Elementary Schools in Southwest Minneapolis

I'm sorry he didn't get in! I'm assuming, then, that you are in an open area? In case you haven't heard, there's a lot of HUGE changes being proposed for Mpls schools right now that will take effect in 2010 and will eliminate open areas. The school board is set to vote at the end of May now. In case you're interested, you may want to check out these related neighborhood school blogs:
http://openarea.ning.com/ (blog of the Kingfield/East Harriet open area)
http://tangletowncommunity.blogspot.com/ (tangletown one)

We're in Tangletown, in the Burroughs community zone (at least for now) and our kindergarter will be going there next year. Our second choice - which was a hard decision for us - was Armatage. Armatage has both a community school and a montesorri program. We loved the montesori program and have heard great things about the community school as well. Armatage has really great parental invovlement and support and a wonderful "feel" about it - we really enjoyed the teachers we met there too. One other bonus is that Armatage is a Mpls Kids site so if you plan on using that, your son can stay there on site.

I don't know anything about Kenny or Jefferson. You probably know that Ramsay is an arts magnet - at some age, all kids play instruments, etc. I know a couple neighborhood people who sent their kids there and really like it, but for whatever reason, it doesn't have as good of a reputation as some of the other schools.

Good luck!

Go to Armatage or Kenny; they are both very good schools.

Armatage is a great school - I'd definitely recommend it.

I would choose Armatage or Kenny. We live in the open area like you, but we got into Burroughs which was our 1st choice, but we would have been very happy at Armatage. We toured Armatage twice this fall and loved it. Their Montessori and their community were our 2nd and 3rd choices.

I recently met the principal at Kenny and really thought he was a caring, hard-working and energic leader. Kenny is also in the middle of a cosmetic facelift that is sponsored by some parents who are interior designers - as a result, the classrooms look bright and cheery. Kenny's school scores have also risen dramatically in the last two years and it is located in a peaceful, quiet neighborhood setting. Definately visit both of them.

I'm a middle school teacher with Minneapolis Public Schools. I know Jefferson because my mother-in-law is the music teacher there. In addition, the social studies teacher on my team used to teach at Jefferson. It's a nice school-- it's a K-8, and tends to attract families that like all the children to stay together. As a result, it has a high Spanish-speaking population. Mother-in-law is happy working there, and my coworker was happy when he was there as well. When we were trying to find a new placement for a student we are all very fond of, Jefferson was my coworker's top choice. I've always heard good things about the school from other teachers, which is a good sign, in terms of both the staff and the kids. I would recommend a visit to each school, and asking for a tour.

We just had our first child last fall and have been doing quite a bit of research on both public & private schools should we stay living in the SW Mpls area. Our neighbor has two girls in Armatage and they love it. They speak very highly of the teachers and staff and the culture they have created. Good luck!

I have also heard fantastic things about Armatage and Kenny. They are definitely good enough schools that you shouldn't worry about moving. I know you're bummed about not getting your choices, I'm sure. (We're in the Burroughs community area, so we're either going there or Windom (for Spanish immersion)). Good luck! E.

My former ECFE teacher's kids went to Kenny and she spoke very highly of it.
Sara

My girlfriend really liked Armatage!

I have heard good things about Armatage.