Lee Elementary School

Lee School offers many avenues for communication between parents and teachers. My child's classroom teacher sent home a weekly newsletter as well as frequent emails through the Intouch system USD 383 has in place for mass communication. In addition, the school newsletter is sent home bi-weekly with a one-page update from the principal. My experience as a Lee School parent has been nothing but positive for the last four years. Lee School is also an ACADEMICALLY sound school which continues to strive to meet the challenges of our unique population. Lee School continues to meet the needs of my child and I feel very fortunate that she attends such a well respected school in the Manhattan community.
--Submitted by a parent

The year at Lee Elementary was really not good. If you as a parent want to know what is being covered and be an involved parent this is not the school for you. The communication between teachers and parents is nearly nonexistent, even when you request the information and meet with the principal. Acedemically lets just say it is far from a powerhouse.
--Submitted by a parent

Ever hear how looks can be deceiving? Well that is exactly what will happen here! Education....Low! Programs that require your money and time...High! The school supply list...Ridiculous! The chances of finding teacher on the year here.... 0 TO NONE!!! Never will send anyone in this direction! Wish I would have never had the displeasure of this experience or my poor family! Just a heads up...Mind your P's & Q's & Watch Your Back!!!
--Submitted by a parent

We spent one year at Lee, during that year I was a kindergarten mom and also PTO president. We loved it and wish we could go back but thats what being in the military is like. They are getting plans started for the renovations that will be starting next year. We never had problems at Lee, Dr. Kole is the principal and she is very good with the kids and the office staff is friendly and helpful and the teachers are great, anyone would be fortunate to attend Lee and associate with the great people there.
--Submitted by a parent

We move here from the east coast, not knowing anything about the public schools in Manhattan, KS. We enrolled our child in a private school, come to find out the USD 383 school system were excellent schools. So we enroll our child at Lee Elementary, he is doing very well in all his classes. It don't matter private or public schools, there will always be bullies in the schools. We don't live in a prefect world, but at least Lee Elemantary do their best to help their students that enroll there. Lee Elemantary is an excellent public school compared to some of the schools, we've seen in the U.S.
--Submitted by a parent

Lee school has been a good school for my kids. My son had some issues with bullying but his teacher and the principal were very involved with my concerns and we never had problems since. I specifically like the diversity in cultures Lee represents in their students, my kids have the opportunity to meet classmates from different countries and come home telling me about it. The teachers my kids have seem to enjoy teaching and really care about my kids' progress. I gave Lee a four-star only because the facilities seem a bit out-dated but this in no way reflects badly nor does it compromise learning. Keep up the good work LEE Elementary!
--Submitted by a parent

Lee School has great teachers, wonderfully small class sizes, good test scores, and a nice socioeconomic mix. We've had no complaints!
--Submitted by a parent

My two sons have been going to Lee school. I used to contact Lee through e-mail about one of my concerns. Principal Kole personally called me and worked things out for my children. Lee has wonderful music, art, sports classes and fun extracurricular activities. One of my sons learned to read early. His teacher set up little groups for students who are advanced to read extra materials and learn extra vocabularies. The whole school works together to help my children succeed is what I see. I know not all teachers are as devoted or proactive as I would like to see. But it is also my job as a parent to make sure my kids are making the progress I hope they are making by communicating with their teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the first comment. Lee is a wonderful school. It's unfortunate that the second comment person has had trouble, but based on the spelling errors in the comment, perhaps her child is not as academically advanced as she would like to think. Don't judge the school on either comment; meet the principal, the teachers, and the students, and judge for yourself.
--Submitted by a parent

We have had children at Lee since 1994 and have nothing but good things to say. The principal is completely involved in the students' success, knowing each child individually, by name. We have been involved in the PTO and have found Lee to have wonderful parent volunteers. The socioeconomic background at Lee varies from upper middle class familes to international students' children from many countries. Currently (2005) there are students from America, Japan, China, Korea, Russia, France, Germany, Mexico, and probably many others at Lee. Nearly all of the classroom teachers are ESL certified as well, and the ESL students are quickly integrated into the classrooms. The students are incredibly open an accepting of each other--it's an ideal place to send your child to learn about the world! Academically, Lee is always one of the top performing elementary schools in Manhattan, exceeding the state test scores every year. No complaints!
--Submitted by a parent