Mel H King Elementary

This is my son's second year at the Quincy Elementary School and I continue to be more and more impressed with it. The school administration goes over and above to create a compassionate student body and the students pride themselves on their ability to portray the school wide F.I.R.E. values - Focus, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy. These values are can be seen in each classroom, through student interactions, staff and parents alike. It is a wonderfully diverse and respectful community. Despite its location in a very busy urban environment, I feel certain that my child is safe and in good hands throughout the day.Beyond the culture of the school, the students are being challenged to their own abilities in the classroom and there are many supports available to meet each child's needs. From social/emotional group supports to accommodating children with much higher physical and learning needs, extra help is available to those who seek it. On a daily basis, the children receive enriching extracurricular activities. This year, the rotating list of specialty classes offered throughout the week includes dance, art, health, mandarin, theater, gym, library, and technology. From 2nd-5th grade all students also receive swim instruction as one of their weekly specialties, as well as science lab.Before school and after school offerings are also exceptional. The Josiah Quincy Orchestra program is open to students in K2-5 (K1 if you have an older sibling in the program). They use the El Sistema method of teaching through community-building activities and music instruction. The school also offers a BOKS fitness program in the mornings a few days a week for those kids needing to get moving in the gym first thing before school starts. The After School Enrichment Program is offered 1-3 days a week as an alternate to after school daycare programs and includes such activities as lego club, theater, sports & scholars (tennis, soccer, basketball instruction, etc.), coding, cooking, and visual arts (digital art, pottery, etc.).The parent community is filled with mostly full-time working parents, though there are many opportunities available to parents who have extra time to give to the school. Parent volunteers are welcomed in the classroom, as well as those with additional time to lend to leadership positions in the parent council, or serving on one of the schools many committees. All parents are encouraged to volunteer and help out at parent council sponsored student events and the annual school fundraiser. A weekly parent coffee hour presents a welcoming environment to all parents who like to connect in person to chat about the goings on at the school.There truly is something for everyone at this school. It's a true gem in the Boston Public School system.

This school is terrible.The student body has extreme behavior issues that prevent most teaching and learning from happening. In classrooms you will see kids throwing things and screaming, and ignoring staff. Students are mean to each other and disrespectful to adults. Academic performance is very low - only 5-10% of students are at grade level.There are no real consequences for student misbehavior or academic failure. Safety is a serious concern. There are constant student fights, property damage, and acts of violence against other students and staff. Used needles are regularly found on school grounds (staff does their best to mitigate this, but it is still extremely unsafe). I recommend that parents send their children elsewhere.

The Advent School was at the top of our list for schools we were considering. The positive experiences we've had over the years have been better than we could have even imagined. Between the co-teaching model in each classroom, all of the learning specialists, specials teachers, and more, it feels like our kids are getting as close as you can get to an individually tailored learning experience. Every aspect of the school day is carefully planned and thought out - the approaches for teaching core academic subjects, the R&I (research and investigation) topics that teach kids to be critical thinkers, learners, and advocates, and the specials/extracurriculars that our kids rave about mean our kids love their school days. We're so grateful that our kids are getting such an amazing experience in these early elementary years.

Kingsley is truly an extraordinary school. I have never been to a place where teachers guide and support the children so well while also allowing them to take the lead in their learning. Because the classrooms are mixed-age, I feel it mimics real-life scenarios where you work with people of varied ages. I love seeing the older students mentoring the younger ones and the younger ones looking up to the older ones. The communication is spot-on and I always feel informed about events at the school, deadlines, etc. I think the last two-plus years have been tough on all schools, but the way I have seen the Kingsley community come together to support one another has been extraordinary. From the administration to the teachers to the parents to the students themselves, Kingsley has navigated the pandemic and all the changes in a professional, caring way. I feel thankful my child is able to have this learning and community experience.