Jack Harvey Elementary School

41700 Montroy Drive

School District

Utica Community Schools
Grade

PK, K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
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 September 19, 2022

This school is a joke. Some teachers are great, while others bully their students. Students with an IEP are not having their needs met. The lack of communication between staff and parents is something that could be worked on. They are always short staffed and always having busing issues (my child was late to school every single day last year as well as getting home). It was never communicated from transportation or the school that they were late, everyday! I just watched my students grades drop over the year and their self esteem because they'd get picked on for being tardy by 15 minutes *almost every morning! There are very few teachers at this school that are the exception. This school has had 3 principals in 4 years, if that says anything. It all went downhill after they made the decision to get rid of the principal Mrs Pritchard after a transportation issue that was more so the superintendents fault than anything. Staff will lie about your students IEP needs being met when they're not providing the services they're required to by law. We withdrew last year. So happy we made that decision and wished we would've sooner.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2021

My child's been attending Kindergarten during the time of COVID and Jack Harvey has been doing an amazing job keeping the kids safe and communicating effectively with the parents. With regards to the curriculum, the school went far above my expectations. I was worried that studies would be lax because the GreatSchools ratings were so low but my Kindergartener is already reading, learning multiplication and solving logic problems. The teachers are amazing and very invested in the students. They put in a lot of effort to tailor their lessons to suit each individual student, including having small groups, and seem genuinely interested in the kids' well-being. My only concern is that the school gives a lot of homework (worksheets, apps on the tablet, daily reading), particularly for a Kindergartener.Overall, I am very impressed with the school. Initially, I was concerned about the low GreatSchools score because it was lower than the other schools within the district. I even called the principal before the start of the school year to discuss my concerns and the possibility of transferring to another school. She was extremely friendly and addressed my concerns with data without being pushy. She also confirmed the curriculum is the same across all the schools in UCS district, meaning my child wouldn't get a different education by going to a different school in the same district. Ultimately, I decided to send my child to Jack Harvey and am very happy I did. I know several parents who send their kids to "better" school districts and my experience with this school in UCS is far more positive than theirs. The kids in this school are very friendly and don't bully each other. Furthermore, Jack Harvey did not slack in their lessons during the the initial virtual lessons (due to COVID). They take education seriously without compromising the children's well-being. I highly recommend Jack Harvey.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2018

Jack harvey has been an excellent school for both of my daughters and my mother in past years. They have always been a great school!
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2016

As a parent, I love the sense of community and warmth that comes from all the teachers. My child loves her teacher and is having a great year!
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2015

Outstanding elementary school with great teachers. Our kids walked to school and had a wonderful experience there, which prepared them well for middle and high school.
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2014

We moved here in November from Royal oak and from the moment they started until the last day of school was the best experience my children has ever gotten from school. All the teachers and staff are great.My son was in Miss. Macowicz class and she is awesome. Loves and cares about our kids future.
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2013

disorganized elementary My kids are new in this school and i have a huge concern about how kids are admitted & dismissed. Pretty much all kids are let out as soon as the bell rings, withbthevexeption of kindergarden kids, without an appropiate supervision. Kids who ride the bus must look themselves for which bus to jump in & that includes little ones. In my opinion, it's not safe & innapropiate. Too many negative things to mention, but maybe I'm exagerating due to the fact my kids used to go to West Utica, where everything is safe, organized & techers are 100% visible & assisting students - not like in JH where i've seing teachers congregating and paying more attention to their conversation instead of watching the students.
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2013

I have 2 children that currently attend Jack Harvey. My oldest has been at the school for 5 years. This is a terrific school. The teachers really seem to care about the students. The principal is very friendly and seems to have a great relationship with the staff. I really like how well the staff seems to get along with each other and work together. The school is very clean. There seems to be a good amount of parent volunteers. The JHV tries very hard to plan fun activities for the kids.
Submitted by parent on February 04, 2013

Terrible Experience!! The Principal in my opinion doesn't possess great leadership abilities! My children were miserable so I removed them!