Smith Elementary School

9800 Sean Drive

School District

Frisco Independent
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for Frisco Independent School District

GreatSchools Rating

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 30, 2023

Our daughter has been going to Smith for a couple of years, and we think it's been a great experience. Smith goes above and beyond when it comes to school spirit. Every Friday there's a school-wide assembly where they "Celebrate Smith", and parents are welcome. The assembly celebrates birthdays of the week, does school songs, gives awards to classrooms or individuals for various things, and generally just have fun to celebrate it being Friday. It's such a cool experience. But the spirit goes beyond this Friday celebration - Smith also teaches all students to be "Smith STRONG", which engrains some core character values that they hold the student body both collectively and individually accountable for. All of this worked wonderfully for my daughter.When it comes to academics, I think they do a great job overall. My daughter has a learning disability, and I think both of her teachers have tried to cater to her situation as best they could. She's a bit behind in one subject area after this grade, but beyond grade level in other areas, so we'll use the summer to try to get her back on track for that one area. I'm just counting blessings that she's beyond grade in some areas.Smith (and probably all FISD?) has so much resources that it blows my mind. Each student is assigned their own iPad in lower grades, and laptop in higher grades. Starting in 2nd grade the students start programming robots to complete mazes. The principal, Mrs Young (or should I say DJ YoungCat) is amazing - she really sets a good tone for the rest of the school.
Submitted by other on February 28, 2023

I enjoyed going to smith elementary when i used to go! celebrate smith was something i looked forward to, and most of my teachers were wonderful.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2021

Depends on the teacher. My child had an excellent 1st grade teacher but she has since left. 2nd grade and 4th grades teachers were not very good. The teacher he has this year is very gripey. He doesn't like this school anymore.
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2019

Excellent school, with great teachers and staff
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2019

When Mr. Kimball was there it was AMAZING. VERY neighborhood family friendly. Now it is not. The principal doesn’t hire neighboring teachers and usually hires new teachers. Most of the veteran teachers that are VERY exceptional have left because of her
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2019

Our experience in Smith is really great. Teachers are more committed and the students adore them. Special mention to PE teachers of Smith who take extra step for specials. School has a wonderful track at the backside, an excellent library and always pleasant office staff
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2017

We began attending this school 3 years ago right as the long-standing principal left and a new one began. She promoted team spirit and competition at the Celebrate Smith morning assemblies, and awards were given out in mass to students regularly, even though we weren't entirely sure what they were for. Some of her new policies came across as flimsy and a bit contradictory at times. Star Wars was a reoccurring theme, which our son enjoyed, but I feel like we may have missed out on some of the programs the former principal was known to support revolving around science, imagination and thinking outside the box. The 2nd grade teacher we had this past school year never sent home any homework or daily/weekly reports, so with the exception of one open house and one parent/teacher conference for the year, we really didn't know what our son was learning. Most of the emails we received were about when testing was scheduled, when to dress up for what themed days, and other school events. We wish working parents like us who can't go to the school all the time were kept more informed. We also wish the focus overall was less about testing and more about creative learning in the daily classroom. In addition to not knowing what a lot of the awards were for, we were also left wondering what all the PTA fundraising money went to. This is another area that could have been communicated better to parents who weren't in the PTA. All of that aside, it's a safe school where most of the students seem to get along well and our son is happy there. We love the art program and teacher, as well as the GT program, even though it's only once a week, it does offer extra challenges that our son craves. We like that it's a neighborhood school that most families can walk to, and the office administration staff is genuinely caring and friendly. It's a good school, but it does seem to cater toward uniformity and conformity rather than individualism. Overall, it's a good school, with room for improvement regarding its priorities for students and communication to parents. Hopefully the new principal starting next year for 2017/2018 will bring about some positive changes to make it even better.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2015

My son just finished his first year at Smith as a Kinder. We have had a great experience, his teacher was well qualified (Masters with 10 yrs experience) and she was so awesome with my very shy child. All of the teachers were very caring and the new principal seemed very competent and approachable. Our son gained so much confidence and really liked this neighborhood school. I definitely would recommend Smith to others.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2014

Both my kids have attended Smith Elementary, and my younger one still does. I just got back from attending one of their Celebrate Smith assemblies - a weekly celebration that happens every Friday. The infectious enthusiasm, the spirit that the the principal and the teachers infuse in the kids has to be seen to be believed. The principle is a visionary, he wants to make a difference. He gives teachers and parents the latitude to introduce new and wonderful programs. 8 years ago I went to him with a request to introduce Destination Imagination ath the school, he supported me and today the school has won Global 1st place for about 4 years in a row. And this is just one example. He has introduced a program called SMITH talks, modeled after TED Talks. The school hosts science fairs, spelling bees, Kindness challenges, in additon to the academic excellence that the staff fosters. We are truly fortunate to get to go to Smith Elementary.
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2013

This school is the testing ground for new FISD programs and new tests. So the children's time here is wasted with overtesting rather than teaching.
Submitted by parent on December 01, 2011

This is my second school year as a parent at this school. It is a wonderful, tight-knit, neighborhood school. The principal is fantastic, and I hope he continues to lead this school the entire time my children attend. The teachers are so wonderful, and truly have their hearts in their positions.
Submitted by other on June 01, 2010

Smith is a fantastic elementary school. It was named a national Blue Ribbon school a couple of years ago. The teachers are wonderful, the principal is connected to the kids and participates in their activities with them. Our son, who is a junior in high school, went there from 1st through 5th grade, and our daughter is just finishing 5th grade there this week. We have considered moving to a different neighborhood a few times over the past 10 years, but always decided to stay because we didn't want our kids to move out of Smith. It really is an incredible school.