Goldsmith-Schiffman Elementary School

Posted: February 26, 2026

The teachers make sure my child feels supported and he feels safe at school.

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: February 26, 2026

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Posted: June 19, 2025

Great PTA and extra support when needed!

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

Posted: November 7, 2024

This is the worst school any of my children have ever attended. They made my hearing impaired daughter cry her first day. A teacher screamed at her so loud that it physically hurt. Then continued to scream at her. The teacher never apologized. The principal is horrible and shouldn’t even work for the school system. They are all rude and unfriendly. They have a “better than everybody” attitude. They do not care about the children, especially anyone that is unique or different. Please do not send your children here. I also have an email from the principal that witnessed the teacher screaming at my child. She admitted the teacher scream but not an apology for her or the teacher.

Posted: December 3, 2022

From my experience, this school is extremely substandard. They are more interested in raising money than actually educating the children entrusted to their care. They are constantly asking for money for one nonessential thing or another. My child’s entire kindergarten experience was of him being sent home for behavior issues instead of actually addressing what was causing the issues. They completely ignore parental boundaries—we are a limited screen time household, which I made abundantly clear, and they totally ignored and used iPad time as a reward. Punishment is also doled out unjustly to kids with certain medical diagnoses. My child has been recently diagnosed with ADHD/ASD1 which has some behavioral symptoms. Now the “safety officer” is called if my child even frowns (not an exaggeration). He is now petrified at the sight of police officers. I will be homeschooling from here on out. I do not recommend this school.

Posted: December 3, 2022

Posted: December 3, 2022

Posted: December 3, 2022

Posted: December 3, 2022

Posted: December 3, 2022

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Posted: December 3, 2022

Posted: December 3, 2022

Posted: October 25, 2019

We’ve had a fabulous experience. The administration and teachers are fantastic and provide an atmosphere where kids WANT to go to school and do their best.

Posted: October 25, 2019

My 3rd grade gets very little homework but is encouraged to read 20-30 minutes every night. She has optional work she can do on her school issues laptop that is educational but fun so she actually wants to learn more.

Posted: October 25, 2019

Most teachers are fabulous but there are a handful that are still good, but communication is lacking.

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: October 25, 2019

Posted: July 21, 2018

The majority of the teachers here care deeply about the success of their students and work with the parents to provide a quality education.

Posted: July 21, 2018

Posted: July 21, 2018

This is 2018 and we have had a great experience with both the Principal/AP, and the PTA.

Posted: July 21, 2018

Posted: July 21, 2018

Posted: July 21, 2018

We have attended GSES for 4 years and so far we have had teachers that understand that young children need to play and not be bogged down with tons of homework. However, there are plenty of other students that do much more homework than mine to keep up.

Posted: July 21, 2018

GSES has been an excellent school for my children. They have flourished and we have enjoyed our time there.

Posted: October 12, 2014

Goldsmith Schiffman is a fantastic school. I currently have a 5th grader and had two others attend as well. The teachers are excellent. In hard times they are supportive and forward thinkers. Children needing more challenging academia have great options. I have always felt the school is very fortunate to have staff, admin, and teachers that work together and support each other in the common goal of creating successful students. PTA is actively engaged working to help in the school and community to strengthen the students learning and future. Being apart of a school where all the players work together like a team is a dream come true. GO GSES!

Posted: September 23, 2014

School is just a couple of years old. It rates and scores very high for now, but my child has been there about three years and the quality of the teachers and education has completely "tanked" over the past couple years. I blame this mostly on the Huntsville school board which has forced so many changes down the throats of the school system. The previous principal was stellar and set the bar unbelievably high. Unfortunately Huntsville school board decided to move him to another school. The school is still above the curve, but that is mostly because of the parents. Great neighborhood and great parents/kids for the most part. Unfortunately the school board has jumped on the "Common Core" bandwagon, which I am so far not impressed with what so ever. I can see now first hand that it is a very bad idea/system.

Posted: August 15, 2014

GSES has to be one of the best schools in the country! Teachers and parents work together for the good of all students. The teachers go above and beyond to help all students achieve, whether that means helping a struggling student or finding a way to further advance a high performing student. There are many events to help build our sense of community. The movie nights are our favorite! My husband and I both work full time, but are kept in the loop through e-mails, photos of our kids sent to us, and phone calls. There's no place we'd rather be!

Posted: July 29, 2014

This school is just too much.. We were at this school for a year and moved to another school because we were treated as if we were not good enough to be here because both of us parents work and are not constantly at the school. And we do not see fit to be spending money on something every month. This school is more about MONEY than anything. As for parent involvement.. I'm involved in my child's life, but that does not mean I should be at the school weekly nor should I be forcing my child to sit down with homework for 2 hours per day. If we are doing that much homework daily then I'm not sure why I even send my child to school. There is a such thing as too much parent involvement. Kids go to school to learn academics and social behaviors, as well as to become independent, not to have their parents in the classroom every day.

Posted: July 2, 2014

This school is among the best, if not the best in the city of Huntsville for elementary schools. Both of our children have attended this school. All of the teachers we've had for both of our students have been VERY good. They've truly cared about our children and their academics. The (about 600) students are friendly and welcoming and the parents work very hard to provide extra supplies, clubs and activities for the whole school to support the teachers and staff. They contribute with time and financial support and we have traditionally had 100% PTA participation. The almost new facility is spotless and well-kept. The principal, Mrs. Mason was new this year. She does a fine job of leading. Almost all the students have laptop computers they take home and the younger students have access to IPads and other computers at school. One of our favorite events is called Green Fling. It's put on in the spring mostly by parents (more than 100 volunteers) and is supported by the teachers and staff. It's an environmental learning event since our school is walking distance to a nature preserve. FANTASTIC school! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. We are a Blue Ribbon school.

