Colorado International School

Our daughter, 3 years old, started at COIS last summer in the Mandarin program. We have had a great experience over the last six months at the school. Her teacher is warm, caring and loving. She can already count to ten in three languages. Learning occurs thru play, singing, interaction and teaching - it has captivated her interest very much and she is very proud of learning another language. Finally, it would not be possible to expose her to languages and cultures without an institution like COIS. As with most things, there are some areas that could improve - however, we are very happy at the school and would highly recommend it.
—Submitted by a parent

My daugther is in the middle school program and she finally loves school again ! The school is amazing! The building is not very nice , but if you don't judge a book by its cover , you realize that what is going on inside the school is rare to find. Also she loves to be mixed with smaller kids , the atmosphere is caring and very highly recommeded for people that believe in education !
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent, I am beyond disappointed in this school. The administration is absolutely horrible to deal with! Arbitrary decisions are frequently administered, regardless of previous discussions/arrangements. Professionalism at all levels is lacking, as well as nurturing and supporting leadership. Yes, the classes are small, however, prospective parents should question this very carefully. The classes are small because the school is not able to retain their students, especially in languages other in German (please note that this school is the only school in Colorado, to date, that offers German language immersion so these parents/students have no other school options). The' upper' level classes are mixed aged classes because there are not enough students in one particular age group to fill them. For example, you can have a kindergartner and second grader in a class together. Prospective parents should seriously question why there are very few students returning year to year.
—Submitted by a parent

My song, 4 yers old, just started in the Mandarin program. He LOVES his teacher and within 1 week of his first day, he is singing songs, counting and speaking short phrases in Chinese. His desire to learn has been piqued, and he asks how to say different words in Chinese almost daily! I am so excited to see how his interest to learn other cultures grows in the midst of such a caring environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Colorado International School is a small school with small classes (6-8 children per class at elementary level) where you can get to know other parents easily and where children get individualized attention. This contrasts sharply with the 25-30 students per classroom model of public language immersion schools. COIS is a language immersion school where children do not just learn foreign languages as a separate subject, but also use them as a medium in other subjects such as math, science, history, etc. This means they are actually experiencing multilingual learning. Finally, it is the only school in the entire state of Colorado that offers German language immersion for children in K-8 on a full-time basis. I'm very happy with the education my 2 children are getting in the German program at COIS. In fact, this program is absolutely integral to them maintaining their German, not just in terms of spoken German, but in terms of reading and writing German as well.
—Submitted by a parent

My children attend CoIS, and I am thrilled with the education that they are receiving. The teachers are fantastic! They work hard to give each child individual attention, giving the students the chance to learn at their own pace. Because of this individual attention, most children there are doing work above their grade level. The kids are exposed to different languages and cultures daily, which is so valuable as everything is becoming so global. Because of the small size of the school, the kids are learning valuable social skills of how to get along with the same people daily. Their class is more like a family than a classroom. The new Head of School is wonderful! Her dedication to the school and her vision for the school's future is exciting!
—Submitted by a parent

There needs to be an accurate review of CoIS on this site. First of all, the teachers are great wonderful, loving and professional. However, the administration is a mess. Our family invested a couple years of our child s life in a school that has gone out of its way to treat us like dirt. One individual in particular, the one who usually shows around new families, has been the primary problem. She runs the school like a dictator creating and abolishing rules at will seemingly set on satisfying some pathological need for power. She is belittling to people and treats parents like naughty children. Bottom line is the school is small because it cannot get its class sizes to grow. The school tries to spin the small classes as a positive, but please don t ignore this red flag. As soon as there s growth, parents get so fed up from disrespectful behavior, they decide to go to a more professional school. In the end, you ll be forcing your child to re-adjust to a new school just to get away from CoIS. Think twice before enrolling here.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a prospective parent and I enjoyed learning about the school on a tour today. The teachers are all engaged with the small number of children in each class. It does seem like a great place to get individual attention. I am a rather shy and observant person, so I think the fact that I didn't ask many questions may have been off-putting to the person giving the tour. I actually felt somewhat attacked with a rapid stream of questions (ie, why are you here, you didn't ask any questions so I don't know what I can do for you, etc.). Not bad questions, but the manner in which they were asked was quite abrasive and only asked after the other parent left. The other parent on the tour was ready to turn in admissions paperwork and was catered to! I felt really uncomfortable, like I was a waste of their time! I wanted to learn what the school was like, and overall it is something I would consider, but I am weary of the lack of professionalism displayed today by the person giving the tour. This does factor into the my overall impression of the school. It was just one interaction so I will keep that in mind.

