Nettelhorst Elementary School

This school is not recommended. Don't risk your child growth and development by taking them to this school. Horrible

Disney Magnet School has become significantly worse since Dr. Riskus took over as principal. The administration is more focused on lowering the number of students who are reported to have discipline against them than in keeping classrooms safe and keeping learning moving forward and effective. There are regular fights in many of the classrooms, even at young grades like 1st and 2nd grade. Teachers are told not to stop them and rather to call security. However, when security or administration takes a student out, they are almost immediately returned to the classroom and neither administration nor social work does anything to try to reduce the conflict or hold the children who fight accountable. Dr. Riskus and the various floor principals are ineffective at running the school. It is time for a major administrative change.

I've got two students at Tubman (rising 3rd grader, rising 1st grader), and have been at the school since my oldest was in kindergarten. I have been so impressed with the quality of instruction, the community engagement, and the parent support. Test scores never tell the full story of a school - but I can also say that academically, my children are advancing very well each year, and are incredibly supported in doing so by their teachers. I also know that the whole the school saw incredible growth in our 2025 scores (some of which won't be published until fall 2025). On top of that, the school is wall to wall IB, and as such has a strong focus on social and emotional learning. I can see the growth in my kids emotionally and socially (equally if not more important to being a successful & well rounded adult who positively impacts the world). Tubman also has a fine arts focus - which means 2-3 times per year, I get to see my kids on stage, performing a dance or a skit - even if they choose not to participate in the school musical. The whole student body is so supportive of these performances, and the confidence building I've seen not just in my kids but in their classmates is really stark. The principal and admin staff work incredibly well with the teachers, and the parent community is engaged - with everyone working to support students in the best ways we can, and there is a strong bias across the board of collaboration and continued improvement. I had never heard of Tubman before I started investigating kindergarten options a few years ago - but I'm so glad to have landed here. It's a gem!

I regret having my child attend this high school. The only reason I kept him in it was because he made actual friends for the first time. Communication here from parent to staff is non existent. I'm still waiting on replied to my emails from 2024. I've emailed principal Grace Moody multiple times with no response. Same thing with counselor. Children have been assaulted here with chair thrown at head and no one contacted parents. This happened multiple times until a parent spoke up with a possible law suit. Kid got suspended after multiple incidents. First time I saw principal was at graduation. Kids say they barely ever saw her.

We sent our son here for Pre-K during the 2025-2026 school year and I’m so glad we did! The teacher, Mrs. Gina, is extraordinary. She has been teaching at Greeley for 20+ years and is the perfect balance of firm and loving with the children. I have watched all of the kids thrive under her care—all writing their names within months of school and now on to learning concepts of reading. I love all the family engagement activities at school and sense of community. All of the staff know my son’s name—from the Spanish teacher to the music teacher—and seem invested in his growth. This school is also much more diverse than other Lakeview schools and has the best hours from 9am-4pm. So happy with our choice!!