Columbus Elementary School

They have the playground locked at 1 pm during the summer. What's wrong with the fools that run this city?

Pros: friendly and small school community, nice family events throughout the year, committed teachers, great parent community Cons: declining quality in past 5-10 years, admin (one) generally resistant to parent feedbackThere's a very inconsistent student experience from teacher to teacher. My kids experienced multiple teachers at the school. No longer a strong vision for taking the school to the next level. Unfortunately not all admins treat parents with respect or as partners in education. There are also some fairly inequitable fundraising practices. Kind people at the school, but learning quality has declined in recent years. Parents don't receive much support when approaching admin with problems (at least one admin is fairly arrogant). At one time, the school ensured solid teaching for all learners. No longer the case.

Our experience having a child enrolled in the RGC program for two years (fall 2022 - spring 2024,) was dismal. Our first teacher unexpectedly quit midyear, seemingly due to the lack of support from the top. We stayed one more year, because our next teacher was to be the coordinator of the school’s RGC program, and she had an excellent reputation. We found out the week before the start of school that she had just transferred to another school. Pritzker School was aware she was leaving in advance, and made no effort to inform our grade of the impending change. We had our child retested, fortunately they received an offer from another RGC program, and we couldn’t be happier that we transferred out. (Turns out the teacher we would’ve had for our third year quit as well!)There were too many frustrating issues to recount here, including a grimy kindergarten classroom that took the help of many families over many after school evenings to fully clean up. It is incredibly difficult to find much information online about the various CPS schools. If you can meet a family with a child currently at Pritzker, try to get their candid opinion. If you’re on the fence between this and another school, you might want to strongly consider the other school. Several schools in the immediate vicinity with excellent reputations are Burr, Drummond, and Pulaski.All that said, there are indeed some fantastic teachers at Pritzker (Dr. Jenkins, Mr. Swift, and Mrs. Delgado are but a few of the exceptional standouts, as well as Mrs. Hobbs at the front door), and there are wonderful families but in our opinion, the LSC strongly needs to consider a new principal.

In this school discipline is out of control. They practice restorative discussions but chronic behaviors and violent behaviors are done by the same students. Students who are continually out of control and are black are not receiving consequences based on their actions but on their race and continue to abuse.it is about policy and not being just. It is about appearing great on paper but it is not truthful because a lot has not been disclosed. When you walk in the building the kids are everywhere. They are disrespectful to each other, to the staff as well. It looks like chaos. Administration just does not take initiating and let the teacher care thr burden of handling It all. It is depressing.

We’re so happy to have our two kids at LaSalle II. The school is incredibly well organized, and the community is wonderful. It’s a challenging environment, but the teachers and staff have supported our children every step of the way, helping them rise to meet high standards. On top of that, they’re learning a second language! This is what all CPS schools should aspire to be. If you’re lucky enough to get a spot, don’t hesitate to send your kids to LaSalle II.

Our son is attending kindergarten at St. Helen, and we have been extremely pleased with his experience. He is making strong progress in reading and math while still having ample time for play (he loves the Hot Wheels!), creativity, and hands-on projects. We appreciate the small class sizes and the wealth of experience of his teacher and co-teacher.The specials program is excellent, with PE, music, and art offered twice weekly, along with Spanish and technology. We value the balanced approach to technology—he is learning computer skills without excessive screen time. My son also benefits from a daily quiet rest/nap time. Although he does not yet participate in after-school clubs, we are impressed by the variety of affordable offerings. Overall, St. Helen has provided a well-rounded, supportive kindergarten experience, and we are glad we chose it for the personalized attention it offers.