Agassiz Elementary School

This school is wonderful! It was great seeing all of the students cheering Agassiz's name today as they celebrated it's 100 year birthday. The staff are kind and very dedicated, administration is very helpful, and the parents are very involved. There are a wide range of in school and after school clubs that students can be a part of.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a Student at Agassiz Elementry School and I think that the Upper Grade(6-8) Staff is wonderful pointing out the wonderful Reading/History Teacher(room 306), Math Teacher (room 304), and Writing/Science teacher(room 305). Agassiz is very diverse and I have alot of intersting and fun things to do that wil keep students on track w/ schoolwork and student connection which helps the students flow. Agassiz could really improve with Admin. Staff involvement and respect for the children. Admin. Staff could listen to more of the students and not just their fav. 4 students.

My children both attend Agassiz and we feel very lucky to have Agassiz as our neighborhood school. I have a lot of prior experience with CPS in my professional life, and Agassiz really stands out among CPS elementary schools. The teachers and families are great and the school has a warm, welcoming feel.
—Submitted by a parent

At Agassiz Elementary, the staff, teachers, administrators and social workers are simply fantastic. This is such a wonderful school, and we are thrilled that we are able to be a part of its community. In addition to weekly drama, music and art classes, all of the students learn Arabic, take part in school musicals, and more. The parent groups are welcoming and resourceful, and parents are encouraged to volunteer in classrooms, too. We simply cannot say enough - we are thrilled that our child is at Agassiz, and are looking forward to what the next few years have in store.
—Submitted by a parent

this school is great! Teachers are excellent. there is wonderful communication between teachers, staff , students and parents.
—Submitted by a parent

My children just finished their third year at this school and thus far, I am pleased with their progress. This year one of my children need some speech therapy and the school has a speech therapist on staff which was a wonderful in-house resource. Regarding the person concerned about the different academic performance between boys and girls, there is a lot of empirical data documenting that boys begin to lag behind girls academically as young as 4th grade. What this person witnessed in the higher achieving females is a wide-spread challenge that all educators and parents have to work against. While it is possible that the school treats children different based on gender, I won't pretend that does not happen, it's also a developmental pattern that must be addressed by everyone involved in the boys' lives.
—Submitted by a parent

You can not go wrong with sending your children to this school. We send both our girls to the school and can not be happier with the quality of instruction, the fantastic teachers or the before and after programs. Mira Weber does a superb job at running the school in a way that is structured but doesn't feel overly coached. The teachers are the best. I would HIGHLY recommend sending your children to the school.
—Submitted by a parent

The previous poster addressed issues regarding graduation that were erroneous. First, Agassiz has traditionally had boys and girls wearing maroon. To suggest that one was intended to highlight the incompetence of a group is ridiculous. That the inclusive nature of Agassiz be so misunderstood by highlighting a student who has always had full access to every part of the school day and year, including graduation, is also a great misconception. The writer apparently missed several other students with Autism who were graduating throughout the ceremony, and were neither highlighted or noticed. Third, out of a staff of approximately 30, nearly a third are males, and are excellent models for all of our students. It is unfortunate that the males in this graduating class were not as academically successful, and that issue should (and will!) be examined. But to make sweeping generalizations about a school based on a single observation of a class is limited and short-sighted. Know that Agassiz is the kind of school that vigorously examines itself, and is constantly looking for ways to improve. Please consider removing this review.
—Submitted by a teacher

I attended this years class of 2011 graduation and was pleased and disturbed with the overall instruction that is going on with the school.. I was pleased that many of the students were academic achievers however I was disappointed in the fact that most of them were female students. That isn't to say that I didn't appreciate their success but I felt that more/equal attention needed to be given to the male students. Maybe there needs to be more male instructors/role models in order to level the playing field. Also their cap and gowns were different The Girls wore white, while the boys wore red, which suggests that the dumb kids were the one whow wore red. Not to mention they gave the special needs boy his diploma, last. And they need to help him him find his seat afterwards. Achievement after achievement was handed out to the girls, while it seemed like the boys wanted to sink in their the boys just sat their slumped in their seats. They must have felt really low. It may seem like a small thing but I woudldn't send my son to a school where the girls are going to get preferential treatment. I'm sorry. It needs to be addressed.. Hire more men!!!

