Pierce School

50 School Street

School District

Brookline
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:9
Type

public

School Map for Brookline School District

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 other on March 22, 2021

As far as a building is concerned, Pierce is overcrowded, loud (some classes occur outside classrooms) with small cafeteria and auditorium. The school even had to shut down computer club to reclaim some space recently.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2017

Pierce is an excellent school, however it should be noted that it is not a good school for kids with hearing loss or attention issues due to acoustics issues. Many of the classrooms are all in a large open room with no walls dividing them. It's a cool open format, but not great for kids who are hard of hearing or are easily distracted. There is not too much that can be done about the acoustics aside from completely renovating the building or switching to a different school. Kindergarten and first grade are in a more traditional building, but 2nd grade and up are acoustically challenged.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2016

Pierce is an excellent school. It doesn't even feel like a public school. The attention, the activities, I am quite impressed and very happy that my child goes there
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2015

My children are doing great on their first year in Brookline. They are enjoying school, friends and new activities. We are lucky to be here and form part of Pierce community. Teachers and all the staff are professional and take care of our children. and they feel comfortable, enjoy learning and being at school.
Submitted by parent on December 30, 2014

Caution: Pierce (like all Brookline public schools) have a history of excellence. I attended the public schools myself in the town, and my kids have gone to Pierce for 7 years. The town is experiencing a population boom. While the teachers, staff, and long standing principals are doing an excellent job weathering the population storm, the Superintendent and school committee is not. We are already seeing quality start to slide, despite everyones best efforts. Test scores gradually decreasing, focus on education slipping. The future is not roses, I do expect more decline before Brookline is able to bounce back. Brookline is not keeping up with its gifted students, nor with technology in the classroom. The towns philosophy about education does not put academic rigor first. The students are happy, but I'm not sure they are really being challenged. The world language program is not much to brag about, likely due to funding. That being said, Pierce has a strong and social parent community. Despite being in two (soon to be 3) separate buildings, the community is close knit. The principal is amazing and professional, as well as warm and wise.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2012

My son (soon to be in the 5th grade) has done very well at Pierce. We moved to Brookline from the South Shore 'burbs when he was in the 2nd grade. After a rocky start (it's VERY different -- in a good way -- from the suburbs), I'm happy to say that he's thrived here and has become very independent, for ex.: it's safe enough for kids to walk to and from school here. We love being able to walk/bike/take the T to get around. Much of the school has an open floor plan, which concerned me at first because my kid has ADHD, but the services here are excellent. It's also turned out that the openness of the school works well for him, because he can take a break unobtrusively when he needs one. The school also is, as another reviewer has noted, economically and socially diverse, and offers a welcome break in that sense from the suburbs. Your kids will meet children at Pierce from around the world and from different backgrounds. Pierce is a vibrant urban school that emphasizes and encourages earning, reading, critical and creative thinking. Parents are also encouraged to be involved in the school. I would say there's a very positive atmosphere overall. Come visit and see for yourself! :)
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2010

Pierce is an excellent school in every aspect. The location is great and so are the teachers. My daughter and son are very fond of school life.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2007

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Submitted by parent on February 16, 2007

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