Stratton Elementary School

My review of Stratton is limited as my daughter began kindergarten here this year and classes have only been in session for a little over a month. So far we love Stratton. Her kindergarten teacher is GREAT, however, the super focus on getting the kindergarteners to learn FAST is annoying to me. I get feedback such as "she's doing great in math but she needs to work on her Alphabet and sounds, we have been in class for 30 days now and report cards are coming up"....Really? They are kindergartners, cut them some slack. With that said, her teacher is great, hard working, super energetic and involved, I'm not discounting her for that, I think it's the school district so focused on scores! scores! scores! I'm still adjusting to the newness of it all. One other negative is the large kindergarten class size. Almost 28 kids, yikes. The school is out of our neighborhood boundary line but only across the way from where we lived, we chose Stratton because our neighborhood school (Bates) was not up to par. My daughter loves kindergarten, loves math, gym, music, the field trips. They keep them busy. So far we are happy with Stratton, only time will tell what the future holds.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been away from the school for almost 2 years. We miss the school atmosphere, dedication and the warm fuzzy feelings from the staff. Our son graduated 5th grade at Stratton, he just love Mr. Weiss.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has such a wonderful atmosphere! I love it! Classrooms have overstuffed couches and chairs with lamps on rather than the harsh glare of overhead lighting. It's warm and inviting. If I were a kid I'd want to go there. My daughter is in Mr. Hoepfner's class for the GT kids. He is terrific!
—Submitted by a parent

This coming year will be our 3rd year at Stratton. Kindergarten was a fabulous experience. First grade was not. The two teachers available were miles apart in teaching abilities. I feel that my child rec'd very little education and was not ready for the 2nd grade. We have spent alot of money paying a tutor this summer to get our child back on track. Hopefully 2nd grade will prove to be a better experience! I am also not fond of their number system for behavior. Too many times I would ask my child how their day was with a response of 'we only got a 3 in gym today!'
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of this school has greatly diminished in recent years. It was a great disappointment to us when, after much debate we removed our child. We were lucky to be blessed with fantastic teachers all 3 years our son was there. All 3 have since left and others that we respected are leaving this year. While there are some great people who have remained, I wonder how long they will stay at this rate.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has parent involvement almost to excess as well as great leadership. Their best teachers are in the advanced programs, while the regular classes are mostly staffed with senior teachers from arround the district. A waiting list exists if you do not live in the immediate area.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter entered kindergarten at Stratton last year, she was in Mrs. Crary Hoover's class. Some of her favorite parts of kindergarten were, the two plays that her class performed for their parents, the field trips, going to gym three times per week, music classes, and her EXCELLENT teacher! She was motivated to excell, and was allowed to move at her own level in the literacy program, learning sight words, and in doing her daily homework. My favortie aspects of the experience were the smaller class sizes, the tremendous family involvement, the school plays that her class worked so hard on, the high level of parent-teacher communication, and the literacy program. Now that we have had such a great experience at Stratton, we plan to buy another home nearby so that all three of our children can attend.
—Submitted by a parent