John B Drake Elementary School

Honestly, having the Cynthia Barnes-Boyd Health & Wellness Center right inside Drake is a huge lifesaver. It’s so much easier to get things handled without having to drag my kid across town just for basic health stuff or forms. The school feels pretty well-organized and they're usually on top of things when it comes to communication. It’s definitely not one of those schools where you feel like things are falling apart or dirty; it actually feels like they care about the environment the kids are in every day. Only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because the office can still be a bit of a headache to deal with during flu season when everyone is calling in sick, but compared to other CPS schools, we've got it pretty good here.

Drake has been pretty solid for my daughter so far. The cleaning crew seems to actually move things around because the classrooms don't have that dusty, shut-in smell you find in some older CPS buildings. They're also really on top of sending out those 'exposure' emails whenever something like strep or a stomach bug is going around, so at least I have a heads-up before she wakes up sick. The nurse is super friendly too; she called me right away when my kid scraped her knee at recess and was very calm. Only downside is the sick policy can feel a bit strict—they really want them home for a full 24 hours after a fever—but I guess that’s why the whole class doesn’t get sick at once!