Research Loretto Elementary School public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida

“Great school! Nice, caring teachers and students who really want to learn!”

“Wonderful school. I worked there in the past and its better than ever now. A+”

“The new principal, Mr. Begley is great! He is motivated, enthusiastic and making positive changes to not just the physical plant of the school, but to the students and teachers. The school has always welcomed parental involvement. The children are encouraged to exceed expectations and to set and achieve goals. Yes, classrooms are larger than ideal, however the teachers work hard at making this situation a positive one. If we could change one thing it would be to keep more of the resource classes and to have them more frequently. Unfortunately, the cutbacks in the Duval County School budgets have forced these decreases. I coultn't end this without identifying some amazing teachers at Loretto - Mrs. Morcom, Mrs. Miller, Ms. Doan! Mrs. Miller, who is now working in administration was innovative, exciting and motivating! She made my child want to learn! Many thanks and keep up the good work.”

“I loved going to Loretto. The staff are extremely kind and they always make sure that everyone feels that way.A lot of people are concerned about the attention that is given to their child in the classroom.Yes, it's true that the classrooms have 20-27 kids on average, maybe even more sometimes, but the teachers give their undivided attention.If there are more than 30 kids, there are 2 teachers.The teachers make sure that the kids understand the concept of the lesson and then they work on it more in the class or for homework.They make sure that you understand the importance of the lessons they teach.The kids feel better in a large class, that way they feel more like a family. In 5 gr,, you know everyone in school.Every child learns the requirements, even ones who are ESE.i would go to Loretto all over again if I could.”

“There are so many good qualities about this school. Teachers are outstanding. There is a lot of communication and the school encourages parent involvement. The problem here is size. There are a lot of students. They recently improved pick-up time so that you can get your child within 20 minutes of arriving on school grounds. The problem is- it also takes 20 minutes to drop your child off, and they do not excuse this tardy. The crowded classrooms are hard on kids with ADD or ADHD, as there is always some sort of distraction. I've spent days in the classroom trying to help my child focus because comparing homework and schoolwork is like looking at two entirely different children.”

“mrs miracle did an excellent job in teaching and relating to each child. my son strived to do his best and wanted to exceed his teachers expectations, and do so very well with her encouragement. she is a great asset to loretto and and welcome new teachers for 2007-08.”

“Loretto has been a postive experience for my older child and I expect my younger child who starts Kindgerdarten next year to enjoy her time there. The teachers and office staff have always been great at allowing the parents to be involved and addressing issues that arise such as familial issues or learning issues. Ms. Chojn, Mrs. Bergan, Mrs. Herrmann/Ms. Fife (do not know new married name), and Mrs. Beaty (now retired) have been great!! We thank you for your firmness as an instructor, but also your compassion when life happens t our children”

“My son's experience at Loretto has been wonderful! We both love the school. I moved my son from a private school in Ortega because we recently moved to Mandarin and we're glad we did! The teachers care about my son and his education. I wouldnt change a thing! Way to go Loretto! Keep up the good work!”

“My son went to loretto for Kindergarten in 2006-2007 we thought the education he recieved was OK. but really it was not. We sent him there for the first 3 weeks of first grade and it was so bad that I pulled him out and put him in a private school. I would warn other parents about sending thier children to this school. The classes are over crowded, the teachers are overwhelmed, they have very few resources for your child(music PE art etc.). As I said I pulled my child out once I opened my eyes to what was happening and thank goodness I did his new teachers said that he did not learn a thing there in Kindergarten and they had to teach him everything that he missed. It is sad that I cant send my son to the neighborhood school :(”

“I had serious problems with my child and his Kindergarten teacher and principal. Principal blindly supports teacher without ensuring the best interests of the child.”

“I have major problems with this school. Not involved with the ar summer reading program this summer why not? Great way to get kids to read.Daughter had 75 ar pts last year made us both happy not this year”

“I thank it is a great school the teachers care about there kids. There is a lot of on hand work and one on one with the kids. They take the time to know that every kid understands the work that there doing.”

