Russell Elementary School

3920 South Hurt Road Southwest

School District

Cobb County
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

public

School Map for Cobb County 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 March 30, 2023

Excellent school with great faculty and staff.
Submitted by parent on March 08, 2018

Love the school really nice and clean also staff are awesome My son is attending kindergarten Ms Stiner Ms Hicks Ms wine teachers are really good love the way they teaches over all nice school love it
Submitted by parent on November 14, 2017

I do not even have the words to express my disappointment in this school. I can still see my last review raving about this school and now it is the complete opposite. Leadership is doing this school a disservice, I have noticed several teachers leaving. A teacher left when my child was in second grade and had to be moved. I am really saddened by this and just really hope something changes for the sake of the kids. In the mean time I will be removing mine.
Submitted by parent on January 01, 2016

I have had two children attend Russell. My oldest child is now in High School and has done exceptionally well academically since leaving Russell. I feel the teachers were wonderful in preparing my child for Middle and High School. I have to give so much credit to Mrs. Purdy who was her 5th grade teacher. She was able to challenge, push, and encourage my child to feel confident in her ability to succeed. My youngest has also attended Russell since Kindergarten and is now a 3rd grader. She has had a great experience throughout her time at Russell. Her teachers have been awesome! Not only has she been challenged academically, but her self-esteem and confidence has grown tremendously. I credit this to the teachers recognizing her strengths and showing genuine attention, care and concern. I would highly recommend Russell to parents looking for a great place for their child to learn.
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2015

I am extremely impressed & excited about my son attending this school. I was uneasy about it due to the ratings not being that great, but as I have learned working in property management that people usually only write reviews when they are upset. My son attended Nickajack elementary & I was extremely disappointed with the education he was getting. I understood that all schools have a curriculum that they have to stand by but, I was also told if my son was not being challenged enough he would get other work. That never happened. My son was becoming withdrawn. He began at Russell in Feb. & there was a big difference. He loves his teacher Ms. Miller & the communication we have is great. Ms. Miller is fantastic & truly loves her job. His other fav class is computer class. The principle & staff are doing a great job. Heck, even my car rider pick up experience is better. Being a first time mom of a Kindergartener & experiencing 2 different schools in the same year. My son has gone from withdrawn & introvert, to running my car with a big smile, ready to tell me about his day, whether he was crowned role model for the day or learned something new and I feel like that s a win in my book.
Submitted by parent on March 03, 2015

We currently have a daughter in kindergarten and are really impressed with her classroom lesson plans and her ability to share her learnings with us at home. The principal, Mr. Manson, and all the teachers are highly engaged and responsive to all students. Russell offers numerous after school clubs that support collaboration, diversity and mostly fun. In addition, the PTA is really creative and organized. Bottom-line, our daughter absolutely loves Russell!
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2015

Both of our children attended Russell and are doing well in middle school. Russell did a great job preparing them. They had field trips and various activities at night to keep students and families engaged. Mr. Manson is working hard to engage the community. They have a space program which has brought NASA to the school.
Submitted by parent on October 23, 2014

Russell Elem is a great school! Mr. Peter Manson is an excellent leader as the principal who listens to teachers and parents while keeping the students best interest a priority.
Submitted by parent on October 22, 2014

Love Russell Elementary. My son has been in this school for 4 years now and has only gotten the best education and help he needs. The teachers are amazing as well as the principle. If there is ever an issue it is addressed immediately. I love all the programs they have for the kids and parents.
Submitted by parent on October 21, 2014

We were skeptical when we started looking at schools 4 years ago. We toured Russell and were blown away with the options at this school. They have so many opportunities for children to get involved in programs that help them "think outside of the box". Their space program is amazing. This is not offered anywhere else! The administrative staff is always helpful. The PTA is wonderful and provide numerous ways to get involved in the school and the media center is nothing short of amazing. I HIGHLY recommend this school to anyone. I would pay no attention to the rating on this site. It is a fantastic school.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2014

The principal is awesome. The PTA is friendly and supportive. The teachers we've worked with are phenomenal. My daughter is a 1st grader and attended Kindergarten here. She loves to go to school and jumps out of bed almost every morning.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2014

Russell is a great community school. The staff is full of Masters degreed, hard working, amazing teachers! The administration is top notch and is constantly working to make sure each level of student is challenged. Don't be swayed by test scores and numbers. Bring your child to tour this school. You won't be disappointed!
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2013

I absolutely love this school. This is my children's 2nd year here. They previously went to a couple of elementary schools in Coweta County. They focus on actually teaching the students, all their teachers have been very caring! There are many different after school programs for them to participate in and the principle does an exemplary job of trying to get the parents and community more involved.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2013

My husband and I ,were disappointed with quality of education and we will pull out of that school our 8 year old son, I have spoke to miss Watson about concerns about the teacher's attitude and the bullying of the students, nothing has been done.
Submitted by parent on December 17, 2012

The teachers yell at these kids and tell them they don't get paid enough to teach. The school only offers crct prep. There are no projects, fun learning motivation and no field trips. The students here are very disadvantaged and as a result are treated poorly by the staff.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2012

My son was stabbed in the eye w/ a plastic fork by another student at lunch w/ such force it bent the prong onnthe fork. The other students at the table saw my son fall to the floor and the bent fork and they started calling him superman because he survived w/ his eye still in it's socket. My son told the lunchroom monitor (there are only 2 who don't monitor but sweep up after the lunch tables are dismissed) and the monitor told him to go sit down and did mot get him medical attention. My son told his teacher when she came to collect the class after lunch to go to the playground and she told him to go play. When I picked him up at 2:20 (he was a car rider because a 5th grader was bullying him on the bus) he told me his eye hurt and what happened. I took him directly to Cobb Eye and he had a severe laceration which needed antibiotics and monitored in the office 2 days. I called the police to the school and tried to file charges against the school for denying my child medical attention and not notifying me but the police could not file a charge against the school only the 6 yr that had stabbed him. I did not file a charge. I hate this school! Smyrna is a poor area and we're moving.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2012

My son went to this school for 3rd and 4th grade. Unfortunately, it is just one of the examples of the poor educational system here in Georgia. They have a one track mind focused only on testing. There is no creativity in teaching and hardly any projects that were given to stimulate the student's interests. My son only went on one field trip each year that he was there. If you are looking for a challenging environment this is definitely not the place for you. Thankfully, the principal retired this year because she was not a people person and made no effort to interact with the parents or students. My son often complained about teachers bashing other students and saying that they would not make it to the next school year and telling the students that they don't get paid enough to deal with them. He also complained about fights actually breaking out in his classroom. I am upset that I let him even go for 4th grade but his 3rd grade teacher was so nice I had hope. I am very happy that we have chosen another option for next year.
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2012

We too were disappointed with quality of education and pull our child during Fall 2011. What we observed was an advanced level of a day care facility. We desired a more challenging and nurturing environment which we found via the private route. We really wanted this to work for us too...
Submitted by parent on February 17, 2012

Our child's special ED class (pre-pre K) has been amazing, but the K for our five year old has been a REAL disappointment. Even though we spoke directly with the principal about our concerns about the teacher's attitude and the bullying of the students, nothing has been done. We desire to move to another school.
Submitted by parent on December 04, 2010

My son is in the first grade, and he loves school, and does really well. All the teachers and the staff are really friendly, and the school environment is really good. I would reccomend this school to enyone who asks!