Harrison Elementary School

8098 Ferdinand Piech Way

School District

Hamilton County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

public

School Map for Hamilton County 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 teacher on January 29, 2024

This is hands down the worst school I have ever experienced in my nearly 20-year career as an educator. It looks pretty on the outside - nice new building and all. But inside, it is a nightmare. Students are fighting in the halls on the way to class in the morning, fighting in the bathrooms, fighting on the playground. Students bring weapons to school. The lower grade hallways reek of urine because the students just go wherever they want to go - in the hallways, on the walls, etc. The custodial department is severely understaffed. We routinely did not have toilet paper, soap, or paper towels. I had to buy toilet paper and bring it in for myself and the students to use. Teachers are expected to sweep their own classrooms each day. Classrooms are not deep cleaned over the summer months. That falls to the teachers as well. The teachers are horribly stressed, abused, and unsupported by admin. Administration hides in their offices, seemingly aware that the problem has grown too big for them to tackle, so they just hide. I would caution anyone who cares about the safety of their child avoid this school. Safety and hygiene are severely lacking here…let alone education. Harrison Elementary is a very sad excuse for a school.
Submitted by parent on November 16, 2023

We had a lot of problems with bullying in Kindergarten and it’s gotten worse now in 1st grade to the point that our happy, creative kid has become depressed and nervous. The classes are practically at a 30:1 ratio, the kids are out of control, and god forbid your kid gets upset about being tortured daily, because then it’s their fault for not ignoring the bullies. My kid has been nothing but gaslit, victim blamed, and shamed by students and teachers and we’re trying our best to get him out. The worst thing Hamilton County did was combine 3 elementary schools into the overcrowded, ridiculous mess. It seems like every-time we have to interact with the office there are parents yanking their kids out of the school due to bullying and violence. They’ve set up teachers and students for failure.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2023

They lost my kindergarten grandson when we went to pick him up the first day. We were second to the last car rider after waiting 45 minutes Just to be told they can't find him. After hearing about another small child mistakenly being put on a bus and the parent was frantic, I feared the worst! Finally they found him. So, the car pick up is an absolute nightmare!
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2023

This is the most well school. My our child came in my tire life.My son get fame for no reason backflow is in bad bathrooms worst schools
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2022

This school has completely changed since it was merged with 2 other schools in a new building. What used to be a very wholesome, safe and tight-knit community is now a free-for-all. Guns, pepper spray incidents and violence are the new normal at Harrison Elementary which is only a K-5th grade school. Add to that, assistant principles who stand in the way of constructive input and progress and you have a recipe for disaster. The new principle doesn't have the support she needs and the teachers are doing they're very best with the circumstances they've been thrown into but several off them are jumping off this sinking ship and will not be there next year. Brown Middle School doesn't appear to do much better. We are zoned for Brown but we will do whatever we have to do to get our 6th grader to a better school.
Submitted by parent on April 06, 2019

Our experience at Harrison Elementary has been great! My daughter is on the Autistic Spectrum and has loved having Mrs.Webber as her Exception Education Teacher. She helps her with work during her class times and helps her stay on task. We also really like the principal Mrs. Jung and all the wonderful events she plans for the kids throughout the school year.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2017

My kids enjoy the school, but as a parent I've ran into some issues with the how the administrators handle certain issues. Such as bullying, academics, getting resources and help from teachers and principals.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2015

I moved to Chattanooga early 2014. My daughter was starting Kindergarten in August, so I looked to see what school we were zoned for. It was Harrison. So I looked up reviews.. granted, the most recent ones were from a couple of years ago, but they were not good. This made me very weary.. but time came to enroll, and I figured I'd at least go check it out. While looking around, it reminded me of the elementary school I grew up in: older and not very big, but charming. I spoke to a teacher and discovered they had pretty much done a complete turnover and most of the teachers were newer. Found out there are companies in the area (like the Volkswagen plant) that had put lots of volunteer work into revamping the school and a couple of churches that give generous donations to really help the school grow and be better. I had an overall good feeling from my visit and enrolled my child. She absolutely loves it there and has blossomed in her class and her teacher is wonderful. I also want to say that the faculty is very understanding and lenient with parents wanting to be involved in the school. I'm a very happy parent :)
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

