James B Mcpherson Elementary School

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the health vibe at McPherson. On one hand, the Ravenswood community is great and there's a nice sense of history in the building, but you can really tell the staff and administrators are stretched thin. My biggest gripe is the communication when bugs or viruses are going around the classroom; it feels like we only find out after half the kids are already out sick. The building itself is older, and while they try to keep it clean, the ventilation doesn't feel the best in those packed classrooms. It's not a disaster, but I definitely wish they had more support for the nurse's office and a more proactive approach to wellness rather than just reacting when everyone is already coughing.

My kid has been at McPherson for two years now and I'm pretty happy with how they handle things. The school is an older building so it's not like a sterile hospital or anything, but they definitely keep it clean and the staff is really on top of it when something like strep or a stomach bug starts going around the classrooms. They send out email blasts pretty quickly so you know what to watch for. My only gripe is that the nurse is only there a few days a week, which I think is just a CPS thing in general, but the front office staff is super sweet and handles the scraped knees and minor headaches well enough. Overall, it’s a solid environment and I feel like they actually care about the kids not just getting sick constanty.