Piedmont Community Charter School

Posted: April 21, 2024

s a former student of Piedmont, Piedmont's staff have shown nothing but disrespect and racism towards well-behaved students yelling and insulting them even when students have done the correct assignments. When students try to address a situation involving bullying or mental health teachers and staff ignore it and when the situation elevates, they tell parents that their child started and let the real suspect get away.

Posted: April 21, 2024

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Posted: October 31, 2022

Unfortunately our experience was very unpleasant. My children were treated terribly. We waited all summer to be accepted into a program that did nothing but disappoint from the beginning. My daughter has special needs but was refused a paraprofessional/aid because she “wasn’t as severe as the other kids.” During this time she was sexually assaulted by another student in the classroom on several occasions. Instead of removing her or the student from the class they interrogated my daughter and questioned her about her allegations then made her go in front of the class and point out the student; all without my prior knowledge or consent. My daughter is autistic, has cerebral palsy, and apraxia of speech. She was in the EC program, however I never knew what was going on in the classroom because the teacher didn’t communicate with me. The work she would send home was that of an infant which demonstrated that she was often left to her own devices. She also did not receive an IEP until the 10th week of school. She was also denied several services that she was entitled to according to the Disabilities Act. My son was shut in the door during carpool because I asked the teacher why she didn’t walk my kids to the car during carpool. My oldest daughter was called a snitch by her teacher for telling her something that someone else was doing to her. In her teachers words, “nobody likes a snitch.” Lastly I was accused of cutting in line because my children weren’t at carpool when I came for pick up. Come to find out their names were never called. Incidents happened like this everyday until we eventually had to pull them. Long story short, minorities and minorities with special needs may want to look elsewhere.

Posted: October 31, 2022

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Posted: March 21, 2022

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Posted: March 21, 2022

The tail wags the dog at this place. Leadership allows teachers to be bullied by students. It is a popularity contest and is only won by those who allow the students to do as they please.

Posted: May 31, 2021

do not send your kid here. any other school would be better than this one. I could say so much wrong with this school but I just simplified it.

Posted: May 31, 2021

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Posted: March 31, 2021

A pretty good school.

I've been at Piedmont for ten years, and am graduating this June. I can honestly say that, for the most part, I've enjoyed my time here. However, it is difficult to determine what a "good" school will look like, as a parent's perspective, a student's perspective, and a faculty/ staff member's idea of a "good" school will differ.

Homework:
Homework tends to be the worst in middle school and freshman/sophomore year, however Junior and Senior year seem to lighten the load a bit. While I'll occasionally forget about a small assignment, most weeks it is pretty easy to manage.

Character:
The overall character of the school is pretty average. The students are all pretty pleasant people, save from the occasional rude student.

Teachers:
I've been on both sides of the fence with teachers. The high school teachers, in particular, tend to be the best all around, and factors like course content affect the teacher-student relationship heavily. For example; I had a history teacher who was very kind and caring, and like a second parent to many of their students.

Learning differences:
I was never in EC, but from what I've noticed it seems that the EC department of our school helps the children with learning disabilities on a pretty average, if not above average, scale.

Leadership: This is where my review may hit the hardest. Leadership at this school is fairly decent but leaves much to be desired. I've seen many students get two or three days of ISS for things that, even when looked at beyond face value, are minor offenses at best. Additionally, the administration is very selective in which students the rules are applied to. Typically they will play favorites with students who are varsity athletes or seniors and often focus more on students who have caused trouble, even if for a minor offense. Overall running of the school is good, the COVID-19 situation being evidence of that. Additionally, the school was able to build a new campus recently and the staff placed in charge of it have thusfar run it like a well oiled machine.

Bullying:
I've been at Piedmont for ten years, and while I've seen the occasional fight or banter, bullying has been far from prominent or tolerated here. I will say, however, that the punishments for bullying are based heavily on favoritism. An average/ lesser known student will typically face a harsher punishment than, say, an athlete. Overall it is handled well I

I would gladly reccoment this school to anyone.

Posted: March 31, 2021

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Posted: November 25, 2019

We sent two children to Piedmont Middle and High School, and have been generally pleased. The emphasis on liberal arts has made it difficult to schedule what I believe are more important stem classes; one year my oldest didn't have a math class and was behind a typical high school progression when he graduated, and forced to take lower level college math classes in order to proceed to calculus. Our youngest has taken various courses offered by Gaston College, and feels he is well prepared for college. Both enjoyed varsity sports and extracurricular activities.

Posted: November 25, 2019

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Posted: April 15, 2018

Very disappointed.! Administration is NOT qualified to run a school.

Posted: April 15, 2018

Overload middle school students and put too much on grading homework

Posted: April 15, 2018

Don’t seam to relate to kids very well, and not personable with them.

