Leopold Elementary School

This school strives to integrate minority students and their families into the educational process more so than other schools in the state. Minority parents have expressed feeling that teachers make a genuine effort in involving them in matters pertaining to their children's education. This is especially true of the ESL teachers. This is an example that more schools should emulate.

I recently toured Leopold with principal, John Burkholder. I found him and his staff very friendly and approachable. He has worked a lot with the city of Fitchburg and community to improve Leopold. The classroom numbers were small and the play ground was large with new updated fields and equipment with many adults to supervise. I think the voluntary duel immersion program is a great educational option. My children have yet to enter school but I found that the personal tour and online video really helped me appreciate this school.
--Submitted by a parent

We have a child in the Dual Immersion Spanish program. While we wish assessments and learning goals were clearer, we have been very pleased with the teachers, the progress in Spanish our child is making, and the fact that Madison is offering this to families. Also, the After School Program is incredible. Great staff; lots of arts and crafts and materials; snack and treats; caring supervisors. We remain very impressed.
--Submitted by a parent

Leopold is a fun, safe school for children to learn at. We have two children at Leopold. Classes always have low numbers and very attentive teachers. The school follows individualized learning plans for each child which is fantastic. Our daughter started this year in the dual-immersion program and is loving school. We love this school for it's diversity and the high-quality of the staff. The current principal has done a fantastic job bringing in new programs-like a science specific staff member who is amazing!-and creating a fun educational environment for our kids. He knows the names of the kids and makes everyone feel very welcome and appreciated. We wouldn't want our kids in any other school. If you are interested in the school go and check it out-it's worth a visit.
--Submitted by a parent

Leopold has a new principal and new asst. principal as of the 2008-2009 school year - who are AMAZING. There is an entirely different feel when you walk into the school - compared to the past 3 years - a positive energy that is hard to describe. You can also see the change in the teachers - because they are getting support from the administration of the school to better manage their classrooms - and teach our children. Of the 6 teachers my two children have had, only one was a disappointment - the other 5 teachers were absolutely phenomenal. And the friends my children have through school cover all areas of the spectrum - it truly is a diversity my children will cherish and appreciate as they get older and get into the 'real world' - because Leopold IS a school that will prepare them for our world's diversity.
--Submitted by a parent

Leopold is unique in that it has bilingual students, poverty level students, middle class students, and upper class students. It is incredibly diverse in race and economics which in my opinion... is what makes Leopold such a great school. If you are house searching, please do yourself a favor and visit this school. Leopold may not look great on paper because of the number of special needs and English as a Second Language learners trying to understand the context and and writien rules of English, which doesn't translate well in standardized tests, but this school has heart and life lessons that involve how to respect others and learn with people different than ourselves.
--Submitted by a parent

My son attended Leopold for Kindergarten and 1st grade, and I then transferred him to another school for 2nd. I feel the principal is very uptight, and cannot relate to the children. She is worried about her job, and not well being of the kids. Many of the teachers seem to be too busy to focus on kids needs, and appear very stressed at times due to class size. There doesn't appear to be a lot of order to many classrooms there, with way too many people in and out all day long. This makes it difficult to get answers from teachers about how the children are doing, because they don't even participate in a lot of the learning experience with the children.
--Submitted by a parent

Teachers are completely limited with how they can control the class. Gym teacher is fabulous.
--Submitted by a parent

The principal at Leopold is a bit uptight that is for certain but the teachers and other parents are just wonderful. I had a child here for three years and they met her needs in unusual circumstances. The gym teacher is exceptional, art and music are so-so, and the dances, parties and fairs are a great deal of fun. She got a great education and loved this school. Gramma
--Submitted by a parent

Leopold doesn't know how to deal with gifted kids. Yet they seem to work well with low end kids. Principal is not supportive. There are stronger schools in the district.
--Submitted by a parent