Swallow School District vs. Hartland/Lakeside (Waukesha, Merton: school districts, moving to, train)

[schools]

Please compare for me. Is Swallow like it's own school district? It's k-8 w/smaller classes than North & South Hartland k-5 & Smaller than North Shore Middle, right? Can I please get pluses & minuses? What about middle school sports at these schools?? How about technology comparisons? Are kids just as prepared for Arrowhead HS coming from either of these 2 schools?? Thanks!

[sunflower53072]

I would give the edge to Swallow from what I've heard. It is a k-8 school. I may be biased, as I pulled my kids out of Hartland Lakeside. Other neighbors of mine have been happy with Hartland South and North Shore Middle School, but many others open enroll elsewhere(Lake Country or North Lake) or do private school here. I would choose Swallow if choosing between the two.

[gailrey]

Swallow and Hartland-Lakeside (Hartland North, South and North Shore Middle School) are all feeder schools to Arrowhead as are Merton, North Lake, Richmond, etc. I believe that all of the schools prepare the students pretty equally for Arrowhead. My children all have or are attending South and North Shore. My oldest daughter is attending Arrowhead and is doing very well. You can always check test scores, etc. Swallow has a more affluent population which many parents like, however, I have been very happy with the teachers, administrators and students in Hartland-Lakeside!

[golfer72]

Swallow School and Hartland/Lakeside are adjacent to each other, and both districts feed into Arrowhead High School. Swallow is one K-8 school, whereas Hartland/Lakeside has two K-5 elementary schools (North and South) and a middle school (North Shore Middle School). All of the schools are high performing, as can be found out from the State WINSS website that posts student performance for grades 3-8.

I have two sons at Hartland North Elementary, and I'm thrilled with the quality of education. The teachers are outstanding and the school climate is very positive. I also know two teachers from Swallow that have children that attend Hartland North. They love Hartland North and have nothing but great things to say. They also speak highly of their school, but to me, if a teacher from one school has great things to say about their neighboring school where their child attends, that's a strong endorsement.

Hartland North also is on the cutting edge with technology. All of the classrooms have SMART Board technology and several of their teachers currently offer classes to train teachers from other districts. I think they're the only school in Waukesha County with a SMART Board in every classroom.

As for class sizes, it depends on the grade. Some classes are smaller at Hartland North, while others are smaller at Swallow. It really depends on the grade and the number of students at that grade level.

I truly don't believe you can go wrong with any Arrowhead Area School, but our family's experience at Hartland/Lakeside has been outstanding.

[AntonioD]

In moving to Hartland, I too heard that some surrounding school districts may be a better choice than the Hartland/Lakeside district. However, after looking at reality vs. perception, pertaining to the actual educational offerings and teaching methods, we have been elated to have our children in the Hartland/Lakeside schools.

The technology they are using has really driven the interest of the students and has been extensively integrated into the curriculum and learning. Teachers are highly involved in advanced training and learning and continually updating their skills and talents that provide more meaningful and productive teaching methods. I have been impressed with how they use ongoing data to measure and monitor student growth and performance and how students have additional support to assist their learning or to provide extended experiences for advanced learners.

Their class sizes are much lower than we had in our previous district, plus they have additional certified teachers that greatly reduce student/teacher ratios. We have also been very pleased with the many enrichment opportunities our daughter has at the middle school. The drama performances are outstanding and the opportunities to have both Spanish and French has been a welcoming option, not to mention, band, jazz band, chorus, student council, various sports and other special project clubs.

The teachers are very caring and supportive. Our children also really enjoy going to school. The fun activities have really brought a sense of community throughout the entire school and district. In essence, the wonderful teachers and great principals are greatly respected by the parents and students. We made the right choice for our family.