Madison Richard Simis School

7302 North 10th Street

School District

Madison Elementary District
Grade

PK, K-4
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:21
Type

public

School Map for Madison 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 August 08, 2023

My children loved this school. They still talk about how great their experience was when they went here. From school lunches to individualized help, this school was amazing. The campus is also beautiful with so much natural light.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2022

This year i am working on obtaining an IEP for my son and with the new teacher , she is very much involved. The teachers there are great . My son is on 2nd grade and loves his teacher . If there was any issue I reached out to the teacher and it was handled . I'm glad the teachers use class dojo now .
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2021

Overall we feel that Simis is a great school, and I had 2 kids go through it. I would highly recommend it given the overall education situation in AZ. There are some drawbacks however. It is a very large elementary school and its easy to get lost in the shuffle. If your kid has different learning abilities, it can be challenging to get them to help taylored to their learning abilities, IEPs are hard to establish, and the testing that they are supposed to do when you request and by law, there is a lot of pushback from school not to do it (we ended up using our insurance to have my child tested for ASD b/c the school said "we didn't observe any "...." behavior therefore he is not autistic and doesn't need ot be tested"). The classes are large (28-30 students). However, most of the teachers we have met and been with have been absolutely wonderful and gone out of their way to accomodate my child. They did a great job during the pandemic in keeping kids safe and adhering to all the rules while dealing with our crazy governor and his idiotic executive orders. This is an IB school though I am still trying to figure out what that means lol. They give a fair amount of HW and actually try to complete everything in class - homework is usually only things that child didn't complete in class. They have lots of after school clubs in non covid times (you have to pay extra for them) as well as MAC which is the after care school program. Yes we would recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2021

I’ll start with the good: our child’s first grade teacher was phenomenal. Despite being overloaded with 34 kids in her classroom and no assistant, she created a supporting atmosphere. This school has one objective: keep up funding through high test scores. Our third grade experience was so awful we pulled our daughter out to home school after the first semester. Her teacher would stand in front of the class for the majority of the day to teach the math that would be on the standardized tests as fast as she could, with “no questions allowed.” The excuse for this rule was that hers was an “advanced class” so students should be intelligent enough not to have to ask questions. For such an advanced class, I’d think they would have gotten to multiplication, division, geometry, or something more than addition and subtraction by the time kids are 9.Additionally, this same teacher, told the students in their first day not to come to her with anything unless they were “dying, bleeding, or barfing.” Through the first half of the year, the only subject they were taught in the classroom was math. When asked about social studies, science, or English, I was told that their English classes are addressed by asking the students to read for 15 minutes every day when they get home. And that Simis actually has a very advanced approach to English and Social Studies in that they teach English by having students read non-fiction historical lessons. These lessons consisted of 125 word fictional accounts of historical figures such as Ben Franklin, so these teachings weren’t based in fact and felt like a way to check a box by doing the bare minimum.Our daughter was consistently bullied on the bus and playground and was even stabbed with a pencil. When these concerns were brought to the school, they said they couldn’t see it on tape so they couldn’t verify that there was a serious incident, and that the school didn’t have a violent or bullying incident in the past 3 years, so it wouldn’t make sense that this actually happened. Sounds more like they need to report these incidents to the district, and opt not to in order to maintain a certain rating for public funding purposes.We moved, found a great community and school, and are happy. Our daughter still cries at the thought of returning to in person learning next year because she doesn’t want to be subjected to the same experience she had at Simis. No student should be this traumatized by their elementary school
Submitted by parent on September 30, 2020

We have had an extraordinary experience at Madison Simis. The teachers and fellow students have fostered a love of learning in my sons. My sons who have already graduated from Simis look back with fond memories. As a parent, I can see that Simis gave them a strong foundation as they are well prepared for what comes next. Thanks!
Submitted by parent on May 26, 2020

My child went here through first grade and I ended up taking him out. Way too big of a school 8 kindergarten rooms and 7 first grade rooms, kids get lost in the shuffle.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2019

My older daughter started here last year and my younger daughter is now in kinder and I am blown away by this school. The IB program creates well rounded students who love to learn! The culture is wonderful, kids are all so kind and supportive of each other. My older daughter has learning differences and the administration has been so incredibly supportive.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2019

From the superintendent at the district down to the teachers and parents, this school works hard to make sure all students and parents are happy with academics and their social-emotional development.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2019

Our older child went to a Montessori charter school and we were not happy with the education there. It doesn't prepare kids for high school. We were much happier in the Madison school system with our youngest.
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2018

My son was very happy and learned a lot at Simis. We were very impressed by the school.
Submitted by other on November 30, 2017

