Burr Elementary School

1621 West Wabansia Avenue

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
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 August 27, 2024

If you are a family of color then stay away from this school. Our very bright and happy daughter ended up having mental health issues after being bullied for 2 years here. The staff is rude, not welcoming and school does not take action against bullying. There is a huge focus on collecting funds than nurturing good values. Glad we took a strong step in moving her out of this awful place.
Submitted by other on December 11, 2023

(This review is about my experience in Burr Elementary and its questionable approach on bullying)As a former student at Burr Elementary School all I can say is this left me traumatized at how insecure and vulnerable I felt. I was not only bullied but the staff basically did nothing about it, and even when I told my parents, their complaints did nothing about the situation. My bully and his friend group basically went on with life unpunished for their actions. If you want to know some of the things they said then here’s a list:“Are you fat because your mom’s fat?” -followed by childish laughter-“If your last name is ‘#####’ then burn me!” -more childish laughter-There’s a lot more.My main bully’s mom was completely delusional about her son bullying another kid. And when she confronted me she kept saying how her, precious, smart, amazing son could never bully someone and silenced me when I told her the details.Later on, my principal at the time, called me to the office and lo and behold there was my bully, principal, and teacher. This was basically an intervention to stop the bullying and forced my bully to apologize to me. Clearly this encounter didn’t work and was still bullied for being the fat, ugly, girl with basically no friends.I later on moved to the suburbs and have never come face to face with any of my bullies but as of this year (2023) the bullying has resurged as something else, isolation. My psychiatrist and therapist think I’m lucky to still not have a suicidal mindset, need to hurt myself or others, or doing drugs because of all the bullying and isolation I’ve gone through.I really hope Burr Elementary can do something about its bullying issue that clearly didn’t help me and I hope no other kid has to go through what I did. No one deserves to be bullied for how they look.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2022

School is great in adapting to children's learning styles.
Submitted by other on September 02, 2021

I am a former student here and the school is not about who’s bullying who they just simply ignore the student(s) being bullied then that will keep happening thing is the only people who would even listen we’re my parents. This school was the worst and I’m glad I moved away from this awful place.
Submitted by parent on August 30, 2021

I'm going to start with the good. The Friends of Burr and the PTO work really hard to do nice things and put on cool events for the students at Burr. The music program and the after-school classes are good. They also have a nice Japanese language program, but that's about it. Now, the bad. There is a lack of respect for students and parents at this school. Many of the teachers here are stressed out and yell at their students and that is just wrong. The principal is not transparent and implements rules that she does not discuss with the parents. She also treats certain children better than others and punishes students differently. I don't think the students feel welcomed by her. As a parent, I don't feel welcomed by her at all. I feel that the principal is annoyed by most of the parents and I think many of the parents are afraid of saying anything to the principal about her behavior for fear of retaliation on their children. The school is also not diverse. The administration and most of the teachers here are white women, while the support staff are people of color. The principal needs to hire a diverse administrative and teaching staff, reflective of the student body and frankly, the world. It would be nice if there were more male teachers at Burr as well since the number of female teachers far outweighs the number of male teachers. That said, there are many racial issues at this school and instead of the principal addressing them right out, the parents pull their children out of the school and send them elsewhere. The principal never addresses the racial issues at this school and the racial issues continue to play out in the classrooms and on the playground. It makes me sad to write this review, but this is the truth. Here are some things Burr could do better though. One, hire a diverse staff. Two, treat the parents with respect by being transparent. Three, empower students by treating with them respect as well. Give the students some autonomy to make decisions and stop yelling at them. Four, be consistent in the way you treat the student body. Five, update the bathrooms. Six, follow your own rules and be kind. Seven, create a feeling of inclusion amongst the student body and teaching staff. Eight, create a "find a friend area" for recess and encourage students to play with whoever is sitting in that area, always. Nine, a mini-Olympics contest amongst the grades. Ten, balls and other things to play with during recess. You can do it.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2020

My child has attended Burr from K through now 2nd grade. She loves it, and we've also been very happy with the responsiveness of the principal and the staff. We have been extremely impressed as well at how they have prepared and cared for students during remote learning. The curriculum at this age has been pretty traditional (math, reading, spelling), with a nice focus on community and diversity as well as emotional well-being. I wouldn't mind a bit more STEM as my child progresses, but I have no complaints and am overall very satisfied.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2020

