Drummond Elementary School

1845 West Cortland Street

School District

Chicago Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
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 19, 2024

This school needs a new upgrade internally. It is very disorganized and dirty compared to other CPS schools., especially in the basement floor. Bullying needs to be emphasized and addressed. The principle, Erica l, never respond to her emails. Some teachers barely communicate about the student’s progress. Wish there were more healthy choices for breakfast and lunch. There is no bilingual program at this school.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2024

My child has thrived academically and socially within Drummond's family-like environment. The principal leads by example, knowing each child and treating them like her own. This personal approach sets the tone for the entire school community, fostering trust and a sense of belonging among students. Coming from a private Montessori school, the staff does a nice job of implementing Montessori practices. I have seen an improvement recently with the addition of a dedicated coach. I am happy my child is learning to become an independent thinker! My child has built great relationships with the kids in their class. I'm glad our family took a chance on Montessori and I will definitely have my kid continue to Upper Elementary and Middle School.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2024

My son was accepted for first grade, and we were very happy because we thought that the Montessori methodology was going to be great for him, but this worked against us, throughout the year the third grade children who were in his class (Elementary 1) made fun of my son because they said he spoke strangely (he speaks with some words in Spanish and it is difficult to understand him for children who only speak English) he was the only Hispanic child in his classroom, and the truth is I let it go because they are children and they are learning, after 7 months of seeing that my son did not have a single friend and many children rejected him and there was no follow-up from the school seeing a child who is alone most of the time and playing alone. (my son did make friends easily outside of school, but at school he felt repressed by the children who did not accept him). I spoke to the teacher without finding real support for my son's.Many teachers at school seem friendly, and the afterscool and cafeteria staff are great. I think it may be a good school for other people, but for our culture and our family it was not a good experience.
Submitted by parent on February 22, 2024

Drummond has been a welcoming community for our family (early childhood). Our child’s teacher is attentive to her learning needs and sparks creativity and imagination in all of the students. The kids get a good amount of outside play time and plenty of opportunity to explore the arts through special classes daily. The principal has been responsive and engaged, and parents are quite involved.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2023

We started last fall with my 3yo prek. Chicago has 3 public Montessori schools. We picked drummond. The Grade levels are mixed. So prek for 3yo, prek 4yo and kindergarten are together. We dont mind. Mrs. Kathleen is a wonderful teacher. Patience and love towards her students. No complaints about her. This school is predominantly white in an affluent neighborhood. They collect donations annually for the school. So that's nice!The principal is okay. I don't think she goes above or beyond the usual expectations of her job. She does okay. She is often seen around. They have an organized drop off every morning but the volunteer ( a dad parent)who runs it. Is rude. He is in the local school counsel which is a huge red flag he is allowed to treat families poorly when they park the car on the drop off lane once. I witnessed it multiple times towards other people and then it happened to me on a parked spot. He should not be allowed to disrespect families as such. He gets away with it because he has been there longterm. One morning I was parked in front of the school where we can park. he rudely asked why I was there at 8am with an attitude? I had my kids in their backpacks with me. I had been parking there for 3 months, said hi to him multiple times. It felt unwelcoming because he is white and I'm Hispanic. Like he assumed I was not doing any good and didnt belong there? My kids asked why that happened? So uncomfortable. Principal never reached out when I sent her an email. I don't think this school surpases education standards anymore than other schools. But it's affluent families help it stay updated as can be.As for mean girl energy. On the last day of school this white girl was fighting a black student for the swing. Parents nearby not doing a thing. I walked up and told her to stop shoving the girl off the swing. Let her have her turn and wait. She responded to mind my business. I threatened to get other parents involved and she stopped. It was insane to see so many bystanders watch the white students yank and pull the swing the black student was on without doing anything. It's not okay. That's mean girl energy. I won't hesitate to intervene when tis gotten out of hand. The bipoc body is small which is tough. Many kids don't get exposure to their culture because they are minorities
Submitted by parent on February 08, 2019

Excellent school. Phenomenal teachers and caring staff.
Submitted by parent on May 17, 2018

I would not recommend this school for your child. Especially middle school program.
Submitted by parent on November 11, 2017

3 kids and 13 years later and I cannot be more thankful for a school that supports development of entire human being. High expectations are the standard but so it respect and caring for each child.
Submitted by parent on June 18, 2017

It was our first year at Drummond, after the several attempts to get into this school in the past several years. We are really happy with the school and how my daughter learned in this past year. They have a new principal who had started this school year as the interim first but now she is the principal. She is great! She and the administration are much better than the past couple of years, according to many of other parents who have been in the school. The teachers and the principal really understand what the Montessori philosophy is and approach is. We definitely will keep our child to this school and looking forward to seeing her grow in this school.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2016

We used to LOVE Drummond! The parent community and the early childhood teachers are very warm and supportive. When our children were younger and there was a different administrative team, we always felt listened to and cared for. The current principal is extremely ineffective and no one there seems to know what is going on or how to resolve a problem. In addition, the 7th-8th grade math and science teacher yells at and berates students in front of the class, which has been very upsetting to my child. He is a bully, and he assigns grades depending on how much he likes your child. It's no wonder that so many families transfer their children out of Drummond before 7th grade. I truly regret keeping my child there for 7th and 8th grade.
Submitted by parent on November 25, 2015

I already said this in my "grateful" review seems redundant to repeat it, good lord.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2015

My daughter is currently in 1st. Grade and she started here in Pre-k 3. She has had a wonderfully enriching experience and continues to grow and flourish on this environment.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2014

We have a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old in this school. We have been very pleased with what the children have learned and most importantly with the sense of community the school provides, both from the parent and teacher involvement. In addition, the YMCA aftercare program is amazing, as are the after school choices for enrichment.
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2013

Drummond is a wonderful close-knit school. Many parents are actively involved and the community around the school is wonderful as well. The teachers are well organized, very compassionate & open to communication at all times. You will be a happy parent if your child can attend Drummond.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2013

My son's school is great. The teachers are motivated to teaching our children and have the patients needed to guide each individual child on their own learning curb.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2011

Our 3yro daughter had her first day at Drummond today. We have experienced several different school climates within CPS and Drummond's school community far exceeds them all. When she wouldn't nap today even the principal took some time to come in and sit with her. As a parent, that speaks volumes to me about his interest into the well-being of my child. Her teacher was so gentle and kind, yet honest in communicating what I imagine was a fairly tiring and challenging situation. We are so thrilled to be a part of this new community!