Shady Oak Primary School is an excellent institution, with wonderful teachers, and a high-quality education. Debbie Elder and her staff take the time to build relationships with all the students, and you can feel all love and support that they have for the kids. It feels more like family than just a school. They encourage parental involvement and academically it’s a great school as well. My son has been with the Shady Oak family for five years, and I can’t imagine him going anywhere else. He is excelling in his classes and loves all of the friendships he has made. So blessed to have him at Shady Oak Primary School. - Caroline M

Collaboration, creativity, innovation, leadership, kindness, global awareness and social responsibility - our son is leaving Shady Oak Primary after just one year having practiced all of this.

Our son arrived at Shady Oak with a dislike for almost anything academic. He finished 5th grade at Shady Oak as a now voracious reader who also advanced several levels in math thanks to dedicated and diligent ELA and math teachers. He enjoyed hands-on science labs and art classes where he got to create what he was feeling rather than imitating someone else's idea of art.

Mrs. Elder and his teachers expected him to do his best while providing an environment where his individual quirks and interests were used to further his education rather than be forbidden. He is a shy, introverted 11 year old but he is leaving Shady Oak Primary with a full toolkit that we are confident will serve him well as he moves on to Middle School.

- Bernadette Hilario

Dear Debbie and All Shady Oak Teachers and Mentors,

A letter does not suffice to say how very much you all are appreciated. During the last 3 years that our girls have attended Shady Oak we have seen them thrive and blossom! The creativity and joy that our girls have for learning has been amazing to watch. Erica was so disappointed the last day of school because she wants year round school! She was so excited about the end of year testing! Not only do you teach them valuable skills and educational material but we see you do it out of love and God has truly gifted you all in a way that they will carry their whole lives.

I also want to share that the love that God has given you to teach has been so influential on the girls. Erica and Sophia both in the last few months have made a personal commitment and prayed that Jesus would enter their hearts! We are speaking with our pastor about when they would like to be baptized. We would love it if any or all of you could attend this very special occasion and we can let you know closer to when that will be.

Tessa's creativity and love for singing and dancing brings us such joy and I know that her joy of learning has been passed down by you all as well. I am amazed each time she comes home and shares her experiences she has had during the school day.

Sophia has gone from very reserved to taking on leadership roles. Again, this I believe is a direct correlation with the teaching styles you provide them with. She is becoming confident and more responsible as well. While she still doesn't like math all that well we are working on that one! She is always reading and writing stories.

Ryan and I are so happy we moved down here and we have gotten to be more involved with the girls. I wish I would have signed up to be a room mom this last year. However the previous year being a room mom was such a fun time for me. Being able to experience and see how much goes into making the school run was pretty awesome. I know that your days don't end at 3:15 and there are countless hours grading and creating lesson plans. My sister is a middle school teacher and she has shared with me the joys and pains that teachers experience. The triumphs and the failures and I want you to know that Ryan and I pray for you all daily. The pains you experience from the long sleepless nights to the paper cuts and having to repeat over and over lesson plans and instructions can get overwhelming at times. But please know that the seeds you are planting in our girls lives are showing fruit and they are growing into such beautiful young ladies and this would not be so without your mentorship, leadership, faithfulness and grace you bestow on them. I love picking them up at school and seeing the projects that all the kids are carrying home. I pray that you all have a restful summer and we hope that the girls get to experience another fantastic year at Shady Oak! - God Bless, Jen and Ryan Brady

It has been amazing to watch my child grow, develop a positive self-image and a "can do" attitude while attending Shady Oak over these past 4 years. Debbie sees the potential in her students and nurtures it! I believe that Shady Oak students are going to be kind, responsible, motivated, team players, and solution-seeking adults. There is no limit to what they can achieve. Thanks for building a strong group of teachers to inspire students.

My daughter discovered her love of public speaking when Debbie started the speech class in 3rd grade. The ability to speak in front of people with confidence is so important and will be a valuable asset throughout her life. In 5th grade, she was invited to speak in front of hundreds of adults at a conference.

