Arcadia Elementary School

932 Boswell Lane

School District

Kalamazoo Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
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 23, 2023

The special education teacher won't be there in 2023-2024 and I am scared for my child's progress. Students are stuck in front of laptops all day and that is how they learn. The administration in this building is subpar at best. They are probably overloaded with work, but that doesn't excuse them from communicating with parents. There are 3 parents on the PTO and any school events were understaffed and had lack of parent involvement. Parents - engage in your child's learning environment! If you start after the start of the school year, do not expect an orientation or assistance from office staff in understanding procedures or platforms and prepare to be made to feel like you are bothering office staff if you ask for assistance. There was no orientation, no discussion of lunch costs (free for all students by the way), no mention of start/dismissal times, misinformation about buses, judgement from one of the office secretaries on several occasions, chaos & unprofessional attire/interactions in the office frequently, and having a disinterested principal (but absolutely overwhelmed so I try to give grace) doesn't help. The school website is also a mess and the search feature takes you to other school sites in the district. I wanted to like Arcadia, but it left a bad taste in my mouth due to the administration being unorganized, disinterested, and judgemental.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2023

March 2023Arcadia Elementary is a great school that suffers from many of the same problems as public schools across the country - under funding and understaffed. Under the recent change in state government, more money has been promised for teachers and staff and that should help. In addition to being a parent, I also had the pleasure of working at the school as a lunchroom/recess helper. What I learned is that every teacher and staff member works incredibly hard. The facilities at the school are top notch, and it's one of the rare elementary schools that's actually embedded in the neighborhood and is several blocks from any busy streets. If you live in the Arcadia neighborhood, as we do, our children will be able to walk to both elementary AND middle-school without crossing a busy street. Going only by the test scores can be discouraging, but I believe they take a hit because Arcadia is a "Language Center" school that specializes in children for whom English is a second language. My experience watching my own children and their friends, is that the reading and math levels for most students is excellent. I would say that if your child is special-needs or has an IEP there could be problems due to staffing issues, but I couldn't say if any other KPS school is better equipped. So overall, it's a great school that I believe is only going to get better as more money becomes available for salaries. The facilities are top notch and there's plenty of technology available. Post-pandemic, the school has recovered nicely and is settling back into a routine.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2015

Not only am I a parent, but I am also a substitute teacher for Arcadia. Mr. Socha, the Principal, it the most wonderful administrator I have seen in all my years working in schools. He is calm, collected, and deals well with all the students in the school. I know the staff, and all have high regards for Mr. Socha. As a parent and staff, I have seen both side and and am happy to report that this school does well by teaching all levels of students. The fact that there is an Academically Talented program makes a big difference too. All the teachers and staff are amazing. There is a large mix of ethnicities that attend this school, which I love. My children come from a diverse background. Having a large melting pot of culture helps our children learn about the world around them through their friends and their education at Arcadia. I highly recommend this school to anyone moving to Kalamazoo. It was our top choice when we moved to this city. The Kalamazoo Promise is a wonderful incentive, but the payoff is that our children are receiving the education they deserve by teachers and staff that care about their success.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2014

My three children attended Arcadia few years ago and it was a great experience. Mr. Vaca was the principal and he was great! My children did great thanks to the school and the teachers , who few of them have now retired. I was very fortunate that my kids got to have a great start at Arcadia.
Submitted by parent on April 18, 2014

Arcadia Elementary is a wonderful place for both of my children to learn, grow and strive for the best they can be. The teachers and staff are caring, knowledgeable, supportive, attentive, very observant, and remember details about each kid which makes a parent feel like they truly care.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2013

My son is in this school. It is a good school. My son loves it!
Submitted by teacher on August 23, 2013

I have two children at Arcadia, entering grades 5 and 3. We have been at Arcadia since my older child was in kindergarten, and every teacher has been very good, some have been exceptional. My kids are in the academically talented program, and are constantly challenged. The school is diverse, both ethnically and socioeconomically. I feel that this diversity benefits all of the students. The music, orchestra, art and PE teachers are all excellent, and the prinicipal is very well liked.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2013

Arcadia elementary school is awesome. the teachers are very patient and concern students very much. My son knew little about English, the shool provided special classes for him. It is very helpful.