Welcome to James Fenimore Cooper Elementary School!

At Cooper School, our mission is to teach all children to love learning, embrace challenges and strive to achieve their personal best. Our Cooper Community will demonstrate respect, ownership, acts of kindness and responsibility to encourage active citizenship. Each morning we recite our Cooper Code, “Cooper kids are kind to themselves, others, and the world around them. We show respect, responsibility, and good citizenship.” These actions and goals are consistent with our district’s mission statement:

We shall provide all children with an education that develops open-minded thinkers with strong academic and interpersonal skills to thrive in an ever-changing world and make it a better place for all.

Whether you are a new family joining us this year, a returning family, or an interested community member, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to James Fenimore Cooper School. I am thrilled to begin my 7th year with my amazing Cooper Family and my 23rd year in public education. I have previously had the honor of serving as the principal of Joyce Kilmer Elementary School, an assistant principal in Gloucester Township, and a teacher at A. Russell Knight Elementary School. I look forward to continuing the great work we have begun at Cooper in the areas of character education, technology integration, and special education programming. Cooper School is a New Jersey School of Character and a National School of Character!  We are also an ADL No Place for Hate School. The students and staff at Cooper are committed to making our community a better place for all!

James F. Cooper Elementary is a small neighborhood school within the Cherry Hill Public School District. Each day, the school personnel welcome approximately 270 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The teachers and staff create a positive learning environment to provide students with a strong foundation which will prepare them for future academic success. To meet the challenge of preparing our students to be 21st Century Learners, our adopted curricula are aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and supplemented with integrated technology to enhance learning and student performance. Our school also offers a variety of programming for neurodiverse students, including co-teaching, resource room instruction and specialized programs for students with autism and students with language learning needs. Each student receives the educational support they need to be able to access the curriculum and experience overall achievement.

We are fortunate to have strong parental and community support, and we encourage all families to take advantage of the many opportunities to get involved in their child’s school experience. Our Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) hosts school and family events, and provides funding for a variety of assemblies and supplemental projects. 

The staff at James F. Cooper Elementary School embraces all students and accepts the responsibility to provide them with the skills and knowledge to become fully productive citizens. To that end, we strive to remain progressive and proactive in our educational approach to teaching and learning, and we are committed to academic excellence.

Best wishes for a wonderful year!

Rebecca J. Tiernan, Principal