Humboldt Park School

If I could give this school zero stars, I would. The administration is completely incompetent, and the teachers don't seem to care about the well-being of the students at all! My child has been struggling, and despite multiple attempts to reach out for help, we've been ignored time and time again.Let's start with the lack of communication. Emails go unanswered, phone calls are never returned, and when you finally get a hold of someone, they act like you're the one being unreasonable! This is a school, for heaven's sake! I shouldn't have to chase down the staff to get basic information.The facilities are another nightmare. The classrooms are outdated, dirty, and in desperate need of repairs. The technology is laughably out of date, making it impossible for students to keep up with the modern world. It's as if the school is stuck in the last century, and they have no plans to change.But worst of all is the bullying. My child has come home in tears on more than one occasion, and despite multiple complaints, NOTHING has been done. The staff claims they have a "zero tolerance policy," but it's obvious that they do nothing to enforce it. How are students supposed to learn in such a toxic environment?If you're considering sending your child to this school, don't. Save yourself the headache and find somewhere that actually cares about your child’s education and well-being. This place is a disgrace.

As a current student of Clement Ave. School, I couldn't be happier anywhere else. I went from being at my old school and thinking abuse was normal, to having the best friends I could ask for and exceedingly good teachers. This school is the best I've gone to so far. I recommend it.

I may have only gone to this school 4K-2nd grade but that entire time it was an amazing experience and I doubt it’s the same now from that time ago, but from what my parents have told me, they thought that the school was very engaged with telling the parents what’s been going on and I really enjoyed the hands-on experience with learning so if you think your kids will like something like that, I would definitely recommend enrolling your kids here.

I call this school my BIG MISTAKE that I made as a parent. First there is a lot of kids which increases the stress of teachers and staff. They said that is montessori. There are two teachers who really teach montessori. The rest they do not believe in the system specially the para professionals. When a kid is not behaving well the paraprofessionals yelled at the kid and grabbed them by the arm. Because they believe the kids need to obey them like soldiers. They separate the "good kids" from the "bad kids", which leads to a problem with the socialization of the kids. My kid was separated multiple times and yelled at on a regular basis. The other kids did not want to play with him because of that. My kid has nightmares in the night, saying please don't yell at me. The staff believe in control and power, when kids need respect and love from the people who are around them. Also a parent told me that they could not find a kid. After looking for the kid they found the kid in other part of the building, sooooo unsafe. Also the bilingual program let's talk about this. They tried that more white kids enroll in the bilingual program so they have more funds. The bilingual program should be if both parents speak the language at home. They accept any kid who wants to learn spanish. Which it is a challenge for the teacher because the are kids who just speak english nothing of spanish. So they are learning with the other kids who speaks spanish, and the Spanish speaking kids have to learn at a slower pace because of them. Nobody in the school can agree if the kids should be speaking Spanish or English. It's a mess and it doesn't work for anybody. If you want your kid has a anxiety and traumas put him or her in this school. I warned you.

Parkside is a really good school because it’s fun, welcoming, and helps students learn in cool ways. One of my favorite memories was the Color Run because everyone got covered in bright powder and it felt like a big celebration. The talent show was also amazing since people got to sing, dance, and show their talents in front of the whole school, which was really inspiring. The spelling bee was exciting too, and it showed how hard students study and support each other. In class, teachers make lessons interesting with group projects, hands-on activities, and fun discussions that make learning easier to understand. Overall, Parkside is a great place to make friends, try new things, and have awesome school experiences.

My Chid has been attending DMA for the last 6 years and we love it. Every time I drop him off at school, I feel like I am dropping him off with family. They also are great at giving him more time in the areas where he has been struggling, which is reading. I am not sure he would have received as much one on one time if he was at a much larger school. Also with being a smaller school, means a smaller tight community with other families.