Eakin Elementary School

My son just "graduated" from Eakin after having attended it since kindergarten. We were very impressed with his progress and have to give Eakin a lot of the credit. The Encore program was wonderful and he will be going to Head Academic Magnet School as a result of his education there.
--Submitted by a parent

It was an amazing school until the new principal took over. I don't think she is comfortable with Eakin's parents level of involvement . She is not very objective when dealing with issues at school, either. Despite all of that, most of the teachers are amazing and well prepared, with a couple of exceptions.
--Submitted by a parent

It is amazing how much this school has to offer for being a public school. I feel very thankful that my child attends Eakin. The highly qualified staff are kind and caring.
--Submitted by a parent

Eakin is a very good school. Although I don't think that the new principal is the best match for a school like Eakin where the level of involvement of the parents is very high (she tried to implement a new policy at the beginning of the year to stop parents from walking their children to their classes every morning).
--Submitted by a parent

Eakin is located in a vibrant, downtown Nashville neighborhood. The parents are involved. The community is involved. The $10 mill. state-of-the-art facility was completed in 2006. Our first grader is doing quite well, learning reading and addition. The diversity at Eakin is a rarity in Nashville and a wonderful asset. We chose Eakin in order for our son to learn much more than academics in elementary school. He is experiencing a broader vision of the world, culturally, socio-economically, racially. He is learning how to be a good citizen in the world.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter just began kindergarten and we are very impressed by the high level of parent involvement here. The diverse population is important to us. The new principal listens to parent concerns. We are extremely pleased with our daughter's teacher. The key for us is to be involved, volunteer in the classroom, and voice our concerns when we have them. We realize that no public school can be perfect, but we are off to a good start. The level of our involvement and participation will impact our child's experience significantly. If we do see rudeness or behavior we disapprove of, we'll address it in a way, hopefully, that might benefit the school as a whole. Eakin appears to be a culture in which change and improvement is always possible.
--Submitted by a parent

No public school can be perfect, but Eakin is very, very good. The PTO is very involved; the teachers and staff are highly invested. The Positive Behavior Support program they implement was developed in part at Peabody College and it seems to be quite successful. I agree with the earlier comment regarding the food in the cafeteria (it's a shame that Eakin must serve what is provided throughout MNPS and cannot go their own way here), but we have had no issue with cafeteria staff either. They know our children by name and the children enjoy them.
--Submitted by a parent

I have my first and only daughter at Eakin in Kindergarten. I had heard wonderful things about the school and was very excited about her first year there. I have to say that I am very disappointed in some of the staff, how they treat the parents and how they speak to the children at pick up, in the hallway, at lunch, etc. Academically, my daughter is doing just fine, but as important to our family, is common courtesy and kindness. I do not feel that some of the staff at Eakin show this to these little growing minds. How do you teach the lesson of being kind when the very staff teaching these children cannot show it themselves.
--Submitted by a parent

Overall, our family's experience at Eakin has been good. Our daughter is finishing Kindergarten this year and we have been very active. I was very impressed with parent involvement and the student body diversity. The quality of staff does vary but for the most part we have had a very good experience. She enjoys Chinese class, the Technology Lab and a great library. The worst for us was the horrible food and very rude staff in the cafeteria.
--Submitted by a parent

Some of the teachers are great at the school, others should not be in teaching. It just depends on who you get. The principal favors the lower socioeconomic class at the expense of average to higher achieving children. The office staff who are under the tutelage of the principal are the most disrespectul I have ever experienced. Way too political. The after care program is very good.
--Submitted by a parent