The teachers are fabulous. The administration is not the easiest with which to work. The parents and teachers have a common goal always. The care and education is apparent from the teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son attends CoIS and we are very pleased with the education. He is speaking spanish at home and in the classroom. The teachers are both knowledgeable and educated and provide a warm and safe environment to learn. Language immersion schools are the future in education and CoIS is at the forefront of education in America.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm very happy with this school. It's a wonderful environment and I learn a lot by going here. I get individual attention and lots of stuff to work with. I love CoIS and it's teachers!
—Submitted by a student

My daughter is in her second year at COIS and loves it! Her Spanish is progressing rapidly, she has made many friends and loves her teachers. As a parent, I like the family feeling that the school has.
—Submitted by a parent

Children in language immersion schools test better than children in conventional programs. However, these gains are not recognized within the first three years. In fact, in grades one and two, children in immersion programs usually test lower than children in conventional programs, because of vocabulary issues. However, by grade three they are on par with their peers and by grade five exceed them. Parents who haven't done their homework, sometimes get upset when their first grader comes home with lack luster standardized test scores. This is not because the school does not teach core academics. Rather, it is because the child didn't know how to say parallelagram in English, only in Mandarin.
—Submitted by a parent

As another good school year draws to a close, I am happy to report that I am very pleased with this school. The children get incredible attention from the teachers who are very creative and nurturing. Also, I don't know where else in the city the kids could get such strong language skills. I investigated the other programs in town that have language immersion, and found this one to be the clear best choice. Thanks for a great year!
—Submitted by a parent

As a teacher, I must say that there is no other place like CoIS. My colleagues and I absolutely love the environment! Walking through the hallways, I am proud to be a part of such a multicultural, multilingual, and open-minded organization. I have never received so much support from the parent community as I do here at this school. I wouldn't dream of teaching anywhere else. I represent one of a group of 5 of us that have been with the school since its inception. We re still growing so that's about half our full-time teaching staff! The teachers here are all very special individuals that have made a strong commitment to the school. Our Board of Trustees has provided numerous opportunities for me to receive world-class training from the IB organization as well as important site visitations to other schools. I have the privilege of teaching small classes and bonding with my students in a way I never could in the public system. I encourage anyone interested to please take a closer look at CoIS. You ll be amazed!
—Submitted by a teacher

We have enjoyed what the CoIS staff and teachers have brought to our child s development. The curriculum is engaging and fun and this school is also a candidate for International Baccalaureate accreditation. Our child thrives on the positive learning environment. They introduce children to the larger outside world with thoughtful age-appropriate art exhibits, field trips, and enrichment programs that truly prepares them for a global future. The multiple rants of one other parent are devoid of understanding how the school always presents materials in an appropriate context to our children.
—Submitted by a parent

We are unhappy with how the teachers are treated and how the students have few materials. The recent controversial exhibit also strongly disturbed us.
—Submitted by a parent

The school is comparatively behind in 'core skill' development. They are massively under-funded so cut corners whenever possible. The teachers are unhappy. The Board seems to micromanage the school. They also promoted a controversial exhibit dealing with Iraqi children killed by US soldiers.
—Submitted by a parent

We are sending our kids to a different school next year that is IB certified; treats students and teachers much better; and which has many more resources for children
—Submitted by a parent

This is an amazing school! I (as a student) have loved the experience. Just a note, though, the school has moved to 4100 E. Illif now. This year (2006-2007) the 8th grade made a greenhouse ( I am in 8th grade). We did the fundraisers, the money handling.... everything!! This school is a more hands on school, that has a perfect environment for children to learn in. This school is one that I would highly reccomend to others!
—Submitted by Quinn Kern-Allely, a student