Park Hill School

As a parent and a staff member, I KNOW that Park Hill School is a great place. Children are held to high standards academically and are loved.
--Submitted by a teacher

My daughter has been at PH for 3 years and has had an amazing experience. Every one of her teachers has greatly exceeded our expectations and she feels safe and loved by teachers and administration alike. Parents here are highly involved and make this school even better because of it. We are lucky to have such an amazing neighborhood school!
--Submitted by a parent

My children attended Park Hill Elementary for the past four years. I was fairly involved in school activities and the classroom. My opinion and experience is that they have some great teachers there and they have some that I would consider mediocre. Parent involvement and volunteering is what MAKES this school. But in the four years we were there I saw some things within the administration that was concerning and alarming. First off, police are there all the time. This is an elementary school in an affluent neighborhood. I would suspect that there is a disproportionate amount calls to the crime rate of the neighborhood. The school touts its diversity but in the end, the principal has made many decisions that leave out those minority students. I love the school, the teachers, the parents. I REALLY question the administration. Glad we have left.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is completing her first year at Park Hill and had a wonderful experience in full-day kindergarten. She tested into Advanced Kindergarten and was accepted at Polaris/Ebert, but we chose to keep her at Park Hill, our first choice school (we are two blocks outside of the boundaries). The teachers are caring and do a great job differentiating for kids whether they are advanced or catching up to grade level. We love the diversity of the student population and feel so lucky to be part of Park Hill!
--Submitted by a parent

Park Hill is an excellent neighborhood school serving a diverse part of Denver. Parents are highly involved, the teachers are passionate and experienced, and the school itself is a community institution. My son is highly gifted but we have chosen to keep him at Park Hill rather than send him to a charter program because of our experiences here. This is a terrific school
--Submitted by a parent

I couldn't agree more with the posting on November 13, 2009. Park Hill's academic score of '3' does not do justice to the education provided at this school. My daughter is in Kindergarten with a teacher that is building life long learning skills AND she is doing this in a diverse and real-world class room where kids come from all walks of life. PHE librarian is excellent and is teaching the kids researching skills at a very young age. The music program is excellent. But on top of all that the Principle is savy at bringing additional resources to the school in a severely tight budgetary situation through community partnerships. As a first grader at PHE, you can take Spanish, Mandarin, violin, and acting classes, etc... The PTSA is top notch, earning additional dollars to support para-professionals. Don't voerlook this school based on the score.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at PHE but I can say that the low rating of a 3 does not give a true picture of the school. PHE is a great diverse neighborhood school with strong leadership that focuses on giving students a well-rounded education. Many schools have eliminated or reduced Art, Music and PE, but extra funding from the PTSA has kept these programs intact. The library is simply amazing and has more children's books than most public libraries. The elimination of the middle school was a move in the right direction and we should see children thrive in the new environment. Hopefully a new playground is in the works in the coming year.
--Submitted by a parent

Park Hill School has strong leadership and an excellent teaching staff. The art, PE, music and library programs provide great enrichment for the students. The parent and business community provide amazing support for Park Hill School.
--Submitted by a parent

Our family has been a part of this school for the past 5 years, and we have 5 years remaining for our youngest child. In the last year, I've seen this school change dramatically for the better and we could not be more pleased. The administration and teaching staff are top notch and have set high expectations for all grades. I'm proud to be part of this school community.
--Submitted by a parent

We considered private and charter schools, but Park Hill is a neighborhood school that feels right. My 3rd grader has been there since K, and is having his best school year ever. He feels challenged and is learning a lot. The new principal has made significant changes, empowering teachers while giving them more direction. Test scores will only go up, as the school is in transition back to being an elementary school (it had been K-8). Most parents pulled their kids out after 5th to attend other middle schools, so out-of-neighborhood kids had to be bused in to fill the upper grades, bringing a different demographic weighted toward lower achievers. Now Park HIll will truly become the star neighborhood elementary school that it once was!
--Submitted by a parent