Buford Garner Elementary School

I went here from kindergarten to 5th grade, and even as a current high schooler, this is my favorite school I’ve ever attended. I always thought that the teachers were kind to all students, and gave everyone the same opportunities. The only issue I had with this school is how the staff members handled some students, specifically students with behavior issues. There were numerous times when my class would be disrupted, because a student with a behavior issue got out of control. Often times, we would even have to clear the classroom. If these incidents were handled well, I wouldn’t have an issue with it, as I know the behavior of some students does not reflect on the quality of the school. However, when one of these incidents would happen, the teachers would do nothing besides keep other students out of the way. For example, I have a very vivid memory of someone in my 4th grade class getting out of control, and throwing chairs around in the “pod” area. Meanwhile, the principal and another teacher were doing nothing; just standing there, drinking their coffee. Overall, loved my experience going to Garner Elementary was great, and I still have very good memories of the school.

The Iowa city community school district is still using racist and destructive zero tolerance policies and mandatory minimums. Your child is not safe from lopsided and overzealous punishment. Extremists have taken over from the stats capital to our public schools. Bring common sense with your vote.

Excellent job with open classroom teaching concept.

My son goes here, teachers are very nice and experienced. We liked this school very much.

After experiencing several schools in and out of the area, Buford Garner is by far the best my child has attended. Each grade has excellent teachers who work well with every child in the class. The teachers are pro-active with any learning situation and cooperate very well with outside resources. Garner's PTO is outstanding and provide great activities to give parents & children a fun way to interact with the teachers and school personnel. Our principal is extremely attentive to the students and what is going on in the school. By far, Garner is a top notch elementary and will lay a great foundation for any child's educational career.