Mansfield Elementary School

"This is a great school. The teachers and administration are excellent. Tremendous PE and music programs. They use the hiking trails around the school for a cross country skiing program in the winter. They also have an outdoor ropes course in the woods. The music concerts every year are terrific. This school excels from academics all the way to the chess club. Too bad they are soon going to be building a new school that will become the icy equivalent of a big box store to the cozy mom and pop corner store."

"I have a two and a 3 1/2-year-old, and they both have a blast after school hours on the playground here. They are still at an age where the supervision is heavy, but the space allows them to explore and challenge themselves. Best, the space is fenced in and I only need to worry about them escaping after crossing 50 yards of tarmac. Peace of mind is priceless!"

"Southeast Elementary provides an exceptionally progressive and stimulating learning environment with an atmosphere that prioritizes community, collaboration, reflection, and support. Faculty and staff are engaged, responsive and devoted to each and every child. Parents are welcomed, as are new ideas. We can't say enough good things about our children's experience - we would never want to leave this district."

"A few things (this is as of November 2017): The current principal, Lauren Rodriguez, is one of the best principals in the state. Energetic, outgoing, the kids love her, and also very smart and focused on expanding the curriculum to include experience-based and project-based learning. Also she herself is a mom of school-aged children so she is relatable in a way that a long-tenured principal might not be. Core academics are very strong. Personalized reading and writing has been implemented to let kids advance at their own pace. There are a variety of "extra" activities available - Green Thumbs club, music clubs, enrichment clusters, running club, working in the school garden, and many other that I'm probably forgetting. There is a new music teacher who is great, who has expanded the choir program all the way down to 1st grade. The school district also provides Suzuki instruction in violin and cello that is basically free. The PTO is pretty progressive (there has been past emphasis on multicultural enrichment, recycling and waste reduction, exposure to local food, etc.) if you are into that sort of thing. There is enough fundraising done by the PTO to provide grants to teachers that are interested in new and interesting activities - one teacher wanted to experiment with standing desks, for example. The physical grounds are lovely - there is a network of trails in the nature preserve behind the school that the children can use. The school is very diverse, due to its proximity to UConn and Willimantic. Each year there is a school dinner where families bring a dish native to their country of origin - I think last year there were over 40 countries represented. The school is quite small - maybe only 180 kids across pre-K to fourth grade. All the teachers basically know all the kids and parents. Class sizes are small - between 12 and 15 kids per class. In addition to teachers and classroom paraprofessionals, the school has an enrichment teacher and other support staff that help in the classrooms, so there is a lot of personalized and small group attention. The principal has, I think a measured outlook on standardized tests - they need to be taken, but they aren't the only (or best) way to tell how kids are doing. Teachers don't feel pressure to "teach to the test" which I think is great. Basically this is an elementary school on par with Avon or Westport, but with more diversity and maybe a slightly more progressive outlook."

"Disciplining kids for brings toy guns to school, good job america good job. To think you lack the intelligence to treat children right. But no, the American educational system is failing our children. So my kids will never step foot in a place where they might fall into danger by the educators them selves."