 Television critics were polarized with "Elementary School Musical". Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a 'C +' grade. Although he expressed satisfaction towards many aspects of the episode, such as the character development of Lisa Simpson, VanDerWerff criticized the songs performed in the episode. In response to the appearance of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie of the Flight of the Conchords, he stated: "I have no idea if the writers wrote new songs for the two guys in Flight of the Conchords to sing [...] but the songs they sang were pretty weak." Similarly, VanDerWerff was critical of the guest appearances of Michele, Riley, and Monteith, and stated: "Bringing in the Glee kids to sing a take on" Good Vibrations "that was, frankly, awful mostly just felt like an attempt to have guest stars in nothing parts so they could be promoted. In contrast, Brad Trechak of TV Squad felt that the" Elementary School Musical "was an enjoyable start to the twenty-second season of the series, and retorted that the appearances of Clement and McKenzie was the highlight of the episode. Similarly, Eric Hochberger of TV Fanatic wrote," We actually loved Bret and Jemaine doing what they do best last night: playing characterized versions of themselves. Unlike the Glee kids, our favorite duo from New Zealand were given decent songs and some pretty great lines. " Hochberger gave the episode a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
