John H Vanderpoel Elementary Magnet School

I really wanted to love Vanderpoel because of the magnet status and the Beverly location, but the building maintenance is super concerning lately. Honestly, it feels like there’s always an issue—we've seen reports about the fire alarms constantly malfunctioning, and there’ve even been maintenance notes about cleaning equipment like floor squeegees not working right and leaving streaks/standing water. In an elementary school, that’s just a breeding ground for germs and mold. It’s frustrating because the academic focus is there, but the physical environment feels neglected. My kid has come home with more 'mystery' sniffles this year than ever, and I'm not convinced the air quality or cleanliness is where it should be for a CPS school.

Vanderpoel has been pretty solid since my son started there. The building is older, since it's in Beverly, but the custodial staff actually keeps it really clean. I really appreciate how the office handles it when something like strep or a stomach bug is going around—they actually send out emails to the grade level right away so we can keep an eye out for symptoms. The sick policy is standard CPS stuff, maybe a bit strict on the 24-hour fever-free rule, but honestly, it helps keep the classroom from becoming a total germ fest. The only downside is the nurse isn't there every single day, which is a bit of a bummer, but the front office staff are total pros at handling scraped knees or minor issues in the meantime. Overall, it's a very caring environment.