Riverside Elementary School

58 Riverside Drive

School District

Princeton Public
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

public

School Map for Princeton Public School 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 April 05, 2024

The school changed principles every year. You can tell the overall school's academic performance has declined so much during recent years. New teachers and admins kept coming and leaving. They are no longer on par with the other schools in nearby districts. I agree with the most of the previous reviews, except that the school is becoming even worse for gifted children. The teachers are more like robots. Plus, the staff members are extremely rude, and never care about your concerns.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2019

The principal is awful and school staff awfully rude. If you have a chance don't even think about it
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2018

Agree with the previous review. There is not a lot of support for students, who are ahead of the curriculum (with the exception of Mr Eastburn, who is great!) Another issue I have is that while officially you can't ask for a particular teacher for the next grade, many people do it behind the curtains. If you find this practice unacceptable, your kid may end up with the weakest teacher in the grade..
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2017

Overall, it's clear that many teachers are dedicated and the student community is very strong. I'd give a 5 star rating for average or SPED students, but a 2 for gifted students.As of 2016, there's been a clear change since the previous principal passed on last year. Services for average and special needs children continue to be very solid, but the principal has an anti-gifted-education stance, and proudly uses the school's reputation as a reason to do nothing.(This community draws heavily from the Uni, so most kids are well-educated compared to peers before walking in the door. THere are also a solid fraction of parents who do enrichment at home, often due to lack of challenge in class. So whatever the quality of the education, things like test scores are heavily impacted by factors outside the purview of the school.)If your child is an average learner, this is a great school. But my kid is made to do what is for him busy work for most of his school day.To be clear, the principal said that students will not get material they need, even if they have clearly mastered the material in the classroom. She would not use any information from testing (that they already do) to help adjust the curriculum to the child's needs. She would not discuss other work-arounds such as bumping up a grade in math or self-study. For reference, my son's classmates are filling out hundreds boards. We're working on multiplying fractions at home. From conversation with other parents, there are as many as 1/3 of his class in the same boat, something confirmed by the teacher who refused to give more challenging material.The two exceptions are the science curriculum and the composition/writing curriculum, which are excellent.But otherwise, for gifted students, the curriculum will induce boredom and distaste for school, and if you try to work with the principal, you will find her position dismissive and obstructionist. I don't believe all teachers share this position, but given her leadership, I expect the quality of the school to change, down the line.It should be noted that the PTO is amazing and the school clubs, which are organized and often taught by the parents, are beyond. My son got nothing from math class this year, but had an amazing experience in the Math Club, among others. It was the only math he learned all year, at least inside school.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2013

Riverside School is a phenomenal school that has a principle who is a passionate leader, gifted and devoted teachers, and a diverse, international student body due to its proximity to the university. From innovative science classes to great music and choral instruction, to McCarter Theater residencies and a large instructional garden, this school is on par with the best private international schools. A dream come true for our family.