North Frederick Elementary School

Good school.My child is in this school since KG.

As a parent to a kindergartener, new to school, this place is horrible. It seems like the administration was just hired for the job. No one seems to have any idea what is going on, or how to communicate that to new parents. There seems to be a new rule about parking, waiting, or entering the school every time I show up to drop off or pick up my child. The teaching staff seems good enough, though very fresh off the boat (this was our teacher's second year). It was not an easy transition, to say the least. Also, now that the year has started, it seems like we've gotten a nonstop stream of marketing and fund raising through our child. From book order forms, to 'coupon booklets' that must be sold or returned, to clear advertisements of local businesses masquerading as learning opportunities (record your lunch contents on this form for science, brought to you by X local business!). Hopefully as the year progresses, these people will get their act together.

My child is in first grade and has had two very wonderful teachers. He has a "special" (music/art/PE/media) every day and sometimes two a day. We have seen him learn to read and he has made many nice friends from all different backgrounds. There are many events the PTA puts on, like Math Night or STEM Night or Diversity Night, to name a few. Not to mention that the brand new building is gorgeous! The staff I have interacted with are all caring and knowledgable. We are highly satisfied with our child's experience there so far.

The new building is great. The teachers I have encountered have mostly been fantastic. Unfortunately like in any establishment, it can only be as good as its weakest link. And in this situation the weakest link is the administrators. They are a joke and everything they do has their best interests in mind and not that of the children. The "policies" seem to be chosen on a whim and according to what best suits the administrations agenda. There is no visiting for parents with smaller children, virtually no holiday parties, and zero communication between parents and the school. I have one child who has been receiving special services and have not gotten a single report, aside from report cards, on what services he is exactly receiving. I have had several situations where my other child was not properly supervised to say the least. From what I can gather from other parents it wasn't this way prior to the new principal. Hopefully the higher ups figure that out sooner rather than later so this school can reach its full potential.

My daughter is in her second year at NFES (1st grade), as she transitioned here from a private pre-school. She has and continues to thrive. My husband and I were concerned if she would be challenged enough in such a large classroom setting with many students, but she did wonderfully. She began the school year already on grade level reading but ended the year on a 2nd grade level. She loved her teacher and the entire experience. The staff really does care for the students and their success. The only negative is newsletters/parent information always seems to go out late. I think this stems from administration, honestly. Overall, we've been pleased.