Harrison Township Elementary School

The NJ Dept of Education lists every school in the state with the percentage of students with an IEP. If you check out all the surrounding districts in Gloucester County, you will see that Harrison Township provides substantially less special education to those who need it.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a new parent to this school. My kindergarten child is far above average in reading--he was reading chapter books with help before kindergarten. So far no one has noticed. I wanted to let the teachers follow their normal process, and I didn't want to put any pressure on my kid. But after 1/2 a year of school I finally said something & the teacher pushed back by telling us & my child that we must start simple. I am talking about some books with one word per page. So far my child hasn't learned anything. I am also appalled at the "McDonald's Night" that the PTA organizes 2x a year. Have they heard of the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity? Each child is brainwashed everyday by trusted teachers to patron McDonald's or whatever else the PTA is selling. I think parents would be happy to contribute $ toward the goals of the PTA in order to NOT have their child become lifelong customers of McDonald's. I believe a child has the right to attend school without being advertised to. Particularly by their own trusted educators.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm a parent of a special needs child, and its been a struggle to get help and compliance with doctor's notes from day one. When I registered him for kindergarten they said he was so far behind, they would just fail him and make him repeat the grade, but offered me no assistance. They have little regard for how my son feels and they refused to test for a learning disability, even though they admitted my son is at least 3 years behind. His teacher told me this year he just needs to grow up and learn to deal with things in the real world. It hurts to see my son deal with everything and all that goes along with his disabilities too, he is very curious and a strong desire to learn. Also, the lunches are horrible, and the spending per pupil is a lot less than the state average.
--Submitted by a parent

I wholeheartedly disagree with the parent who posted below. I have found the Child Study Team to consist of a group of competent and very dedicated women who are committed to doing the best that they can for the students within the District.
--Submitted by a parent

Even with the rapid population growth in this township the school manages to keep class size small. The teachers I have encountered are easily to reach and respond fast. My children love to go to school and love their teachers. The one area this district could use improvement is communication and planing. The district website is outdated and not used well. Information send home to families is 99% short notice and therefore does not allow for advance planing around work schedules. Information which could easily be attained via the website will only be supplied via a in person meeting. This system is very difficult on working and single parents households. Overall we are happy with our school otherwise.
--Submitted by a parent

Kids love going to school and small class rooms.
--Submitted by a parent

Cater to the average student. If your child is anything other than average, you will have trouble with this school. Too large. Too many kids. Terrible leadership.
--Submitted by a parent

The Harrison Township school district is too large. This twp should have built 1-2 additional elementary schools years ago. When my child was in 3rd grade there were 11 3rd grade classes. Yes, the class size was small but way too many kids overall. Your child will be lucky to know 1 child in the class at the beginning of every school year. Recess is 'organized recess' and one of the main reasons is that there are too many children. Academically, I do not like the math program. Also, there is hardly any homework. I do not feel my children get proficient at any of the subjects. They touch on a subject, then move on, then may re-visit the next year. The grading system is a number system of 1-4. There are minimal to no extra-cirricular activities, but I don't know many elementary schools that do except for Catholic Schools.
--Submitted by a parent

Harrison township elementary school provides a stable learning enviroment for kids of all ages. The staff is very helpful & go out of their way to make an effort with each individual child.
--Submitted by a parent

Harrison township elementary school is an outstanding public learning center!not only are they top ranked in the area for education for children k-3 the staff is amazing great with the children and their families.Harrison township elementary school also has a disabled pre-k class in both the a.M and p.M.Along with this class they are equiped with specialtists such as speech therapist,occupational therapist, and physical therapist to help assist these young learners exspand and conqor their disabilities.I would highly recomend local parents to send their children here!
--Submitted by a parent