Coal Creek Canyon K-8 Elementary School

Great school, nurturing dedicated staff, amazing parent/community involvement, safe & beautiful mountain location. Our son loves it here and his progress on test scores has been amazing - I attribute this to his excellent & caring classroom teachers. Something about the academic environment & challenges motivates him tremendously; he actually looks forward to going to school each day & strives to excel. We don't even have to enforce homework rules - he comes home & does it at his own initiative every day! Have lived in big cities before, we watched many friends spend a fortune sending their kids to private schools since local schools funded by property taxes were so poor -- here, we feel like we really get our money's worth in an excellent public school funded by our tax dollars. There's an unusual lack of ethnic and socio-economic diversity for a public school, seemingly because of the people who choose to live in Coal Creek Canyon. The overwhelming majorty of student families are white and middle-class, but despite this there are no signs of descrimination or exclusivity - there's also no gang or drug culture. Small school means limited extracurricular activities, however.
--Submitted by a parent

excellent, dedicated teachers and principal; can't understand the one negative review except that it is from a parent with a personal grudge. This school is very highly focused on the subjects mentioned and the PTSA is very active with more extracurricular activities than in previous years
--Submitted by a parent

Friendly and caring parent-teacher relationships in a community willing to grow children.
--Submitted by a parent

Very good quality school, excellent teachers, very small class size, very safe environment, very involved community. Beautiful, clean environment - surrounded by mountains and horse properties high above the Denver smog. Everyone knows everyone. The spring talent show packs the gym to overflowing every year, and almost every kid tries out for the talent show. Downside - small school, so the extracurricular activities are not as diverse.
--Submitted by a parent

Coal Creek Canyon is an outstanding school where the children feel safe, loved and respected. There have been many changes in teaching/admin staff over the 7+ years we have been involved with the school but a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn has always been a constant here. The school district itself here has gone through many changes over these years making the curriculum inconsistent but the staff has adapted and is top notch.
--Submitted by a parent

CCK-8's focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic is abominable, and extracurricular opportunities are few and far-between. Teachers come and go often at Coal Creek, but continue to be far more interested in politics and agendas than they are academics.
--Submitted by a parent

Awesome school no doubt about it!
--Submitted by a parent

Coal creek has a terrific and very hard working staff. Each member is to be commended and appreciated. However...There is no place in the scale below to rate the quality of each curriculum. Why? Each curriculum and each teacher combine to create a quality education. The method of combining middle school needs to be addressed. Eighth graders should not be asked to settle for sixth grade material nor should sixth graders be expected to handle eighth grade material. Gifted and talented students are the most neglected and least challenged. Again that has to do with the quality of curriculum and the system of teaching in middle school. Understanding the different intelligences would go a long way to addressing these needs. Certain extracurricular activities could help, but time and distance require that the needs be addressed in the classroom. Teachers are working extremely hard, following a system that is flawed. Thank you.
--Submitted by a parent

We are parents-once-removed, grandparents of two Coal Creek students. It was also my privilege to be a teacher (in another state) for many years so our perspective is from many viewpoints. Walking into Coal Creek is walking into a safe and supportive atmosphere. What might seem 'extra' measures are treated as routine by personnel from the principal to the custodian. The size of the school population may limit the extracurricular activities but music and art are respected as an integral part of the learning experience. As with most schools, parents can be involved to the degree of their choice. Opportunites are always offered. The quality of academic programs appears to be a primary concern of school personnel as they enrich to meet the needs of all students. Coal Creek Elementary provides the sense of safety, caring, challenge and discipline that will protect, prepare and educate our children.
--Submitted by Bob and Pat, a parent