DON T BE FOOLED BY THE STARS OR RATING. THIS IS A HORRIBLE SCHOOL!!! These parents were also yelling at her that the District Office told them the children would be out at 11:00. I was standing there in my uniform telling the principle the same thing but she insisted that the children were not supposed to be out until 11:30. I told her I had the voicemail that I would play for her and when I went to play it she ran into her office to get away from me. I actually had to chase her into her office to play the voicemail for her in front of her staff and she then agreed to let the children go. This lady needs to be fired as the principle!!! Around spring time my daughters teacher began to yell more and more at the class and actually blame them that over 80% of them failed some sort of test while the other two 5th grade classes passed. With such a high failure rate on one class is clearly indicative of a poor teaching job not a poor performance by the students. CONTINUED IN ANOTHER POST.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

DON T BE FOOLED BY THE STARS OR RATING. THIS IS A HORRIBLE SCHOOL!!! During the winter time the schools closed early when the roads became ice. All parents were called by the Hamilton County District Schools main office and were informed that the children will be released at 11:00. When I showed up to the school at 11:15 after battling the icy conditions none of the children were outside. Upon entering the school one of the teachers told me that the principle would not release the children until 11:30. I had another daughter at the high school that needed to be picked up as well since she was also in the Hamilton County School District and would now have to wait outside for me while I was stuck waiting on the elementary school principle to release the children. The teacher told me to go to the front office and make them pull my child from her class. Upon reaching the front office there were around 40 parents yelling at the principle telling her that they needed to get their child and pick up another child at another school. CONTINUED IN ANOTHER POST.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

DON T BE FOOLED BY THE STARS OR RATING. THIS IS A HORRIBLE SCHOOL!!! These parents were also yelling at her that the District Office told them the children would be out at 11:00. I was standing there in my uniform telling the principle the same thing but she insisted that the children were not supposed to be out until 11:30. I told her I had the voicemail that I would play for her and when I went to play it she ran into her office to get away from me. I actually had to chase her into her office to play the voicemail for her in front of her staff and she then agreed to let the children go. This lady needs to be fired as the principle!!! Around spring time my daughters teacher began to yell more and more at the class and actually blame them that over 80% of them failed some sort of test while the other two 5th grade classes passed. With such a high failure rate on one class is clearly indicative of a poor teaching job not a poor performance by the students. CONTINUED IN ANOTHER POST.
Submitted by parent on April 02, 2014

DON T BE FOOLED BY THE STARS OR RATING. THIS IS A HORRIBLE SCHOOL!!! This teacher continually yells at the students and it is even bad enough where one of the students has begun to keep count of the number of times he is yelling at the class. In less than 2 weeks time this teacher has yelled at the students over 100 times and to the point where my daughter says his entire face become red and his veins are popping out. I know this is a long write up but I hope that it will help prevent another parent from making their child suffer at this school.
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2014

THis school is horrible dont ever send your kids here!! Where to even start, they claim they are a highly rated school yet my daughter who is in fifth grade has learned nothing all year the teacher has been saying that he is just reviewing because of the other kids being so behind in class he uses every excuse to be absent and sends a sub or they split the kids between classes cause they dont have a sub all the teacher ever does is scream, he constantly misplaces their turned in work and blames the kids for losing them and then finds them later because his wife has moved them some where else, he never lets the kids go outside its been 3 months and they dont get to go outside to play. My daughter who never before wanted to miss school dreads going each day is bored. Security is horrible cars drive into parking lots i have seen many kids almost get hit by cars in the parking lot where people should not be in the first place, people smoke on school grounds talking to the principal does nothing she doesnt care she is only there to collect a paycheck tan her orange hide and eat taco bell. avoid sending your kids to this horrible school