Fairmount Elementary School

6036 Blodgett Avenue

School District

Downers Grove Gsd 58
Grade

PK, K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Downers Grove Gsd 58 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 parent on September 16, 2022

Our child is neurodiverse, and we have had nothing but positive experiences from the principal, to the nurse, to all the support staff and teachers. We know our child's education is in good hands at Fairmount!
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2021

Don’t be fooled by the rating. This school was absolutely awful. The first grade teachers need to retire. We went the whole school year and my child’s first grade teacher was still emailing me misspelling my child’s and and referring to her as he. I corrected her more times then I can count and it still continued. The superintendent is absolutely awful and is so in to himself that it is sickening. When your child is struggling this school hides it and tries to tell you everything is fine. My daughter did not learn anything in her first grade class that her friends at other schools learned. A lot of the families at this school are extremely stuck up, judgmental and too good for you. My child was so low academically in math that I she was below the below average mark and the school just played it off and said it was fine. They did not want to tell me or admit that there was a struggle. It was not until we left this school that we realized it was not my daughter it was the school and how they taught. If my daughter didn’t know how to do something she was told to skip it and not do it.. the teacher never once sat down with her and explained how to do it. If she had a question the teacher told her to ask a classmate instead of offering her help. When I brought this issue up to the principal all she said is that there are studies proving this way of teaching works.. well she was wrong. Half a year at our new school and my daughter made more than a 50% increase academically. My daughter made 0 progress academically at Fairmount in the two years she was there. The superintendent is awful. The best interest of the students and families is the last thing on his mind. I emailed him concerning a family at the school and instead of handling the issue he pretty much called me a liar until I showed him court papers. He would rather leave the students in danger rather than handle the situation I presented to him. I have never been more happy to leave this school. My daughter has been making amazing progress at her new school and is now at her grade level in math. At Fairmount she was not even on the charts and the school did nothing despite my efforts. They just said let’s give it another 6 weeks, and another and another. This school has bullying issues that the principal only addresses if you literally March in to her office. Rating is just a number. I would maybe give this school a 4 in my opinion.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2019

I couldn't be happier with our experience at Fairmount. We feel lucky to have our children in such a warm and loving environment every day!
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2019

If you have a child that needs an IEP this is not the school for you. They will do everything in their power not to give you an IEP. If your kid doesn't need any extra help or any interventions they will do fine at this school. Great teachers that really care about the kids. Principal is more concerned about posting pictures on Twitter than getting your kid the right help. I would never recommend this school to anyone with a child with learning disabilities.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2017

My daughter started 1st grade this year at Fairmount and she couldn’t be happier, she loves Mrs. Nedic and every other teacher in this school. I personally love this school as well, they are kind, supportive and professional.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2017

Wonderful experience so far. Great staff. Great PTA.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2017

Love this school. Quality teachers. New principal.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2017

We love Fairmount. The teachers have been excellent. Our child has been there several years and is performing academically ahead of peers at private school.
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2017

District provided excellent information and care as student transitioned in.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2016

I am parent to a kindergartner at this school this year and I have had nothing but great things to report about this school. My child's teacher is wonderful and caring. My child is SO excited to learn from her teacher and the classroom community that has been built with the other students has been great! She has been growing educationally by leaps and bounds. My child has allergies to nuts and the teacher contacted me about alternative snacks for her so she doesn't feel "left out" of the fun. Also, during snack time, her teacher encouraged all the students to bring healthy snacks of veggies or fruits to snack on... I haven't experienced the negatives that the other people posting have brought up. I would totally recommend this school to other parents.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2015

This school provides good education (2 starts for that) but wellness program isn't the best... Not enough exercise throughout the day and other thing that bugged me for all 3 years that my daughter attended this school is that children are often rewarded with candy or other junk food for good work by teachers. Yes, they are given treats like pets. Parents are also welcome to stop by with donuts or whatever treat they wish to bring. I brought this issue to the principle several times through the years but was told that "This is an American culture and that I should adopt to it"... I should mention that I was not born in US and still have an accent but I lived most of my adult life here in US and feel I have adopted very well :) I tried supplying classroom with other little things like pencils, stickers, erasers for rewards but it was disregarded. This school simply isn't open for new winds to make it better. Also I must mention that classes are huge (25 kids per class!) and no wonder teachers aren't as friendly as they could be with fewer children. Next year we are moving to a different district. I would not recomend this school if you think outside the box.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2014

