Painted Sky Elementary School

Excellent school atmosphere for the students. The classrooms are well equipped, teachers are very well qualified and do a great job of caring for the students. The classes excel in their accomplishments and the parent involvement really shows. I've never seen an elementary school with such good parent involvement. Glad we moved here and currently have one child in 1st grade.
—Submitted by a parent

Painted Sky has the best kindergarten teachers in the world! My child's teacher is so talented. I can't believe how far my daughter has come this year. They hatched chicken eggs and butterflies this year and my daughter can't stop writing about how much she learned! She is reading and writing well beyond the kindergarten level. Full-day kindergarten is so worth the investment!! My daughter's teacher is very nurturing, but firm and structured. Her professional approach really pushes the children academically. Parents talk all the time about how well prepared for first grade the kindergartners are. My daughter's teacher has been a dedicated, hard-working supporter of Painted Sky for more than ten years and parents just love and appreciate her. This year has been our first at Painted Sky, and we are so looking forward to future of our three girls here.
—Submitted by a parent

Our first year there was great. This year, however, has been very different. There have been far too many changes for young children to go through in one year (changing classroom formats- all grades- midway through year, report cards changing every semester, forming new classes halfway through the year and pulling kids out of established rooms to make them, etc.) . Also, there has been little communication from the school about things that are happening that concern families. It is frustrating as a parent to not be informed and to have to search for the information. One bright spot are the teachers. They are doing the best they can with what they have been given.
—Submitted by a parent

So happy at Painted Sky - LOVE all the teachers and support staff. We are thriving in spite of the cuts and the low priority education seems to have in AZ. Parents are wonderful and very involved, kids are great - a very good school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is way to small, too many rich kid snobs, and the teachers go against the code of conduct.
—Submitted by a parent

I think the staff in the front office are great, they are so friendly and very helpful. However the classes are way overcrowed and if your child is below the standard learning curve you better watch out because they are going to pass them bye. Its really sad. Also if you do have a child with an IEP watch out because this school does nothing to work with those kids. They say they are doing things to help that child but its obvious that they just don't have enough time to deal with kids with special needs. I think the teachers do care about the kids but some of them just seem a bit overwelmed with there class sizes. They really need to look at the class sizes and figure out a plan to reduce those class sizes so that our children have a real chance at a good education.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two sons that attend Painted Sky and we love it. The teachers are fabulous and the leadership is remarkable. Parent participation is encourage and welcome. The only negative I have is the school food but isn't that a problem everywhere.
—Submitted by a parent

In five years, my child did not have actually a good teacher. Try to talk to/ ask questions a teacher and they will be offended easily and ingnore you or get really bias with the child at the best. Front office staff is there, but just to gossip. They are good at one thing: asking for money.
—Submitted by a parent

Teacher & Parent Support is the best I have ever seen. The community is always behind us too.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has a lot of parent involvement and great teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

My son was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. We were worried on how the school would handle. Prior to school starting, they set up an appointment with my sons teacher, the school nurse and a representative from the school health dept. They went over how well they are prepared to handle his needs and what is needed from us. It put our mind at ease and even more important, our sons.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school .Teachers are wonderful and work so hard. I drive by on Sundays and the parking lot is full. I know how hard teachers work to impact student learnigng. Kinder teachers and first grade teachers are the best in in Tucson. They are so compassionate and caring towards children. They are real professionals. I love this school!
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Painted Sky and have had nothing but positive experiences for the last three years. The teaching staff is outstanding, the front office is wonderful and very helpful, and the new principal is doing a wonderful job. Parent involvement is incredible. I am extremely happy with this school and cannot say enough good things about it.
—Submitted by a parent

I was extremely disappointed with my sons experience at Painted Sky. He has special needs and the staff were very unprofessional and unqualified in my opinion to handle the issues that affected him. It was sad because the school is clean and in a nice neighborhood so I expected something better. We are trying another school this year, one that has better staff for children with special needs.
—Submitted by a parent

Painted Sky and its staff are great...Angela Wichers (Principal) is exceptional, friendly, and on the ball. The technology and Parent involvement is great. The Teachers are amazing and most continue to educate themselves and have and are incredibly dedicated to the students and to teaching.
—Submitted by a parent

I cannot wait to get my kids out of this school! We've been at this school for 2 years and we just hate it! The classes are huge (27-30)! In addition, the parents are overbearing and rude! All the teachers we've had are wonderful. The new principal is not good......not enough flexibility and she's never theree!
—Submitted by a parent

Painted Sky is an amazing school. I have two children there who have flourished and are both working far above grade level. The class sizes are big, but the teachers are very dedicated, hard-working, and caring. When I pick my children up from the after school program at 5 or 5:30, I always see teacher cars still in the parking lot. The parent (and grandparent) support is phenomenal. My favorite example of how far Painted Sky goes above and beyond other schools is the book fair. Every year my children get to talk to and have book signed on Author's Night by 10-15 well-known children's authors. The authors also visit the classrooms and read from their books. My children love to read and it's partly because of Painted Sky's focus on literacy-related activities. When looking to buy a home, my top consideration was making sure it was close to Painted Sky.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is known for its excellent teachers at every grade level, extremely high parental involvement, and dubious PTO practices. The PTO has been criticized for raising money for its own membership and not for the good of the students or teachers. With a recent change of PTO leadership, there may be improvements, but it is too soon to tell.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is one of the best around as far as staff. The teachers work hard and are motivated to use technology with my child. The new principal seems to be doing a good job. My son also enjoys Miler's Club - a good motivator for having him be active a couple of days a week.
—Submitted by a parent

Can't comment about the principal she is new to the position. Quality of most teachers is good. However, there are a few who are stuck in their old ways.Some teachers put way too much work of their own on to the parent volunteers. Extracurricular activities are really just limited to band. Front office is not always friendly. In fact, some parents have pulled their kids from this school because of this problem
—Submitted by a parent