Southside Elementary School

We were very excited to get in this school. You have to get lucky to win the lottery and it is the best public school in the area. Teachers in kindergarten are amazing and our little one learned a lot during her first year in Ada Merrit. School staff is very nice for the most part. The only person who really ruins the impression about the school is Patricia Marty. She is one of the ladies who works in the front office, she processes excuse notes for absences. She never does it on time, it takes several emails and reminders in person for her to do her job. And every time she will give you an attitude. She is the rudest person in the whole school. The principle should have a conversation with her. I hope my kids don’t get sick so I don’t have to deal with her. Otherwise it is an amazing school.

The new administration was very disappointing. Parents were misled about the new Downtown campus. The school advertised a beautiful outdoor space, but it was apparently never approved by the city. This was not clearly disclosed until a parent noticed it had disappeared from the website renderings. Only after parents raised concerns did the school admit there would be no outdoor space.We also enrolled under the Early Bird special because it advertised a refund if canceled within 24 hours of the tour. We toured the campus, canceled within that timeframe, and the school still denied the refund.The teachers seemed caring, but the campus felt cold and uninviting. Many classrooms had little to no natural light. Academically, we did not find the school strong enough for a child who is advanced. In our experience, when a child is bored, the school is too quick to label that as a behavior issue instead of recognizing a lack of challenge.

My daughter started the Gordon School at 12 months and is currently enrolled still. As part of the ECC community, my daughter has grown and developed in a way I could have only dreamed. She is now speaking both Spanish and English and looks forward to going to school everyday. When it is time to go home, she never wants to leave-if she could sleep at the Gordon School and go home with her teachers I think she would. Not only are the teachers INCREDIBLE in the sense of love, warmth nurture and academics, they love each child like they are their own. When I was looking for schools for my daughter I saw the outdoor space, the garden and the trees and was immediately sold. As parents, we have made lifelong friends and are happy to belong to a community as welcoming, fun and warm as the Gordon School community. There are so many opportunities to be involved in the community and the school-its also been beautiful to watch my 2.5 year old cover her eyes during the shema and learn the traditions of Judaism at such an early age. Another huge plus is the security...I drop my child off every day and I know that she is safe.I would recommend the Early Childhood center to any and all families.

Terrible principal. So many people have left because of her. It’s so sad what this school has become.

We have been in this school for over 8 years with our 3 kids.Love the quality of the teachers, the loving environment. It is our second home and would recommend to anyone.