Macfarlane Park Elementary Magnet School

Posted: May 24, 2023

As a family member with a child in this school for a few years, it has become apparent that the administration is very unprofessional-especially when it comes to its teaching staff. To discover good teachers are leaving only because of poor administration is worrisome for our children. The school obviously needs to be investigated for administrative problems. I feel teachers are afraid to question bad practices. As long as this continues I would not recommend this school.

Posted: May 24, 2023

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Posted: March 1, 2023

MFP truly strives to foster the family mentality amongst their students, parents, teachers, administrators, and staff. They embrace and promote diversity and unity through their many schoolwide events and activities, in addition to the individual class instruction. I feel my child receives the necessary attention, support, and love. Parent involvement and student-led community service is highly encouraged and student Overall, MFP has an incredibly enriching and supportive environment.

Posted: March 1, 2023

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Posted: June 29, 2017

Very good school with many learning opportunities.

Posted: June 29, 2017

Posted: June 29, 2017

They spend many hours planning for a challenging day for my child.

Posted: June 29, 2017

The school has a program that runs all year long.

Posted: June 29, 2017

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Posted: June 3, 2017

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Posted: June 3, 2017

Excellent. This school is diverse. The administration supports the staff and teachers. A strong PTA is one of its pillars. The IB curriculum encourages independent learning & critical thinking. The school encourages service and teaches the students that they are part of a larger world and what they do affects others. The strings program allows kindergarteners to pick up a violin and embrace the beauty of music. I never before imagined as special a place for educating our future citizens. Hope that the successful strategies employed here leak out & infect the world!

Posted: October 2, 2016

Just wanted to say that honesty is the best policy just be honest honest honest

Posted: October 2, 2016

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Posted: June 1, 2016

Posted: June 1, 2016

Most of the time the amount of homework seems fair... So nights it can be very demanding...

Posted: June 1, 2016

Posted: June 1, 2016

The administration lacks professionalism- I have real issues with the principal's fake demeanor.... I agree with a previous comment from a parent that the principal is a bully and does not show a supportive level of caring for all students!

Posted: November 20, 2015

Great school, staff and PTSA. Really challenges the kids. Student driven learning makes them confident and independent.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

In first grade, the homework is just right, but when the reading requirement is placed on top of it, sometimes it is a little bit too much to get to every night.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Honesty and integrity are key components of the way that they teach at MFP. I love that attitudes and behaviors are a large part of the curriculum and way of teaching every day.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Macfarlane Park is an incredible school. The parents are super involved. The teachers are caring and professional. The school provides many, many opportunities for activities, events, and celebrations to bring the parents and kids together. The curriculum is very unique, and teaches our kids to be kind, inquisitive, global citizens. We are so grateful to be a part of this "family"!

Posted: August 30, 2015

Posted: August 30, 2015

Posted: August 30, 2015

Posted: August 30, 2015

MacFarlane Park is a place where parents are involved, teachers are caring, administration is dedicated, staff is invested and students thrive. My daughter has attended for five years and I know that she will be more than prepared for middle school next year academically and socially. She is a concerned citizen of the world thanks to the MacFaralane Park Family.

Posted: January 27, 2015

My son started here this year (August 2014) as an IB elementary magnet student - he loves it. Great teachers, good friends, great education. Feel like we are very fortunate to have an excellent educational opportunity in a public school. Beautiful facility in nice neighborhood and convenient to south and central Tampa area.

Posted: August 17, 2014

Providing you with my honest opinion which is why this forum was created. My child attended Macfarlane Park from K-5th - my rating is based on: (a) Teachers - communication, involvement, quality, classroom structure, IB curriculum (b) PTA - excellent involvement, thanks to the community of great parents (c) Guidance counselor, Nurse, Front Office Staff, Cafeteria, PE Coach, Spanish/Chorus/Library/Strings - 5 starts all the way around, highly trained individuals who absolutely love what they do and they do it with class (d) Principal - this by far was the most disappointing experience I had during the 6 years. Future parents, please be aware of the lack of leadership and care the Principal shows. It's scary to have someone in authority who uses her title to bully parents, children and staff. The principal lacks all character traits of an IB leader. It saddens me to have seen first hand the lack of ethics and professionalism from someone in such an important role. As a parent, my advice is to make the best decision for YOUR child, always be involved. If something doesn't seem right use the tools you have at hand to have it researched such as calling the school district.

