Hawthorne Elementary School

Excellent school. My son graduated from Hawthorne and now goes to Brown Middle school. He is doing very good because he came very well prepared from Hawthorne. I have my daugther now in second grade and a couple of newphes and neices also going there. Great environment and excellent spanish inmersion program. You can't imagine what a great gift is to give you kids the opportunity to learn another language. It opens more opportunties.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been really impressed with the school. The teachers are excellent and their new hires recently have been wonderful. The principal is a great leader and the parent involvement is high.
—Submitted by a parent

It is the only Spanish immersion school like it in the region! My daught just started kindergarten and she can already speak an immense ammount of Spanish. My daughter goes to school everyday with a smile on her face and a look of pride when she comes home! The teachers really know how to instill confidence and ambition in those kids.
—Submitted by a parent

The Headstart Program was outstanding for my grand daughter. As a former Principal and Superintendent of Schools, I noted the dedication of teachers and supporting staff,

I recently moved to Louisville and I chose Hawthorne because of its excellent reputation and the Dual Immersion program, which is amazing! My child is learning Spanish quickly and loves it! Hawthorne is a top notch school! It has a fabulous PTA, with energetic and involved parents. The teachers at the school work as a team and are helpful and kind. The new principal is excellent-- very student oriented, supportive of teachers, listens to parents and focused on improving the school. The classrooms are colorful and full of light and energy. The bulletin boards always show tons of new student work and highlight the students in Spanish and in English! When I first researched this school last year, Hawthorne had a rating of 8 on this website. I'm not sure why it now has a 6, because as far as I can tell, it is only improving. It's a great school!
—Submitted by a parent

I have had 3 children at this school starting with preschool and now one has just moved to Middle school. I have been very impressed with the dual language program and the teachers are great. We have a new Principal and she seems like she will only make the school better!
—Submitted by a parent

My son completed kindergarten there. The teacher was very mono toned. Difficult to get any progress reports. Felt this teacher was there only for a paycheck not for the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Hawthorne Elementary has high expectations for all students. The curriculum is challenging and the learning environment promotes risk taking. One of the best things about Hawthorne is the diversity within the school. The campus and building are clean and safety is a top priority. Hawthorne Elementary has a Family Resource Center to help meet the needs of all students and their families. The teaching staff is very dedicated and maintains open lines of communication with parents. Many parents and community members volunteer at the school. Some of the volunteers come and read with children and others organize family events. The Principal is accessible and listens to parent concerns and suggestions. Hawthorne Elementary is a wonderful school.
—Submitted by a parent

Hawthorne has a unique program which is a dual language program. What this means is that it's one out of two schools in the JCPS district that teaches students in both English and Spanish. The school allows parents to choose whether or not they want their kids to participate in this program or not. They also have traditional classroom setting which teaches only in English. I found that the dual language program doesn't really help students learn better. As a matter of fact, my child learned less this year than I had expected. Teachers are nice, but not too enthusiastic about their work. Too many kids w/ behavioral problems at this school. Disciplinary action is a major problem. My daughter informs me that kids constantly hit, curse and disrupt teachers and little or no disciplinarian action is taken.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been at Hawthorne for the past 3 years. We love it. Hawthorne has a wonderful atmosphere. There is low turnover among the teachers. They really get to know and love your child. There is a strong feeling of community. There is a high level of parental involvement, and parents are always welcomed in the school as part of the community. In other words, parents are considered as 'insiders' rather than 'outsiders' as in every other school my children have ever attended. One of the things I think is most telling about the love these children feel at their school is that everytime the PTA has an evening event (Fall Festival, Skating Party, etc) a large number of middle schoolers come who are Hawthorne graduates. How many middle schoolers want to return to do things with their Elementary school? That makes an impression on me!
—Submitted by a parent

Hawthorne's principal was honored as the 2006 Jefferson County Public Schools Principal of the Year!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in the k-1 class and I ask him every how is day was he says good. The teachers and staff have not once sent home an academic calender.How can parents help there children if there is no comunication. The parents of these children don't understand how poor this class is academicly.The only classes the staff puts effort in is spanish. They care more about attendance.
—Submitted by shivaun vandgrift, a parent

Hawthorne has a great new principal who is doing fabulous things for the school. Generally speaking, the staff is warm, organized and offers an excellent learning environment. Hawthorne is a dual immersion school and parents have the option of placing their children beginning in Kindergarten in classes taught in Spanish. We have 2nd and 3rd graders who are fluent in Spanish. The thing that I love most about Hawthorne, however, is its diversity. Besides the many caucasion students, we have African Americans, we have children who are from Spain, Mexico and Somalia; we have main-streamed children who are in wheelchairs and who are blind. The students get to see first-hand that, though others may look or sound differently than they do, the similarities are greater than the differences. From the experiences they acquire at Hawthorne, I believe our students will be equipped to offer great things to society.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has been at Hawthorne since First grade Now she's in fith grade. I love this school it offers so much: Drawing programs,Basketball& cheerleading,ESS[extended school services],My child gets any indivisual attention she needs. But one of my favorite things is that there is a high level of parent involvement take this from someone like me :I would'nt have it any other way. And after every grading period there is a special award ceremony to recognize our little ones! This is a Spanish-immergine school. Check it out I Know if Your an ALL-STAR parent...You will.
—Submitted by Dorothy, a parent