Highland Park Elementary School

My kids have received a great education and have had a positive experience at school.

My oldest daughter started attending Highland Park Elementary in 3rd grade. She is now in eighth grade. That same year my second oldest daughter started Kindergarten at Highland Park Elementary. She is now in 5th grade at Highland Park Elementary. My oldest had a great time at Highland Park. She had a great time because she was easy to teach and to be around. She had many friends and got straight A's. She also had the best principal ever! The principal, Mr. Martin, was beyond wonderful! Every time I came on campus he made me and everyone there feel welcome. It was such a warm feeling. He made it all about the kids. He made it a school where kids felt safe, accepted, and loved. My younger daughter would run and give him a hug! My oldest graduated elementary school the same year Mr. Martin decided to work for the district. The new principal, Michel Mowery could care less about relationships with parents or the children. It is her way or the highway. She comes across as cold. The entire feel of the school has drastically changed. She does not make parents feel welcome on campus. Once she followed me into my daughter's classroom and asked me why I was there! Um....to see my daughter and what she is doing at school. I want to be involved in her education! She made me feel as though I was doing something wrong. She asked me, "Do you need to set up an appointment with the teachers?" It was so bizarre to me that she would follow me around as though I shouldn't be at my child's school. This is just as much my school as hers! The entire feeling of the school has changed. You do not feel uplifted when walking into the school. The teachers no longer seem happy. I think if they voted they would hands down want Mr. Martin back. Mrs. Mowery is not a fun person or a warm person which in turn has made the school have a very business- like, cold feeling to it. Worse than the principal, the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders have a schedule like junior high kids. It feels impossible as a parent to communicate or get to know the teachers. These kids are in elementary school! They should have one teacher that they feel comfortable with. My daughter does not feel comfortable with any of her teachers and she is scared of the principal. This should not be an elementary school kids experience! Also, she has struggled in school since the switching of classes. She never struggled before.

This school is amazing! My daughter previously attended a public school in Gilbert and a Charter School in Gilbert and we went through a lot of frustration in trying to help her with Dyslexia. This is our second year at Highland Park Elementary and I wish we had started at this school in Kindergarten - the teachers are amazing and really care about the students. I cannot stress how much I appreciate the communication from the school and my questions have been answered very quickly (usually same day). Our Resource Teacher has been a true blessing to my daughter. They have went above and beyond learning about Dyslexia. The teachers have restored my faith in the entire school system, I was at a point I thought home school was our only answer and I am so glad we decided to go to this school!

Highland Park is a school where kids are first! This means that they do what is right for kids every time regardless of the impact on adults! After all, as adults we already had our turn.