Parents, teachers and children at Hamilton Heights School typically start the day with a sing-along. The day of our visit, at least a dozen parents joined in, not afraid to request their favorite song. Everyone looked happy and relaxed, and when it was time to go to class, children left quietly and quickly fell into their classrooms routines, wasting no time.

With only two classes on a grade, Hamilton Heights is a small, progressive school that emphasizes hands-on learning and children's social development. Parents are not only welcomed, but trained by the teachers so they can be more useful in the classrooms, helping with projects such as artwork or cooking. For example, two Muslim parents made Sambuza, triangle-shaped dough stuffed with meat, as part of a Ramadan celebration. "This helped students to learn a bit more about their classmates and they loved the bread," said one of the school aides.

Our experience at the school was not the most pleasant. Our concerns were noted at most, but our child was very unhappy here. As far as my comment from Sept.,it was my honest unbiased initial... read more

"Hamilton Heights teachers and staff are very open to hearing the concerns of our families. I hope that people posting concerns here on Inside Schools have addressed these concerns with the... read more

"Something to think about.....lunch and recess is a disaster. There is only one staff member present beside the to cafeteria staff. The children are rushed to eat and the only other adult... read more