Van Arsdale Elementary School

Amazing school, awesome staff, and wonderful principal.

Our daughter is in kindergarten at Van Arsdale and our experience so far has been fantastic. Principal Chapla is very involved, energetic, and clearly has a great rapport with the teachers, which is so important. Mrs. Winn has been an engaging kindergarten teacher who brings fun, creativity but also good structure to the classroom. She has also been a great communicator about our daughter’s learning and has shown flexibility and openness when figuring out her sometimes challenging behavior. I have spoken to many parents in the neighborhood who have great things to say about the vast majority of teachers. Also, the PTSA puts on super events throughout the year and there are many affordable extra-curricular options after school.

Van Arsdale is like a breath of fresh air compared to other schools we have attended out-of-state. The principal is fantastic and the teachers are kind, supportive and willing to help. The school offers a number of clubs directly or house third-party organizations that afford many different experiences before and after school.

We have had multiple children attend this school and they have had multiple teachers, K-6. Our overall experience has been very positive. There is a strong commitment to learning and growth and the expectations are high. Class sizes vary, but they are usually on the lower end. The teachers seem to be on the same page and spend quite a bit of time meeting and training on current best practice teaching. The emphasis changes from year to year (math, writing, etc.), which may be in response to changing test scores? From presentations we have seen, the test scores are currently high, which can make it tough to show growth (current buzz word in education) when you are already high. Our kids have enjoyed all of their teachers. They all have different approaches, personalities, and styles, but that's the real world. Learning to work with a variety of personality types is a great life skill. Homework has varied greatly depending on the grade level, but it's rarely been "too much". If anything, too little. Would love to see more "old school" spelling lists, math facts, etc. There is currently a nice balance of experienced and new teachers. The PTSA group is very active and supportive. They hold several fun events during the year and try not to overwhelm with fundraising. The building is bright, clean, welcoming, and full of beautiful student artwork. The Art-PE-Music team do a nice job teaching skills but also keeping it fun. They have a successful Instrumental Music program for the upper grades (5th and 6th) and outside groups frequently offer after school programs. The Before/After school care program always has lots of kids in there, but we didn't have any direct experience with them. The support staff (office, paras, etc.) have been friendly and helpful in our experience. Bottom line? We have been pleased with our choice to send our kids to Van Arsdale. We feel they were/are being well prepared for future schooling and we would definitely recommend the school to others.