Posted: August 25, 2013

New to this school, but so far we have been welcomed with open arms! The new principals have been so sweet in the mornings and helping out in the car pool line! Love it so far!

Posted: August 25, 2013

GSES is simply put the Gold Standard for Huntsville City Schools. Since its inception, GSES has led the system in academic growth and achievement. Hundreds of PTA volunteers are actively involved in supporting the academic goals of the school as well as providing the needed funds and organization to create a climate of openness and community involvement. The teachers are simply stated - the best. They have been handed an ever changing array of curriculum demands over the past few years and have met each challenge with overwhelming success. They have created a unique GSES culture that encourages each child to reach their personal "gold standard". The educators and staff can be seen in every daily activity using wisdom and guidance to help our children grow into active members of the community. Those who choose to use the anonymous perceived power of the keyboard and social media to speak ill of a group of people working hard for our children should actively plug into the school, meet the principal one-on-one, sit down with their child's teacher, volunteer with the PTA, and learn what the GSES Gold Standard truly stands for. I wouldn't want my children at any other school!

Posted: August 24, 2013

GSES is a young school (3 and a half years), but is rapidly becoming a leader in our district. The school is number 2 out of all schools, all grades in our district, and number 1 in elementary. The school has strived to create a true community between students, parents, teachers and administration. Because the parents have volunteered to run so many activities, the teachers and administrators are free to concentrate on the school day. Teachers hands are somewhat tied because of No Child Left Behind and the Common Core, but they try to be as creative as they can. Teachers are approachable and easy to communicate with. Administrators and staff are equally friendly and helpful. The afterschool programs run from science and language to chess, art and drama. GSES is the base for the districts Earthscope, they also have offered 15 violin lessons to each grade, have a music and art class, PE each day. My one complaint would be the limited recess time, which once again is more the Common Core's fault than the schools.

Posted: August 24, 2013

Goldsmith Schiffman Elementary School is amazing. Teachers care about every student!!! My child has been there since it opened and will finish next year. This is the best elementary school in the area!!! I highly recommend it to all parents looking for a great school!

Posted: August 23, 2013

I am a parent of two students here, one K and one in 3rd, as well as a former teacher. I have been impressed by the level of dedication and the high expectations demonstrated by all of my daughters' teachers. Like every school, you will find teachers who are newer, less experienced, or less dedicated. However, every teacher we have had has gone above and beyond for my 3rd grader who reads on a high school level. Wonderful staff in the office, they know me by sight, and I call them by first name. As for the principal issue: we have had a new principal for two months over the summer and she has actively been running the school with students present for ONE WEEK. Mr. Scott, our original principal, was indeed dynamic and beloved. Our new principal, Mrs. Mason, comes to us with wonderful reviews from teachers who have worked for her before, and having met her myself, I find her to be friendly, engaged, and motivated. Take the review below as you will, and I'm sorry for that person's experience. My family has enjoyed and been impressed thoroughly by GSES. As far as schools in the area go, this is one of the best Huntsville has to offer, with a great community and high parent involvement.

Posted: August 22, 2013

"Our school is best known for its academic achievement and parental involvement. - that is their logo! Besides that, there is no teacher involvement in any kinds of duties, huge lack of communication and refusal of accepting responsibilities. Since the old Principal left this school , it is going down the hill fast. The best principal & asset for GSES .Deeply involved in making relationships with parents and concerns, devoted to academic achievement, loving kids. The principal assistant is very much the same! Academic results in this school are , in my opinion , a result of huge parent involvement. Teachers have one main concern in this school- and that is discipline-. Therefore, there is not an interest from their side for your child to succeed or make great grades but to be quite, sit down and follow directions. The rest is the parents' job - if you want your child to have fantastic grades or get ahead, then be ready to reteach the curriculum every afternoon and go over their homework. So, at this point , we can say school is average, the key here is to work hard and learn to do everything on your own.

Posted: February 10, 2013

We just moved to the Huntsville area, and our daughters have always attended a very small, private, Christian school. We were all a little concerned about the transition to a public school, but we need not have worried..Although most Huntsville Schools are very large, GSES, at over 125,000 sq ft, is one of, if not THE biggest. (it's gorgeous, too!) That alone might have been overwhelming were it not for the fact that once we stepped inside, the warmth and kindness of the staff and students immediately put the whole family at ease. We felt welcomed by everyone! The teachers took the time to learn my girls names (which is a feat in that the youngest are identical twins!) and I dont just mean THEIR teachers, either! and many of the other children made "Welcome to GSES!" cards which were waiting on the girls desks on their first day. My oldest even received a welcome gift-bag from a classmate. This school is chalk full of kind and generous hearted people. Academically, GSES is fantastic.. but you can find that out by checking test scores, they speak for themselves. For our family, the heart of GSES was equally important. We were not disappointed. WE LOVE GSES!

Posted: August 6, 2012

GSES has fantastic parent involvement! When moving on to new grades, it's really hard to pick which teacher you want your child in because they are all so good. The first grade teachers are particularly excellent and do a great job of getting your child excited about education. Our students are ranked the highest in our city and we have a principal that cares about each and every one of them.

Posted: September 15, 2011

Top notch school building, Highest Acedemic scores! In my opinion, the best principal around. Strong leadership! PTA president is amazing. I have 3 children attending GSES and I couldn't be happier.