We are celebrating 50 years of serving students this school year!! It is one of sixteen elementary schools within the School District of Pickens County and one of the five elementary schools that serve the city of Easley, SC.Located on the southern portion of Easley, Forest Acres Elementary is a Pre-K through 5th grade school. Student enrollment for the 2016 -17 school year is currently 711 students. Forest Acres Elementary School faculty and staff provide exemplary instruction for ALL children in a caring and safe environment. Our faculty and staff share the same high expectations as the parents: a safe, clean environment where all children experience academic success. Our community actively seeks a role in the education and celebration of our children. Our children benefit from this strong partnership with our community, as has been evidenced again through recognition by the State Department of Education as a Palmetto Gold Award winner for attaining a high level of absolute performance. Our number one goal at Forest Acres is Academic Achievement. Our percentage of students meeting standards on PASS exceeded the state in Math, ELA, Science, and Social Studies. We utilized MAP Testing (Measures of Academic Progress) in grades K5 through five. On both PASS and MAP, Forest Acres’ students scored at or above the district average at all grade levels in both Reading and Math. Students are provided many enrichment activities and learning based field trips which include a fifth-grade trip to Tybee Island, Georgia to study marsh and beach ecology. We have the QUEST program for Academically Advanced and Gifted students. Our PTO sponsors week-long artists-in-residency to enhance our school's arts program. We provide extended day activities through an After School Care program, after-school academic assistance, and a “Summer Seekers” skills program. Outdoor learning environments offer students the opportunity to interact with environment. A water garden provides students with space to study weather, plant life, and seasons. A nature trail and outdoor lab allows students the opportunity to have classes outdoors. Our computer lab and science lab enables our students to experience hands on lessons and supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education) initiatives to improve instruction. We implemented full time STEM instruction in grades 2 – 5. In, April, we were able to send 4 5th grade students to Detroit, MI to participate in the International Jet Toy STEM competition. We believe service learning and service to our community are important aspects of our offerings to students. Our active Student Council led many efforts in this area this year. These efforts are vehicles for our students to learn good citizenship and compassion for others. Among our student and staff efforts are gathering canned goods for a local food bank, collecting toys for Country Santa to aid families in need, visiting local nursing homes, Jump Rope for Heart, Relay for Life, and Special Olympics. Due to the dedication and commitment of the staff of Forest Acres and the support and pride of our parents and community, our accolades are many. We seek to continue maintaining high standards and achievement and meeting the needs of our diverse student population. Together, we are working to embody our mission to build “Foundations of Academic Excellence” at FAE.
