Steele Elementary School

the school has lack of diversity and poor special education services. we live here but have tried to choice out for a couple of years running. the school is great for the average kid but lacks creativity in helping the child that lands outside of the box to thrive.
—Submitted by a parent

The PTA is very involved and raises enough money to help provide a second educator in every single classroom at Steele, cutting down the teacher to student ratio. This is unheard of in almost any other school in Denver. There are wonderful teachers, a successful dedicated leader in Principal Boyer, and combined age classrooms (ie-1/2 and 3/4/5) in the British Primary classrooms and the contemporary classrooms. And the school's innovative and award winning garden program provides healthy eating options in the cafeteria. The enrichment options are endless: healthy cooking, sports camp, dance, running programs, drawing and art, science, 4H, and Spanish. As parents, we have been very happy with the social and academic education our child is receiving at Steele.
—Submitted by a parent

I choiced into Steele Elementary about 8 years ago, and I really liked it. I had a lot of great friends, and great teachers. I also was very prepared for Middle School, even though I am in the IPM program at Hamilton. I think this was mainly because of the homework I got in third through fifth grades. While it wasn't much compared to the amount I get now, my teacher's style forced us to plan our time wisely, making it much easier to finish the assignments well that I get in Middle School. Also, my teachers cared for the students and did their best to give their students the best opportunities. For example, if you excel at spelling, you may get spelling words from online sources like the Scripps National Spelling bee instead of from the other students' sources. Overall, I was very pleased with Steele, and I felt it was a great choice that my family and I made when deciding to choice in there.

We choices into Steele 5 years ago and our daughter has been very happy. if it is any testament to Steele our daughter was just excepted to the advanced IPM program at Hamilton middle school, she also got inTo Morey high strides and GALS. As with all schools it's the teacher that matters most. We have had a couple issues but overall she has done very well. We were contemporary for one year and BP for four. Both programs are great and equally represented in the school. Chef Andy and the seed to table program are truly awesome- we even got a salad bar which we supplement with our own garden produce put into our cafeteria! It is true that Steele has had way too many principals but this was due to a voracious parent population which was both positive and negative- we have one of the strongest PTAs and are able to fund extra educators in every classroom reducing the student teacher ratio because of parent involvement. Overall I would send my child here again and will be sad to leave at the end of this fifth grade year!
—Submitted by a parent

I think this is a fine school if you have an average child, e.g., one who does not have special needs or is gifted and talented, highly gifted and talented, etc. The front office staff is great, and very responsive to parents. The school is becoming overcrowded, like most schools in Denver. This is not a terribly diverse school, though, but that may not be a priority for some.
—Submitted by a parent

The school has a wonderful sense of community through it's parent involvement, community garden (and seed to table program), farmers market, and student activities. The children (and parents) love the facility with a planetarium, well stocked library, and wonderful, caring teachers!
—Submitted by a parent

Everything. Great school, great pta, great teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved our son to Steele in 1st grade after doing a lot of online research and checking out schools inthe area. It has a great feel to it - amazing facilities (planatarium, superb playground, classroom gardens), as well as some really great teachers. The parents are very involved and present and the community is welcoming. The British Primary programs has been amazing for our child - the consistency of three years within a cohort, the bond between teachers and students and the mentoring that goes on among the different ages are unique and positive aspects of the program.
—Submitted by a parent

been very disappointed with this school over the years. too many prinicpal changes. the parents and PTA smother all diversity out of it. not the school for kids with any delays or learning difficulties. the BP is a joke. nothing British about it and just an excuse to not do homework and have parents think all their kids are somehiow gifted.
—Submitted by a parent

A great school with a great sense of community. The new principal, Ms Pullan, really works well with both staff and parents and cares about our kids. The school is constantly focusing on how to better itself and use the lack of funds provided by the state. Our fundraisers are fun and a great way to build our Steele community while helping better our school for our children. Parent participation abounds we recently instituted Partners in Reading where a volunteer parent has a child they work with weekly to help them with their reading. And last but not least the Teachers are enthusiastic, smart and genuinely care about our children. We are so fortunate that our kids go to Steele Elementary.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has flourished at this school. the teaching staff is very good and I cannot say enough about the sense of community at this school. The academic test scores are high and they still value the arts. There are many activites offered after school in sports, arts and academia and my son has enjoyed so many. I am so glad we decided to go to Steele and would recommend it highly to anyone k-5th. Wish they had a middle school associated with it because it as been such a great experience for him to start off here. There is high parental involvement too!
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in the contemporary program and loves it. doing very well. there is a lot of discussson between the BP program and the contemporary and many of the parents forget it is still a public school. but overall the school is excellent and I would highly recommend it. Love the planetarium in the school...can't beat that!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at Steele for 3 years. We have been extremely disappointed in Steele. We are bombarded with fundraisers... yet, the amount of money they spend at these events is enormous compared with other, higher rated schools. We were constantly asked to bring in paper and other neccesities (throught out the school year) that most schools will provide. The principal was often not at the school and our child never reached reading level and I was never informed by the teacher... although, I was there every day and spoke with the teacher numerous times during each week. No one seems to be in charge... and if your child is not in the British Primary program... they are apt to be left behind. This school caters to the BP program and most of their funding goes to that program... you should be aware before enrolling your student.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has many exceptional teachers who work well together. The British Primary program is truly excellent. Parent involvement is high and there is a good collaboration between staff and parents. The principal is excellent and very accessible. There are a wide variety of after school clubs and classes. Some parents have been unhappy with special education and classroom accommodations for children with 'invisible' disabililties. Services for more mainstream learning disabilities are more adequate.
—Submitted by Diane, a parent

We've been at Steele for 6 years, in the British Primary program - it's an awesome little school - we've beeen very fortunate.
—Submitted by a parent

Steele has had three different principals in the past three years. The approach to creating learning goals for individual students is reactive, not proactive. Expectations of mediocraty abound, and the resources of highly motivated parents are underutilized.
—Submitted by a parent