Redfield Elementary School

I am a 5th grader at Redfield and i take offense to many of the replies. Redfield is the best school i have ever gone to,and trust me have gone to at least 5. The PTO is excellent and the academic programs are challenging ,they also have great teachers and a wonderful principal. I am shocked to hear people say are school isn't good enough for their children!

This is our first year at this school. We have been really disappointed with the lack of communication from the Principal and the teacher. I have always had a wonderful experience with teachers emailing me back within 48 hrs. This is the first time and the first school where no one bothers to reply to your emails even after 2-3 months!! This starts with the Principal and trickles down to the teacher. Most of the other Scottsdale schools seem to offer interesting programs to kids like the First Lego League, Robotics etc while, this is the only school that doesn't. All that said, the curriculum seems to be good since my child is in a self contained program. Again, I would appreciate if there was more communication from the teacher on a weekly basis to let us know what transpires in class.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been frustrated with this school far too many times since it became Redfield. Unfortunately, voicing those concerns have gone nowhere. This school offers no grading system. They simply tell you that basically your child gets it or not. There is nothing to distinguish a strength or weakness in your child as these standards based reports are written. Additionally, the school does not do parent teacher conferences anymore. These are offered only upon parent request. One of the single most important aspects of your child's education is parental involvement and support and this school takes away a parent's ability to do so. Additionally, administration supports teachers lack of communication with parents. As the previous review has said, there are too many philosophies at this school that clash. Most of the families that we have known at this school previously known as Zuni and also the Aztec families have left.
--Submitted by a parent

We have had our children at redfield since it was Zuni.....we gave the new redfield 2 years.. We have decided to switch schools as this is a school that continues to struggle to find itself. The staff is passionate...but the school straddles too many philosphies. If you have a student in the gifted program..you are fortnate.. I believe that with the direction of the new principal mrs. Bonow...the school will excell once again. I wish it was a strong enough program all around to keep out kids in our home school.
--Submitted by a parent

We love the teachers and parents!
--Submitted by a parent

We have three children at Zuni and have been extremely pleased. Our children attended a private school for the previous three years and while we were not unhappy with the school, we have found Zuni to be just as challenging. Frankly, the teachers have a much higher level of education at Zuni than our previous private school. We are also particularly pleased at the high level of diversity since our children also speak a second language at home. Overall, a great school that fits each of our children and their individual needs.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two sons at Zuni, having transferred both from another Scottsdale school (which I loved) . I transferred first one child, because of the gifted program at Zuni. It is a wonderful program, in which the kids are accelerated a little, but the main emphasis is really on allowing them to be themselves, in all their creative quirkiness. I transferred my other son a year later, after determining that I loved Zuni (and the gifted program). The kids get a great education, and it is a nice community too. They encourage good character. They have fun extra activities that help in the community feeling too, like their Artist in Residence 'Miss Nita' (the kids all help make mosaic art to beautify the school), and the Missoula Children's Theatre the Athletic Evening - lots of fun sports, Spring Fair, etc. I also find Zuni refreshingly less No Scottsdale snobby than some
--Submitted by a parent

I am a teacher at Zuni and I take offense to the review written on September 16. I have taught for over 20 years in several different schools with families of all socio-economic backgrounds. I deeply believe that the staff at Zuni is one of the most highly qualified, dedicated, caring, and professional groups of educators that I have ever worked with. A high percentage of our staff have Master Degrees. A high percentage of our staff have been here for over ten years. This is a testament to the climate that our present and past administrators have established. We believe in teaching to the whole child, always keeping in mind that children learn in many different ways. We address each child's needs so that every child may be successful in the educational system. We are and have been an excelling school. Zuni has many people that believe in this school.
--Submitted by a teacher

I have had three children at Zuni, and while I agree that the teachers really care about the kids and the principal is nice, a school must have more! With each of my children, we experienced teachers who were more concerned with self-esteem and fun than with academic growth, and unfortunately, though my kids were top of their classes at Zuni, they struggled to compete with their peers from better schools. We found Zuni to be a naive, fun, safe environment but a clear example of why Arizona is very near the bottom of national test scores and an example, more broadly, of why American academics struggle to keep up with the international competition. Kids have fun, but don't expect rigor.
--Submitted by a parent

Overall, we have had a great experience at Zuni. We switched our child from another Scottsdale School to the Self-Contained Gifted Program. The teachers for the Gifted Program are fantastic! They love teaching and they inspire their students to have continued and unlimited educational growth. The parents in the Gifted Program are involved in the program too. Unfortunately there isn't as much parental involvement in the other classes at Zuni. The environment at Zuni is open and allows for growth for all students. The principal is positive and open to students and parents.
--Submitted by a parent