Posted: August 16, 2014

Macfarlane Park has consistently been one of the best elementary schools in Hillsborough County for a decade. Great staff, great administration, great students, and the best PTA in the state makes a great school. I will say that there have been lots of teachers coming and going and switching grade levels over the past couple of years. A lot of the staff who left became lead teachers at other schools, but still, it's a lot of change. I really hope it doesn't affect the quality at Macfarlane. It hasn't yet, thankfully.

Posted: November 19, 2013

We were initially happy with this school and felt the IB curriculum was providing an advanced academic experience for our children. The school offers extras most others in the district do not (Strings, Spanish). While the Strings program is a jewel, Spanish was highly disappointing. Many teachers/staff here are dedicated and engaging with the students. However, there are others who don't model Respect, Caring and even Commitment; aspects of the IB program that are supposed to be the foundation of this school. Students here have the same issues with bullying and cliches you find elsewhere, which we had hoped wouldn't be the case in an IB school. The school has degraded in quality of both education and environment since 2010. Being a student (or teacher) here used to be a privilege that was respected and coveted by all. Over the past few years there has been a "revolving door" of teacher turnover. New hires are often first year teachers. This says a lot. We have seriously considered moving our youngest out. We now give this school a B-, downgraded from an A.

Posted: November 4, 2013

Our oldest daughter has been attending MacFarlane Park since last year (she is now in first grade). I knew before she started VPK that this was the best fit for our daughter and I could not have been more correct in that assumption. We drive our daughter over 28 miles one way to school every day and will continue to do so in order for our daughter to attend this wonderful school. This school understands that it is important to not only learn, but serve those in our community and world. Our daughter loves the variety of classes, great gifted programs, and continuous opportunities for school and community involvement. If you want a small "family" type school whose goal is to provide an environment where all types of learners and backgrounds are welcome; you will find it at MacFarlane Park. From International Festivals and Peace Day to Strings Concerts; your child will be able to pursue their interests while receiving an A+ education.

Posted: September 25, 2013

We love this school! The teachers are wonderful, caring and go the extra mile. The kids are excited to go to school and are happy and smiling when I pick them up. The small class size and small school size lead to a child centered education that is family oriented and mutually supportive. We have loved our time at MacFarlane Park!

Posted: September 25, 2013

MacFarlane Park Elementary is an inclusive, culturally diverse school. The school is intimate and friendly to all of the parents and students. The teachers are rigorous, yet fun and fair. We feel incredibly fortunate that our son is attending the "World's Best World School".

Posted: August 27, 2013

This A rated small school is nurtures students natural desire to learn. The mission statement of the IB curriculum is: "The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right." This school fully encompasses this mission statement in the classroom, clubs, and service learning programs. This school also teaches all students both violin and introductory Spanish beginning in Kindergarten. The PTA is very active in providing programs and parent-led fundraising to ensure our school has everything it needs to be successful and effective in giving our children the best education possible. The staff includes teachers and administrators with bachelors, masters, & doctoral degrees.

Posted: August 27, 2013

The IB program isn't for everyone and there are challenges when choosing a school outside your own neighborhood (playdates, etc) but we have been nothing but happy with our experience at MacFarlane. We have had a child enrolled there for the past two years and now have both of our kids there. Couldn't be happier with the content, rigor and breadth of the curriculum and have been very pleased with all of the teachers and staff. I wish more parents could and would get involved.

Posted: August 27, 2013

This is our fourth year at McFarlane Park and we absolutely love it. In fact, I gladly drive by our A-rated neighborhood school daily because I firmly believe that this is the best school in the county. There is a spirit of inclusion, diversity and high academic standards. We have two sons with two very different personalities at the school. All of their teachers have made them better students and better people. We consider ourselves lucky to be a part of the MacFarlane Park family.

Posted: August 21, 2013

We are a proud, veteran MacFarlane Park family! We have returned each year because of the great teachers, the dedicated staff and hard-working administration. The school promotes developing the whole student as well as finding opportunities to enrich student's in-class learning. Diversity is celebrated at the school, which is one the reasons why it is a gem! The parents and children work cooperatively and build bonds that have proven to be an added benefit and resource that we have come to treasure. I would encourage anyone considering an IB magnet to check out MacFarlane. While no school is perfect all the time, MacFarlane sure comes pretty close!

