Northside Elementary School

912 Barton Drive

School District

Ann Arbor Public Schools
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 10, 2020

This is our first year here, but we absolutely love it. My son is in 5th grade and has HFA (Aspergers) and this is the first time when he is really looking forward to school. He is getting great grades, tons of assistance, and they even helped connect him with other students with similar interests who he has become great friends with. Highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2018

This school is trash, do not send your child here.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2017

My son is very happy here and he's consistently performed better than grade average. While there have been bumps in the road, I feel as though overall the school has done nothing but benefit my child.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2017

My fourth grader enjoys the STEAM project based learning(PBL) approach. He hates getting sick and missing a day of school at A2STEAM. I was worried that his standard based test scores would suffer because of the PBL approach, but his 2017 scores were a couple levels above his expected for fourth grade. The teachers and great and we have a strong representation at Science Olympiad.
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2017

I have a first and third grader here and they have loved their experience at school. The Project Based Learning model integrates all subjects and makes my children very excited to come home and tell me about what they are learning. I have had great interaction with all of the school staff and love my children's teachers. They are willing to listen and answer my emails and concerns in a very timely manner. If ever I am concerned about my student, we come up with a plan to help them at school and home and I have seen improvement in all areas. The teachers will also send messages or emails to update me without me prompting. They are truly looking at the needs of the students.
Submitted by parent on November 22, 2016

My child is a 1st grader and attended kindergarten last year. She has blossomed as a student and is thriving with the project based learning and under Project Lead the Way. Both of her teachers have been extremely responsive, kind and in tune with my child´s needs. When we did experience a conflict between a classmate and our child, I felt it was handled promptly, sensitively and compassionately. My child comes home and excitedly tells me about her various classes and engaging teachers. The STEM curriculum is also exciting as she will be prepared for the ever evolving tech world.
Submitted by parent on August 09, 2016

I'm highly disappointed with this school. There are way too many behavioral problems at the school. The 2nd grade teachers were horrible and did not know how to communicate with parents. They were unwilling to consider input on techniques to help my child succeed. Many of our friends pulled their kids after 2nd grade and I'm starting to wish that we had. We'll see how 3rd grade goes but these classrooms are riddled with bad teachers and unbehaved kids.
Submitted by parent on July 09, 2016

Transfering to this school was the best thing for our son. He was extremely unhappy when we were in another district and we finally decided we had to make a change. We started at Northside during the STEAM inaugural year of 2014. The project based learning has been a great fit for him and he loves project lead the way. The teachers and staff have been great and I have found them to be very kind and caring.
Submitted by parent on July 04, 2016

I was visiting the school and I did not feel very comfortable with the environment. A couple kids were screaming at each other in the hallway and it seemed to me that the assistant principal was more amused by this than concerned. Because I am a parent, I know that kids are going to scream at each other from time to time, but I don't think it is ever appropriate for an administrator to find the screaming amusing.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2016

My daughter is a student there. She loves everything there, from Principle to teachers, from classroom to gym.
Submitted by other on October 29, 2015

Unfortunately, since Northside was revamped as a STEAM school, with a new principal and an entirely new staff, I have found the climate there to be unwelcoming and cold. My overall experience with the secretary as well as the the teaching staff has had an unfriendly tone. Additionally, I have observed staff speaking unkindly to students and many students seemed stressed out from the environment, which seems to lack the caring and nurturing elements to teaching that children need.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2015

Terrible school. Do not bring hands-on learners here and expect there to be many opportunities for that kind of learning now. Also, do not bring your Special Ed child here unless you want to be completely left out of the process. We've had the worst experience possible.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2015

The new STEAM school has been a great addition to the Ann Arbor Public Schools. I have been highly impressed with the staff selected to teach at this school and the imaginative way that the district wide curriculum has been taught. This school takes a more hands on project based way of learning and is centered around math and engineering concepts while keeping reading, writing, art and social studies mixed within. I couldn't be happier that my kids attend this school.
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2014

Yes, this is a totally new school compared to last year, with all new principal, , new "collaborative" desks, and most impressed with all the newly hired teachers, many from other Ann Arbor schools, that were hired for their ability to teach a project based curriculum. We have three children ages 7, 9 and 11 who we moved to this school last month from another A2 school. Saturday night my 6th grader said "I can't wait to go back to school. I can't believe it. I love it." While he has always done well, they love the project based approach and each kid gets an Apple Ipad to use in school. He loves his Ipad, too. The teachers are psyched about this new approach to teaching. All the kids are enjoying school so much. Thank you Dr. Swift, our A2 superintendent, for creating such a fresh and enjoyable place to learn and thrive. The principal Joan Fitzgibbons is awesome and down to earth.
Submitted by parent on January 12, 2014

One of the teachers was rude to the kids. Otherwise, it's an average school, nothing special.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2012

Northside has been a very nice place for my three kids, they all have special needs and the staff has done a wonderful job with them, as parents we do stay very involved with their education, it makes a difference when teachers know you are also involved with them to bring out the best in your child.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2011

I moved to Ann Arbor for the public schools and diversity. Northside meets all of my expectations: wonderful diversity, great leadership, excellent teachers.