Kingsley Elementary School

Posted: May 11, 2026

We have a kindergartner in Kingsley. She's gotten to go on 3 field trips, attended movie nights in the cafeteria, book club, trunk or treat, Night of the Arts, field day, Derby day, and tons of other fun activities. Most staff there seems to know her name in spite of only being there a year, because it's such a nice small school. We've felt very engaged with the PTO, who are quite active and give many opportunities for parents to engage.
The building is a little old, but many of the schools in Dunwoody are. I wish more would be done to maintain our buildings.

Posted: May 11, 2026

Posted: May 11, 2026

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Posted: October 21, 2025

How can this school be considered a "gifted and talented" school with a rating of 3/10?

Posted: November 18, 2019

We simply love Kingsley, a STEAM certified school. They really excel at providing project-based enrichment opportunities - including Montessori Mondays where students get to rotate to 2 different specials classes (e.g. in one of them called Writer's Workshop, my daughter spent 9 weeks writing her own books). The STEM lab and Art studios are both amazing, and the club opportunities are so cool too. My daughter is in an all-girls club called STEM Gems, and they've gotten her hooked on coding!! We feel so fortunate to be at this gem of a school!

Posted: November 18, 2019

Homework is not excessive & serves a purpose. Our teacher is adamant about making sure her students develop a love for learning, thus doesn't drown them in homework

Posted: November 18, 2019

We've had several great teachers so far. They have always been so great at individualizing learning plans and teaching to each kid's level. I feel my high-achieving, gifted learner is being challenged appropriately

Posted: November 18, 2019

Kingsley is a Choose to be Nice school - all students sign a pledge at the beginning of the year, and then each month features an attribute like respect, honesty, etc. There is a "Breakfast of Champions" each month when a student from each class is honored for having exemplified that trait.

Posted: November 18, 2019

Principal Pearch is amazing. She is so involved with her staff and planning with her teachers. She has an incredible "data wall" where she tracks every student's progress, and customizes interventions. She teaches all students her number one rule: Be a leader even when no one is watching. My daughter recites this all the time!

Posted: November 18, 2019

Kingsley employs a workshop model, ensuring that all lessons are differentiated. I have observed classrooms in all grades, and saw that for example, in a science lesson about butterflies, each group of students had a different leveled text, based on their lexile. I've also appreciated the full-day pullout program for gifted, as well as other high-achiever project-based challenge opportunities that have been provided.

Posted: November 18, 2019

Posted: October 27, 2019

Overall, Kingsley has been an awesome neighborhood school for my family. We love all of the various enrichment opportunities that they offer. Those make a difference in keeping the kids engaged with the required lessons.

Posted: October 27, 2019

My children are still in lower grades, however, I feel like the homework load has never been very heavy.

Posted: October 27, 2019

Every teacher we have had the past few years constantly goes above and beyond the call of duty. My kids are excelling with their workshop and steam based project models.

Posted: October 27, 2019

I love the diversity in the student population. It is a microcosm of the real world and our students embrace each other’s differences.

Posted: October 27, 2019

The administration has been amazing in helping to find solutions to issue that the county has ignored. They are supportive of all Kingsley students and families.

Posted: October 27, 2019

Within problem based learning and workshop model learning our students are able to excel at various learning levels.

Posted: October 27, 2019

In the instance that my family is aware of the situation was handled quickly and they successfully supported the person who was bullied.

Posted: June 25, 2019

From our experience, nothing is addressed with any issues. From the admin or teachers.

Posted: June 25, 2019

I took my child for testing and interviewed at a top notch private school. We found out that my child was not being challenged and isn’t were he should be from Kingsley, academically due to the very high rating of low income students who come to school not knowing English at all. The fact that the teachers are so focused on teaching those other kids English rather than being able to focus on teaching and helping the other kids excel in their school work is a disgrace and is a huge disservice to the kids who already know English and can exceed the average grades and excel in their studies. This school is really only focused on the low income, non English speaking students.

Posted: June 25, 2019

Posted: June 25, 2019

The teachers are only focused on teaching English to the very high amount of low income non English speaking students. Some teachers from our experience do not have the life wisdom or experience to properly support each child and show favoritism to certain students.

Posted: June 25, 2019

The principal, counselor and admin people never properly address real issues that happened with students. My child or exposed to nudity, foul language, inappropriate talk and behavior in school and on the bus. The principal & counselor knew exactly what happened and chose to disregard and look the other way on each instance.

Posted: June 25, 2019

From our experience they could do much better. They don’t address real issues they are exposed to.

Posted: June 25, 2019

This school is only concerned about and focused on teaching the low income non English speaking students rather than separating those kids to teach them English from the students that already know English to focus on getting them properly educated and excelling in their studies.

