Hawthorne Elementary School

Hawthorne is a wonderful neighborhood school with great parent involvement and a great team of teachers that care about the kids. Hawthorne is more than just a great neighborhood school. Hawthorne is Dekalb County s only inclusion elementary school, a school that serves students of all abilities side-by-side in the same classroom - from special needs through gifted students. We have been here for 5 years and my son is compassionate, and understands that we are all different and unique in our own way. It's not perfect but I would not change it for any other school, they are learning life lessons and I'm learning with them.
—Submitted by a parent

Before moving into this area I heard nothing but good things about this school. However, I regret that move now. Some of the staff is rude and very off putting. My child comes home with weekly stories of loud, unruly children and unclean rest rooms. My child's love for school and self esteem have been slashed in half since attending. We will be looking at other schools.
—Submitted by a parent

I have heard great things before my kids came into the school, it had great teachers, some of them are gone, which is very sad. But the worst look of the school is the customer service, how rude they can be, they would attend to certain parents, you might get into the main office and you actually have to wait for the women at the front office being rude, keep talking in front of you, not greet you or ask you...How can I help you? Poor customer service or non in some cases...
—Submitted by a parent

We have a new principal. The interim principal did some incredibly posiitive work in the few months she was there. The kids can chat at lunch now and they are able to sit with friends. As for learning and behavior, the teachers my children have had are focused on engaging their minds through positive feedback and encouraging them to reach further with their studies- beyond the core curriculum if they are able. However, teachers only have them 40 hours per week. Being an active participant in your child's education is essential for a great education, no matter how great the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I didn't really know what to expect from this Dekalb County school when we moved into the area, but I couldn't be more pleased. We have two children attending and both classes have a fairly low student to teacher ratio. The teachers really seem to care, the administrative staff are great, the principal seems very hands on, all in all I couldn't expect much more. The parents are also very involved, which is always a good sign. I guess most importantly though, my children really seem to like it and are doing very well.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent experience. I hate we had to move away. Front office staff was the best I've ever experienced.
—Submitted by a parent

Incredibly committed staff. Involved parents. Teacher-student ratio is best in DeKalb County. Hawthorne is a Coralwood partnership school, which means it has a higher percentage of students with special needs. Unlike many schools in DeKalb, Hawthorne practices an inclusion model. Most classes have a special education and regular education teacher. Many of the regular education teachers are gifted certified. There is a lot of small group. We picked it because we wanted our children to have a high quality public school education in a diverse school. They are getting exactly that and we are thrilled.
—Submitted by a parent

It's surprising to read some of Hawthorne's reviews but everyone's entitled! I would comment on the incredible negative review which was posted in Dec of 2010 but quite frankly it's not worth the time. Let s note one comment though which quotes the kids as saying everyone has brain or behavioral issues??? Hmm.... Hawthorne has incredibly committed teachers all you have to do is talk to a few and draw your own conclusion. It also has an incredibly active parent body and if you come from a school that doesn't you know how important this is to the success of a school. We have challenges without a doubt we're a Dekalb county school and we don't have unlimited funds. Because of this the parents established a foundation last year to help supplement bigger projects enabling the schools to forgo County bureaucracy to get things done. We have a strong Principal with an open door policy any comments complaints and suggestions he is always open to listen to. It's a public school and by far one of the better ones!
—Submitted by a parent

Quite frankly, I'm still trying to figure this school out. Rather than posting my thoughts thus far, let me quote my kids: "The teachers are mean and rude. They talk down to you, and use sarcasm to make it seem like a joke." "I will never be able make friends here mom. Everyone has brain or behavior issues. They don't respect the teachers or property. They don't listen." "The bathrooms are disgusting. There is poop on the walls & poop paper laying around everywhere. The kids pee all over the floors. The stall doors aren't very high, so other kids are always daring each other to look in at you." "Today the gardeners were using a gas powered bush saw to cut bushes right where we were playing. Is he nuts? Even I know that's not safe! "Lunch is really good, but the lunchroom stinks. You don't get to choose who you sit by, and everyone has to be silent except for five minutes. You always tell us that dinner time is a time for everyone to share. I guess school is more like prison, except with better food."
—Submitted by a parent

The principal is horrible. He needs to quit. He has changed the entire school into a prison . My child is terrified of this place. He is being bullied and other students are misbehaving and overall quality is poor.

Love the teachers, parent involvement is great.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are awesome!
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attended since the 1st grade and is now in the 5th grade. I love the school, the size and student/teacher ratio is a plus. There's alot of parent/volunteer involvement as well as numerous opportunities to contribute to the school's funding shortfalls. I wish this school was large enough to be a middle school, because my child is challenged and encouraged every single day. The teachers are passionate about the kids learning and as a parent, I support them 100%. They have tutoring in the morning before school and it is FREE! They have a wonderful afterschool program that is ran by the teacher's and staff. Homework help is available everyday, activities and very reasonalbe rates!
—Submitted by a parent

Hawthorne has 2 teachers for every classroom because it is an inclusion school. The time the parapro spends in the class is used on special need students. In addition, to the lead teacher trying to minimize distractions. There is never time to spend with academic achievers or gifted students. The principal is encouraging a model of in class grouping. This is difficult to impossible with so many different ranges of students. If your child is above average, don't expect any individualized attention.
—Submitted by a parent

Hawthorne is simply a gem! Almost every class has TWO certified teachers, the population is small so it is not uncommon for teachers to know every student in the school. We have had four sets of top-notch teachers and are encouraged by the new principals willingness to try new ideas and programs to keep our students engaged and moving forward. We consider ourselves very lucky at this tiny neighborhood, involved school!
—Submitted by a parent

I am livid about the changes that have taken place under the new principal. As a parent that has supported this school for years both financially and through volunteering, I am very angry that many of us are being completely disregarded now. When changing the morning start time went to vote under the old principal, it did not meet with the approval of most of the community. Now we find out that has been overturned, despite our objections. I'm also tired of being promised things that never happen. And upon confronting the principal, he has a different story for everyone. It is a real shame what is happening here!
—Submitted by a parent

I'm very disappointed in the turn this school has taken under the new leadership. I've seen a lot of changes when I volunteer and can tell that there is a lot of frustration. And why was all that time and money invested in a computer lab and going in a technology direction, when a new principal comes in and completely disregards all of that previous work. My child has had some fantastic teachers here, but rumor is many of them want to leave now.
—Submitted by a parent

+ Excellent experience, caring teachers and a great leadership (Singh) that does not sit in the office but manages by walking around. Very strong parental involvement makes for a very strong school. Mr Allen comes in at 6.15am every morning so he can help the kids at 7am with extra work and tutoring before school starts. He is an 'old school' teacher for whom I hold the highest regard. My daughter has had some great teachers. - We have not had much success in speech therapy. The program needs help. I also do not like the way she is pulled from her regular classes for speech as that detracts from her other subjects. Overall; excellence in learning. My daughter currently is in honor roll.
—Submitted by a parent

I have also removed my child from this NCLB school.There is only a handful of passionate staff.Staff developement is severely needed.I must say the children are very postive but stressed.Lunchroom is dirty and very loud.Hopefully the PTA will make these changes its overdue

If you have a child with special needs, think twice before sending them here. They may thrive somewhere else. They appear only concerned with test scores than the development of the child with different or special abilities. My child went here after attending Coralwood, but I decided to remove her from this school late in the school year. My child is now happy and thriving in her zoned school!
—Submitted by a parent