Reviews of Hooker Elementary School (Kindergarten)

Sara MS

We had a very poor experience at Worthington Hooker and swiftly withdrew our child. Regarded as the top public school in New Haven, we expected a warm and supportive atmosphere. Instead what we found is a cold institutional atmosphere with a bully-principal. While waiting in the office various times I witnessed bullying and condescension toward foreign-born parents and grandparents dropping things off, picking up, etc. One mother was forced to wait 45 minutes to drop off something for her son because the staff refused to call up to her child's class or allow her into the lunchroom to look for him. Want to surprise your child and drop-in for lunch? Not allowed. Our child started mid-year and wanted a parent to stay in the back of the class for a bit the first day. Not allowed. The school we came from was bright and cheery, with parents, grandparents and siblings frequently volunteering, decorating hallways or involved in one way or another. Not to be found here amidst the gloom. We've always been active, involved parents and have formed friendships with school staff and fellow school parents alike, but this isn't the atmosphere for that at all. It's cold, institutional and the staff is mean. Had we known what a horrible, cold place Worthington Hooker School is we definitely would have settled elsewhere in the Yale commutable area.

Karissa Van Tassel

I've had three children attend school at Worthington Hooker and have been truly impressed by the education they each received. As one of the most culturally diverse schools (I believe there are nearly 30 countries represented), the children grow up with diversity being celebrated in their classrooms in a variety of ways. In addition, the dedicated teaching staff work well together and are encouraged to find creative ways to teach the curriculum thanks, in part, to the school's ongoing success rate and their enrollment in the HOTS program. It is hard to imagine a more loving and nurturing environment than the one created by the teachers, staff and community at Worthington Hooker School.