Posted: February 18, 2019

I loved the experience I had at this school because I made so many amazing friends, but I can only say that half my teachers had a positive impact on my life. Also, they are doing all they can to close the learning gap, but this really became an issue as the high achieving students weren't given the challenge they needed and were learning at much lower levels than they should have been.

Posted: February 18, 2019

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Posted: May 4, 2017

My children have been at this school since 2008. The current administration, staff, and family community help the school and students to thrive. Both my kids, with very different strengths and weaknesses have thrived here.

Posted: May 4, 2017

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Posted: August 24, 2016

Posted: August 24, 2016

How is it that other sites like School Digger have Kingsley rated much much higher? Out of 1233 Elementary Schools in Georgia, Kingsley is ranked 308. Kingsley is in the top 75% of schools in the state in achievement. This rating is a poor representation of the school, it's teachers and achievement. You're basically just rating on one measure, the CCRPI score....those are available on the state's website.

Posted: July 9, 2016

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Posted: April 12, 2016

Out of six teachers for four kids, five of the six are rock stars - and those are great odds!

Posted: April 12, 2016

A packet a week for K and as needed in 3rd and 5th to support in class instruction.

Posted: April 12, 2016

Ms. Alexander, our counselor is a rockstar and really engages the kiddos in ways to build positive leadership and citizenship skills.

Posted: April 12, 2016

I can't say enough positives about Kingsley. Big shout outs to Colanino, Gonzalez, Rivas, Craven, and Glenn. They are incredible teachers who have inspired and engaged my children all year long! We are all so thankful for them :-)

Posted: March 29, 2016

Both of my children have thrived at Kingsley and I could not be happier with the education they received. I am so thankful for the outstanding teachers they have had throughout the years. Kingsley is our home and you cannot judge this school by how it looks on paper.

Posted: March 29, 2016

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Posted: March 29, 2016

Posted: February 9, 2016

Posted: February 9, 2016

Posted: February 9, 2016

Posted: February 9, 2016

I’m not sure why the scores are so low. My oldest was there from kindergarten through fifth grade and our experience was great. I have a child there now in Pre-K. He is special needs and I’ve found the teachers, the principals and counselors there to be very responsive to his needs. I love that it’s a small neighborhood school and the staff there is very enthusiastic and the parent participation is excellent.

Posted: December 10, 2015

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Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

So far so good. One booklet a week for my kindergarten to complete to prepare her for what's to come.

Posted: November 19, 2015

We have a acroymn the students use called PRIDE which sum up integrity, fairness and honesty. The students earn comet cash based on their performance against the PRIDE model. They all know it and love it.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Engaged principle.
Fabulous dedicated teachers
hard working volunteers
This community school embraces each student and helps them thrive.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Great neighborhood school, small setting and family atmosphere. Scores do not do this school justice. We moved to the Kingsley neighborhood this summer. My child just started here in Kindergarten and is thriving. He loves going to school, loves his teacher and is excited about learning. His reading, math and writing skills have grown exponentially since he started. Our experience here has proven the "scores" wrong. As another rater commented... it is a hidden gem. Great principle and staff. Good parental involvement.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

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Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

We have really enjoyed our time at Kingsley and have appreciated the level of dedication to the students the entire faculty, staff, and administration have ! We are blessed.

Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

Posted: November 19, 2015

My kids attended pre K and are in K now. Everyone I have met - principal, assistant principal, counselor, teachers, paraprofessionals, and volunteers - has been dedicated towards making this school great!

Posted: January 6, 2015

Love it! Wouldn't even consider another option. My child is exceeding expectations and working about 2 grade levels up, the teachers work with her as needed to challenge her. Love the elective program. On Fridays the kids choose between art, music, PE and "around the world," which is a program taught by the sweet librarian, Ms. Keel. My kids get recess, there isn't a dedicated 'silent lunch' program like some other schools, I think they treat each lunch period on an "as needed" basis and dim the lights when the kids get a little loud. My child loves school, loves her teachers, the principal is great, Ms. Horton in the office is very nice, we just love Kingsley! I agree about the test scores. Keep in mind we have a new principal who is working so hard to raise these. We also have a large group of ESOL students, who are very sweet, and their parents want them to learn and do well, but sometimes the test scores will reflect that. Our scores are improving, the parents are very involved and there are opportunities for ALL to be involved! Lots of committees, groups, volunteer positions... The office can connect you to the parent committee.

