600 6th St
Northfield, IL 60093

I was in some of the special education (SPED) classes. The school was supposed to support SPED, but the program was a joke and didn’t teach me much. It felt like the school didn’t care about SPED at all. Because I had dyslexia, they put me in very low-level classes that didn’t match my actual abilities. If you weren’t in SPED, your education was perfectly adequate—but for students like me, it wasn’t.

Great school with access to a lot of resources for your child. Top-notch staff.

The academic program is very strong, and the school is well-organized. I would have given it a MUCH better rating if it were not for the teacher we had in the fifth grade. This is clearly a teacher who is in this for an easy paycheck with no sense of commitment to the children. The classroom was left with a sub once a week on a regular basis, and sometimes more, while the teacher habitually tended to personal matters, going so far at times to complain of fatigue to the children in her class because she had to get up "early" with her child. Even with the switch to e-learning, Zoom time was repeatedly rescheduled to accommodate the teacher’s various personal priorities, meaning even from her own kitchen table, she couldn’t manage to work during work hours. It comes down to her personal life constantly trumping her professional responsibilities, at the expense of the children assigned to her class. In the classroom, she lacked control, and many kids would work on their homework while she was reading aloud. Busy work seemed to take up half the day, along with endless screen time. Our child’s grades slipped for the first time in her academic record. This teacher also showed no interest or effort in helping the children socially—going so far as to not even encourage the children to welcome a student or help that child feel comfortable during the school day. She also regularly posted photos of the children in her classroom on a public Twitter account without parental consent. During the holidays, we were provided with a list of her favorite stores (Nordstrom) and her initials, should we wish to monogram anything for her, it would seem. At curriculum night, where working parents gave up their time to gather information for the year ahead, she used the time to give us a slideshow of her siblings and her parents. Had this not been our final year at Pleasant Ridge, we would have put our child in private school immediately, however, in fairness, this teacher is not a reflection of the quality of the school, but rather a shocking departure from it. Bare minimum seems to be her motto, and she doesn’t even try to fake anything more. It is unfortunate that the school board retains a teacher with this overwhelming lack of investment in her job and that our tax payer money supports her.

This is just based on the first day at a new school experience.We pre-registered, and paid our fees/dues, submitted vaccination records, all by the week prior to the first day of school. First day of school, they didn't have a class schedule, no locker assignment for the new student. Staff walked student around to different classes asking if teacher had space in their class. Parading the student around from class to class, in front of a classroom full of students. Shining a spotlight on the new kid to the school. Bare in mind during COVID we should be limiting movement and have assigned seating. Overnight I received the class schedule and at least one class is different from the first day, so already switching classes on the second day of school. If you are transferring your kid to this school, if you register during the summer like I did, you might have the same experience on the first day of school because I still have not heard back from the administration as to when we needed to register by to ensure new students would be set with a schedule and locker on their first day of school. I don't see a point pre-registering. Might as well have walked in the first day of school to register. Would've gotten the same experience. At least wouldn't have to dish out the fees/dues early. If I had known, I would have waited till the school assigned a class schedule before having student go in. It's already tough on a kid going to a new school, but to go to classes the first day, then have to switch to a different class the next day, it's like starting at a new school twice. If any PTA members read this, when you call me, I will be telling you about this experience as the reason I won't be donating this year. If anything, for not treating my kid like every other student on the first day, I should be asking for a refund on the fees/dues I already paid to the school. If you are relocating and here doing research, do yourself a favor and consider moving to District 30 boundaries instead. Maple Middle School seems to have better ratings on this website. The schools are 10 minutes from each other.