Westar Elementary School

17777 West Westar Drive

School District

Liberty Elementary District
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:18
Type

public

School Map for Liberty Elementary 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 November 13, 2024

I want to start of by saying we love our teachers. We support our teachers. School staff, including board members, are legally required to be nonpartisan and support ALL students and staff. This is not the case within the Liberty Elementary School District. This district and "majority" of the current school board are pro QAnon and support it on their school affiliated social media sites. Mind you the law states their school board affiliated sites are NOT ALLOWED to have political ideas on them. The majority continues to break the laws. They are unethical and harmful. The board President, Brian Parks, needs to resign IMMEDIATELY. And if the other two board memebers (Kenyon and Cirrincione) cannot grow a pair, they should resign as well. Integrity has been lost. Transparency has dwindled away. I am hopeful the new school board elects, Schmidt and Zimmerman, will bring some back to the board. Parents wake up and please pay attention. Schools schould not be political. PERIOD.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2024

This school is deeply deeply flawed. They use very punitive methods that create a negative atmosphere for the children. They receive referrals for anything that they do. There is no positive reinforcement. The administration have zero understanding of child development or the social emotional needs of children. They allow bullying and violence without sufficient consequences. Parents have to fight to protect their children here. The school board for the district allows people to serve on the board who lie about their background. They fire teachers and staff at will and do so without regard for how that impacts the safety of the children. There is very little supervision for children at recess/lunch where the majority of incidents occur. Staff is overworked and overburdened with responsibilities because of all of the recent terminations. This place is an absolute MESS!!! Many of us parents are choosing to homeschool until they fix the issues our students experienced and improve safety. Oh and they denied my child bathroom privileges!!
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2024

This school is full of racism. My child is constantly called racist remark from students. No real punishment is ever received. This school is not a safe environment for children of color.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2024

We started my son off at an excelled school and he was absolutely miserable crying every day didn’t want to go to school, this was in kindergarten. I felt that this was not how kindergarten should be. It should be a fun experience. so we decided to pull him out and we joined him into Westar. Westar has been an unbelievable transformation. not only encouraged him to do the best that he possibly can, they have helped him open up doors to teach him in different ways that he needs. He does need extra help learning and they have provided that for him and worked with him unbelievably. I am forever grateful for how much the school has helped my son snd us as parents. he loves going to school every day. He comes home happy he enjoys the stuff that they learn at school and this is going on year three. he is now in third grade. The teachers are all wonderful, kind, helpful, respectful and tentative. The cafeteria seems pretty good as well, with their fun open, safe playgrounds. The family events are plentiful , the only downfall I have is I feel that there auditorium/cafeteria could be bigger for their school performances as it does get a bit chaotic for the Christmas holiday show and end of school year graduations. They also do not offer a special needs room anymore but that is due the the liberty district combining them all to one school, that I’m not very pleased about.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2019

I would NEVER recommend this school to anyone. When we toured the school with 3 of our children, all different grades, Cameo walked us around campus, showed us a few different classrooms, and wasn't exactly responsive to questions. When asked about bullying, she responded with "the policy is on the wall". They don't have any programs that encourage leadership for girls. When asked about sports, they have football. However, when asked if girls can play football, "well, no. We don't encourage that. Football is for boys." Yet they have no programs targeted toward girls, girl empowerment, or self leadership for girls, much less sports. I was very put off by this school, and have decided to put my children in a school where they will thrive. The children at this school didn't appear happy, and most walked with their heads down. This school focuses too much of it's time on the STEM aspect than it does the students, and their success and happiness.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2019

This is our first year at Westar with both a kinder and 1st grader! Our 1st grade has a 504 and the school has been wonderful accommodating him! All the teachers are lovely, with an open line of communication through the Remind app. All the weeks homework is given out on Monday so that you have the whole week to complete it. Over all, this school gets an A+. My only complaint is there are no sports programs for the younger kids through the school!
Submitted by other on January 05, 2017

I went to this school in the sixth through seventh grade and found it okay. My sixth grade teacher was nice but didn't like to teach social studies, so she didn't. Everyone else in the grade was learning about Ghandi and Ancient Greece/Rome, and there we were sitting around and talking with our friends. My math and science teacher cared very much about what we were learning, but they have been replaced now. I only stayed in seventh grade for about a couple of months and left to do homeschooling, but it was okay. My math teacher taught fairly well, the literature was good; although she wanted to talk more about her dogs. The best was my social studies teacher and she took her job really seriously and was the best public school teacher I've ever had. They have a wide range of extra-curricular activities to choose from; but I didn't do any. In music class, all of the students starting from Kindergarten on up will learn how to play the keyboard and read music, which I find very good. This is a STEM school, so they are very focused on science and math. There are quite a few academic clubs to join as well. Overall, I wouldn't say this is a bad school, just okay and slightly mediocre (but then again, most public schools are).
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2014

My kids have been attending Westar for six years now. We moved into the area because of the school's rating and reputation and haven't been disappointed. We love the community feel of the school, activities, and parent interaction. Our kids get personal attention and more challenging math or other assignments when appropriate. We have not had any issues with bullies, discipline, or other drama at this school. We are very happy with it. Westar now hosts the district G/T students and classes are STEM focused. We feel very fortunate to be part of the Westar school and the Estrella community.
Submitted by parent on July 27, 2014

My son has been going to westar for 3 years now and he has really enjoyed his teachers and the curriculum at the school.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2014

