Drachman Primary Magnet School

Some kids don't belong in Montessori. This school is amazing, and please discard the negative reviews. Our first son went to this school all years, and is excelling in middle school in one of the hardest schools in the district. He still is in touch with all of his teachers from Drachman. It will always be home for him. We took our second child out in first grade, thinking it would be easier for him to go to a private school where his father teaches (logistics), but after a few months, we re-enrolled him in Drachman. He missed it so much, and the education and programming is holistic and far superior to most programs. I love that there is diversity in this school as well. The leadership is wonderful, we get regular emails from the principle and we are involved because they encourage that there. It is one of the best schools in Tucson, period. They have their priorities straight. Couldn't recommend it enough.
--Submitted by a parent

It's true the school has been hit by even more budget cuts this year, losing an attendance clerk, 3 TA positions in the upper el (4-6th grades) and the music teacher being reduced to part-time. However, the school continues to offer the only public Montessori option in Tucson - all other Montessori schools are charters. The school will gain a part-time librarian assistant, which is badly needed, and compensate for the loss of the full-time music teacher with a part-time band/orchestra teacher (2 days a week for 4-6th grade students) plus a part-time music TA (teaching assistant) for the K-3rd grades. The school has a fantastic chicken coop, aquaponics garden, regular garden, composting, water harvesting system, desert garden and more (mostly the work of one upper el teacher!). Another teacher does nutrition and cooking / baking with students once a week, and yet another is an absolutely FAB mathematician! Another teacher regularly gets science grants to bring student scientists from the UA to the classroom once a week. The principal coaches many sports teams (girls' and boys') for the 4-6th grades, including softball, basketball, soccer and more.
--Submitted by a parent

My son is attending kindergarten at Drachman and we love it. They offer open enrollment year-round for all grades; no waiting until next school semester if you a school right away. Drachman has a grant that allows them to offer FREE after school program to ALL students regardless of income until 5pm; even on Wednesday. The school staff are friendly and eager to assist parents in any way they can. And did I mention Drachman has a Montessori Consultant (Trainer) on site to support teachers and staff to maintain the highest Montessori standards and methods. I shopped around Tucson for traditional and private schools that offered the best academic and social resources; none came close to the quality programs Drachman offers it students. I would highly recommend parents visit this school to see all the programs Drachman has to offer their students and families. There is so much more that I don't have the room in this review to share about. It is the only public Montessori school of it's kind in the nation. I am impressed by Drachman Elementary and think prospective students and their parents will be too. My son loves his school because he is learning and retaining new concepts daily.
--Submitted by a parent

If I could give this school zero stars I would. I went to this school for 2 horrible years. The teachers were OK and yes it did have a nice library as others have mentioned but I was bullied DAILY and no the principal didn't do a thing about it. I used to fake sick all the time so that my mom would come pick me up. Thank God we moved. I love my new school where kids really are accepting of one another no matter what they look like and the teachers and principal don't put up with bullies.

I would love to give this school a better rating, because it truly does have some fabulous teachers. Unfortunately, Drachman's leadership is poor. The school's growth was overly ambitious and poorly executed - Montessori is an excellent learning format for many children, but throwing a child who has not been brought up in a Montessori system is setting that child up for failure (evident in the plummeting test scores that the school has experienced, going from a once highly performing school to a failing one). There is supposedly a "no tolerance" policy when it comes to bullying, but my child was bullied numerous times, both verbally and physically, yet the offending children were never reprimanded. Caucasian children will have a tough time at this school (and even more so at the after school program across the street, Santa Rosa) - racism against white children is rampant. I pulled my children out.
--Submitted by a parent

Great programs. Dedicated staff. The specialized Montessori curriculum truly motivates the students to excel.

Everything about Drachman Montessori supports its mission of building independent, creative thinkers from the front office, the library, the playground to the classroom. Children learning to be well-rounded people.

I have a different view as well. We are very happy with Drachman, the teachers and the principal. These are challenging times for public schools in Arizona, and I am grateful for our thoughtful leader. He may be quiet at times, but he is very accessible.
--Submitted by a parent

We are also new to Drachman. So far our experiences are for the most part positive. Both our children love their school. We too had issues with the pull out program for English language learners but that was taken care of with the signing of a waiver. I have recently met with the principal on another matter and can say that he was at all times professional, and not rude at all. No school is perfect, and certainly not one person is perfect either. We are staying.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the Feb. 14 posting. This school's leadership leaves a lot to be desired. The principal couldn't possible appear more uninvolved in the day to day operations of the school. I wonder if TUSD is paying attention to websites such as this? For someone with a PhD, this principal is a great dissapointment. My kid goes to this school and I do volunteer alot also. So I hear comments from parents and teachers alike. This principal is considered rude, abrupt, with no interest in the school and the students. He is seldom seen on school grounds. Actualy, we see more getting done by PTA on the school's behalf han from this principal. I too am dissapointed in this school--- the teachers are wonderful, ALL of them. But the principal attitude does affect teachers' morale and it shows. How sad that Drachman lost it's great school status b/c of him.
--Submitted by a parent