Sycamore Park Elementary School 451 Radio Lane, Culpeper, VA 22701

"This school is really just amazing. My son went from 30/1 student/teacher ratio in another county to a 21/1 here at Sycamore Park. His I.E.P. Was a painless process to set up here and his teachers were incredible. The level of immediate communication here is so wonderful and the passion for education is so appreciated. Pros: •Title 1 school so they get additional funding •Caring and passionate teachers •They use the "Class Dojo" app., so communication is easy, frequent, and fun for the kids. •Great principle and office staff with a kind and welcoming disposition •Outstanding, structured environment that kids really need. •Kids get instant gratification for good behavior through the "Class Dojo" application which encouraged more great behavior and incentivizes hard work and increased effort. •Children can be sent to the principle's office for, believe it or not, positive referrals. This have been a great confidence booster for my son! Cons: •Parental involvement is low in general here •To be able to volunteer as a parent, one must go to the school board across the street and pay for their own background check. Again, this is a "Title 1" school so not all parents have the funds for the additional expense. •The background check is also required to chaperone any field trips (so I got the background check for the only field trip of the year, then I wasn't selected as a chaperone). •The background check is sufficient for the entire educational career of your children. This says to me that if someone is convicted of something serious even a month after the check was pulled, no one will ever know. This voids the concept, making the process pointless and non-consequential to potential felons having access to your children for any number of years. All just because they weren't felons at the time of the background check. •Lunch is standard public school selection, and with that comes the standard misunderstanding that corn is a vegetable. (I have nothing against corn, but sorry guys, it's a GRAIN). If you want to ensure you child is eating the right fuel for concentration and health, i.e. maybe a veggie to balance that corn, PACK YOUR KID'S LUNCH!!! Overall, the pros seriously outweigh the cons, so I give this school 5 stars because they deserve it where it counts he most!"

"4 of 5 of our kids have attended Sycamore Park - top notch faculty and staff! Wish they moved with us"