Too Good To Be True: A City Elementary Parent’s Story

When we discovered City Elementary it almost seemed too good to be true. After a long, fruitless search it looked like we had finally found a school that understood our daughter – a school that recognized her tremendous strengths and capabilities but was also sensitive to her challenges and offered a learning environment tailored to her intellectual, social, and sensory needs.

On our first visit to the school we were immediately impressed by the orderly and peaceful classrooms, and by the atmosphere of joyful productivity. It was clear that the low student to teacher ratio ensures every child receives individualized attention and is both nurtured and challenged. And we appreciated the school’s commitment to project-based learning and engaging, hands-on activities.

Our hopes were high when we enrolled our daughter at City Elementary. We knew that in the right environment there were no limits to what she could achieve. Still, we never dreamed we would see the kinds of growth and development we’ve witnessed.

Academically she has flourished. In this warm, supportive environment our reluctant scholar became a confident risk-taker who embraces new challenges. Her confidence has soared and she takes great pride in her rapidly expanding set of skills. She’s making tremendous strides in all subject areas.

Her social growth has been equally dramatic. The close-knit classroom community provides endless opportunities to learn how to work collaboratively, how to express one’s preferences and take into consideration the preferences of others, how to negotiate disagreements, and how to stay regulated in the face of strong emotions. The progress we have seen on all of these dimensions is astounding.

We are grateful to have found City Elementary. There is no doubt in our minds that the school is changing the course of our daughter’s life in profoundly positive ways.