Posted: September 28, 2014

If you aren't in the clique, don't send your kid here. It's a small school in a small neighborhood and many people seem to be neighbors and don't talk to anyone outside of that clique. Not very helpful with getting information or helping to create a better enviroment for everyone who lives in the district or has moved into the district. The curriculum is average and often times confusing because of the way it is presented. Homework doesn't usually come with instructions for parents to help. My kids don't have many friends, I guess they're cliquish too. Since it is a charter school, there are always fundraisers and events to go to. However, who really wants to attend an event where the suburban moms stand in circles and there is no heartfelt welcome into the school. No choice, except private school though.

Posted: August 10, 2014

We have two children at Kingsley and have had an absolutely wonderful experience. The rankings puzzle me, and I think that is because we have a good number of English as a second language students, and therefore others consider that "bad." Our test results may look worse compared to other schools for this reason, but there are families and teachers who care deeply about the school. The new principal, Brent McBride, is doing an awesome job to address lowlights and grow the highlights. My kids love the school and their friends and teachers. It's truly a hidden gem and it makes me sad that these rankings make it look so poor when it really is not.

Posted: May 4, 2014

Kingsley is a wonderful school with great community involvement. Our new principal, Mr. McBride, has been fantastic and is committed to continued improvement of the school. Test scores do not tell the whole story here!! We have a diverse group of students and parents, which is one of the things that makes Kingsley great. Caring and committed teachers, involved parents, highly recommended! (Parent of a soon-to-be third grader at Kingsley)

Posted: February 21, 2014

Until you step foot inside Kingsley's doors-you can't understand what a hidden gem this is. Numbers don't tell the story. Our children are people with their own identities not statistics on a computer screen

Posted: October 15, 2013

Para mi es la mejor escuela que le puede haber encontrado a mis hijos. For me is the best school that can find for my childs.

Posted: October 14, 2013

Dedicated teachers, super involved parents and a great sense of community make Kingsley an outstanding school.

Posted: October 14, 2013

Nestled within a Dunwoody neighborhood. Deep parent involvement. Caring teachers and staff. More tips on how to work with children on age appropriate and development appropriate material. Expansion into challenging subjects for children who show aptitude. Improved playground and field for playtime.

Posted: October 14, 2013

Kingsley has been a great experience for our family. Great parent involvement and very warm atmosphere!

Posted: October 12, 2013

We were redistricted to Kingsley from another elementary school and have been very happy with the school. I've noticed that teachers bring their own children to this school instead of keeping them in their home district school - even from the newer suburbs. My kids have had good teachers and the one teacher who had complaints was not renewed. There is an older post that our school was dark, but we use lamps in the classrooms instead of overhead fluorescent lighting as per the brain-based educational concepts that we follow. My only complaint is that I wish we had a newer building; our school was built in 1971.

Posted: October 7, 2013

The teachers at Kingsley are wonderful. They care about each child regardless of background or culture or financial standing. We have a new principal that seems to be leading in the right direction (only 2 months in). Parent involvement is usually extremely high. The school could probably push writing and prepare kids better for project /research capabilities but overall as an elementary school , in my opinion it is a solid school. Always room for improvement.

Posted: September 10, 2013

This is our first year at Kingsley, and I have two children attending. They transferred from another local school. I have to say I am so so pleased with the academics of this school. Even though we stayed in the same district I see such a difference in the teachers and level of work the girls are doing. This is the best school my children have attended. They have been in 4 schools already and Kingsley you are the best!!!!!

Posted: August 10, 2013

Kingsley is a very disappointing school. The school building is very old and dim. Classrooms are small and disorganized. Teachers and administration are not friendly--they used to talk to parents fairly rude.

Posted: September 11, 2012

We have two children in Kingsley (K, 3rd) and we absolutely love this school. We were previously at another Dunwoody school (K, and 1st grade for our oldest) and the two does not even compare. We love the community feeling and the engagement of parents, teachers, and administrative staff. If you're looking for a neighborhood school with teachers who will do everything in their power to make sure that your child succeeds, this is the place!

Posted: August 19, 2012

Very high quality teaching, curriculum and teachers. Also, a warm envioroment and very involved parents

Posted: February 27, 2012

We are so blessed by this school. We have moved from a different state and this is our second elementary school in Georgia. The whole school runs like a nice family. My two children love to be at school and are very happy at the end of the school day.(They used to get so stressed out at the end of the day at the other school) Sadly, we have to move to different county and we really wish we can pack whole Kingsley Elementary with us. Though we only get to stay for 7 months, we will always treasure the time here. Kingsley is wonderful school with great leadership, loving teacher, caring staffs and happy kids!!!

Posted: February 5, 2012

We LOVE Kingsley Elementary. The parents, students and teachers are all very involved. We have an IEP child receiving some in-classroom accomodations and our other child is in the Discovery program (Gifted). Both of our children are doing extremely well and have had a great experience at school. We could not be happier.

Posted: October 5, 2006