Posted: April 15, 2018

Too impersonal.
Not enough support from most teachers or administrators.

Posted: April 15, 2018

Principal doesn’t even know kids names? President of school could care less about anybody but herself!

Posted: April 15, 2018

They just don’t care. It seems to be a big problem for most teachers.

Posted: April 15, 2018

Posted: July 27, 2017

I never felt like I was bullied so I cannot agree or disagree with this statement.

Posted: July 27, 2017

My experience here had many ups and downs. My teachers were great, but after a while many of them moved away and were replaced with terrible teachers who seemed like they were there for a paycheck because no other teachers wanted to work here. The administration had the same results. What started off as a great school, quickly turned into a corrupt and toxic school environment.

Posted: July 27, 2017

Teachers are great here, however, many have left because they felt like they were treated poorly or had better opportunities in Gaston County Schools. I have never felt more supported by my past teachers, however, my senior year here I didn't even recognize half of the staff anymore. Many had left because they were put under such pressure to please demands of administration.

Posted: July 27, 2017

The kids are great here. However, most of them move back to Gaston County Schools because of lack of rigor with this school and lack of course choices needed for colleges to look seriously at their transcripts. Many of the new administration puts pressure on other students to perform or behave. Instead of nurturing or trying to correct behavior many of us felt like they were looking for ways to punish students and enjoyed punishing us. This really killed the morale in this school before I left.

Posted: July 27, 2017

The leadership has greatly declined since I was a student here. Many of the new administrators are power hungry people who look for reasons to blame students and teachers for their lack of professionalism. Many of my friends who still go to school here say that the administrators yell at children and teachers to get them to obey the rules.

Posted: July 27, 2017

Never had EC so I cannot agree or disagree with this statement.

Posted: July 5, 2017

Terrible. Please do not work here and do not send your children here! This school used to be great, but has terrible and unprofessional people in power today. I chose to take my kids out of this charter school because honestly, this school is very far from where it was when they started as young children. Gaston county schools are better than this place!

Posted: July 5, 2017

Posted: July 5, 2017

The teachers are great here, but the administration puts so much pressure on them to perform that many end up leaving the school.

Posted: July 5, 2017

Posted: July 5, 2017

The administration here rules by fear and intimidation. They treat students and teachers horribly. Many of the administrators yell at children and have inconsistent rules and punishments for students and faculty.

Posted: July 5, 2017

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Posted: May 12, 2016

I'm not sure where to begin. Telling a parent that their child is not cut out for this school, and not smart enough for this school is outrageous. After talking to numerous parents I've found out that a lot of kids in my child's grade will be held back this year. This tells me that maybe the teachers aren't qualified. I've never seen a school hold back as many kids as this school has threatened this year alone. I thought this would be better for my child than public school obviously I'm wrong. How does an AB honor roll student fail? Makes me wonder if they need the students next year due to lack of interest for this school. I noticed another reviewer comment on if you make waves you are booted out quick, I believe they try to get you out once you complain on a teacher or communication. I've also noticed since I started questioning why my child will be held back that she has been more upset complaining her teacher doesn't like her anymore. As a parent you try to do what is best for your child, said child shouldn't be punished when a staff member doesn't agree with the parent. Please remember if you are thinking of this school that PCCS isn't for everyone, and do your research on how many kids get held back each year.

Posted: May 12, 2016

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Posted: January 24, 2016

One of Piedmont's core values is character. The students develop this in the classroom and through extra activities. From oral reports to enduring sports practices, students are well rounded at Piedmont.

Posted: January 24, 2016

If you look at the proficiency scores alone via ncreportcard.org, there is no public district middle school that has a B rating like Piedmont. Our k-12 scores are very strong and for high school, often only the "magnet" type schools outscore us. Piedmont has a diverse student body that is chosen via lottery where the only criteria is to live in NC. This diversity is why my students attend at Piedmont and not a local private school. They will graduate with the real world experience of collaborating with people from all walks of life, religion and color. The club offerings are tremendous with over a dozen clubs from Cyberkids to dance to NHS. The sports are competitive. I have two kids at the elementary campus, one in middle school and one in high school. The teachers are committed and wonderful. There is no place we'd rather be. Award winning fine arts programs are telling of our fantastic fine arts teachers. There is too much awesome to cram into one review.

Posted: October 27, 2015

Posted: October 27, 2015

Posted: October 27, 2015

My daughter had some trouble understanding her math homework, I wrote a note about the 3 problems we did not answer, stating we did not understand what was being asked. Instead of offering her assistance, she was punished and made to walk at recess. The time she spent walking could have been used helping her, instead of punishing her.

Posted: October 27, 2015

My daughter is in fourth grade this year. She has been in this school since kindergarten. The amount she has learned is great, but that comes at a price. She has had at least an hour of homework every single night, including the weekends since kindergarten. I have spoken with several parents and they all agree, it is excessive. she cries almost every day about having to go. She is so unhappy, that I have been touring private schools. I love that it is tuition free and that they wear uniforms, but the homework is ridiculous.

