Joshua D Kershaw Elementary School

Honestly, the health and safety vibes at Kershaw are better than I expected for a CPS school in this area. One thing I really value is the small class sizes—it's around 9 students per teacher, which basically means when a bug is going around, it doesn't spread nearly as fast as it did at my niece's school where the rooms were packed. The building is older, but they’ve been doing a decent job with the cleaning lately. Communication about sick kids is pretty standard, but since the school is small, the staff actually knows my kid by name and will call me right away if he’s looking a little pale or running a fever. It feels more personal, which gives me peace of mind. We haven't had any major issues with ventilation or germs spiraling out of control this year, so I'm happy with how things are being handled.

I honestly have mixed feelings about Kershaw. My kid is in a small class, which sounds great on paper, but the actual building maintenance is a massive headache. Recently, there have been some pretty gross plumbing issues—like major drain obstructions mentioned in official reports—and it definitely affects the overall cleanliness for the kids. It feels like the school is constantly playing catch-up with repairs rather than focusing on a healthy learning environment. Communication about health stuff is also pretty spotty, so you're often left guessing when things are going around or if the facilities are actually 100% functional.