Gifford Park Elementary School

Absolutely the best school in the city! We've even had to move and i kept my children at Franklin. Wouldn't send them anywhere else! The best principal and the best teachers I've seen! They genuinely care about the kids and walk the talk! And the kids feel that and love school! Can't ask for a better environment!

I’ve been in Kellom prek-6th and I loved this school and some of its teachers, especially the counselors. I only had one bad experience with Leslie Douglas, a second grade teacher that had moved to skinner elementary. She targeted me from no reason, skipping me when giving out candy, not helping me with my work, telling me I’m spelling a word wrong until the due date of the assignment when I had the word spelled correctly the whole time, letting kids pick on me and talk down on my mom, refusing for me to get 3rds when the rest of the class did because of my size, and getting near my face when I didn’t understand a multiplication problem. There’s even been times were the principal called the class up for questioning because of her cussing on accident on the phone. She always put on a good teacher act when my mom was around, Trust me I was never a bad or difficult kid, to this day I have a very clean record so people have no reason to target me or treat me as if I cause trouble. I definitely would recommend this school now that Leslie Douglas has moved.

My two daughters attend this school--both are very different in personality and aptitude. Duchesne has allowed both girls to flourish while challenging each to grow into young women who can think and express herself well. Very thankful for this school!

This school no longer has foreign language or a religion teacher for middle school students. The class sizes are getting smaller because of lower enrollment which means 8th grade class is just one class now (22ish kids). Young newer good teachers often switch to public school due to better salaries and better benefits while the school has focused on hiring older who were once retired teachers. The students are not in school as often in comparison to public schools, the school has a lot of days off, and the students spend a lot of time in the church. The principal does not follow the handbook or policies of the school. The Pastor does not address any concerns about the Principal and the Catholic Schools Superintendent allows each school to operate independently with no oversight. There is limited money to put in academics and clubs, rather the parish focuses on restoring the church plaza. Limited resources and opportunities for children. Academic and Star score tests are not shared with parents or at board meetings. Do your homework with other schools around the area and you’ll find a big difference in academics, leadership and community.