Posted: May 20, 2015

The Academics is awesome above average I recommend any body in Gastonia or a near by city to go to this school goes up from K-12 good Elementary Campus and Secondary Campus the secondary is the middle/high school campus

Posted: January 12, 2015

I have a 9th grader who has been at PCCS since kindergarten. Great school with great teachers. My son has been given opportunities at PCCS he would not have received at any public school in our area.

Posted: October 31, 2014

I have 1 graduating this year, 1 8th grader with some special needs, and I have a 3rd grader. I can say that I love this school. The homework is huge but my kids have been challenged from day 1. My oldest has had the opportunity to take college credit courses in 12th grade. My 8th grader has needed lots if help bc he has autism. The teachers have stepped up to the plate and he is excelling. My 3rd grader is usually bored because she is so smart. This school has challenged her and I couldn't be more pleased! I would highly reccomend this school to any parent.

Posted: October 17, 2014

My 3 kids have been at PCCS for the past 11 years. You can not find a better school anywhere in the county. The teachers and staff care about the kids well being and are committed to their success. My children have thrived at PCCS. They offer a wide range of advanced curriculum and fine arts classes.

Posted: October 15, 2014

This is a absolutely fabulous school. I've been going to piedmont since kindergarden (currently an 8th grader) and I have love every year. They have a great core knowledge program and they offer lots of clubs and needed tutoring . But Overall I love this school to death

Posted: April 29, 2014

My children have both been here since Kindergarten. We have had a great experience so far. I am constantly impressed with the level of instruction. The teachers all seem to know and care about all of the kids. Parents are involved and invested in their kids which enhances the educational experience for all of the kids. Any time there is an issue, the teachers are very responsive. I cannot envision my kids going anywhere else.

Posted: February 3, 2014

I have been very disappointed with this school. My son attends the elementary campus. We have no free time due to all the homework that is assigned. I feel the parents do more work than the teachers and their test scores are not so good. Only 90% of the teachers are highly qualified. He has had two great teachers since attending the school. I am considering other schools in the area.

Posted: January 7, 2014

The teachers don't care about the students. The teachers witness bullying and just watch while no discipline or punishment is done. There's no cafeteria, students have to bring their own lunch. There has lately been more fights, causing in suspensions.

Posted: October 7, 2013

I love the diversity of the student body at Piedmont Charter School. There is an emphasis on the arts that my daughter loves--music (chorus, strings), art and art appreciation, etc. There are top notch educators who really care about their profession. I highly recommend Piedmont!

Posted: August 15, 2013

I am very happy with choosing to send my children to PCCS. It's a challenging school with lots to offer the children. The curriculum is one that keeps the children learning and engaging in their school work. I am happy that they wear uniforms and on some occasions let them wear jeans and such. The teachers and staff are the best in this county and they ultimately care for the children's progression and their education. They want nothing more than to see our children succeed and that's all I can ask for as a parent.

Posted: July 13, 2013

My child is a rising 6th grader and has attended PCCS since kindergarten. She was actually enrolled in a "public" school, we had all paperwork/testing completed, then I found PCCS and immediately enrolled her. She isn't so fond of the uniforms, but that isn't as big of a deal at this point (and I LOVE uniforms!!). I have never regretted the decision for her to attend PCCS and fully support the school and staff in all endeavors. My husband is a 6th grade public school teacher and was using the same material in his classroom as our daughter had in 3rd and 4th grade! It blew our mind to compare the work level, but also confirmed we made the right decision in PCCS. I really do love this school!

Posted: April 29, 2013

Let's be fair here. Gaston County has horrible schools. Let's face it. We pay very little in property taxes, very little in taxes in general, and they're cutting teachers left and right. Some schools are hiring teachers in for substantially less than what they paid for college for a year. It is a noble profession, but it seems in Gaston County, it may be the noblest. Then you have the parents, who have really done a horrible job teaching their kids how to act. So if you are a teacher who has decided to keep their job, you're constantly babysitting or even worse, in danger. It is no coincidence some high schools in the area have less than a 50% graduation rate. Those being said, PCCS does an OK job compensating. PCCS is not without fault. There is no lunch room. Kids bring their lunches or parents visit with lunch in the classroom. This could also be looked at as a positive. The school programs are minimal and little or no sports. This is OK as the YMCA and other organizations have picked up some slack. The school is constantly fundraising. This gets annoying. The subject matter is on par with what I would expect. The teachers are above average. I like the kids wear uniforms.

Posted: April 16, 2013

Piedmont is an awesome school. The teachers and administrators love the students. If you have a problem they will help you and your student solve it. The students are well behaved.