Fairmount Elementary School

I engage with the staff and administration at this school regularly and feel I have a good sense of Stott. The Principal The principal weighs the family perspective as a top priority when making decisions. If a decision doesn't sit well, she always has excellent reasoning for why decisions are made a certain way, and makes sure everyone wondering understands the reasoning. She has always made time to sit down and talk with families who have questions and concerns. The TeachersThe teachers care firstly about student well-being, growth, and engagement. They seem happy at Stott and to be in their positions, and this positively affects my child's overall experience. Happy teachers have happy classrooms. The teachers I know are cheerful, know about their students beyond just test scores, and there's little turn-over. Many teachers have been at Stott long enough to see entire families start in kindergarten and move on to middle school, high school, and beyond. They always look for ways to support and challenge students' abilities. EngagementStott has come a long way with student and family engagement over the years by hosting implementing weekly STEM classes during the school day, fundraising activities like the Fun Run and Read-a-Thon, after-school extracurricular options like Robotics, Art Club, Dance, and more that I'm probably forgetting. The teachers communicate frequently in a number of ways -- in person at school events or at the door during arrival and dismissal, e-mail, phone calls, apps like Class Dojo, newsletters in Friday Folders, and even postcards when students really go above and beyond in behavior or academics. There is a small but mighty cadre of consistently involved families who support through the PTSA or other means as they're able, and this is a HUGE part of Stott's improvement over recent years. StudentsThe students at Stott are generally hardworking, kind to others, and respectful. All schools see conflicts between students, but Stott seems to have the kind of kids who treat each other with kindness without much in the way of bullying. The mental health awareness and support at Stott is fantastic with responding to concerns and communicating with families about issues students might be experiencing. Stott recently adopted an Autism Spectrum Disorder center from a school that closed, and its presence has certainly raised my child's awareness and acceptance of differences among her friends, and her empathetic skills.

I joined this school during my high school years, and at first, I thought it was fantastic. Some of the teachers are great, and it’s easy to steer clear of the ones you don’t click with. However, by the time I reached my second semester, I started to notice some troubling issues. For instance, if a student isn’t favored by the staff, they often struggle to get the assistance they need. On top of that, there’s a lack of guidance when it comes to time management. We also have teachers who shouldn’t be in their roles; for example, the history teacher used to teach math, and when they found a better math teacher, they simply switched him to history, despite his inability to teach the subject well. He has this superiority complex, and whenever he feels challenged, he tends to exert his authority over the students, which is just a way for him to feel in control.Interestingly, the school doesn’t seem to have major bullying issues, except for the history teacher, who is a problem in his own right. Another significant concern is the grading system, which is skewed in such a way that students can pass with just fifty percent and receive an A with only eighty percent. This system gives a false impression of students’ abilities, making them look better than they are.Ultimately, only a handful of teachers genuinely care about students’ perspectives, and that's a serious issue in the long run. If the goal is to provide a solid education, parents should consider sending their kids to schools that prioritize quality teaching. It’s important to note that not everything about the school is bad—there are just a few significant areas that need improvement.Maybe the school will hear this and fix these things