How is Waters Elementary School in Chicago?

November 19, 2008 4:54 PM

Does anyone have experience with Waters Elementary School in the Chicago Public School system?

We're considering moving to the area of Lincoln Square around Waters and are looking for any information - good or bad. Toddler True will be in Pre-K in two years and we'd like to move somewhere with a good public school.

posted by true to education (4 comments total)

This is the CPS "report card" on Waters: http://research.cps.k12.il.us/resweb/SchoolProfile?unit=6370

From what I'm told, one of the best CPS public schools is Bell. About 90% of their students meet state standards and 50% exceed standards. In comparison, Waters is 80%/20% but growing steadily, especially in the former (there's a strong positive correlation between year and percent of students meeting state standards).

The only aspect of my experience relating to Waters is this: I go to a high school one mile from Waters (Amundsen, in the Ravenswood area) and very few, if any students come from Waters. This is a good sign; Amundsen is a pretty bad school that I only attend through a feat of misfortune, so this means that Waters is sending students off to good high schools.
posted by LSK at 6:51 PM on November 19, 2008

If you really want to know if it is a good school, go look at it. Observe some classrooms and attend a PTA meeting. I am not in your area, but when we moved here everyone said that the rental house was in a good school district for elementary. Well...they have good test scores. They don't have enough supervision during recess, food is crappy and the teachers...well, there are some VERY good ones, and some that are, no other way to say it, bad. Curriculum is uninspiring and the high scores may have a lot to do with them sending kids with learning problems to other schools. My big issue is with teachers who are bad (but tenured,) and lack of services for both special education kids as well as really bright kids. In a lot of ways it resembles the school in the Captain Underpants books... Lots of parents are now leaving this school for private, charter and homeschooling. Oh, and if the principal says that they won't allow you to observe, assume the worst. A good school will be happy to let you sit in the background and watch a couple of classes.

wife of 445supermag
posted by 445supermag at 9:28 PM on November 19, 2008

I've heard pretty good things about Waters. I attended Jamieson - an other very good school not far from there you might want to look into. LSK - my mom worked at Amundsen a long time ago - it's very true what you say!
posted by Alpenglow at 7:02 AM on November 20, 2008

Thanks everyone! We make sure to visit the school. From everything we've heard it does seem like good things are happening there.
posted by true at 5:59 PM on November 21, 2008