Kent Elementary School

I can honestly say that Kent Elementary School has far surpassed my expectations. My son is in Mrs. Cutler s first grade class and he loves it. She is wonderful!! She is an excellent educator and great communicator. My son had difficulty with reading when he began first grade and they immediately provided reading lab for him on a daily basis for extra support. Mrs. Cutler will send notes home and even call my husband or me to periodically provide feedback and progress or address a concern. Also, Mrs. Weisel, the Principal has called both of us regarding concerns and even just to tell us how proud she is of our son s improvement in reading. It really amazes me that a Principal could be so proactive and involved with the students. She hosts several events for the Parents and is easy to speak to. I work full-time and my mind is completely at ease knowing that my son is at KES getting the greatest care and education in this area. He is surrounded by dedicated educators that are kind, patient, and very professional. They also take the safety of the children very seriously which was one of my concerns beginning the school year. There is no doubt this is an A++ school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in the first grade but I can say that I am very happy so far,he had a very good teacher in the Kindergarden(Mrs.Douglas)and very good teacher he has now (Mrs.Patterson)My son is still taking about teacher from last year.He can wait until it's Monday so he can see his teacher,she knows how to talk to them and most important is that she knows how to make them to listen to her.I know is still early to say that but teacher is the biggest impact on your kids.I hope this will not change in future.I have a very good feeling about this school.Very nice staff.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids in the school and overall it's not bad. In each grade you can find at least 1 teacher that is great. The course study is handed down from the state so what matters are the teachers. They do have a non profit afterschool program and the PTO organized a great after school sports program. I would like to see more of an effort to teach above and beyond what is expected. I would also like to see some of the teachers that are no longer performing removed.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a 7 yr old son at KES in Carmel, who is in special ed and what a nightmare.He is currently below a kindergarten reading level and getting the proper services for him has proved unsuccessful many many times. I am very unhappy with his teachers as well as the entire district. The program they are currently using,Fundations,from all the research that I have done seems that it is in fact very good,proven scientifically to be successful but it doesn't seem to be working. I'm starting to suspect it may be the teacher!
—Submitted by Cynthia Aversa, a parent

As a parent of a child with a speech/language disability. I am very unhappy with the school district. They were unable or not willing to provide the support needed to remain in the district. She is now attending school in another district and doing exceedingly well. Transportation is a nightmare! Her program is over at 2:15pm and she as well as other handicapped children are left at the school until 2:45 while they wait for other children to be picked up from private school. A 10 minute commute takes over 1 1/2 hours. Careml is the only district with this problem. The other students are picked up on time.
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of academic programs at kes is probably average. It it depends upon the individual teacher. Obviously they follow the same program which I feel is pretty good but each teacher really can make a difference. Fortunately there are a lot of good teachers and my childrens learning experiences has always been very good. Sports, especially baseball, are big for this age in our district. All sports are run by the recreation departments and are additional fees. Music and arts are barely adequit. In the fourth grade each child plays about 6 different instruments throughout the year to see which one they would like to play in 5th grade. This I thought was a great idea and worked out well with my kids. Parents involvement is split. Some parents are really invovled and others take no interest or don't have the time. All and all my children have had a good learning experience at kes.
—Submitted by a parent

This school offered an afterschool help program geared toward the ELA test for 4th graders. My daughter did better on that test because of it. However I feel that they have not done enough for math skill and that she has fallen by the wayside. The classrooms have 20 kids which I feel is too much. The music class teaches a variety of instruments so children can get familiar with which one they are most comfortable with and are able to choose the one for the 5th grade. I do wish that a foreign language would be taught at the age, but at this school it isn't. I do like the teachers my daughter has had, they all seem to have a passion for teaching. Overall I think it is a good school but does need improvements especially in the math help.
—Submitted by a parent

My two children attended KES. So far I have been very happy with the teachers in KES versus the next door KPS. My daughter suffered through k-3 because she was in desperate need of special education classes. We were turned down by the special ed board. I was amazed at her progress after receiving the proper help in 4th grade. Her special education teacher and class changed her life! Her self-esteem increased and she learned strategies that helped her math and reading skills. I am so grateful. The current principle has friendly announcements for birthdays and 'lets have a great weekend' along with words of wisdom. She seems to reach everyone on a personal level. My sons 3rd grade teacher is great too. She calls on a consistant basis. Much better than finding out problems around report card time when it is too late. Parents are encouraged to volunteer and participate.
—Submitted by a parent