Hilder Pearson Elementary School

My oldest son attended Pearson for 6 years, and my youngest son is currently in his third year. Our family has been so happy with the caring staff and the school community as a whole. It has been our experience that Pearson has many caring, hard-working and dedicated teachers. Regarding the comments about a survey to find out why families are leaving, it is my understanding that it isn't a reflection on the quality of the school. Rather, it is more likely other factors such as the lack of free full day kindergarten (when nearby schools in the neighboring district offer it) as well as the fact that schools in the neighboring district include 6th grade in elementary school. I have known families to move the entire family out of the district when the oldest one would be moving up to the middle school, so that they can stay in elementary school one more year, and possibly avoid the long commute to the nearest middle school.
—Submitted by a parent

Pearson was my children's second elementary school, and the best school. The staff care and showed it by frequently working beyond their day to meet with families who can't take off work to come in. Both my children were very well prepared for junior high/middle school after their years at Pearson. This school and its staff are honorable, hard working educators that I want to thank publicly.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter transferred into the school when we moved here in January of 2010. She has had nothing but an excellent experience here. Her teachers have been helpful and kind. I worked closely with her teachers and they helped establish her 504 plan. Her teacher this year has worked one on one with me and my daughter to get her on level with the other students. She knows other teachers and staff. When we have seen them out in town outside of school they remember her by name and chat with her and us. I am very glad we moved into this school's boundaries.
—Submitted by a parent

This school leaves MUCH to be desired. The academics are well below standard, the staff is not only unwilling to help students, but actively hostile towards those they dislike, shockingly rude & discourteous to parents. They actively refuse to work with parents. The school staff & teachers regularly ignore Special Edu, IEP or other special needs. Children are lost, put on wrong buses, unaccounted for, disciplined improperly & singled out in public. Even the food is very minimal & poor quality. There is virtually no honest communication between staff & parents. Weekly meetings or phone calls with staff resulted in absolutely nothing being done to improve the situation. Worse, when you try to take the issue to the superintendent's office, the lack of accountability doesn't stop. Neither do the dismissals, denials & shameful unprofessional behaviors. After leaving this school, we found literally dozens of other families who have left for similar problems. In fact NKSD recently did a local survey to find out why so many people were leaving.
—Submitted by a parent

Both my children attended Pearson. It is a small school with a warm and caring staff. The academics are consistently above the rest of the state and much of the nation. I credit the teacher's high expectations and caring spirits for much of my children's success as they continue to move through their education careers now in other schools.
—Submitted by a parent

Upon moving our 1st grader from a Texas school we find it to be accademically behind. We are also concerned about lax policies regarding various safety issues. One example being when a child is picked up I.D.s are never checked by school staff. Child abductions can happen. Our sons previous school was an accredited school in an award winning district so Hilder Pearson has a tough act to follow and perhaps these Washington districts need to research some other states and districts to model guidelines for improvement.
—Submitted by a parent

Great small school environment. Easy to get involved. Strong music program. Involved art docent program with many teachers involved in art as well. Great teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a very good school. The teachers are great. The principal is always involved and you always see him greeting someone. My son currently attends Pearson and loves it!
—Submitted by Lynn Johnson, a parent

I went to this school and I loved it! The teachers are so loving and so is the principal. They care about your children and they will not judge your child under any circumstance. You should really consider this school. It is definitely a wonderful school. I am also now in all honors classes in Jr. high school and I owe it all to Hilder Pearson Elementary School. Thank you for everything.
—Submitted by becca g., a former student