Douglas L. Jamerson Junior Elementary School

My child has attended this school for almost four years now. I loved the school at first and unfortunately my child has had two poor teachers who have affected his joy of learning. As a parent, I have worked hard to communicate with the teachers and I am very involved yet I see poor leadership and feel no support. My advice is to consider your child's needs first and realize that communication is very important to success.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is currently enrolled in kindergarten at Jamerson and we love it. The school is well-run, there is plenty of parent involvement, and overall the atmosphere is relaxed but structured, warm and loving but "on task." My son is starting to read after two months there. I am pleased with everything. The children have a demanding daily schedule but their hard work is balanced with appropriate incentives and opportunities for a little bit of fun. If enthusiasm is what predicts learning, my son is going to excel there!
—Submitted by a parent

I know this school has a rating of 6/10 for scores, but I believe that the scores are misleading, and not the only consideration for choosing a school. My son left another magnet school after kindergarten to attend this school, and we have never looked back. My son has Asperger's Syndrome, and the support and acceptance for children with autism at this school is amazing. Although my son attends general education classes, he is assigned a paraprofessional to help him with his day, and an autism classroom where he goes when things get to be too much. The teachers are caring and competent, and willing to work with children and parents to find the right fit for the child. The engineering curriculum is awesome, with the kids building, planning and using math and engineering principles from kindergarten onward. The principal truly cares about the school and the children, and the staff are involved. The kids are held to high standards of cooperation, education and behavior. The gifted classes are held off-site at a middle school, the only negative that I can think of, but the gifted teachers are wonderful as well. I am so glad my son attends this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter completed her first year (kindergarten) last year at Jamerson and is heading into first grade in two weeks. When I enrolled her at Jamerson, I had had a choice of five magnets and three fundamentals in Pinellas county--several of them quite popular and hard to get into--and I am SO happy we chose Jamerson over the others. I cannot encourage other parents enough to tour this school and seriously consider them as a choice. It is such a happy school with a very caring staff and a wonderful, balanced focus on discipline, nurturing and education. You can feel the happy, positive environment everywhere you go. The academic and social strides my daughter made throughout the school year were absolutely unbelievable and she just loves it there. I truly believe any parent who wants to do the best they possibly can by their children will make Jamerson their number one choice.
—Submitted by a parent

Jamerson Elementary is a lovely school. Its teachers and support staff are 2nd to none. From Kindergarden through 5th Grade the children are challenged to think out of the box. The teachers succeed at making learning fun. Whether a child is gifted, average or has special needs the Jamerson staff consistently goes above the call of duty to do everything in their power to help a child flourish. A better education could not be bought!
—Submitted by a parent

Take the time to tour this school! You won't regret it! It was by far my favorite of all of the magnet/fundamental schools I toured. Keep in mind with the test scores that they have an autism program at the school, and those grades are factored in to the test scores for the entire school.
—Submitted by a parent

Jamerson Elementary has a strong foundation of well-educated teachers, which is equally supported by a fair and highly regarded Principal and Asst Principle. As a magnet school they stand firm on discipline, while promoting an aggressive and well rounded agenda of good education. They have continued to add additional after school activities that makes DLJ that much more attractive. DLJ is also supported by a strong PTA.
—Submitted by a parent

Doug Jamerson Elementary School Our Magnet school is the best kept secret in Pinellas County! From learning engineering concepts in kindergarten via fairy tales, to teaching children to explore "how" the world works around them ... this is an FANTASTIC school! The faculty are amazing, patient, dedicated and loving. They offer programs to meet children where they are at ... from gifted work to offering help for struggling students. The school truly is like a huge family ... and deciding to send my children there is the best decision I've made. You have to tour the school for yourself to see how truly awesome the school is. You'll be amazed at how engaged and happy the children are with their work. It's a positive environment that fosters excellent learning and personal growth from its students. A++++
—Submitted by a parent

Amazing school with dedicated, creative, and caring teachers. Two years here and we continue to be impressed with what we see. The principal is dedicated to making this school succeed, the PTA is extremely active, and the teachers are first-class. We feel lucky to have found this school in Pinellas County. We highly recommend it. So does our daughter who is absolutely in love with her school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter started Jamerson Elementary for Kindergarten last year and she really loves it! She is involved in the Drama Club this year and is doing quite well. I think the staff is top notch with the children and they really seem sincere! We are members of the PTA and enjoy the activities. We give Jamerson Elementary a thumbs up!!! Get involved in with your childs school and you will be amazed at the results!
—Submitted by a parent

