Stormonth Elementary School

We began at Stormonth with a 1st grader in the fall of 2016. He has ADHD and could be difficult to manage in a classroom setting. The teachers, for the most part, were fantastic, and the school counselor really connects with kids who need more help. The instruction is top notch, with experienced teachers who have been there for, in some cases, decades. They tailor their instruction to different learning styles and engage is so much hands-on learning. There is a maker space and an amazing playground with tons of green space, plus an ice rink in the winter. The music, art, and gym programs are fully funded. In fact this year the school purchased a kiln for the art program. Each year there is a spring musical, a folk festival, a huge halloween event, a safety week in conjunction with the local police department, a 5K color run, and so many more fun community activities. The parent community is also amazing.

My son via the Wisconsin Chapter 220 program which allows students to attends Stormonth Elementary as a Voluntary Student Transfer. the program was designed to racially integrate schools in suburban areas that are pedominantly no-minority. It is the same program used my non-minority students to attend Ronald Reagan and Rufus King. It is not a voucher or a title. Vouchers are used to attend charter and parochial schools. Titles are for insurance and cars. Stormonth also accepts students via open enrollment for seats that are not filled by district students.Governor Walker has since defunded the 220 program. Only those students participating in the 2015-2016 and older were allowed to continue in the program. Our son has been a stellar student since K4. Now in K5 has been recognized with 5 BUGs(Behaving Unusually Good). He is well versed in the PBIS values and has been an excellent student. The teachers, administration and staff have been excellent. They are organized, responsive, involved and competent. Between, Friday folder, infinite campus, weekly newsletter, PTO activities, it's impossible to not be informed and connected to the school. The on-site care provided by the YMCA allows working families the flexibility of before and after care for a reasonal fee. After visiting several public, private and parochial schools, from Mequon to Brookfield, my husband and I fell in love with Stormonth. We have not regretted our decision.

We moved to Fox Point enrolled our child in k5 at Stormonth in Nov 2016. In just the first 2 weeks there were multiple outbreaks of lice in k5. I sent and email to teacher and principal as to what the school is doing about this. The response was defensive and off putting. After winter break, classes resumed and my daughter started being bullied by a classmate who was a Title and voucher student. She starts having nightmares, crying with stomach pains. I took her to the peds. She said there was nothing physically wrong and these are symptoms of stress and anxiety. She asked about recent events at school. I told her of the classmate who had been bullying her for two weeks and that the school administration were made aware of the situation and had done nothing. I contacted the school board president and superintendent and CC'd the principle and we scheduled a meeting for the following Monday. Over that weekend our daughter became aggressive with her baby sister. We were horrified and asked her why she had done that, and she said that the bully girl at school did that to her. That was it for us! We withdrew our daughter that Monday. Also, The teachers only used the 'smart board' for instruction. There is no hands on instruction. No Music class. No art class. No gym. They do show YouTube when ther's no instruction. Private vendors offer these after school for a nominal fee. Apparently, there was a mass exodus of resident families in 2012-2013 when the school fired math, science and English teachers and cut music and art. The principal resigned and the current principal was brought in just two years ago. The school still boasts its records from 2011-12. The title and voucher program has ruined the school. Stormonth just sent out invitations for an open house to increase enrollment but that won't help. We are enrolling our child in private school and recommend those considering this school to do the same, if possible, for the education, health and safety of your child.