Olander Elementary School

Both of our children attended McGraw from kindergarten through sixth grade, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. It was clear that every teacher truly loved their job and cared deeply for our daughters — they still enjoy going back to visit! McGraw did an excellent job preparing them for middle and high school, both academically and in building their self-confidence.The school provided countless opportunities for them to explore their academic interests and develop the confidence to share their learning with others. We also loved the strong sense of community, fostered through events like International Night, the spring dance, music performances, and a wide variety of after-school clubs — including running, Legos, robotics, chess, art, and band.Simply put, McGraw loved our kids — and we loved McGraw.

This school has been exceptional for my two children. One of my children was in the gifted and talented program at Bauder (99% for literacy) and through their time at Bauder also increased their scores on CMAS for math by fifteen percent (going from 81st in 3rd to 96 in 5th)! They ended up also being identified GT for math in 5th grade after growing tremendously. This was huge for entering into middle school. My other child was a struggling learner and reader in first grade. They needed additional support, which Bauder provided, and they went from being in the low 20's on testing to scoring well into the 80th percentile on MAPS and CMAS now that they are in 4th grade. The teachers at Bauder are kind, committed to the kids and great at teaching. We have been so happy with our experience! There is also strong parental involvement at Bauder with an exceptional PTO. We have a lot of fun doing activities with our neighbors and feel so thrilled with our choice.

Went to this school when I was younger. Teachers were rude and 100% picked favorites. Gym teacher was utterly disrespectful to both me and my brother. Most teachers didn't take certain matters seriously and allowed me to be harassed almost the entire time I attended. There were students that would physically harm others, including myself and teachers overlooked it constantly. There was a time that I was being physically harassed to the point that I ended up resorting to self defense. The kid never got in trouble but I got written up for it. The school was fun at first but as I got older, it slowly got worse. I'm a junior in high-school now, and I don't imagine this school has changed much since I left. Nobody is aware of this since they aren't currently attending that school like these children are. I can only hope that kids don't go through the same treatment that I, along with many other children did.

We have already seen one of our children thrive after several years at Johnson, and we're excited our younger son will start in the Fall. Every school in PSD is great but there is something special about the warmth and energy of this school.