Graden Elementary School

We recently moved to MO and placed two of our boys at Graden. Having had them in private school previously, we were entering a new experience, which has been nothing but positive. The teachers are great, the staff is very engaged, and there are great opportunities for involvement. The boys love their classes and have quickly made friends. One of the most positive aspects, is the focus on developing character in the children through teaching and mentoring opportunities. It's great to hear my boys quoting the "7 Habits of a Good Hornet!"
—Submitted by a parent

We LOVE Graden! Our daughter is in K and she has done nothing but excel. We get DAILY emails from her teacher informing us of the days learning activites. They have wonderful parent involvement. I can't say enough about this school. Dr. Halverstadt the pricipal is fantastic as well!
—Submitted by a parent

I've had three boys go all the way through this school. The principal is fantastic! Every single teacher we had was at least "VERY GOOD". The boys liked their teachers; the PTA was active; parents were involved. There were lots of ways to become engaged at the school. WE LOVE THIS SCHOOL!
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in kindergarten here and also has an IEP, his teachers have been great and attentive. I feel like everyone is truly invested in the kids here and they hold their teachers to very high standards. The location is also very desirable and I think Parkville was recently voted the safest town in Missouri.
—Submitted by a parent

My twin boys attend kindergarten at this school and I couldn't be happier. Their teachers are attentive, caring and great at teaching all kinds of students. The principal seems to know every child in the school by name, including my two kindergarteners!
—Submitted by a parent

A couple of years ago, our Son attended Graden. This was definitely a bad experience for him and myself. His teacher was 'okay' but took points off for silly things ... that made no sense. It was very difficult to become involved, as well. I'm thankful that we were able to move away to another state. My Son is now loving school again and I'm the President of the PTO.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has gone through K-5th grade at Graden. The teachers are fantastic and teach with compassion and enthusiasm. We remain in this school district because of the acadmic levels of this school. Graden thrives on parent involovment which is critical to all schools. The school is very much family based and encourages on all levels.
—Submitted by a parent

Having experienced elementary schools in two other states, I can confidently say that Graden does not meet my expectations. They're good, but not great. Their stated FTE-to-Student ratios are inaccurate as my daughter is in a class of 23. Their technology reach is from the dark ages. And our particular teacher is by-the-book and lacks innovation or creativity. All that said, they're OK but not great.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has terrific teachers, and top notch education! MAP and Stanford tests confirm this, too. Parent participation needs to be welcomed at the school by the administrators; not just encouraged for after school and special events. Unitl 2 years ago this school had the nicest students around. Unfortunately, there has been a steady decline in the way the students are treating each other. Previously, students were taught in Kindergarden that any type of name calling or even marginal language were not acceptable. This past year I personally heard several of these young students being abusive to their peers. We need to bring the behavior and morale back to this school!
—Submitted by a parent