Westar is a fantastic school. This school has a great energy and the parents are really involved. The principal is easy to talk to and it shows on his face he loves his job and the people it impacts. With the constant changes to our education system this school is on top of it and giving our children the best education. The kids coming out of Westar will be better suited going into high school. No matter YOUR opinion of the latest educational implementation, your student is going to be best prepared for the world around them. Westar teachers focus on real world application. Westar will teach your student the foundations they will need to build on throughout their education . The Teachers at Westar don't push paper they push thinking and reasoning. My kids love school and the friends they are surrounded by in the neighborhoods that feed into Westar. My kids have been on some amazing field trips since they have been at Westar. They have a brand new Stem building and each grade a science lab available to them. My kids are involved in sports through the school as well as buddy classes where they are afforded opportunity to mentor or be mentored by another student.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2014

My kids moved into this school from out of state as 3, 1, 8 graders. I was concerned about bullying because they were the new kids on the block. Every school as bullies, life has bullies. However, my students didn't experience bullying at all. I know Westar has a no tolerance policy for bullying both on campus and through social media. I feel very safe having my kids at this school and feel the school environment has given my own children the confidence to deal with any problems they might encounter. As a parent it is my job to teach my children how to correctly deal with this issue. I love the STEM focus and my children's excitement for all that STEM can bring to them in school and at home. 2 of my children are now wanting to have careers centered around science or engineering. Very happy with this school, the teacher, the principal, the PTO, the district.
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2014

My son is in 5th grade and has one of the most amazing teachers. She meets her kids right where they are and moves them forward in a loving challenging way. This year I have seen my son's self-confidence soar. He never loved reading and now he will knock out a 197 page book in a week. He was always a marginal at math and this teacher has inspired him to STAY WITH IT! He has seen that not everything is easy ... but hard work pays off. I'm quite happy with the school, the teachers and the administration. There are plenty of ways to stay informed and help out. Although I understand bullying happens, my son has not experienced it at Westar.
Submitted by parent on March 26, 2014

I think this school is awesome. We have traveled all over the world with the military and this school is one of the best that my children have attended. We have brand new science labs and they go on great field trips. This year, 6th Grade went on a 3-day Desert Survival trip, next year, 7th Grade gets to go to AstroCamp in California and in 8th Grade, students go to Catalina in California. This school does lots of fundraisers and food drives to help the community. There is a science camp this summer at the school that my younger child can attend and my older child can be a counselor for. There is also an amazing STEM night coming up where all kinds of companies are going to come and do fun activities that are science-related. I think it's a great school.
Submitted by other on July 17, 2013

The teachers need to research why they are talking about. Sometimes they will teach something that is completely incorrect or they will teach you random facts they found on the Internet.
Submitted by other on April 24, 2013

Not at all. I've been going here since kindergarten and I'm in 7th now and I still hate it.Please note you WILL get bullied if your: different than the other kids,overweight,dark or don't meet everyone eles standards. I get bullied everyday and the teachers don't do any thing. Speaking of which, the teachers aren't good either in fact they are unprofessional my science teacher actually said the "d word" at us once.So I'm glad I'm leaving after next year
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2013

Moving to AZ was a HUGE move for us. I was VERY concerned about previous reviews about bullying at Westar. With all 3 of my children (8th, 4th & 2nd) I was leery of sending them here being the "new kids". We have not had any issues with bullying. To read these recent reviews about how the staff doesn't care bothers me as well. We have had some problems with our 4th grader and they have been nothing but supportive!! I do agree that some of the class sizes are big and hope that will subside with the hiring of more teachers, as I don't think our community up here is going to stop getting bigger!
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2013

My child attended this school from 1st - 2nd grade - we moved away to Italy and returned to the states and ended up in Portland. The school she is attending currently is a 5 star school. We are moving back to Estrella and I'm concerned about the bullying issue. It was happening when my child attended and I'm saddened to hear it's continuing. I did find that the parents of the students w bad behavior are themselves bully's. I have had first hand experience w them. I hope when we return there can be some sort of resolution process to remedy this issue. I am all in for parents that would like to get together to possibly form a commity to address the school or petition Liberty school district about bully's. It's completely unsatisfactory, I will continue to view the reviews on this subject through this forum and willing to collaborate w other parents. Obviously the school has a lack of control or conviction to punish student that bully other students, Reach out to me. I'm open to suggestion and resolutions.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2012

This will be my children's third year attending Westar Elementary School. I truly could not be happier with the educational experiences they have encountered during their time at Westar. The faculty from the Principal all the way down to the Custodian are simply amazing! Everyone is positive and friendly and my children are always noticed - no matter where they are - and always encouraged and motivated to do absolutely everything to the best of their ability. The teachers my student have had have been simply amazing! The incorporation of exciting curriculum along with teachers who are excited have led my children to exceed in their AIMS scores. There are many after school activities that allow my children to continue to pursue academics (Robotics club!) along with the fine arts. Westar is an amazing school!
Submitted by parent on July 31, 2012

This will be our third year at Westar and we are excited to see the STEM program being embraced by teachers and staff...it is truly an exciting time to be a Comet and I am proud to tell people the school my children attend! My own children have not experienced the bullying that is being discussed and I have a hard time believing that any valid complaints are not dealt with fairly and quickly by the school. Communication can be tricky at times, but the information is always available via internet, classroom updates and by an amazing PTO organization...it is there if you are looking. I find they leave some communication for 6-8 in the hands of the student and at a middle school level that makes sense. One star remains because all schools have room for improvement, but if I could half fill it in I would :)
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2012

I am somewhate relieved although saddened to see another poster bringing up the bullying issue. We have been dealing with my child being bullied all year. The principal and teachers won't admit there is a problem. On top of this, some of the things my kids tell me their teachers are telling them is concerning at best. These teachers need to do more research before "teaching" children ridiculous "facts" they are reading on the internet. The nurse has also given my child inaccurate advice. I would NEVER recommend this school. It's a shame because it could be a great school. A couple "bad apples" have ruined it.