GreatSchools Rating
Teacher quality
Principal leadership
Parent involvement
I couldn't agree more with the two comments below mine. The first two years my son and I were blessed with an amazing teach, who actually communicated with me almost daily. This year has been horrific. I found out on the SECOND set of conferences that my son wasn't doing well on turning in his work. Which in no means is the teachers fault.... But we all came up with a game plan to communicate more. I have heard from her maybe 3 times. Emails, notes etc. go un-answered for days, some even over a week. She even said in the conferences "I let him fail to see where the problems were." Which I could even halfway understand if this was at the beginning of the year, NOT April! When homework is missing, he is made to stand at the front of the class. To me this is almost a form of bullying. She is very intimidating towards him, even in front of me, and i am not against disciplining. When taken up with the assistant principal, she is rude and insulting. Once you bring something up to her, your children are almost branded. We have had this happen with both my son and daughter. Good luck on even trying to talk to the main principle. We are in the process of switching school for both kids
We are very disappointed w/ Excel. * I am only referring to our experience, which obviously doesn't involve the majority of the staff.* Be prepared to fill a "teacher" role. Parents must volunteer 80 hrs/year - marking, reading w/ students, sorting/distributing assignments etc.- yet teachers are too busy to fulfil normal teaching duties. Why? The classroom is cluttered & disorganized - which may explain why the teacher is the same. The grading & reporting method is a joke. The communication between teachers & parents is automated through TeacherEase - which might work (to a degree) if everyone used it properly & regularly! What happened to calling parents or at the very least, sending a personal email? No consistency in reporting student incidents or consequences. Nothing seems to be dealt with at a school level w/ consistency. Our children are not problematic & what I would describe as above average in their marks. I have been involved w/ my children in school for over 15 years & have never come across such a mess. I cannot say enough about how frustrating this school is & there is not enough space here to adequately express our disappointment. Just be forewarned.
Edu: 5 Teachers: 3 Staff: 4 Admin: 1 Supportive: 1 The education here is stellar, your child will walk out the doors with a wealth of knowledge. HOWEVER, teaching and communication with parents is inconsistent. The front desk staff is very polite and helpful. If they do not have answers, they will find them. HOWEVER, the administration of this school is a dictatorship, with the principal making decisions where it is absolutely NOT her place to do so. This school is primarily wealthy, to such an extent that students have been known to tell others "you don't fit in because you're poor". Free and reduced lunch is provided (by Jefferson County) Monday through Thursday, but Exel only provides pizza on Friday as a "fundraiser" that students are required to pay for, although they have more than enough left over to feed the free and reduced students. Further, from 5th grade on there are expensive class trips, up to $1400 with few fundraising opportunites for those who need them. This school disgusts me with their treatment of those who have not been as blessed as the majority of their population, but they do provide a great education.
We are new to Excel this year. So far it has been a great experience. The school meets children's individual needs. The communication between home and school is excellent. After being told at our last school that they could not help us, Excel has been a breath of fresh air!
Fantastic School. I am a very proud Excel Academy parent. Core Knowledge curriculum, sprials with conbined k/1, 2/3, 4/5 classrooms. amazing yearly fieldtrips at each grade level.
I am not a parent of a current Excel student but I've been in the front office for over twenty years of private, charter and public schools. From my years of experience I can honestly say that Excel Academy is the BEST operated school that I have ever worked for! Your children are cared for by an incredible group of highly qualified teachers, their learning environment is "sacred" and they are loved by not only their teachers but the entire staff. The best way to sum up the experience your child will have at Excel is that it is a private education on public tax dollars!
I can't say enough great things about this school! The teachers are all so dedicated and up-beat. They truly make learning fun.
My daughter has just started at Excel and I feel that her K teacher is amazing. She is compassionate and hardworking with my daughter and if I have a question or concern it is addressed in a timely manner. The PTO and athletic program are growing and becoming strong and the teachers are amazing! The principal is present and involved. I can't wait for my other two children to attend!
Quality teachers at Excel. However, they are driven away by lack of support from the administration, poor leadership, poor communication and being unsafe to give feedback/suggestions. It's a toxic environment. I have to believe that does or will affect the quality of the education.
At first I was happy for kids to attend Excel. Working with my kids and helping in the classroom is were I should have stopped!! Excel rewards the bad kids by paying them off if they are good leaving the good kids to want to be bad to get money. The administration talks down to the kids and the parents leaving them feeling aweful! The principal won't stand up for anyone leaving the school a huge mess. Don't send kids here unless you have a bad kid you want to get paid!
I have a third grader and a 5th grader this year and even though our kids have only gone to this school for 2 years I know this was a great move.
I love Excel. The teachers are great. The curriculum is challenging and uses best practice techniques with consistancy.
my child went here from 3-6th grade and the whole time it was a very good education and they were very consistent with homework.
My 10-year-old has had a very positive experience at Excel. This school is able to teach each student at their own level - students are grouped by ability, so the curriculum is challenging whether a student is 'GT' or a little behind their grade level in a specific subject. While their CSAP scores are not as impressive as some neighboring schools, I feel that Excel is better able to tailor the education to the child in contrast to a standard public elementary school, even those with 'excellent' CSAP scores. My five-year-old will begin kindergarten there in the fall and we are very excited.
Excel was once a great school. Poor administation, over-political correctness and beureaucratic policies have drove away many good educatrors and families. There are many good hard working teacheres still there. Overall I would give Excell a negative review.
I have two (soon to be three) kids going to Excel. They all love their teachers and are doing very well. I don t understand the other review who said there aren t more challenging classes offered? Both of my kids are currently in special advanced classes in math and reading. All three of the teachers I have experience with there work very hard for the kids and as a parent I am grateful for their dedication.
Excel Academy is a great school that does a great job at balancing academics and fun learning activities. Their creativity to keep kids motivated is a plus. Being a charter school allows the parents to be more involved with the management / operations of the school.
Excel has been a great place for my daughter, who is going into 4th grade, to learn and play. Although I was a bit intimidated by the volunteer requirement at first, I really appreciate it now - I always feel welcome and appreciated when I help out, and I love that there are always younger siblings hanging around while their parents volunteer, it really creates a warm atmosphere, and I know they will feel really ready to go to school when they are old enough for kindergarten. I do agree that the administration could use some switching up - there is a lot of tension in the main office, and I'm sure the kids aren't aware of it, but the parents are, especially when the director and the other administrators are always ready to complain to whoever will listen about the other two.
My two children have attended Excel Academy for 5 years. The charter and concept is excellent as well as most of the educators. The Administration has much to be desired. We've noticed a steady decline over the past three years in leadership and the learning environment Excel once had. We are very disappointed and are considering new schools.
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The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.
11500 West 84th Ave
Arvada,
CO 80005
Phone: (303) 467-2295
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