Burr is an absolute gem of a neighborhood school, we have 2 children in K and 1 there and have been super impressed with the teachers and the administration. Nearly all of our neighbors have enrolled their children at Burr and not private schools after hearing similar positive feedback. The Greatschools rating (as well as demographic data) is very out of date: check schoolinfo.cps.edu for more accurate information.
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2020

Burr's Great Schools Score does NOT reflect the quality of the school and education. Pros:Great teachers and administration. Ex-principals send their kids here, that should tell you a lot. The parents are very involved. The teachers go above and beyond to help kids succeed. Feels more like a private school. This is one of the best public schools in the city. Cons:The school can do more to help its low-income students with test scores, which it is actively working on. This is why Burr's Great Schools Score is lower.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2017

My oldest has been attending Burr since pre-school and is now in 2nd grade. Every year, the teachers have been caring, compassionate and attentive. I've seen my child grow leaps and bounds. They also offer many programs after school through JCC as well as many teacher and parent run groups such as sports, girl scouts, cub scouts, you name it. The parent involvement is amazing!
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2017

We could not be happier with the administration and family support this school offers
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2016

I currently have a 3rd grader and I am very happy with his progress. I love all the admin, staff and teachers. It's a small town school in a large city. Individual attention is given if needed but children are taught how to be independent as well. The teachers at Burr have helped my child develop a love for reading and math. Burr has fun after school activities such as cooking classes, yoga, girl/cub scouts, karate, dance, lego club, art club, Japanese club plus more. I'm happy to have my child in a small school that feels secure and they know my name when I walk in.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2015

This will be our second year at Burr and we couldn't be happier! The teachers and staff truly care about the students and parental involvement is highly encouraged through a variety of volunteer opportunities. The school has a wonderful Japanese program and is gaining new art, music, and sports programs every year. It feels like one big family!
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2014

Burr is a gem of a school. There are very highly qualified and dedicated teachers. Several have their National Board Certification. The administration is accessible, connected to the classroom and has high expectations for all. There are many programs and activities offered to the students. Burr has a very tight knit community and a lot of parental involvement. Our family feels extremely lucky to be part of the Burr family.
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2014

Burr is Great! The school has a fantastic principal, caring and successful teachers, and a large level of parental involvement. The school body is diverse and there are many extracurricular activities and fun school events. My husband and I are really happy our kids are at Burr!
Submitted by teacher on April 07, 2014

Burr school is a warm and welcoming school,it has an awesome staff and they are dedicated to their students.The parents are extremely involved in their childrens learning and in helping Burr to be the best!
Submitted by parent on April 07, 2014

My children have gone to Burr school for the past 5 years, and we love it! They have thrived there and enjoy going to school there every day. The school is very good at differentiating teaching so that every child is challenged and differing needs are met. They also have great after school programs such as chess, dance, sports, art, japan club, and reading clubs. The teachers and administration are caring and communicative.
Submitted by teacher on April 06, 2014

Burr is a great school with an awesome staff. The Principal makes time for his staff and parents regarding any concerns they may have.You can tell when a person loves what they do and the children they teach.Five stars for Burr!
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2014

We have been at Burr for 4 years and have been very happy. Burr has an undeniable community of involvement! The parents and faculty are committed to the schools success which has taken leaps in the past several years. Along with a new principal, Burrs future is in great hands. Burr offers Japanese as part of the curriculum, and has offered small group teaching when neccessary. In my experience the administration has been very open to parents requests or concerns. We are currently fundraising for more Arts & technology improvements. We have 7 nationally board certified teachers. I truly cant say enough about our school. If you have any further questions feel free to attend one of our school tours on the 1st and 3rd thursday of each month, or message our "Friends of Burr" Facebook page."
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2014

This is my family's first year at Burr. Due to my child's teacher lack of being connected to the students, our experience has not been very welcoming. The teacher lacks compassion and positive communication to ALL students. Administration tries to include everyone however their is a separation of privilege for the parents who are in the "in crowd". On a positive note, there is a HUGE parental involvement.
Submitted by parent on March 23, 2014

Burr is an excellent school. The teachers are in constant communication on expectations and progress. The Principal and Asst Principal keep a strong community with staff, parents and volunteers. The amount of trust and loyalty witnessed between the students and teachers is amazing and truly speaks to the commitment that everyone has in continuing to build Burr to rise all the way to the top!