Horace Mann Elementary School

Mann is a great neighborhood school in the historic district of Iowa City! Diverse racially and socio-economically with great new principle and strong committment to the school community. Zero tolerance of bullying and counselor and teachers teach kids skills they need to be positive role models, stand up for themselves and others, and be kind and compassionate members of the community. School offers gifted and talented program, support for learning disabilities, after school foreign language classes (Spanish and Chinese), GirlsOnTheRun group, orchestra (5th & 6th grade), fantastic and engaged after school program. This is a true neighborhood school! Your neighbors are your classmates, tight knit neighborhood community is deeply involved in school events and activities. 100 years old in 2018, school will be newly renovated by 2019. Our girls have thrived at Mann K-6th grade, and benefited from learning in a diverse and supportive community of learners. We love this school and test scores don’t provide the whole story of what it is like to be a student here. It’s a gem and we feel lucky we’ve had the opportunity to be a part of this amazing neighborhood school!

Horace Mann is an excellent school. The small size of the school allows the staff to really get to know the kids. A strong PTO and many excellent teachers make Horace Mann a strong elementary school. Our two daughters flourished there. The mix of opportunities (more than you can take advantage of) but the safe and small (~250 students) feeling made them feel comfortable. They have extra support for both gifted/talented students with skills above grade level and paraeducator attention and extra language instruction for students that are behind grade level. Diverse mix of students -- recent immigrants, children of foreign university postdocs, and local kids from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. We chose this neighborhood for the school and the walkability.

Our daughters attended Horace Mann when we moved from Massachusetts. I was skeptical when I saw the low standardized scores that Horace Mann received but it was a great school in a wonderful family neighborhood. There was a high number of children of foreign grad students and English was their second language which was reflected in the standardized testing scores. We loved the diversity and loved our daughter's teachers. Our daughters attended Southeast Junior High and are now at City High School and have always tested very high on the ITBS tests which I think is a testament to the quality of education at Horace Mann, Southeast and City High.

Horace Mann is a strong, diverse (sociology-economically, racially, citizen status, family make-up etc) community supported by intelligent, dedicated and accessible teachers and administration. The joyful and vibrant energy of the school is enhanced by is proximity to the skillfully landscaped North Market Square Park, local shops and Iowa City's downtown. Horace Mann is known additionally for its strong school spirit and pride. 4/5 Starts since the lovely old building requires some updating.

Great neighborhood school with good community support. Test scores are overrated (go figure) and dont tell the true story.