I recognized at a young age that my daughter was dyslexic and was able to get her the support she needed. She will always struggle with reading but has learned to not let that be an excuse. While her confidence may not be high in that area she was able to excel in another. The way math is taught at Shady Oak she was able to move through her assignments and started pre-algebra in 5th grade. She had a great foundation when she went on to middle school. - Daysha Hopkins

Our son Peyton was on medical homebound for three years prior to him attending Shady Oak for his 5th grade year. Having a highly intelligent child concerned me enough with homeschooling, let alone sending him to a small private school. My only regret is that I wish I knew about Shady Oak from its inception. Not only did Shady Oak help my sweet child, but it also saved his life; it really did save his life in so many ways. Shady Oak gave Peyton a chance to reintegrate into a school setting, feel safe in his soundings, have confidence in who he is, and was trying to become. Peyton grew so much in one year at Shady Oak; it was mind-blowing to watch it on a daily basis. The highlight of my day was picking him up from school and hearing about his day, too the point of tears when he would hop in my car and tell me about it! The education at Shady Oak is top-notch and the approach is revolutionary! We still to this day talk about Shady Oak. Peyton contributes his success to his experience with Shady Oak, and we joke in my family that if I could’ve kept Peyton at Shady Oak for the rest of his academic career I would’ve! I once was a scared parent and understand the fear of change when it comes to your child(ren) and their education, have no fear with Shady Oak, the best decision you’ll ever make. - Windy Calvert

My son started attending Shady Oak Primary school in 4th grade. In the beginning of the school year, he was a shy child with low self-esteem and had difficulty socializing. The classroom was very welcoming at Shady Oaks, and he was able to find good friends. All of the children were very respectful and the environment was nurturing. During 4th grade, my son made progress towards memorizing the multiplication table and other math facts, something he really struggled with. While he struggled with writing and reading, the teachers focused on what he is good at, and discovered his hidden talent to perform on stage. During 5th grade , Alexander's reading and vocabulary level improved in large part to the extensive Greek Myths and other classical reading assignments. The lessons were somewhat unconventional by allowing creative play to be performed by the children. The emphasis was on the reading and learning versus on testing of new concepts. He was no longer afraid to read more challenging books on his own. He gained a lot of confidence and started to express his opinions and contribute to many conversations and discussions. - Polina and Peter Conrad

We chose Shady Oak for our two daughters for one very simple fact: the school's philosophy centers around the development of the WHOLE child. Throughout their stay at Shady Oak, my daughters were challenged academically. They were taught the basics, but they were also encouraged to stretch their minds, to ask probing questions, and to make connections between interdisciplinary topics. At the end of their time at Shady Oak, my daughters were more than ready to tackle the academic rigor of other schools. But as a parent what I found even more important were the multitude of other skills that my daughters learned at Shady Oak and continue to use to this day.

The educators at Shady Oak helped my girls learn how to respect others' ideas and beliefs, how to be a good friend, how to compromise, how to lead, how to follow, how to help those that are less fortunate, and how to be a steward for our planet. I think that because my girls were taught all of these things by incredibly compassionate, intelligent, and creative educators at such a young age, these social skills became a part of my girls' characters. For that I am forever grateful we found Shady Oak and made the financial sacrifices to send them to this amazing place that just gets kids need more than addition, subtraction, reading and writing. - Nicole Peffley

Our son started at Shady Oak Primary School in 2015, he was in the fourth grade. Prior to that he struggled in school, he had no self-control, was very difficult to teach and was basically non-functional in a classroom setting. He was also taking medication for ADHD. After just two short years at Shady Oak Primary, he was totally off all medication, expressed a love of learning, maintained self-control in the classroom and felt like a successful student. His self-esteem and ability to self-regulate improved exponentially. Currently, he is in the ninth grade, has several friends, is earning A’s and B’s in high school and due to the pandemic working from home. As a homebound student he is taking his responsibilities seriously and manages his time and his work like a pro, neither me or my wife need to remind him to attend a class or complete his assignments.

We are so incredibly proud of our son and the boy he has become. We were so very worried that he was going to be “that kid”, always in trouble, unable to learn, a “statistic”. But no, the loving attention and unwillingness to give up on him that he felt from his teachers and the administration at Shady Oak made all the difference! We did our part at home also and my son worked very hard out of the classroom with therapists to make the necessary changes. If you are looking for an environment where the staff truly care about your child’s overall well-being and success, where academics are delivered in an engaging way and based on meaningful and purposeful instruction, look no further than Shady Oak Primary School, you will not be disappointed. - Alumni Shady Oak Primary Parent