I went to Agassiz in the 60's. graduated in 69. we live on kenmore. & there was many kids>167>who lived on seminary & kenmore.between diversey & lincoln.AGASSIZ had a mixture of races then. NOT only did AGASSIZ teach us what we needed to learn, WE taught the value of family & friends.! TO this day many of us are still in contact with each other. AGASSIZ has ALWAYS went beyond what is required. I EVEN HAD 4 of my kids go to AGASSIZ. WHO ARE NOW GROWN. AGASSIZ KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. AS YOU HAVE IN THE PAST.

It's diverse and kid-friendly
—Submitted by a parent

We are so grateful for Agassiz and the awesome staff. We had our 1st grader in a test into school, and found that the staff and Principle were very disorganized, unresponsive to our concerns and questions as a new family, and only focused on homework homework homework. In an afternoon, the staff at Agassiz returned our call, and our child is now set up in the lovely 1st/2nd grade classroom. Her needs will be met, I'm sure of it, and we know that this school honors and respects children and parents. So grateful.
—Submitted by a parent

The school has a great environment. Teachers/staff and parents that all really care about the school and are really involved to make it a better place.
—Submitted by a parent

This is an excellent school. My daughter was in a first grade class of 17 children. The administration fights to keep the class size small. She has music and dance/drama one time per week and Arabic three times per week. She reads very well and has benefited from the creative writing program. I went to the science fair and listened to a 5 year old from kindergarten explaining his science project, and it was quite obvious he understood the concepts. Apparently, the kindergarten teacher there is fantastic. She has been in 2 shows. They work very hard on behavior and maintaining order, and it shows. The aides are great. Even the security guard is actively involved. They have a decent after-school program with lots of art classes. They have gym twice a week. There is an autism program & a good special ed program.
—Submitted by a parent

I recommend Agassiz for the early grades (PK-5). Mira Weber, the principal for almost 2 years now, was formerly a teacher here, and the students like and respect her. She is doing a good job of involving neighborhood parents in activities and fund-raising. My child loves to read and enjoys math. The level of homework is appropriate - you don't spend every moment after school and work doing busy work or burning out on difficult assignments. Agassiz is especially strong at live performances. Parents and staff are working on getting a choir together, too. Hopefully band will follow. The student population is changing - this year's kindergarten and pre-k is much less diverse than the other grades. I suspect this is due to the recent recession. This causes some tension, but I am hopeful that parents will continue to work together as they have in the past.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in the tuition based prek and truly loves her teacher and friends at school! It really puts my mind at ease, because I'm a working mom, that she is happy and with a teacher that cares and support hers. She loves going every day and has learned so much. Agassiz's principal is innovative and a wonderful leader as well. We plan on sending our second daughter there and are thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful school!!
—Submitted by a parent

Agassiz School is a supportive and nurturing environment that promotes student learning in a variety of ways.

I love the school. It's got a great principal, great teachers, great parent community, and it's getting better each year.
—Submitted by a parent

excellent school! I am very pleased with my children's progress. I have a son in the pre k program with Mrs. Mahramas, and a daughter in Mrs. Pirillis's first grade class. They love school, which is so important in my opinion for a lifetime educational career. Thanks Agassiz!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Agassiz since 2nd grade,she is now in 8th. Last year was a difficult year for her. I'd planned to transfer her out, but changed my mind. One reason I didn't is because Mrs. Negron who left a few years back(asst. principal) has returned. I think she will be helpful in solving disciplinary problems that occur between girls a lot more effectively than they were handled in her absence. However, even though there were problems last year,Agassiz is a good school and I think this will be a good year. Also my grandaughter came to Agassiz last year from a school with a #1 rating and made the honor roll by the end of her first year at Agassiz!
—Submitted by a parent