It was a good time all i have are happy memories
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2017

While teacher engagement and fit is important, and has varied a bit for us year to year, this has overall been a great school for my child, who has attended from K-4th grade. Special shout-outs are due to Ms. Harding and Ms. Deihl, who provided amazing enrichment and engaging challenges, and PATS and Simis Dad's Clubs, who do a fantastic job at organizing fun events to fund-raise and support the teachers' and students' needs and enrichment activities. Very warm campus community, tucked away in a sweet little neighborhood.
Submitted by parent on November 05, 2016

The best thing about our district is there are a number of good schools to choose from, and Simis ranks at the top with all of them. Please don't overlook Simis because it is a public school. The facilities are state of the art environment, and children with all types of learning styles are provided rich opportunities to thrive. It has a wonderful IB program that teaches our children great character traits and to think globally. When the standardized testing changed a couple years ago, Simis was able to pivot and provide our children with the skills to show improvement every year on their scores. Lastly, the Parents and Teachers at Simis(PATS) and Dad's Club are fantastic groups that encourage parent involvement in their children's education. They are supportive organizations that fundraise and enrich the educational activities for our children. We are so fortunate to live in a district where our home school provides such a competitive, well-rounded education for our children.
Submitted by other on November 01, 2016

We love the fact that it is an IB school and incorporates values and integrity in our children while they learn. Because there is more to life than just great grades (which my children are getting too!) The teachers are easy to talk to, the staff is positive and warm and I love how beautiful the campus is. If you want your child to have a well-rounded educational experience, I highly suggest this school. While there are other options in this district, I believe Simis is the best because they not only offer a great education and amazing teachers and programs (DIGGS, Spanish, Art Masterpiece etc,) but fun social aspects (class parties, school and parent events and opps to volunteer in a variety of ways)...plus, a no fuss-no muss Fall Fundraiser that doesn't make you buy wrapping paper or cookie dough, just asks for CASH/Online donations (tax deductible of course!)
Submitted by other on July 15, 2016

My son has been at Simis for two years. The school not only has excellent teachers/faculty/administrators, but the whole community is wonderful! As a former graduate of Simis, I can honestly say that the tangible things like high test scores and high performance by students has not changed in 30 plus years. While new schools/charter schools pop up and new techniques/teaching styles are trending, it is reassuring and commendable that Simis has found a way to be successful throughout the years. I am confident they will continue to stay ahead of the curve.
Submitted by parent on July 11, 2016

Our daughter (now in 2nd grade) is thriving and we are extremely happy with Simis. The IB program encourages students to be well-rounded and open-minded- they learn through a variety of experiences including individual and group activities in the classroom, physical education, foreign language, art and music. Simis' parent-teacher organization (PATS) is wonderful as well- they host fun family events and provide funding for all the classroom needs (and wants) including a structured recess program that the kids love! We highly recommend Simis to all families in the North Central area!
Submitted by parent on June 30, 2016

I can't say enough great things about Madison Simis . The teachers and the administration are amazing and really care. My son is thriving and loving everything about Simis. The IB program is fantastic and he is challenged academically daily.
Submitted by student on May 12, 2016

I feel this way because it has great every thing in it! Also it is very fun!
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2016

I would not recommend Madison Simis if your child has an IEP. The current administration (Dr. Flowers) is not supportive of kids who have IEPs and need extra help. Originally, the school's program was working well for my child, but then they made several changes to the program and class he was in. The class size got larger and he didn't have the same tools. This was really stressful for my son and even though we knew we could have the school do a behavioral plan and re-evaluate his needs, we felt like he was not welcome there. They kept suspending him (which they were not allowed to do) and they kept saying "we just cannot help him" and their solution was to move him to a private special needs school that was very rigid and had older kids with serious disorders. We did not agree to this and they were also not allowed to do this by law. Thankfully he is in a different very supportive public school district. Thank goodness for the good schools.
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2014

I have 2 children that went to Simis one 8 years ago and it was awesome for the oldest child. My second child however a completelly different experience, one of teasing, not understanding homework and dissengaged teachers. Class size not issue as the size was about the same 8 years ago. I think the push for the IB and other programs spreads teachers time thin, they just push kids onto i-ready and computer for learning and testing which is awful. The math instruction is so confusing parents were given a math night traing/presentation and supplemental information on how it is done as the teachers sure do not explain it well in class. There is a saying if it isn't broke don't fix it, not sure why the school's approach to teaching has changed, I don't think Common Core has anything to do with the change in instruction but will explore further, maybe some school board members need the boot.. That said for Phoenix Urban school Madison is good but if comparing to past performance it is declining.