Gonzales Elementary School

The principal is excellent & highly involved. The kids are friendly & well behaved. The teachers are thoughtful & kind. This is one of the better schools in Santa Fe. I would only consider Carlos Gilbert or Acequia Madre over Gonzales. Another plus is that since it is a community school kids can stay through 8th grade. Meaning no transition to middle school. Problems: 1) I wouldn't call the class work academically challenging. 2) the test scores are horrible and tell the entire academic story. There is room here to learn, but these kids should be pushed harder and the teaching staff should have higher expectations of them. 3) good luck on special services! It takes more than a year to qualify for gifted programs or special education programs! No wonder some students are failing! We know of students with learning disabilities who are failing their classes and may have to repeat a grade due to the snails pace of establishing special education services. It's a shame. Overall, great school environment, room to learn if you don't have special needs, but failing to provide academic rigor and timely assessment for special education and gifted programs.
--Submitted by a parent

Gonzales has been absolutely amazing. My daughter is currently in 8th grade and had transferred from Capshaw Middle School where she was flailing - academically and socially. At Gonzales, her grades have improved immensely. She is a happier child and student. The staff are welcoming and helpful. I can actually talk to them on the phone! And the teachers respond immediately to e-mails. It has been a complete 180 degree turnaround for my daughter! Thank you Gonzales for opening your doors to 7th and 8th graders. Santa Fe needed another middle school option and you have done well.
--Submitted by a parent

My son transferred to Gonzales from another school this year, and for the first time has had to deal with bulling. It is very upsetting and disappointing since the school is one of the better ones! He has attended different schools before and has never had problems transitioning. The school is trying to educate kids on 'bulling' which does reassure me that they are aware of the issue. Mr. Marino is also very patient and understanding with the kids helping them resolve issues. All in all the school does try it s best considering its resources available to them.
--Submitted by a parent

Gonzalez's teachers are dedicated, and work as a team with the principal to provide a great experience!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has just left Gonzales after 3 years, unfortunately the school was unable to address my child's need for accelerated learning in several areas. Despite high test scores the school would not provide any enhancement in specific areas such as Math and reading.
--Submitted by a parent

My Daughter is 6 years old and is a student at Gonzales. My daughter is reading on her own. As a parent I think Gonzales is a great School. GO LOBOS
--Submitted by a parent

Very poor school - but probably representative of New Mexico public education. Academic standards extremely low. Principal is not effective and hasn't addressed some serious issues at the school - endemic bullying problems occuring there, with little effort to address the issues. No organized physical education program. Some very good teachers, but also very poor ones as well.
--Submitted by a parent

Gonzales is a great community school. Mr. Lee (principal) and his staff work very hard to make each kid feel part of the larger school community. Mr. Lee encourages Parent involvement in all levels of the school. Gonzales PTC sponsored an art teacher before the district provided funding, showing committement to having a range of activities for children.
--Submitted by a parent

This school has consistently excellent teachers, principal and support staff. There are lots of extra grant funded programs (NDI, Music, art, cooking for kids. Consistently upheld behavioral expectations create a decent environment for the kids. Gonzales is not responsible for the lack of SPED services. That is due to the Districts inability to hire qualified providers of auxilliary services.
--Submitted by a parent

Our child qualifies for special ed and is receiving no services in the classroom. She has been failed in several classes, and has been penalized over and over for her disablity. If you view the testing scores at www.greatschools.org/modperl/browse_school/nm/print/666 you will see that this school is failing miserably in nearly every subject.
--Submitted by a parent