one that's not up to speed I can see where this school is great. Not an ideal school for a child with a learning disability. Principal (not sure about the new one) and VP are more concerned with covering up issues than helping kids.
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2015

We will be relocating from Miami, Florida. Coming from the only school in dade county Leading in a consecutive A+ rating for over 13 years. K-12 and I've read the reviews of this school and I must say I'm disheartened. Although tgere are a few positive comments it seems the negative out way. If you have positive feed back on the school please share it. Thank you
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2013

Our son is in his second year at WOE (in 4th grade now). He went through K-2 in a Bay Area, CA, school district. We have been overall dissatisfied with this school. His teacher last year rarely communicated with us, and had difficulty with technology. Our son has come home with "facts" that he learned at school (and we verified were taught) that were just plain wrong. Getting children out during the "30-30" thunder events is challenging (though, admittedly - they are improving each time we have one). It seemed as though every rainy day last year, we got to hear how his class went to the main building to watch a movie. It rains a lot here. His current teacher is certainly nice, and the principal seems to be very involved and invested. The office staff is great. But when we think back to how everything ran at our previous school, WOE pales in comparison. The standards were higher, the teachers were more competent and concerned, and we didn't have to worry that someone would tell our son that the letter "W" was added to the alphabet later than the rest of the letters.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2013

This is a great school! I was a little hesitant taking switching him from a Montessori school to a public school. He did great in kindergarten and is now above level in reading. The lexia program helped. I also like the open communication with the teachers. The principal is amazing and she is the reason why the school continues as an "A" grade school.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2013

I have two children that attended WOE. For your average student, this is an average school. If you have a child with special needs, go somewhere else. They simply don't get it and have no desire to. My concerns about my child were ignored for years. As long as they pass the FCAT, they don't care. My other child did well enough. But I only had three decent teachers in our time there.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2013

I have enjoyed Whispering Oaks for the past 3 school years. My son has attended school here for 3rd 4th and 5th grade. He is now getting ready to graduate 5th grade. His favorite this school year is Wonderful Wednesday where once every 6 weeks they do all specials all Wednesday. He loves Art and Stem, and its just a specials infused day! There could definitely be assemblies to award the kids with their perfect attendance and honor roll. There could also be Holiday plays etc... Those are things I miss from school that do not happen here. They do have a couple different events for each grade every school year. They had a carnival this year and it was fun. This school has been cut in 1/2 after the new relief school was built, I personally feel the parental involvement is way less then previous years, but there are many parents who are holding it together! I encourage more parental involvement, not just for the school, but it also encourages your child and helps them at school.
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2013

Never had any problems with this school my daughter loves it and so do I
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2012

It is unfortunate that these types of sites always seem to attract the negative people and the positive people remain silent. Our son just started his second year at WOE and we love it! The teachers and staff are extremely friendly, dedicated, well qualified, and communicative. They encourage parental involvement on a daily basis. Our son has learned a great deal at school and we reinforce it at home. Please put the limited negative feedback in perspective to the number of students that attend the school. Thank you to the administration, faculty, and other staff, you are doing a terrific job.
Submitted by parent on August 29, 2012

They are completely disorganized. You get smart remarks when you mention it. Had teachers hi-5 themselves and said they had great teamwork. Couldn't even tell me where to find my child in bad weather release. On the 5th day of school they brought in the kids from the portables due to bad weather & they were watching a Justin B movie. They pride themselves in separating the child and parent. And when they don't know what to say to u they just cop to "it's ocps policy" which is not always true. Requested a meeting with a teacher and have yet to hear from her. I so regret pulling my kids from their other school. Don't send your kids here!