Blaine Elementary School

This school has a wonderful group of parents an children. There are many great teachers who are dying for a strong and intelligent leader. The administration is unprofessional and does not have the experience to lead a school of this quality. The new principal has a huge mouth and tell parents way too much personal information regarding teachers, other parents and students.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been going to this school my whole life! It has been the greatest experience ever!

I'm not sure what the hoopla is about the new principal. There seems to be a lot of "veneer" (painting walls, chosen mascots), but nothing of substance.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a student at Blaine. Its a great school and I enjoy going there. You probably should read the more recent comments because they are with the new principal. Our old principal was old and wrinkly and, well, eww! Our school is MUCH better then it was last year and is getting better every day.Sadly, i can agree with one old comment-the "Blaine moms" form little groups and can be really snotty. Ignore them. They're evil

Hats off to Mr. LaRaviere and his decision to take Blaine's future in exciting new directions. His intolerance for negativity is refreshing. His focus on improving teacher and teaching quality is outstanding. His commitment to the school is notable. His hiring decisions have altered the atmosphere of the school in the best way possible (esp. with addition of new assistant principal). My kid is going to be at Blaine for the next 8 years and I'm excited for his future.
--Submitted by a parent

I love the school. It is very welcoming, and the new Principal is the best the school has every had. I hope that Blaine School rises to be the best school Chicago can have!

Blaine has just got a new principal and I have to post the positive upbeat atmosphere at our school as a result. Thank you Mr. LaRaviere for bringing much needed change to our classrooms, parent/LSC meetings, and a smile to teacher faces. The new Blaine website is incredible and gives a sense of the direction this school is headed under new leadership. Now, if only we could sort out CPS....
--Submitted by a parent

I've been an involved parent at this school for eight years. Most of the teachers are excellent and have been more and more engaged each year. It has been a pleasure to see a school that my family chose become a neighborhood school of choice. Looking forward to seeing the new principal lead this school forward as he listens to his wise team of professionals.
--Submitted by a parent

I couldn't agree more with the parent who said the administration for Blaine Elementary is authoritative and although the teaching staff and Mr. Rice (counselor) are so wonderful, the front desk woman, the principal (Vacarezza) and the vice principal (Pumarejo) are intimidating, unpleasant and above all discriminating towards certain students. I am glad my child is out of that school. I hope that with Mrs. Vacarezza's retirement, changes will be made and management will be much more humane and unbiased.
--Submitted by a parent

We've loved our teachers and had phenomenal open communication with each of them. My biggest beef with the school has been issues that are problematic system-wide, such as irresponsible budget cuts, the over-abundance of testing and the short school day from 8 to 1:45. But that's not Blaine's issue alone, so it's the brunt we bear with children in CPS schools. On the other hand, Blaine has dedicated parents who are ever-present in many different roles, even before school starts making sure kids get out of cars safely and into their classrooms. When we go to a school assembly or student show, the parents come out in full force, often overflowing the auditorium. If you are new to Chicago and considering this school, note that you must live in-district in order to get in. If you go to the CPS website, search for the school locator application that automatically finds your neighborhood school by address. No school is perfect, but I give Blaine 5 stars because at the end of the day, my kids are learning things both at and above grade level and they genuinely love to go to school. That is the mark of a great school.
--Submitted by a parent