Mesa Elementary School

Our daughter has attended Mesa since kinder. She is consistently, but gently being pushed to try her hardest and to achieve her academic goals, which is something both her dad and I expect out of her! Mesa is nothing short of a great school laying out a strong foundation for their children in their future endeavors. Keep it up, Mesa!
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughters have attended Mesa for the past 3 years (between them 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6th grades) and we've been extremely pleased with the teachers, the education, and the administration. Yes the national tests are stressed, but the education is still most important to the faculty.
—Submitted by a parent

Mesa is all about looking good on the outside. You kid will be prepared to take a test, but not for life!
—Submitted by a parent

One grandchild has flourished in Mesa. This child has a wonderful teacher. Our other grandchild however, is in the grade level where the teachers are known among some parents as 'The Screamers'. This child flourished until reaching this level. The child has been belittled and degraded along with others, does not want to go to school and is near tears or in tears at the end of EVERY day. Fear of repercussion by the teacher prevents revelation of identity and gradelevel. Thank GOD school is over shortly. Hopefully the rumors of nexts years teachers are true.. They are supposed to be great! On a side note, homework is a bit over the top. It is a shame that the prize of being a blue ribbon school means more than the headaches and frustrations for the 'average' child doing this workload. If you have a high achiever you probably have no worries.

My fifth grader has grown tremendously this year at Mesa. Mr. Kendall has done a wonderful job challenging him.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in her 2nd year at Mesa, and is currently in 1st grade. I love the school, staff & teachers included! My daughter absolutely loves school, and always looks forward to going back after breaks. I was a nanny in college and the kids I watched attended mesa K-6 and are very intelligent, well-rounded adults, now ages 24 & 26.
—Submitted by a parent

I would have to say I have mixed feelings about Mesa Elem. ! My 3 step children have been attending there for only a few months, and already look wore out from all the homework and over-emphasis on A/R and A/M tests and worksheets ! On the positive the youngest of the 3 has caught up after being behind on his reading level ! I wish they would put more emphasis on ONE-ON-ONE classroom help instead of so much homework ! It seems to me that they want the parents to do their jobs !
—Submitted by a parent

I must disagree with any negative comments listed below. What I love about this school is that it challenges its students to the fullest, while focusing on the Multiple Intelligences. How else could it have become a Blue Ribbon school? The only one in its district. Mesa has a variety of activities that challenge the students' creatively and academically. Parents are an integral part of the school community. It has a welcoming and friendly environment. I have had continuous access to teachers to discuss my child's progress. There is no finer school in the country!
—Submitted by a parent

My children are of a different nationality, and needed ESL. Mesa doesn't have an ESL program. The district provided an ESL tutor, but the tutor is only available after school. I agree with the earlier posts. Too much emphasis on mandatory Advanced Math and Advanced Reading goals. Too much homework, and too many opportunities for children who are not above avg. to get left behind.
—Submitted by a parent

Mesa has its pros and cons. The front desk staff is wonderful, it is a very open environment to parents and the lessons are very challenging. There is too much homework and too much emphasis on whole class punishment. Both have created a very negative outlook toward school for my child, that formally couldn't wait for each day of school. While my child has learned a lot through Mesa, we won't miss it upon leaving and hope to find a school with a little more well roundedness and that doesn't over focus on the testing scores.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in the 1st grade at Mesa. He attended Kindergarten at Parkview. He likes Mesa alot, but has been stuggling since the transfer. At Parkview I had constant communication with my sons teacher, so I knew what was going on at all times. Mesa is a different story I feel parent/ teacher communication is essential for academic groowth of students and Mesa just isn't measuring up. Sure its a beautiful, picture perfect school, but if your kids haven't gone there since kindergarten they don't stand a chance. I think this school is pretty much overrated.
—Submitted by a parent

I totally agree with the Aug 2007 post. My children attended fpr a total of two years. Their teachers were fantastic, but I was very disgusted by the way children were rewarded and others punished when reading goals were not met. By the end of school my girls started to hate reading and homework; like the previous parent review stated that much work for 'scores' will eventually have kids hating school.
—Submitted by a parent

I felt the leadership of this school is only concerned about the children's testing scores. The school is like a beautiful picture which no one can touch or mess up. Clinical and unfeeling with little concern for fun or enjoyment. Too much homework- the children are learning to hate school.
—Submitted by a parent

I strongly agree with all comments above. Mesa is a fabulous school and I could not say enough good things about it! My daughter attended Kindergarten and Ms Ericson is FANTASTIC. I cried the last day of school, not just because my daughter would not have Ms Ericson any longer, but because we are having to move due to the military. I am a former school teacher myself and cannot express to you how wonderful our experience has been with the teachers, Principal, excellent front counter staff, volunteers, school programs, safety and on and on. What an awesome introduction to school for my daughter! Thank you MESA!! We will miss you!
—Submitted by Beth, a parent

Great environment for the kids, teachers there are wonderful. My daughter loved all her teachers and the rest of the faculty.
—Submitted by a parent

Mesa has an excellent school climate, high test scores, and offers opportunities in academics, the arts, and athletics. Character education is embedded in all aspects of the school.
—Submitted by an administrator

My son attended Mesa for 1/2 a year for Kindergarten until we moved to Houston, TX. My son went to one of the highest rated schools in Houston, and still it did not even compare to Mesa. The front staff knows what they are doing and learns the parent/child. That means a lot to me as a parent. The teacher we had was wonderful! We were very sad to leave such a wonderful school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Mesa from 1st through half of 3rd grade. We moved due to retirement from the Air Force and were extremely sad she had to leave such a wonderful school. Mrs. Laing, Mrs. Ingram and Mrs Powell were excellent teachers and took the time to help guide her in the right way. I especially applaud Mrs Powell, due to the severe overcrowding of the 3rd grade class. Because of a silly 'district' or 'State' rule, additional teachers are not added unless the entire school average is over a certain number. Not just the grade level. Still, Mrs Powell continues to teach a very challenging and rewarding curriculum which places Mesa students far ahead of national peers. Thank you Mesa for the strong foundation my child has for her fututre!
—Submitted by a parent

Mesa Elementary has truly earned its 'National Blue Ribbon Award' status! Our experience during our daughter's kindergarten and 1st grade years have been magnificent. We especially appreciate Mesa's 'multiple intelligences' approach to education, employing as many different possible learning styles as they can: naturalist (they have a garden for every grade level to use), kinesthetic (they combine p.e. and music once a week), and social (often learning in small groups with peer correction/encouragement) to name only a few. These, combined with solid academics in math and reading/writing have meant a thorough education for our daughter so far. Further we really appreciate the emphasis on respect and courtesy ('pillars of character') that are evident in the hallways, the classroom, the front office, the lunchroom, etc... Truly a wonderful balance of academics, discipline, relationship, and creativity!
—Submitted by a parent