Posted: August 13, 2013

The Principle at Macfarlene Park is very unprofessional and clearly needs some refreshing on her job duties. I have never had to encounter an educator in all my life that didn't want to help a child succeed. She is only worried about how good her school looks and tries to relocate the kids that make her school look bad. What makes you a great school is how well you teach our children not what school district grade you get by withdrawling children you don't like (without permission) mind you. Her school failed to do thier job during the school year for my son with a learning disability and now she doesnt want to be held accountable. Well as a parent I will fight for my child's right and education.

Posted: August 6, 2013

This school is absolutely fantastic. I have been pleased with the teachers, administration and staff for several years. There is a community of people who genuinely care for students and their progress as individuals who will lead the world one day. This school has provided a wonderful academic and social atmosphere that has prepared both of my children for middle school.

Posted: August 6, 2013

School is on the decline, used to be good. Too many teachers leave after a year or two.

Posted: August 5, 2013

This school is fantastic. I drive almost an hour to get there and it is well worth it. The teachers will go above and beyond to make sure your child excels. As a parent I do my best to make sure I am communicating with the teachers and they do a great job of giving me great feedback. I love their violin program. Thankfully neither of my sons have experienced bullying there and they feel safe. It is a great school and my kids love it!!! THANK you to all the amazing staff!!

Posted: July 7, 2013

Biggest disappointment! My son began in middle of 2nd grade. The communication with his teacher was beyond poor and I could not get any updates on his progress to save my life. I also will never understand how the first 8 weeks of the semester everything is fine...I hear nothing from his teacher (even after several emails) and then the last week he comes home with a progress report and an "N" under the behavior marks on his report card. Call me crazy but I'd think I should be notified much sooner so I can attempt to fix whatever issues are occurring. 5 days before school ends hardly sounds reasonable. So we can say this would be the teacher and they can make or break the year but the principal is another story...and not a good one. Within the 1st week of my childs attendance he was told "there were never any problems at this school until he arrived" and then when I approached the principal she told me my child was a liar....while later on in our convo she informed me she never had issues in his classroom until he arrived, sounded almost like what she "didn't" tell him. School might be better if you started in K so you can fit into the clique and child be accepted. Good luck!

Posted: January 11, 2013

I am surprise to hear the comments about the lunchroom staff. I volunteered in the lunchroom (lunch) for five years and never witnessed this behavior.Often times, students will not report Incidents of bullying. Please encourage your child to talk to you and report thhese incidents. Finally, I am sorry your child did not have positive and rewarding experiences. I am looking forward to having my grandson there 2013

Posted: May 22, 2012

This school is welcoming and committed to providing a quality education for their students. The teachers are engaged and do a fantastic job balancing fun with work. My son is completing his second year at MacFarlane and I'm excited that our second son will be a kindergartener next year.

Posted: February 19, 2012

This school provides an excellent education! I am a new parent to the school and I have felt very welcomed by the staff and by the other parents. The PTA is welcomed in the school and has an obvious presence. We appreciate and support our teachers. My daughter has had a wonderful first year! My only complaint is that more children don't have access to this kind of experience. I hope to see even more IB schools open in the future.

Posted: June 9, 2011

This school has some real "issues" at the administration level. They offer great programs, and "most" of the teachers are good. Its the few that are not that make the experience less than desirable. New kids are not integrated effectively and there is a lot of bullying from the older kids. The workers in the lunch room are disrespectful to the kids. Kids are people too! Not worth it unless your kid starts at the kindergarten level!

Posted: June 9, 2011

What can I say about this school other than from top to bottom, it is excellent! The administration is exceptional, the teachers are absolutely, hands down, the best in Hillsborough County and the PTA is the strongest I have ever seen. My kids left their neghborhood school to attend MacFarlane and they have never looked back. They are studying Spanish, play violin, attend art and scrapbooking clubs, are challenged and rewarded on a daily basis, and genuinely look forward to school each day. When you walk through the halls of MacFarlane Park you will see smiling teachers and staff, happy kids who are eager to show what is happening in their school and parents who feel very comfortable in the school and proud to help their school in any way possible. The school is very clean and I feel confident in my children's safety as well. The IB program challenges kids to learn about the world and their role in it. The school is very involved in outreach programs locally and worldwide. It is important to this administration and the teachers, to show the children they can make a difference in the world and to give them the best education possible. We love our school!

Posted: April 11, 2011

MacFarlane Park is full of wonderful teachers who care about the children inside and outside of the classroom. The diverse curriculum allows the students to excel...we are so pleased to be part of the MacFarlane Park family.