Jefferson Elementary School

This is an outstanding school with the highest standards. It is a diverse school with 35% minority and four classes for children with disabilities. The school has held the highest honor as an Honors School of Excellence for 12 straight years. The only school in the county that can make this claim. Th teachers are outstanding and just last night, my daughters 2nd grade teacher said would have a hard time ever leaving because the small class size allows her to teach deeply. JES has a large percentage of gifted students. Regarding our Principal, she is an honorable advocate for our students. It is not her job to make parents feel good about themselves but it is her job to care for the quality of education our children receive. With Great teachers, administrators, students and parents Jefferson Elementary will continue its high level of education. It's a fun place to learn. Mother of 2nd grader, 4th grader, PTA board member and full-time, business owning working mom.
--Submitted by a parent

Having had 3 children go through this school, I am saddened to read some of the negative reviews posted on this site. Our family has had only positve experiences with each grade level; we have had teachers who genuinely care and who have delivered appropriate, personalized, and creative instruction. I believe that striving for excellence is the norm for this school, rather than the exception.
--Submitted by a parent

I do not have any biological children of my own and within the last 18 months have taken on 3 children , two of which are at jefferson. the oldest one is highly adhd along with several other conditions and the second one has autism. As far as my nephew with adhd, the employees there have worked very hard with me to ease him into a new enviroment and i have had several emails and phonecalls with several members of their staff. and for my autistic nephew, the school has been awesome with him. when he first came to live with us he barely spoke and now he can say (and know what he means) short sentences and he can read and identify shapes and colors. I am really impressed with this school and its staff. they are doing a great job!

All experiences are different; each student is unique. Try not to judge another parent's point of view -- A dissatisfied parent's opinion is just as valid as the opinion of a satisfied parent. The comments below sound honest, and without contempt. That being said, I would also like to point out that the "I personally couldn't care less..." parent is off base, unfair, and hypocritical in his/her assumption -- These are not "problem parents". If an EC child is capable of keeping up with the mainstream curriculum, then there is no reason why he/she cannot be mainstreamed. No child left behind means NO child left behind. Each child regardless of his/her circumstance deserves the best our school system can offer. If there is a problem, take the pretentious attitude to a private school. Two thumbs up for Jefferson teachers..
--Submitted by a parent

I'd encourage parents considering Jefferson to read these reviews carefully. It appears to me that there are 1-2 'problem parents' with an axe to grind against the principal. She isn't warm and fuzzy but I assure you that if you have a legitimate gripe she is responsive. With that said, some teachers are better than others at this school (as would be true for any school). I'm not sure what anyone expects the principal to do to resolve that. I personally couldn't care less what kind of experience the EC kids have. They are not and should not be the main focus at Jefferson.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Jefferson Elementary and I am completely satisfied. This school consistantly achieves Honor School of Excellance (10 years in a row) and meets growth standards. My children are safe, happy, and learning. I believe that your child's education is what the parents and child make of it. I know it is easier to blame someone, but if there are about 700 students meeting and clearly exceeding parent, school, district, and state expectations annually, then you might try looking within. The teachers at this school have demonstrated year after year that they are performing above standard and I am pleased that my children have the opportunity to grow and learn within this enviroment. I think of the old saying, 'If it is not broker, then don't fix it.'
--Submitted by a parent

The leadership at this school is lacking considerably especially if you have a child that doesn't fit into their sterotypical box of kids that can test well, which by the way is ALL that matters to them. I have a very high functioning child with autism and he was never allowed to be mainstreamed which goes against what Sam Dempsey and IDEA states. The teachers try to do what is best for the EC kids but they have no support for the principal at all. I agree she is completely unapproachable and arrogant to say the least. We will not send our child back to Jefferson.
--Submitted by a parent

The school would be fine, except for the leadership. The pricipal isn't very nice and really doesn't seem to act as thought she needs to respect you as a parent. This makes dealing with the school in general very difficult. The administration just says and does nothing except act as though they didn't notice her disrespect openly. My wife and I are very disappointed.
--Submitted by a parent

NOTICE- If you have a special ed kid, consider a different school! I have a special ed (autistic spectrum) son that I fought to get in this school and it was a mistake. The principal is unapproachable and not concerned with the special ed dept. She has an attitude that makes me feel like those kids are just a pain in her rear. My son was our first so we didn't know what to expect each year and what was normal for the reg ed kids. Our other child is 2yrs behind him and each year I learn about all the field trips and special activities that he was not included in, even though at the time we made it clear we could chaperone for every event. He is VERY high functioning, so there was no excuse for him not being included. The teaches are not great either.....
--Submitted by a parent

My children (2) are always being threatened to get held back and academiclly they are at grade level??? im a little confused, every conference and meeting i have gone to all i hear is how they need medication to focus. I refuse to put my children on medication. They do not need it at home. The 1st grade teacher is constantly yelling at my son and cutting him down. I just transffered them there because i heard it was a great school...Im not so sure anymore. The teachers gossip about the children in their classes, and talk about 'how bad their home lives must be' if they want to know they should ask. Its completely childish, and unprofessional. if it wasnt so close to the end of the year i would put them in another school QUICKLY!
--Submitted by a parent