Why do parents think they can use the parking lots of nearby businesses to park and wait for their child? It's the second day of school and already I've been screamed at and flipped off trying to leave work to go home. read more

Great Hearts Live Oak review I have two children, one is special Ed and the other was in gifted and talented program before starting GHLO. They have both gone downhill and are failing classes here due to burnout from the overwhelming amount of homework given daily (and over weekends) and also the bullying going on here has gotten out of control. I know it's everywhere but I thought it would be better here where it's smaller. It did start out better but over the years, unfortunately, they don't do anything about it and all the good kids leave and all the bullies stay. Horrible experience with special Ed here. They were fake and trying to convince me that they cared dearly about my child and wanted what was in his best interest. Believing they were only trying to help him I agreed to everything they recommended which isolated him from friends and made his depression and anxiety worse. Believing they were on his side I made him stay longer making him endure even more harassment by staff as well as bullying by students. When he told staff about students harassing him he was ignored. When I brought it up I was told he was lying and making it up (NOT oh, we will look into it). When I told them he felt targeted by staff they said he's delusional. The staff would unnecessarily escalate him to create a situation or excuse to send him home every day so they wouldn't have to deal with him. (When over stimulated he would put his head down on the table and practice what his therapist taught him & the staff would touch him and shake his shoulder which we discussed in meetings not to do because it made things worse) They would call me at work and exaggerate what happened so I would come pick him up immediately, such as telling me he barricaded himself into a classroom and they were going to call the cops on him when it turns out he actually was standing outside the special Ed classroom door wanting to come in and they where standing on the other side not letting him open the door (his IEP stated he was able to leave regular class if he got overwhelmed and go to special ed room to reset). Or telling me he has stabbed himself with a pencil and is at the nurses station when he actually scratched his hand with a broken pencil during an anxiety attack because they wouldn't give him a break or stop touching him and they were purposely escalating it. Then they played dumb and said they didn't realize he was having anxiety attacks and thought he was just being disobedient and not following directions. Which I believed until they kept doing the same things over again the following week after having a meeting about it. When I questioned them for escalating him to the point of self harm and not giving him a break (which is in his IEP). They don't answer but redirect me to look at his pattern of behaviors (behaviors that only happen at school and not at home, behaviors caused by them escalating situations when he is having anxiety attacks). They want all of their students to fit into their perfect little box and my son doesn't fit, he requires a lot of extra patience. During one of my meetings with faculty, Mrs Audello (the principal) had the audacity to compare my son to a mass school shooter and said that's why they need to keep suspending him and do investigations before he can return (he has never made any threats towards the school or brought anything inappropriate to school and they search his backpack every morning when he arrives at school) I am happy to report I have pulled both of my kids out of GHLO and they are now both homeschooled online through Acellus Academy. My special ed son has done a complete 180, they both have all A's as well as my son has not been hospitalized for depression since leaving that school, he does go at a slower pace than my daughter who finishes her classes early in the school year as my son usually keeps working on school all through the summer. read more

Our experience at Great Hearts has been extremely disappointing, especially regarding how my son was treated and supported. Despite having an IEP in place, the school consistently failed to follow it or provide the accommodations he needed to succeed. The lack of communication and accountability from certain teachers was alarming. Instead of feeling encouraged, my son became increasingly discouraged and dreaded going to school -- something no child should ever feel. There was little to no positive feedback or emotional support offered, and the overall attitude toward his well-being seemed indifferent at best. As a parent, it was heartbreaking to watch his confidence decline in an environment that is supposed to nurture learning and growth. Thankfully, we were able to move him to a school that values kindness, inclusion, and support -- and the difference has been night and day. I sincerely hope Great Hearts leadership takes this feedback seriously and makes meaningful changes to ensure no other child has to go through a similar experience. read more

Update, no walk off passes given out unless you live right there. Administration has improved listening more and being more respectful and kind with their replies. We're here till 2035 and I have faith every year will get better! read more

Great Hearts Live Oak - The pothole of death to shocks and suspensions. It never dies, comes back - Elementary Schools Near Me - Live Oak, Texas

