Claude Berkman Elementary School

Absolutely LOVE Fern Bluff. Great school, teachers and parents involvement. Within walking distance of most homes located in Stone Canyon. Both my children attended and were very prepared for middle school and excelled in High School. Fern Bluffs high score rankings is why we moved to the neighborhood and never regretted it. Highly recommend.

I didn't receive much communication about my son's behavior throughout the school year and unfortunately the last month of school is when it was finally communicated that he was having issues. At that point there was no way to modify the 504 plan he had in place. The communication was so poor throughout the school year. When I asked about homework at the beginning of the year I was met with no response. I should've seen that as a red flag but thought maybe he was completing it at school. Even during the last month of school when my son was reported to have choked a classmate I was not called to pick him up from school. I received the report a week later. Because of the lack of communication, it really does have me question whether any of these events actually happened. If so, why was I, as the parent, not called immediately? I received one phone call throughout the school year, so I know they had the right number on file. The call was regarding my son pushing a classmate. When I received the letter stating he wouldn't be allowed back there were multiple incidences (varying levels from crying to the choking). At minimum I should've received the number of calls that matched the incidences. Receiving one call is unacceptable. Be aware that the kindergarten teachers are the hooks but once your child is in the program for the next year, the lack of communication could be a barrier to your child's education being excellent if the teacher is not invested in your child. The only reason I did not rate this school lower is because of the Assistant principal and the kindergarten teacher from the previous year. I would say this school did a great job with my son's adhd the first year, but this past year was a complete disappointment.

Front office staff; one lady in particular who shall remain unnamed but runs the front desk is extremely rude towards me on different occasions. This is unacceptable and when I took it up with who I believe to be the assistant principal she was very dismissive to my plea. All I ask for is for staff to be respectful and unassuming, here that is not the case. Speaking up now since my child will NOT be returning to this school.

This school is the worst school I’ve ever been to in perspective I’ve went to a school in south philly

I enrolled my twin boys in the Spanish Immersion Kindergarten program, and unfortunately, our experience was deeply disappointing. Both of my children had a very difficult time, and their dissatisfaction with the program was evident early on.The classroom environment was not conducive to learning or communication. I made multiple efforts to engage with the teacher to better understand the curriculum and find ways to support my children at home. Unfortunately, my outreach was often met with resistance, lack of communication, and an overall unwillingness to collaborate.When I raised concerns with the assistant principal, I was disheartened by the lack of support. Both the teacher and assistant principal suggested that my children may have behavioral or learning challenges. Following their recommendation, I had my sons formally evaluated by the school, and the results confirmed that neither child had any such issues. This only reinforced my belief that the core issue lay in the quality of instruction and classroom management.I also spoke with other parents in the same class and found that many shared similar concerns about the teacher’s effectiveness and the overall learning environment. When I brought these concerns to the principal, I again received no meaningful support or resolution.Given this experience, I am in the process of transferring my children to a different school. I am extremely dissatisfied with the way this situation was handled by the school’s staff and administration. I cannot recommend this program based on our experience. In fact, I HIGHLY recommend putting your children in ANY other school!!