Gilchrist Elementary School

It is a very multi ethnic and multicultural place. When they have the annual field day they begin with a parade of nations with each grade dressing up to represent a country and my child is a Chinese American so that matters to us and that there are others who look like her. Also it is a 'Blue Ribbon' school which proves what we already knew, that they work hard to make sure everyone is a successful student. They do cool projects like the 'Art in the Sky' project that combined learning about the indangered Whooping Crane with a cooperative aspect of making the huge crane on the ground using students and teachers bodies in the correct color shirts for the formation.
--Submitted by a parent

My son started 2nd grade in Gilchrist we are from Katrina In Louisiana he was not doing well in his reading. At Gilchrist they put him in ESE class and he has come a long way the Teachers have been wonderful with his taeching of reading this is his last yaer at Gilchrist. And I know for a fact that my son will miss his ESE teacher's thay spent one on one with him and have helped him alot He use to not know how to read and now he does Thanks to the Teachers this is a great school we were bless to have come to Tallahassee and have my children go to the best Leon Elementary school I also have a 3rd grader that is going to 4th grade next year and they also helped her in her reading in her regular class.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is not the school to send your child to if he has any kind of learning or emotional problems. They are very unsympathetic and seem to only want 'normal' students. I have gotten the feeling from administration as well as teachers that they don't like to be bothered with children that have any time of problems. The ESE program is a joke, my son has already repeated kindergarden and is on his way to repeating 1st grade. They tell me they are doing all they can which seems to be not much of anything. Some of the teachers/staff there need more training in dealing with children that have special needs.
--Submitted by a parent

Children are challenged academically and receive positive encouragement from their teachers. I am involved with my child's class as well as the volunteer tutor program. The parental involvement at this school is impressive. We moved from another state where our son attended a private school which ran close to a thousand dollars a month. I feel his teachers at Gilchrist worked harder with him as an individual to succeed than the teachers at his old private school. Overall, we have been pleasantly surprised.
--Submitted by a parent

We bought a home in the school district so our children could go to Gilchrist because it was rated so highly. Now, I'm concerned about the increasing number of low-performers/behavior problems showing up from the 'F' schools. It's hit or miss with the teachers. I wish there was a better system for learning more about the teachers themselves - like teaching philosophies, ratings by parents & school, classroom observation. As far as random assignment? I noticed the most involved parents' children are in the best classrooms. The standard line is - 'there's no room to move them once they've been assigned'. The absolute worst thing about the school is the location and start/end times. Too close to interstate, major NE intersections, etc. I'll bet Gilchrist has the highest number of tardies as well as FCAT & parent volunteer hours.
--Submitted by a parent

Excellent academics, excellent ESE programs, only issue is that they could use some sensitivity training. But otherwise I would recommend the school for it's academics and quality of teacher involvement with the children. One other minus is that I tried hard to get involved with volunteering but no response. Like they couldn't be bothered because I wasn't well known.
--Submitted by a parent

Of the four teachers with whom my children have spent a year, two of them were excellent teachers and two of them were worse than awful. I do not believe that is a great percentage. Also it is very worth considering the fact that it is basically impossible to switch teachers as Gilchrist is so full that another child has to want to switch at the same time in order for this to happen. This, of course, doesn't happen with any teacher worth switching to. This school gets extremely high ratings in the state of Florida. I am, unfortunately, left to believe that Gilchrist has quite a few exceptional teachers carrying all of the weight for quite a few terrible teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

This is my sons first year at Gilchrist, so far I have had a very good experience with them. His teacher is great, and I should know I volunteer 3 days a week. We had considered sending our son to a private school, but I'm glad we gave Gilchrist a try first, I can't imagine a better school. The only suggestion I could make is for them to have a little more control over the children as they leave to go home in the afternoons.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a wonderful elementary school. The faculty and administration are top notch. We moved here from the Chicago area as our son was entering the 3rd grade. We had a horrible experience with his second grade teacher there and were concerned our son would struggle to adjust. He fit in wonderfully. He is an honor student and has not had any of the problems he had in Chicago. The teachers are the best. The principal and support staff are available to you anytime. The parent volunteeers work harder than any I have seen. Five star A rated school!
--Submitted by Lisa Waldron, a parent

Both of my children went to Gilchrist. Their years there prepared them well for middle school, high school, and college. I could not be happier with their experience at Gilchrist. They also have a great school song.
--Submitted by a parent