I wanted to take a moment to share an updated perspective on Great Hearts Live Oak. Over time, I've come to appreciate just how dedicated the staff is. They continue to be supportive, professional, and always willing to communicate with parents. Whether it's through phone calls, emails, or text messages, they make an effort to keep families informed, which is something I really value. The curriculum remains challenging and encourages students to think critically. While there are still some concerns about the lack of specific cultural observances, I do see that the school focuses on deeper discussions about historical events rather than just surface-level recognition. I can respect that approach, even if it's different from what some might expect. One issue that still comes up a lot is the car line. The construction in the area has settled down a bit, but now there's a new challenge--sharing the road with other businesses. It definitely adds another layer of congestion, but I think it's important to acknowledge that a lot of the frustration comes from how we, as parents, handle the process. There are still too many instances of people not paying attention, blocking driveways, or leaving huge gaps in the line, which just makes things worse. If everyone followed the guidelines, it would probably run a lot smoother. The school is still a charter, which means funding is always a challenge. It runs largely on donations and tuition, but not every family contributes equally, which puts extra strain on resources. At the same time, the staff is stretched thin, and I know that makes classroom management tough. It's understandable that some behavior issues might be handled more strictly just because teachers have so much on their plates. One thing I've been thinking about lately is how easy it is for us as parents to rate and critique a school, but I wonder how the school would rate us. A child's education isn't a one-way street where only the school has to be accountable--parents play just as big of a role in making sure their child succeeds. Whether it's supporting teachers, reinforcing expectations at home, or just being mindful of how we contribute to the school community, it's something to consider. Overall, my experience with Great Hearts Live Oak has been positive, even with the challenges. No school is perfect, but I do see the effort they put in, and that matters. I just hope that as a community, we can all recognize that education is a shared responsibility, not just something for the school to carry on its own. read more

Excellent academics and the teachers truly care. My kids were homeschooled for years and are now thriving at GHLO!

I live in the apartments right next to this school and this year has been the worse traffic to date! For those of us that live here off Gateway, it has been such a huge inconvenience. I had to drive down passed the school to get to my destination and it's crazy how the have the parent blocking the road, which went all the way down to the gateway, the road by the hotel, all the way back my IKEA and then returning from the Forum, the line was backed up passed the Chuck E. Cheese on the access room, which is now affecting traffic down to the forum. Nobody moving, no one going through the lights...... it is crazy!'n read more

My daughter went to this school and they loved it they love the community and they have many supportive friends I tried to get them to get in a school a bit closer but they said no they are very supportive of every sport that is there and are adding more sport curriculum we love it here the only problem was that the lunch food is not that pleasant but they got way better and now my kids will actually eat it know I recommend coming to the school read more

I'm a 7th grader here and this school is horrible. The some of the teachers here are okay but the deans are awful. The school does not offer anything to help students if they are getting bullied or messed with. The boys here are bullies and some of the girls are gossipers. I went from A's and B's at my old school to all D's and F's. A specific teacher (music) stares at all the girls and my friend had a panic attack in class because of it. I get bullied constantly and the deans do nothing. The only good dean is Dean Haton. Save your kids and your time and just put them in public school. read more

Im a student at this school and let me just say, save the time and go to a public school, theres scandals that happen with the Great Hearts entire community of all the schools and they will do anything to get your child in trouble. You even get suspended for stuff you do outside of school. They try and put on a show to make it seem like its nice but when you actually go none of the admin care about you and only care about themselves and the way their school makes them look, they take a pride in it and its disgusting. Especially ma Audelo shes so stuck up and acts like a "pick me" and clearly has anger issues. As an honest student, its too hard and they act like you're life belongs to them and their school, please just dont go. read more

let me start off with the fact that you get ISS for 3 referrals. now, that may seem fair, but you can get a referral for being tardy. the teachers are great but the school itself is not. I'm a 7th grade student and the school puts on a whole act of being 'good' and 'advanced'. in reality it's just a place where parents send their kids who got kicked out of their schools. the boys are racist jerks who say creepy things to the girls, and I reported several things to the dean, but they went nuts and went to the extremes. the school sucks, the teachers are great. read more

We have kids who have been going to this school for years and they love it! The education is rigorous, but they are growing and flourishing.

Pick up is indeed a nightmare. Things subsided a bit after I wrote a lengthy letter of my experiences, warning about how someone was going to get hurt with all the aggressive driving. My child and I were literally cursed out by a man and his wife while parking in the parking lot on our first day drop off (which was my first red flag). Thank goodness their windows were up. But their insanity is not why I'm here. This school has co-opted Black History month for donate-to-us month. I'm not kidding, their flyer literally says it: "Owl Give Back Month". There is no Black History curricula, no planned events, and there has been zero acknowledgment of Black History month on their social media since 2021 as far as I can tell, I'm not a social media junkie or guru. This is erasure, and is unacceptable. I wrote so, on my child's journal and the response was exactly as follows: "Thank you for sharing. Feel free to email school Admin. and Corporation who is in charge of Great Hearts. Blessings, Mrs. --------." But wait, there's more. They change curriculum mid-school year and give notice with a poorly written, and un-edited email. On math tests, students are shown how to set up the answers. And more: During the latest Texas Freeze, they didn't inform parents or staff that the schools would be closed until 6:45am, the morning after they said cancellation notices would arrive by 6am. Judging by the email that came hours later, parents, children, faculty and staff arrived to closed schools from dangerous roadways and made it known they weren't happy. All replies from them to any protestations are met with curt responses and generic platitudes. There is no human factor; it's similar to a customer service call center representative reading from a script. The only reason they have 2 stars is because my child likes the school, and I give 1 star because I like the structure and uniforms. Since administration and the actual teaching leave a lot to be desired, we may not be here for long though. It's a shame as this school has lofty, and admirable ideals, but can't live up to or effectively execute them. read more

