Longfellow Elementary School

Very good school , I'm happy with it and my kid is very happy in it.
—Submitted by a parent

Longfellow is great! We are one of only two (out of 8) Oak Park Schools that has made Academic Honor Roll for making AYP - adequate yearly progress - on state tests every year since 2003. Longfellow has great families and a very dedicated, hard working staff. It is a super school!

so far the school is great,my kid is thriving ,Im so happy with it,Miss Hepding/1st G teacher is the best, parents are always at class helping and the atmospher is warm and welcoming.
—Submitted by a parent

Longfellow provides an excellent well rounded education for all students. The climate of the school is happy and friendly with importance placed on learning. There is a great sense of community and spirit in the school. Longfellow produces a large number of students that excel academically.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been in the Longfellow Community for almost seven years and cannot say enough about this wonderful school. We have had a great experience with two children and next year will enroll a third-we are thrilled!
—Submitted by a parent

My sons have been attending Longfellow for 3 years now and I have been so consistently impressed by the quality of ALL of the teachers and the curriculum. We've worked on several things with the Principal, Angela Dolezal, and she has always made herself available and is extremely personable. I see her at the school yard during lunch recess every day and she always knows all of the kids' names, even the parents' names. My oldest son is in second grade now and there was a great program where local restaurants donated different ethnic foods and a wonderful teacher came in for about 8 weeks to teach kids about different cultures via different foods. I hear that in 3rd grade there is a section of the curriculum that teaches kids how to carry on conversations and respond easily to questions like 'how are you?' etc. Keep up the great work, Longfellow!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has gone to Longfellow for 2 years. We moved from Seattle and I was very concerned about the quality, as our school in Washington was amazing. I am overall very impressed with the teachers that she has had, and very impressed with the education. This is a great school that really tries to serve the students. However, I do agree with other posts that that bullying from other students seems to be higher than average at this school. I don t know what the school can do to control these bad seeds, but there are some students that cause problems and it doesn t seem like the school does anything about it.
—Submitted by a parent

It is probably the most racially and economically diverse school in the district, yet it is consistently in the top 2-3 in terms of academic success as measured on standardized tests. This school does more with less than any other school I know.
—Submitted by a parent

Fabulous teachers, very dedicated staff, diverse community!
—Submitted by a parent

We moved from Massachusetts into Oak Park's Longfellow school when our son was entering 2nd grade. He is now entering 5th grade. We have had such a wonderful experience at the school. Great teachers and community. The children are held to high standards across the board. We've had two situations in which we sought out the principal, Ms. Dolezal. She was great in both cases and I feel she is doing an excellent job. I love the 'extras' that are offered to the students from Hubbard Street Dance program to the FLIP program, and all the additional enrichment activities. We lived in Newton, MA which has a reputation for wonderful schools, but our experience at Longfellow has topped Newton Public schools on all aspects. I can't say enough wonderful things abut Longfellow!
—Submitted by a parent

There are some outstanding teachers at this school. The principal is not outstanding and seems to be risk-averse, but is very accessible to parents and open to hearing from them. Getting her to take action is a little harder. She likes baby steps. The Longfellow community is great, wonderful families. I'm happy to have my child here, going into first grade in the fall.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers at this school are very professional (especially special needs) and they provide excellent feedback on progress as well as suggestions. I have a child at Longfellow for the first year. I was at first nervous and concerned sending her into a new school and out of her self-contained environment. The staff have really been accommodating and helpful to make sure services are provided and class time is not lost. I am thankful that my child is in a caring and safe environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Principal's general approach to problems at Longfellow is to sweep them under the rug. There are several great teachers there such as Ms. Mulsoff, Mr. Pod, Ms. Vietzen, Mrs. Creticos and Ms. Martin. Unfortunately, ensuring your child pairs up with a good teacher is a 50/50 gamble.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is quick to label active children as ADHD. Discipline and control is not a priority. They try to appear to be concerned, but they are truly not interested in working with parents. Once your child is labeled 'special needs' they do not 'truly' provide assistance in that area. Parents are called constantly and no control over a child is enforced.
—Submitted by a parent

Longfellow is a great school. There are a lot of academic activities the students are exposed to, such as language (French and Spanish, sign language). The academic program is a bit advanced so you might want to check out the curriculum according to your child's grade, before transferring your child to that school. The principal, Thea Perkins, is quite approachable and ready to help.
—Submitted by a parent