Madison Elementary School

This school is terrible!! we moved and had to transfer from SouthBay Elementary. At SouthBay, the teachers respected each child and family free from judgement. Madison fails at making students and families welcome and unique. The principal is a joke! I don't know why she is there, if you have a problem she takes the teachers side no matter what. They are so concerned about looking like a good school that they have put the children and families aside. I have gone to the superintendents office twice now with nothing done. I wish I had another option because my kids would be gone!!
--Submitted by a parent

Madison is a very unique school. It's very small, with only about 180 students in 8 K-5 classrooms. In addition to tenured and dedicated teaching staff, they also have a reading specialist, a special ed teacher and many paraeducators, who are all wonderful with the kids. Madison is proud of it's great Madison-Avanti Giving Garden, constructed in the Winter of 2010. It has blossomed into a wonderful partnership with Avanti High School, where high school students mentor the kids. The Thurston County Foodbank helps run the program as well, and supports a monthly Farmstand where kids can "purchase" green produce. The school also has a Cooking Cart program, which allows the kids to learn nutrition and food prep first hand. Right now there is a huge fundraising project underway at Madison to replace some of the aged playground equipment. The goal is 35K, and there is about 70% of the funds secured, which shows how strongly the Olympia community supports the school. Kids also participate in a fitness program titled Track Stars. Madison does an excellent job at ensuring that children do math and reading at the appropriate level, but it also doesn't loose sight of the whole child
--Submitted by a parent

To address the post about students transferring out...yes, there are kids that transfer out to Lincoln's options program....but there are kids all over the district that do because Lincoln's program is so different from other schools in the district and appeals to many families in the Eastside neighborhood. Madison is not perfect....no school is perfect.
--Submitted by a parent

I find it very amusing that the most recent reviews state what a wonderful school Madison is in everyway! Why are students transferring out of this school to other schools farther away--but in the same district? There are children who live across the street from Madison who have transferred out! The staff at this school meddle in the parents personal lives, and are extremely judgemental of children and or parents who are different to their stereotypical "ideal" of what a child/parent should be. The principal actually once called Olympia police on an unruly 1st grader. The school district had a meeting recently as to why students are transferring out of this school. Their solution? Expand the boundary lines in the district so children will be FORCED to enroll at Madison. Well, you can't put icing on a burned cake. Find out WHY parents are so unhappy with this school.
--Submitted by a parent

Madison is a great smaller school. An amazing Preschool, and has recently shown off its community spirit with the overwhelming support and participation with the new children's garden.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter attends Madison and I love this school! The ratio of student to teacher is lower and then get a lot of extra funding. I feel that because of that there is a lot more 1on 1 time for students. The other great thing about Madison is the reading program. Every student in the entire school is sent to the reading group for the level they are at in their reading. That means kids are not being held back or forced to read at higher levels than where they are and getting left behind. The parent and community involvement at Madison is amazing! I feel like it is our own little community. There is a new garden project that has taken off that is getting huge support from not just Madison families but the surrounding neighborhood as well. This is going to creat an outdoor eco system classroom.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children in Madison. My eldest is reading at a couple grade levels above his own. The staff is friendly and the attmosphere is one of genuine desire to enstill a want for learning and cooperation among all. The new 'Time to Think' room is working toward helping children recognize their own bad behavior and being able to control their own actions with others. Both my kids love to go to school so much that often I have to disappoint them on Saturday mornings in telling them that there's no school on the weekend.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm very disappointed in this school. It saddens me that students cannot be kids, creativity is stifled, children do not want to go to school, my child has been miserable 2 of the 3 years he's been there. Staff can be extremely nice or extremely disrespectful and they definitely live by the 'labeling' system instead of trying to redirect children. Once you are considered 'talkative' or wanting to have fun, you are considered unruly and disrespectful with no positive words of encouragement or ways to gain ground in a positive way. This has happened for the last 2 years and many mothers are so frustrated, but no one knows what to do without 'rocking the boat' or creating a worse environment for their children. The superintendent really needs to look at this.
--Submitted by a parent

New, attractive school building (only six years old). School ranks well in standardized tests. Capable and well liked staff. Decent lunch program that includes organic vegetable choices. String choir for grades 4 and up. Great reading intervention program. My child went from a 2nd grade reading level in third grade to a fifth grade level in fourth grade.
--Submitted by a parent