“Way, way too big. Too many students. The classrooms are very small and have too many students in them. Teachers and administration have a very public school attitude. Meaning we really don't care about your kids.”

“Loretto has been a superb school for our family. The teachers are great and very friendly as well. Loretto exceeds many private schools education levels. Parent involvement is high and it shows! We Love Loretto!”

“My child attended Loretto for 3 years and was very successful there. Each year his teachers went out of their way to meet his special needs in the regular classroom setting. Even though the school is large, there is a community feel to the school and personalized attention is easily available. Many of the classes utilize co-teachers in a class of 30+ students. This is less than ideal even though it was at times helpful to have a 2nd teacher in the classroom. The classroom was crowded and having so many students made it more difficult for the quiet and shy students to participate in classroom discussions.”

“teacher is very attentive, caring, my son has shown great improvement, its his first yr here in the United States coming from PR, thank you Ms.Zabrina Smith”

“Excellent school. Older school with tons of quality academic programs and extracurricular activities (note: music fills quickly). Parents are rewarded for their involvement. Chilren are often bused in for their gifted programs.”

“Excellent school. Full parental involvement allowed. There is even a parental lunch program (this is good if your kids are young- you can bring a fresh lunch everyday and eat with them on school gounds or leave and sign out/return them before the end of lunch period). Excellent gifted program where IQ scores from outside testing are permitted.”

“The quality of the academice program is excellent. The music, art and sports are wonderful. The parent involvement at this school is awesome.”

“I am a teacher here and think this is really an amazing school. The teachers work together as a team, love parent involvment and are led by a well-organized and strong principal.”

“Excellent school, new inclusion team of teachers for special education kids. cafetaria needs updating, great group of teachers at all levels. They welcome family involvement. After school tutoring is great.”

“I think the ESE teachers are terrific. They try very hard to see the positive in their children and always are the child's advocate even if the parents don't agree.”

“Overall, I am very happy with Loretto. The four teachers my kids have had have been great. I am conserned with resources in Duval County.”

“This year has proved to be a very disappointing year at Loretto. The class sizes are too large and the children are not getting the individual attention that they need. There is no consistancy in the teaching. Unfortunately my child is in a 'team teaching' situation and it is not a good situation. The teachers run the gamut from overworked to underenthused, to say the least. I am very disappointed with my child's education this year. Loretto has a LOT of work to do to make it the 'A' school we are supposed to believe it is.”

“The school is great. Teachers are knowledgeable and nice. Class sizes are at max for me, but at least they have gotten smaller. My child is adequately challenged in class and is excited about learning. The only complaint I have is concerning the contracting of buses and lunches. There is not enough control over these. The school should have a system of charging lunches when a child doesn't bring her money. The account could be paid before being allowed to receive grades, just as library fines, instead of calling parents to bring money or allowing kids to go without”

“I have mixed emotions about Loretto Elementary. This is our second year at Loretto and I was very hapy with my child's teacher last year. Hopefully this year will be a good one as well. I am happy with what my child learned last year, and feel that she is progressing as she should. However, I am very disappointed in several areas. Classes such as P.E., library, music and art should be scheduled every week. These classes are so scattered, that I don't feel the children have time to explore and learn in these areas on a routine basis. A set weekly schedule would be much better. Also, as a volunteer working in the hallway filing papers, I would see children running to different classes (speech, reading help etc. ) with absolutley no supervision. Sometimes they would linger about, running in and out of the school which I feel is not safe. Being that Loretto is an open campus, I think that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. The most important thing to me is that my child, and all children attending this school, are getting the best education possible, and that we as parents can send our children to school knowing that they are cared for and safe. Loretto does it's best to provide for our children and hopefully will continue to grow in the future.”

“100% of parents enrolled in PTA this past year (2002-2003)”