Nishuane Elementary School

32 Cedar Avenue

Montclair, NJ 07042

9 Reviews

School District

Montclair Public
Grade

PK, K-2
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:10
Type

public

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 25, 2020

We have two children who both love their experiences here. Excellent focus on social-emotional development as well as academics.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2019

Both of our children attend Nishuane School, and we have had very positive experiences here!!
Submitted by parent on January 18, 2019

Horrendous. Awful. I can not recommend this school at all. If you want your kids yelled and screamed at by lazy teachers (who should probably retire), then please, by all means send your child here.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2013

I give the gifted magnet a huge fail. Nothing gifted nor talented. The teachers are not motivated and the leadership is very off putting.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2013

Initially, we were thrilled and looked forward to this school. From what other parents who have older children have said, it used to be a great school. However, this school has no accountability standards because it only goes to 2nd grade. Teachers do not seem happy or supported. There is no library to speak of and frankly, it is like a circus with the principle and her assistant who seem to want to perform a show and not at all about the children. We were told by the principle that under no circumstances could we request to move to a different school and that the school we wanted was not available to transfer to and we could not leave during the school year. Later, I found this to be untrue. A different child from my son's class easily changed to the school we asked to transfer to with support from the same principle. This school is not child centered.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2012

This magnet school does not offer much in the way of gifted or talented. The administration is very dysfunctional. Discrimination and favoritism. I would score the principal a zero but you can't do that.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2012

I'm mixed on Nishuane. It's great for the arts and I like the aesthetics/creative I courses. All kids get to be in a yearly school play. Having a foreign language at an early age (even Mandarin) is great. However, I do not like the every day math. Watchung and Edgemont do not have this and it's obviously reflected in the school report card statistics. My daughter gets good grades, typically 95 or higher on both reading/spelling and math tests, yet she isn't getting into the 'creative I' courses for either of those. I'm not sure why. I'd like to see her have more of a chance to advance in the traditional academics.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2012

My child's needs were dismissed even after it was determined there had been a huge discrepancy in her academic giftedness. The Power Moms run the school dictating to the Principle and Assistant Principle which of the best teachers, the best situations must occur for their children. The scraps of what is left is what is then offered to the rest of the student body. Children should come first, politics with parents or the PTA or School Action Team should not rule over the school with an iron fist. We felt we could not express this while my child attended and many other parents have said to be wary of doing so. Favors and favoritism are rampant here. We felt the focus was not on the children but more about the Principle and Assistant Principle pushing out seasoned teachers to replace them with cheaper inexperienced ones. Clocks did not work but highly disruptive chatter every 45 minutes from the office on loud speaker did. Halls were often dirty and bathrooms broken. Gifted and talented magnet? If your child is not in a class that has enough students to test into the gifted program, it won't be offered because of the cost.
Submitted by parent on June 19, 2012

This is a wonderful school with an abundance of strengths that include a friendly, open principal; extremely warm office staff; very committed and enthusiastic teachers; high academic standards; a wide range of creative/aesthetics courses to supplement a strong academic program and a very involved parent community. My child attended here after a disastrous start in another local school, after moving to the US from Australia.Desspite obvious academic challenges, the teachers in 1st and 2nd grade here, excelled in bringing my daughter up to speed and bringing her out of her shell to be far less timid and shy. This is the best school experience we have had anywhere in Australia or the US so far, and cannot recommend it highly enough. The staff feel like part of our family and we will miss them dreadfully as we now move on to a new school for 3rd Grade.