Public | PK-6 | 536 students |
Community Rating
Based on 15 ratings
Community Rating by Year
- Teacher quality
- Principal leadership
- Parent involvement
The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.
This school, academically, was a solid school and the teachers were overall committed and did a good job. However, the principal RULES with an iron fist...she is not liked by many of the teachers a lot of parents. The average PTO meeting when we were there in 2007 had 10-15 people in attendance. Parents had given up, knowing that the principal was not a huge fan of parental involvement. There are no 'elective' classes....no technology, no Spanish, no art, very little P.E., etc. It is all academic with little fun. My son had 27 students in his 1st grade class, and he cried all the time. We have since moved, along with many other families that year, to a private school. My son LOVES school and actually looks forward to the holidays ending so he can go back!
My children went to A.L. Smith and now my grandchildren attend. A.L. Smith should be commended for it's hometown attitude. The ladies that work in the office always remember names and faces. The teachers that my kids have been taught by always take a personal interest in each student. Ms. Leggett has helped me in many situations and always takes time to listen to my concerns. And last but certainly not least is the lunch room attendents . They know my kids by name.
All three of my children have attended AL Smith school. The teachers are wonderful, with very few exceptions. Principals have changed over the years and the current one has been the most troublesome, but it seems that a female principal always has a rough row to hoe. As usual, there are some parents that are more involved and seem to 'run things' but this is likely simply because they are more available (don't work outside the home) which is not a bad thing. We moved from Highland Elementary in 1992 and haven't regretted it for even a minutes.
I gotta say this school is very strict. It's a lot of homework that these kids have to do every day. My daughter sits there for at least an hour every day. I don't know what to think about this school, but suddenly my daughter who always had an A average in all the schools she attended, fell to a D average...
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