Grant Community School

My review may be a bit different as I am not a parent of a student attending Grant, but rather a former student myself. Granted, this was thirteen years ago, but of all my academic career, the year I spent at Grant (4th grade) was the best of them all! I really loved the bilingual system and it actually ended up really helping me once I entered junior high and high school and began taking Spanish. The Spanish I learned at Grant put me way ahead of my peers. While I'm not fluent, I know enough Spanish to pass as bilingual, and this has allowed me to get jobs I wouldn't have gotten otherwise (it's a requirement to be a nurse at Salem hospital). So to anyone who isn't quite sure about it yet, you might want to consider the area you're living in first before pulling your kid out. We live in an area with a very high Hispanic population, so learning Spanish at a young age would not be a bad thing at all.

At Grant the teachers are very dedicated to helping each student succeed. You cant get lost in the crowd and if you fail the class, your parents get a phone call, and you work out a plan on how to succeed. Also, at Grant despite being a small school, they offer many classes such as Art, Orchestra, Band, Technology, etc. that many other schools do not offer. The bilingual program is great, and after going up to 8th grade the students are almost completely fluent. This school can really help kids succeed.
—Submitted by a student

I would not recommend this bi-lingual school to another family. If you don't speak english it's great. The english speakers, and bright kids get left behind. My daughter is above average, gifted, I believe she wouldn't have academically come so far if she had been in Grant for her entire elementary years. We were only there for some months in 5th grade.
—Submitted by Elizabeth Anderson-Parsons, a parent

Grant is great. All the teachers try their hardest to help the kids learn. Some of the kids came here not knowing how to speak English. Now they can speak English. This is helping their future.
—Submitted by a student

I will agree that the quality of teacher at Grant is excellent. Unfortunately, we found that this program is not being taught the way it was presented to us. These students don't even begin basic skills like writing, math and reading in english until the third grade! Considering 75% of the students already speak spanish, it has become evident that english only students are left at a diadvantage. We were more than diappointed with the curriculum. While 3/4 of my son's class thrived, my own son fell horribly behind. If your child speaks english only, this program can actually be harmful to their education. Our son will be in one of the schools new english only classes this year.
—Submitted by Amanda Rose, a parent

The teachers are great at this school. However, I don't think the only bilingual should be spanish. We are in America and not Mexico. The kids should be offered several languages because their are more people here than just hispanics.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a third-grader at Grant, I have noted the extraordinary enthusiasm and energy shown by the teachers and staff of this school. I strongly support the notion of bi-lingual education for all, and quite obviously the teachers do, too. The principal, Grant Foster, has been at the school for quite some time. He strikes me as a strong example of quiet leadership. I can whole-heartedly recommend Grant Elementary to most other parents.
—Submitted by Philip De, a parent