Pierce Elementary School

Being new to the area this year we couldn't be happier with our selection of location based, in part, on feeding into Pierce. With a highly active, and organized, parent group, and staff invested in student success you get an engaged learning community. My younger student quickly acclimated socially as well as academically and we have been so pleased with consistent, clear communication at both the classroom and leadership level. I have seen them meet individual needs - by content area - for students at both higher, and lower, ends of the spectrum. We were able to meet the Principal, tour the school and were invited to their end of year Fun Fest before we started in the Fall. Pretty atypical welcome for a public elementary. Pierce has helped make our transition to the area easier for our entire family. Thank you.
--Submitted by a parent

This is school is a very good school. My kids have been there for a year and love it there. My son has a hard time with sittign still long enough to learn and I had some concerns so did his preschool teacher. As he has been at pierce he has learned a lot and is growing fast. The teachers are awesome. They do lots of fundraising, fieldtrips, and plenty of opportunities to volunteer.
--Submitted by a parent

Clearly some of the people that have rated this school are not familiar with the staff or education. I and many others would say that this school is one of the best in Cedar Rapids. It has a wonderful staff that cares about each individual student. They make accommodations daily for students in need. They use their resources well and have wonderful classroom management. Every staff member employed at Pierce gets five stars from me. The principal has a unique caring relationship with EVERY student in that school. She goes above and beyond her duties as a principal. As a principal of around 400 students, she does an awesome job of making every student feel special. When I go in to pick up my children she always has kids talking to her and hugging her. She is a wonderful asset to the CRSD. We specifically bought our home in the Pierce area so our children could get the best education possible. The school has an active PTA that supports the school with volunteers and special projects. Every event i attend at Pierce is packed with enthusiastic parents, students and staff. If you are looking for a good school, visit Pierce. They will not let you or your child down.
--Submitted by a parent

The staff fails to teach students who differ from the norm. Unless a child is failing, accommodations are not provided. The school (primarily principal) in itself executes a wait for the student to fail (at which point my child had given up due to no self esteem being taken away). The easiest of requests made by me so I could teach my son at home in the evenings were denied (copy of lesson plan, example of math problems reviewed in class, extra text book from which to teach). Pierce elementary is a terrible learning environment for a child with a learning disability.
--Submitted by a parent

Pierce appears to be a great school from the outside but inside, the leadership lacks integrity and compassion. We had valid concerns about our children's learning environment that were ignored. We are looking to go to a different school due to this.
--Submitted by a parent

Our experience (4 years) at Pierce was not pleasant. Issues, when brought up, were never handled, but simply covered up. My daughter left feeling like nobody cared about her. I left frustrated and feeling like nobody was willing to work WITH us in creating a better learning environment for my child. All this came to a head the day my daughter was assaulted by another student and my daughter was blamed.
--Submitted by a parent

Excellent school with strong acedemic programs. Lots of enrichment opportunities for students. Principal and teachers are caing professionals who are available to partner with parents in providing instruction to support each child. Active PTA.

A wonderful, nurturing environment! The teachers sincerely care about students' academic and social progress, the staff treats each student as a unique and valuable individual, and the principal leads with a firm, yet compassionate hand. I suppose we could find a better school, but I'm not sure where it would be -- or what could make it better!
--Submitted by Richard, a parent