Mckinley School

60 Thompson Street

School District

Fairfield
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

public

School Map for Fairfield 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 March 30, 2023

I am so glad my child goes to McKinley. An absolutely amazing community. The student body is diverse, the teachers and administrative staff are caring and communicative, the PTA is active and there is a really strong sense of community among the students. My child has excelled academically here and he is so proud to be a McKinley student.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2021

My daughter just finished 5th grade in this school. They are very diverse school that know and teach how to respect the other and provide great education with compassion and respect. Teacher are great.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2019

My Daughter is in 4th grade and she loves the teacher and the school.We loved McKinley ! Its a environment that teaches the kids to accept the differences and be respectful with every single person.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2018

Our 5th year at McKinley and my children love this school they made a lot of great friends. And became attached to a lot of amazing and caring staff at this school. WE LOVE MCKINLEY!! No school in Fairfield can bypass us!
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2018

Amazing, wonderful, great. It offers so much.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2017

This school has a lovely diversity similar to that of the real world. The "6" rating is not current. These test scores are from 2013!!! Since then, McKinley has created new programs for their ELL (English as a 2nd language) students, and their test scores are now on par with all of Fairfield's top notch elementary schools. Kudos to McKinley!
Submitted by parent on October 24, 2016

The teachers have always been very caring and supportive of my child. The pricipal even makes an effort to come to all the events outside of school hours to show her support. I've found the other parents I've met on the playground and on field trips to be kind and caring. So happy we bought in this district.
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2016

My children have been in this school for years and we always have problem people are very rude and stuck up if you are not involved in PTA or kissing someone's behind they can care less for you or your children the principal has zero compassion very rude if you do no put money in to the school you are a nobody and they will make you feel very uncomfortable my children do not want to stay in this school they denied my daughter a phone call twice and it was an emergency the bullying and discrimination that goes on in this school is horrible I would not recommend this school to anyone unless you have money to throw away then you will be love the principal has to go
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2016

We love this school. It was the reason why we moved to this area. It provides the most real world scenario in all of Fairfield. Kids of over 30 countries come to this school. The teachers are VERY involved with the students. I have 2 kids. 1 already graduated from McKinley while the other one still has 1 more year to go. The community is like a FAMILY. Yes, you will hear this word a lot in this school because it is true. I don't write reviews but I will take the time for this school. The carnival is something that ALL of Fairfield looks forward to. What else can I say other than this. We feel extremely fortunate to have experience first hand how this school operates. How they receive you with open arms. How they treat your kid like it's their own. It was the best decision that we made when we moved here. We looked at all of the towns in Fairfield County but for us Fairfield and this school stood out the most. We LOVE this school and it's Faculty :-)
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2016

McKinley IS family. My wife and I are absolutely thrilled with the education our boys are getting at McK, and the incredible friends they (and we!) have made. This school is really tops in Fairfield; the reason the site rating reflects slightly lower than other FF elementaries is because we are the international school in town and our overall test scores tend to skew lower - not because of the quality of education, but because of our amazing diversity of students who speak English as a 2nd language. Love, love, LOVE this school!
Submitted by parent on August 03, 2014

This school is absolutely amazing!!! First let me say that I NEVER write reviews for anything. I had to share my experience on how great this school is! I have two children, one in pre-k and the other entering 3rd grade. My soon-to-be 3rd grader has flourished at Mckinley! The teachers are there because they care, not because they just want a paycheck every week. The teachers are fully involved in the children and the children's success. They make the kids WANT to succeed and excel. Just to give you an example on how much the teachers care, my son just received a letter from his 2nd grade teacher this week asking how his Summer was! What other school will you get a teacher taking time out of their Summer to send their students from the previous year a letter? In addition, all teachers participate in the school activities, concerts, fundraisers, volunteering throughout the year. As a child I attended school in Greenwich and the education does not compare to Mckinley. This school is absolutely amazing and any child would be lucky to attend!
Submitted by parent on December 02, 2013

This school takes such a beating because of its diversity. I live in Fairfield, CT, and this is a town with hidden racism. So, this school is consistently targeted. Our children currently attend McKinley, and it is probably one of the most well structured, organized, and supportive environments you'd ever want your children to experience. The people in the actual town however, extremely snobby, ill mannered, and basically just not very nice people. So, you have to weed yourself through the mire of racism that is an underlying quality of Fairfield, CT in general. Outside of that, the teachers are fantastic! No matter what any one may write here, I have never had any issue with the teachers, principle, or overall structure of McKinley's curriculum. The state I have issues with regarding the curriculum, but not McKinley. Honestly, I can not rave enough about the quality of this school. It's just too bad that it's located in such a spiteful and stubborn place like Fairfield. Or, I should correct myself, thank God it IS located in Fairfield, or else my lovely children would have to endure the racism from the towns narrow-minded offspring.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2013

My school is a great place to be. My children have all had great experiences at McKinley. The PTA is very involved, adding enrichment programs for the children. It's like being part of a large extended family.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2013

Some of the teachers at Mckinley are very rude they do not pay attention to my child they do not treat my child the same as the other students my daughters teacher now told me that my daughter ask too many questions my daughter has complained about bullying I had brought it up to the teacher and principal and they did nothing about it the teacher even said my daughter is a liar and she does not believe her about anything I am so upset this school is sad my child does not like her teacher the teacher singles her out everyday she even told my child she is not allowed to use the bathroom nor go to the nurses office anymore this school makes me sick they need better teachers and a principal
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2013

McKinley is a school that is not only like a second family to those who are part of it, but boasts top-notch educators who challenge the children to think out of the proverbial box and use their creative thought processes. This school excels in academics on many levels and has teachers who go above and beyond for its students. I am proud to be a McKinley parent and that my children are learning from people who teach them to be book smart and how to apply their learnings to every day life.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2013

McKinley Elementary School is the best kept secret in town. Realtors tend to steer prospective buyers away from the district based on hearsay, demographics, and lower test scores. There's more to McKinley than the numbers show. It was recently re-built and is one of the few air conditioned school buildings in town. The PTA is active and welcomes anyone wanting to help make the school an even better place. Parents who opt-in from other schools are always impressed with the PTA funds support cultural arts programs, subsidize field trips, and provide teacher grants for classrooms. The real wealth of the school is its diversity. Our kids don't describe other children by the color of their skin or their ethnicity- they are all just kids. The families at McKinley include new immigrants from all over the world, giving kids a global perspective. The main hallway, know as 'Broadway', has flags from 40+ countries displayed in a reflection of the origins of the student population. However, test scores are impacted due to many English language learners. Every student MUST take the test, regardless of whether they understand the questions or not and the scores count toward the average.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2012

I am thrilled to send my kids to this school. I love the diversity, the strong PTA, their involved principal, and the wonderful teachers my 2 children have had there.