Great school, but pick up after school is a nightmare. 2 hours to pick up kids is horrible. And to make matters worse you are to be on a line where you can sit for an hour and other parents (Jerks come and cut the line by coming from the hotel side street) and when you tell the staff (A Headmaster) hey why you guys allow that. If someone has the indecency to do that, then maybe I would as well as you seem not to care. I was told with over reacting smile "God Bless You" It's better to pay for The cheapest Atheneum even if you're child is not intended to stay after school, then you are allowed to park and walk in and grab your child and he or she would be released as Atheneum does not care if they hold him or her for 5 min or 3 hours you paid and that's it. So basically the School will make it so if you pay $300 a month plus subscription fee you get Atheneum "Priority Parking for Pickup" wink wink. read more

this is Jp and i would like to say i did none of this. I love great hearts and i send my deepest apologies to jacob (the cousin). I remember the incident in full. I did not do these things and if i did it was a complete accident. Jacob is a great kid and I didnt know he felt this way. I could have handled the situation better if i had communicated better with him. Jacob was fantastic and great to be around. Just so jacob and his family know, I took time out of my own day to write this, i was not told to do this by my parents and i am sincerely sorry. I like Jacob very much and i am sad he left the school, if i could change anything in my past it would be to make what happened clear. I would like Jacob and his family to know great hearts is no longer a rough school. There is zero bullying to my knowledge and i would love to see jacob back in school. Sincerely, John-patrick read more

Let's start this off with drop off being a nightmare then I can't have family pick up my kids because all the other parents just harassing and criticizing them for any little thing read more

Horrible School! My daughter attended 3rd grade there 21-22 school year. She was bullied. After several complaints to the teacher and Dean, nothing was ever done! My wife talked to the dean and she was rude, dismissive and condescending. We requested several times to talk to the Head Master and we never received a phone call. We finally had to pull my daughter out halfway through the school year because she started suffering from anxiety and other medical issues. To top it off, alot of the staff there are rude and the drop off and pick up situation is absolutely ridiculous! I have never seen such disorganization. We enrolled my daughter to public school this year, and she absolutely loves it and thriving! not to mention that the teachers and staff are so courteous and helpful. So glad and happy we took her out of that horrible school. read more

My kids have been attending Great Hearts Live Oak going on 3 years now. I truly believe had it not been for the SUPERB teachers they had, they would not have excelled as much as they have. 2nd Grade Teacher Mrs. Maiorano has a big beautiful heart and genuinely cares about the children. The minute my 2nd grader was struggling with math, she messaged me and told me to get him there by 7:15(earliest drop off) and I will do the rest. And sure enough, he is doing great in Math now. My 4th grader with Mrs. Louidor and Mrs. Kyker has also excelled soo much. They really make him believe in himself and it has helped his self-esteem so much. The teachers we have had really make you feel like your children matter and are well taken care of there. Miss Palomino in kindergarten was so amazing and so kind and has the patience of a Saint! But my kiddo went from hating school in kindergarten, to loving being there. And I know it was because of her. Then we had Mrs. Wilson in 1st grade and she is also such a treasure. Completely understanding and always ready to answer any questions if you had them. She also helped my youngest excel. And just like most schools, we had an incident of bullying and Dean Gonzalez right away handled it and it was no longer a problem. I have faith that my children are well taken care of when they are there and I don't need to worry. Carline can get a little chaotic at the beginning of the year with all the new families learning the routines, but usually within a few weeks, it's all taken care of and flows perfectly. I recommend Greathearts live oak to anyone who asks because I believe in them that much. They are a wonderful school that truly believes in the Best Education for your children along with their safety. I love Our Great Hearts Staff! read more

My cousin went to great hearts live oak and he was constantly bullied multiple times we talked to the principal and his teachers Ms.Bubb and Ms.Scews and they did not one thing. this child named "JP" John Patrick threw mechanical pencils at my cousins head and called him an idiot when we told the teachers they did nothing. That same child shoved my cousin into a locker and gave him a bruise on his shoulder my cousin came home crying because this child constantly bullied him and this school did nothing to help or stop it, the principal said he can't do anything about it because there was "no proof". What is the teachers job if she can't see that this child is bullying other students? what's the principal doing? why can't he do his job right and stop bullying ? i thought this was a zero tolerance bullying school? I'm making this statement public so everyone can know how shitty this school is all they care about is their reputation. read more

Great school in my opinion. Though there were many problems with it, I loved it every second. The school system was flawed and corrupted but in the end was everything was great! read more