The kindergarten teacher is fake 100%. She is all about her !! The second grade teacher isn't qualified to teach period and she was moved from a higher grade down. The school is only as good as its principal. He doesn't come out of his office too much. Last year, in the winter, the kids were falling all over the playground and sidewalks that were sheets of ice and no one there cared. Thank god for our children he is retiring. Can't be soon enough. There are two seasoned teachers in this school that still care about the success of students. One in second grade and one in sixth grade. The rest can care less and are not willing to help. Fifth grade teacher has got to be the worst. She is clueless and if you confront her with her mistakes grading paper she makes your kids life miserable the rest of the school year. Take note people. This school wouldn't have what they have if it's wasn't for the parents.
Submitted by parent on June 22, 2014

We have two children who have attended Fairmount School (one now going into 6th grade, another will be in 8th grade) and have nothing but positive, glowing reviews for the school, the staff, the principal, and the PTA's efforts to create a nurturing, well-rounded and top-notch educational experience for our kids. Having moved to Downers Grove from the North Shore when our first child was just an infant, we had heard good things about Downers Grove and the quality of District 58 schools. Once we became part of the Fairmount community we found it to be a fantastic environment for our children and have been more than pleased with our children's education and preparation for matriculation. Perhaps those who left a negative review failed to get involved and participate actively in their own children's education? We loved our kindergarten teacher, have had nothing but positive experiences with the principal, and were thrilled with the level of commitment, dedication and volunteerism that the PTA devoted to making this school a great place for ALL of our children to learn. Would highly recommend this school, and this community to anyone considering moving into this area.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2014

We have had 2 kids at Fairmount - one just graduated (now at O'Neill) and another going into 6 grade. I must rebut the parent who said that Fairmount was not a good place to get an education. Our kids excelled there, made great friendships, became involved with after school activities - and received a very good education. In a world where Yelp type reviews give the reader a 30 second snapshot of a unhappy reviewer, I feel it's best to get an overall picture of the school. We've been heavily involved with PTA and I've never shared a coffee or doughnut with a PTA member because the meetings are at night. Yes we work on fundraising to supply our kids with the best technology and chance to succeed. The principal is engaged with the parents and the teachers are accessible and "real" friendly. NEVER had any issues with the communication or problem solving. Given the option of sending our kids to Fairmount School again - I would do it in a heartbeat.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2014

The PTA has added so much parent involvement to this elementary school, bringing funding to push this school up to the elite level of Hillcrest and other Great Schools. Mini iPads are provided for all but one grade (1st) in 2014 in an expanded program making it perhaps the best public school in the state and this is within a town cited as the 2nd best place for kids in the US besides Boise, ID. While two prior posts mention a Kindergarten cop veteran, it's noteworthy that veteran has been very effective in teaching perhaps the most people and generations in all of the DG community. Tough teacher? Yes. A double poster's prior post says 'fake friendly'; I don't know about that. Effective? Ask the generations of students and parents that had her as well and you'll have an overwhelming majority say 'yes, effective'! When you reach the 1st through 6th grades, you'll continue to find teachers engaged. And particulary by 4th increasingly challenging the kids to prepare them for O'Neil Jr High. Fairmount is a Great School with an involved principal, teachers and parents working together for improvements each year.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2014

Very unhappy with this school! We saw great ratings and moved here from the city without digging deeper assuming all suburban schools are great. What a disappointment it was... Kindergarten teacher felt fake and is not warm nor friendly with kids. Teachers and parents are allowed to feed kids junk food whenever they feel like bringing treats and if you have a kid with allergies - your kid can sit and watch others eat. Cruel! DG wellness policy states that no junk can be sold at school but if it's free - eat away... First grade - same story. We have one more kid that will be ready for K this fall and she isn't going there. Downers Grove is a nice town with great parks and a lot to offer for family life but kids spend half day in school and it has to be good... We are moving :(
Submitted by parent on February 13, 2014

School has great ratings but sadly it all looks great on the outside only. We tried to make it work for 3 years but it didn't. Kindergarden teacher was mean and fake friendly. My both kids didn't want to go to school from the first week (and they both loved going to pre-k!). They always complained about teacher being mad (K and 1st grade especially). I agree with the post above about the first grade teacher being fake and inexperienced as well. Second grade was a little better but it didn't get to the good where it would make us to stay. Principal seems like a good person but school is small, there's a lot of gossip and it is set in the old ways where new/fresh ideas are not welcome. PTA is for coffee and donuts and the main concern for them is to raise money... We were able to move and transferred kids to different district. It's been almost a year now and it's a great feeling for me as a parent to see my kids finally being exited to go to school. I do not recommend this school if you want your child to be exited about learning from the very start.