Hazel S Pattison Elementary School

My son is a first grader in this school and this is the first year implementing switch class program in first grade. The program is working great, I am so happy we can take advantage of the fact that his teachers specialize in their subjects. The homework load is heavy but I can see my son benefiting from it so I believe it's worthwhile. I feel lucky to be in such a great school, it exceeds my expectations for a public school.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved from overseas and chose Katyisd because of its excellent overall reputation & I agree there is no bad school or community that I know of in this isd. Pattison is an excellent school with wonderful dedicated teachers. The surrounding community and PTA is welcoming and very broad, expat base due to the areas location to the Energy Corridor of Houston. We have had no problems fitting in. Negatives are the homework is excessive and constant. There is allot of pressure on the poor kids to perform well in all tests esp STARR & benchmark which reflect directly on the teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

Pattison is a wonderful school. It is difficult to see how you can realistically get much more out of a public school. The principal and (most) of the teachers are doing a great job. My kids have been to good private schools before and have been to schools abroad, they love this school and do/did very well. Yes, the rules can be somewhat strict and TAKS/STAAR testing does not seem the right instrument for this school in my opinion
—Submitted by a parent

I was not impressed with the kindergarten program at pattison. My daughter did not attend a public kindergarten and I was nervous from the beginning and i had good reason to be nervous. From the beginning (kinder orientation) they put too much focus on the clip board (color system and they even had a name for kids who have difficulties with this system. "rainbow kids" well i didn't find it funny, because i have been a teacher and in my opinion kindergartners can be a bit immature but they all grow tremendously the first year. then a few weeks in the teacher tells me my child is "behind" in handwriting. Excuse me? a kindergartner should still be playing with sand. this is nonsense. to make a short story shorter, ipulled my child out. my child thrived at non-traditional school and is reading and writing without all the stress. oh, and without having to watch goofy infomercials/fundraiser skits on the classroom television. Now, i had another child attend here for three and a half years. she did well. but her stress level kept increasing. the testing is a huge deal. she loved art class, but overall too much stress!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughters are in Kindergarten at Pattison. They are in different classrooms and their teachers (Mrs. Dunn and Mrs. Tang) are excellent. Both teachers have very good teaching skills and disciplinary techniques, which translates into an advanced academic level compared to some private and public schools in the area. I do not find the school system strict at least for k level; I believe it is about right for the children, so they become more organized and responsible. In my experience, communication with the teachers is pretty good. Whenever I send an email or a note to the teachers, they reply the same day. The staff is very friendly and attentive. The community at Pattison overall is pretty good. So far, for this year I give Pattison 5 stars. I am hoping our experience in first grade will be as good as kindergarten. Ah! Only one thing that I wish they would address is the use or I may say abuse of paper to communicate with the parents. I believe they should communicate more via email and go green!
—Submitted by a parent

Wonderful School - My third child is now in 4th grade. Teachers have all been very encouraging even in the push for 'exemplary'. I've felt that the home work required is relatively minimal. The homework and stress on my kids has really increased as they move into junior high and high school.
—Submitted by a parent

So, I am also from Europe, The Netherlands, and disagree with the parent below. I do find Pattison very strict, but I do not necessarily find all the rules to be over the top. My son has become very organized and has lots of friends. The staff and parents are very friendly and the curriculum is more advanced than the private school he went to in Seattle. He has lots of friends and the bus goes door to door. We are very pleased with this school.
—Submitted by a parent

disgusting! Being that I am from Europe, I took my children out of school very quickly. They were so strict, and placed too much pressure on these poor children. All the rules.... and the pressure to be an exemplary school.. it was more like a boot camp than an elementary school. poor children,
—Submitted by a parent

-a wonderful environment, we moved here because of this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I've had two children go through Pattison and am very pleased with the caliber of the teachers and staff as well as the many opportunities to volunteer and contribute to the classroom experiences of the students. Both children have been well prepared for middle school and beyond. The neighborhoods that feed into Pattison are also great for raising your family if you are moving into the area!
—Submitted by a parent

There are simply so many kids to 'manage' in the school that there is an excessive focus on rules and control. If you arrive at school too early you cannot play on the playground; you have to sit on the gym floor and cannot take anything (like a book) out of your backpack. Many of the brightest students are under-served and bored.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has amazing faculty. We recently moved to the Katy area, and they have made my child's transition very easy for her. They seem to offer more 'fun' with their lessons.
—Submitted by a parent

Academics at this school is great. Enjoy the parent involement the teachers embrace
—Submitted by a parent

I think this school is not prepared to deal with 'Real' issues that occur in normal town USA. The principal has no idea how to address safety issues, disipline , and children that require additional academic help. They are cncerned about ratings and test scores not the children and how they learn or if they are behind. They teach our children to take tests and not what is going on in the world around them. The tachers actually send home the answers to tests and that is the homework and studying required for the week. My child hates school now - he used to love it but it has become a nightmare for him. If your child is not cookie cutter perfect, forget success at this mess of a school.
—Submitted by Nicole Doyle, a parent

Get involved with school activities and volunter work is probably the best way for a parent to realize the quality of the school. I am very pleased with Pattison. My 5th grader son is having an incredible time and I look forward for my 3 years old child to be at Pattison as well.
—Submitted by Ricardo Estevez, a parent

Pattison Elementary has been a great blessing for our daughter. Her teachers have all displayed both the skill of their experience and also that level of enthusiasm or maybe it's joy that you always hope your children will come to associate with learning. The level of parent support is breath-taking, and the evidence of that is seen all over the building. I have great confidence in the administrative team, not only for their professionalism, but also for the sincerity of their interest in my child. The numbers at Pattison, the test scores, consistently place it in company with the best elementary schools in the state (and recently in the top five, according to Just For The Kids), but somehow that gets achieved without turning my kid into one of those numbers, and without the stressful atmosphere I keep hearing about elsewhere. I'm just so grateful to have my daughter there.
—Submitted by a parent

Pattison is a bureaucratic mess. The occasions my husband and I attended meetings with staff were demoralizing. Parents concerns are not properly delt with and staff is clueless about how to properly handle boys. Recess and P.E. are dismally insufficent and the staff even deprives them of recess for punishment. They then expect the kids to sit still in the classroom despite the lack of physical activity. Pattison was run by rules and regulations and parent's and student's input and opinions did not matter. Pattison also did not permit parents to be in the school during school hours which should send chills up any parents spine. My sons are left with emotional scars after attending this 'exemplary' school. Pattison is concerned about rankings and not about proper education and the welfare of the students. I have no idea how Pattison is getting away with this insanity!
—Submitted by a parent

There is definitely room for improvement at Pattison. I believe the principal is discouraging parental involvement unlike the previous principals. I'm always concerned that the children sit for too long a time and do not get the exercise that they need through free play.
—Submitted by a parent