I am glad we finally found this school. I love the focus on Engineering and Math that they have which is well integrated in their other subjects. They encourage the children to do their best all the time. My son loves all of his classes which is great since he had issues in his other school with PE and writing. The teachers are highly educated and the parents are involved. It is a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

I couldn't be happier with Jamerson! And I can't wait to see how the faculty works to make this next year even better! The teachers are caring, creative and highly educated and won't settle for just average with any student! They devote their entire lives to making our children's experiences in the K-5 years challenging, satisfying and memorable! The curriculum is top notch and so forward thinking that I believe this school will be a model for other county school systems throughout the country soon! Keep it up Jamerson!
—Submitted by a parent

I have been involved with the school for 4 years now. I have 2 children there. The engineering is amazing, although I wish they had more time in the engineering lab. The music and art teachers are fabulous. The asst. principal is fitting in nicely, and the principal has really come around. You are going to have a few 'bad' teachers and a few 'bad' students wherever you go. Overall, this school has a staff that really cares.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter loves this school. The teachers are caring and nurturing; she comes home begging me to do homework. Mrs. Dann (principal) sets the tone and I'm sure that a lot of the school's success has a great deal to do with her visionary leadership.
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in Kindergarten at Jamerson and I LOVE the school. My child LOVES the school. I can only say good things about it! I don't 'worry' about the neighborhood -I simply pray over it. Things happen everywhere even in nicer neighborhoods; the important thing is this is an excellent school with excellent curriculum, teachers, staff and students and overall friendly warm atmosphere. Take a tour and check out the smiles on the kids' faces - they're happy. I highly recommend it!
—Submitted by a parent

Jamerson is an excellent school. Our son is very happy there: he loves his teachers, he enjoys going to school each day, and he is friends with everyone. Yes, Jamerson students come from diverse cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds, which is a HUGE challenge for the school, but it is a reality in Pinellas County's public schools. Despite this, Jamerson does an excellent job embracing kids from all backgrounds, pushing all children to work hard and enjoy school through positive reinforcement, genuine compassion and, when needed, effective discipline. Our son works well above grade level and his teacher has been amazing at keeping him challenged and not holding him back. Jamerson will put advanced readers with reading specialists or parent volunteers and let them go as far as they can -- there is absolutely no 'sit quietly and let everyone else catch up' mentality at Jamerson! Grade skipping, partial grade skipping, gifted programs, more homework, individual projects -- Jamerson staff is open to anything that will meet an advanced child's needs, and will gladly work with parents to determine what those needs are. For the record, Jamerson is located in a low-income neighborhood, not a 'bad' neighborhood.
—Submitted by a parent

Jamerson is a wonderful school! The education is uniquely hands on. There are gardens, a flowing river, engineering room, tv production, and factoids about inventors hung as art throughout all hallways and lunchroom. The leadership from staff as well as from parents is obviously trying to make learning a fun habit! But in the environment of the schools demographics the school has big challenges that are proving to be very difficult to fix. But for the parents who look at their child's homework, talk about teat scores, and communicate with the teachers, this school is everything a school can be. The staff and involved parents are consistently working to make sure Jamerson has the latest technologies and curriculum to help the students achieve the best education offered in the elementary years. Take a tour and you will undoubtedly feel the warmth and sincerity of the schools atmosphere.
—Submitted by a parent

Love this school! Bad neighborhood but so what! A great education, would recommend it highly!
—Submitted by a parent

Everyone will have their own opinions...but our family loves Jamerson!! We could easily afford private school..and we have toured all the other magnets and fundamentals in the area...Jamerson is by far the best program out there!! Great curriculam, fantastic and very involved parents, excellent teachers. In addition to the math & engineering focus, your child can choose to be invloved in band, strings orchastra, drum ensemble, chorus..the art program is very good...PE everyday....and the campus is GORGEOUS and technology looks like it came straight from a university setting!! You owe it to yourself and your child to come visit Jamerson...you will NOT be disappointed!!! We feel very lucky to have our child here and can't wait for our youngest to start kindergarten!!
—Submitted by a parent

I really WANT to like the school...it has potential for sure..but the neighborhood is flat out scary..and while some of the teachers are Ok..the administration just does not care at all about students or teachers...it is sad for the group of parents who are really going all out to institute changes....discipline problems do not get addressed...my child is doing well..but we will be switching asap
—Submitted by a parent