Cordova Elementary School

Posted: August 13, 2025

This school has one of the most negative environments I had seen. Parents were never involved. Teachers were always in a crappy mood. They are unorganized. Kids were constantly punished and it was the same kids sitting a lone in class or at lunch. How is a kid supposed to have better behavior when you keep punishing him instead of helping him? I remember what was supposed to be a field day was such a joke. One game was played and all they did was sit on the grass. So glad my kids was able to leave. Unfortunately, until now, they're school traffic at pick-up in the afternoons is a mess.
I remember the principal was a parent at another mscs school and was on the PTA. Which she would have given the same effort as a principal.

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: August 13, 2025

Posted: November 14, 2024

The only reason this school received 1 star is because of a very dedicated and supportive kindergarten teacher that my daughter had. My daughter loved learning was excited to go to school everyday and then came first grade. Her light dimmed a bit but she moved forward. 2nd grade came and it was the most horrible time in our lives. This little girl who loved school became withdrawn. She became physically I'll when she had to go to school. She would vomit and panic and think of all kinds of reasons why she couldn't go to school that day and everyday. We were in mtgs with administration regularly. There became a point where they would have to physically peel her from my body and drag her down the hall. She was so terrified to go to school and wouldn't tell us why. Come to find out my daughter is dyslexic and I kept bringing this possibility up during these meetings just for them to ignore my concerns. My daughter was being made to read in front of other kids while they laughed at her because she could not and at one point a teacher told her that her cat was smarter than her. She was made to feel small and unimportant. You would think that educators could recognize a dyslexic child and assist with helping said child with resources but instead she was made to do extra work inside while other kids played at recess. She was punished for something out of her control. I paid to have her tested since no one at the school would assist. She had a pretty extensive form of dyslexia. The best day was the day I pulled my daughter from that horrible school. That was the day my daughter was my daughter again. There was an immediate change. She had a love for learning and school again. She wasn't sick screaming and crying. She was happy.

Posted: November 14, 2024

Posted: November 14, 2024

Posted: November 14, 2024

Posted: November 14, 2024

Posted: November 14, 2024

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Posted: November 14, 2024

Posted: July 14, 2023

We have attended Cordova Elementary for a few years. We have seen different administrators come and go. The new principal really affects the Cordova experience from top to bottom. It is a family involved school and you can feel when the administrator wants family involved or not. Another problem is due to changing administration what seems every year, we have noticed the retention of some of the best teachers be a problem. After 1 to 2 years these teachers either transfer schools or no longer work for the system. Thankfully, the teachers we have experienced were devoted and great. If you have a Kindergarten student request MS. Binkley. The BEST Kindergarten teacher! When it comes to learning, I felt the school could have tried different and exciting techniques to help kids that normally have problems with concentration and absorbing large amounts of information all at once. If your child can independently do work and figure things out of his/her own, you would fare well here. I also felt there should have been more special programs for regular kids not just those in CLUE or Optional programming. Lastly, I hate to admit, bullying was a problem that I feel if you are not an involved parent that pushes the addressing of the problem, it would continue unchecked. Sometimes, you were made to feel your child is the problem or should handle it on his/her own to the detriment of his/her overall wellbeing. Instead of being proactive the school is reactive. It is too long of a process to address issues. Your best allies will be the Guidance counselor and the school security cameras. Lastly, this school is a good school, but if you are not an involved present parent, your child may not have a great experience. A lot of the teachers genuinely care about the success of your child. I have not experienced a teacher yet that I felt otherwise. Be Present, Vigilant, and Active.

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: July 14, 2023

Posted: October 5, 2022

This school had teachers and staff members that bully the students. I have never experienced grown people picking on small children and other adults allowing it to continue to happen. Yes, some children are annoying, loud and unfocused; but the job of the teachers and staff is to help the student, not bully him. I just hope we can get my grandson away from such a toxic school. My sister has been a teacher for 29 years and is in a great school. Hopefully we can move into her school district. Cordova Elementary is horrible.

Posted: October 5, 2022

Posted: October 5, 2022

Posted: October 5, 2022

Posted: October 5, 2022

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Posted: October 5, 2022

Posted: October 1, 2022

My son is disabled. They've allowed him to go missing. They've allowed him to get JUMPED by kids. He had a bully that used to rip his clothes and stole $20 from him. They allow teachers to bully him. They give him bad grades because he can't focus on tests where they play LOUD MUSIC. (Seriously?!) They will mark your kid absent even when they are present because they don't keep track of them. We got audio of a teacher telling him he isn't smart. He's literally probably smarter than all the teachers. He built his own Polaris from scrap parts. This school is not a school, but a glorified daycare.

Posted: October 1, 2022

Posted: October 1, 2022

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Posted: October 1, 2022

Posted: October 6, 2017

Posted: October 6, 2017

Posted: October 6, 2017

Posted: October 6, 2017

Posted: October 6, 2017

Posted: October 6, 2017

Posted: October 6, 2017

very good.like the school and teachers.and my son loves it.

Posted: December 9, 2014

This is our 4th year at CES and we really love it. The teachers have been amazing and the principals responsive to any concern. The PTA tries diligently to get parents involved...that would be my only wish, more consistent parental involvement (though I think that goes beyond just this school and is a universal concern).

Posted: December 8, 2014

Cordova Elementary School is a safe, nurturing, and academically stimulating environment for students. This is my son's first year at Cordova, and we love it. His teacher is wonderful. The optional program and CLUE program keep him busy and challenged. The students are well-behaved. The school principals are very visible and easy to talk to. They put the safety and academic achievement of each child first. I feel safe knowing that my son is there. It is truly a hidden treasure in the Shelby County School system.

Posted: August 12, 2014

My children attended Cordova for one full year and a partial second. Initially it's status as an Optional School sounded promising, though it certainly proved to be less than pleasing. The school environment is very bland. Unimaginative. The teachers seem as lack-luster as the office staff (who frequently look bored). They've embraced Common Core without doing an efficient job at applying it. They assign copious amounts of homework for the low grades and deduct points when it isn't completed properly (though they do a poor job explaining what should be done). There was nothing warm, exciting or proactie about the environment. We were happy to find a better option for our children. I don't recommend this school unless rigorous academics and authoritative teaching is your style.

Posted: February 17, 2014

The fourth grade teachers are so unorganized with their teaching method. I was confused within the first 10 minutes of sitting in on one of the classes. I don't know how in the world the children learn at all.

Posted: January 12, 2014

Both my boys have been in CES since Kindergarten. We love it there. Great parent involvement and supportive PTA.

Posted: January 12, 2014

I love Cordova Elementary! I have a kindergartener and a 4th grader, my children are getting an A++ education! The teachers and staff are fantastic and Mrs. Avanzi is the best principal in SCS. There are many great and exciting things happening at CES!!

Posted: November 23, 2013

I love Cordova Elementary! I have had at least one child in CES since 2005 and the school just gets better every year. Mrs. Avanzi is committed to making CES the best school in Shelby County. She hires nothing but the BEST when it comes to teachers and staff. I know the teachers and administration care about the success of each student that walks through the doors of Cordova Elementary School.

Posted: August 8, 2012

Unorganized. Blame focused. There is no accountability. It's always someone else's fault. Just fix the problems.