Maple Grove Elementary School

We recently moved to Colorado. I conducted a huge amount of research on grade & middle schools in the surrounding areas. I visited a number of schools and Maple Grove just felt the best. It was a really good decision. It is a fantastic school. The teachers are very sharp and care about their students. Communication is excellent and the PTA is very active. Everyone that I have met is welcoming and friendly. The kids are respectful and my kids have made great friends. I would highly recommend this school to parents interested in an overall solid education, competent teachers and principal and a friendly and safe environment.
—Submitted by a parent

My son started K at this school. It has been such a great experience. He has so many opportunities with at the school- including extra curricular activities; his K teacher really works with the parents to make sure they are going to succeed into 1st grade. The PTA is very involved in ensuring the environment is a safe, secure place to go.
—Submitted by a parent

I left another elementary school to attend Maple Grove and it was the best decision I could have made. The environment fosters learning, community responsibility and dedication to work. The teachers, especially 5th and 6th grade, are amazing and well qualified. I was so well prepared for The Manning School and I made so many great memories.
—Submitted by a student

We have loved our daughter's experience at Maple Grove so far. It's an amazing community of students and families in a nice, safe, small school setting. The level of parent involvement is fantastic and the teachers are amazing. Our daughter hasn't gotten to the testing phase of schooling yet, so maybe I'll feel differently eventually, but I'm impressed with all she's learning and happy about the academics and social environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Maple Grove has historically been an ecellent school. The new principle has been here for two years. We have found him to be very much a politician. He is very smooth and will say what he feels will pacify you, but don't expect much to get implemented. He will attempt to talk circles around you so you really can't pin him down on anything. Follow through and communication is difficult with this Principle. The math program is terrible (this is district wide) and there is NO writing program of any kind. There are some fantastic and dedicated teachers here, but have heard rumblings that they are frustrated with the Principle are some are leaving because of it. I'm hoping the district can set things straight with this school befroe it falls apart.
—Submitted by a parent

Maple Grove has a great learning environment, and kids do learn cooperation and how to be creative. Tons of choices for extra curricular, parent involvement, and the teachers are great. They also have to learn self control and do get tested like other CSAP schools. But they are always supportive at CSAP times, and the kids get plenty of rewards and positive feedback.
—Submitted by a parent

Don't expect your child to learn much besides academics....co-operative skills,creative skills and simply thinking out of the box don't exist. They will definitely learn how to take a test.
—Submitted by a parent

Maple Grove is an example of what happens to a school under NO Child Left Behind, when the Csap scores reach such a high level. Under the law, the school needs to continue to improve each year, statistically impossible whe you reach 95%. The pressure on the new principal is huge, it rolls right down through the teachers to the kids. Morale among staff is low--stress among kids is high. The kids are bright and accomplished but are not rewarded with exciting learning. Tachers are passing along their worries about test grades to the kids. Lacks imagination, fun, and real learning. Don't be fooled by test scores! Any similar school could do the same if they spent as much time and curriculum on the CSAP. Upsides: high parental involvement, and lots of extra activities.
—Submitted by a parent

The 2006-2007 school year has brought a new Principal to Maple Grove and his warmth and compassion have been a welcome change! This is definitely a top notch academic school - perfect for the kid who can think within the lines. But the school had become a cold and uncaring place. Our new principal will bring back the kind of environment an elementary school is supposed to have, while maintaining our high academic standards. Great school for high achieving kids, but I agree that it lacks high standards in art and phys ed (although music program is good). Definitely a school who focuses too much on test scores - it needs to go back to letting kids 'get their hands dirty'.
—Submitted by a parent

The academic program is strong, although strongly focused on the basic CSAP subjects. The music, art, and PE programs are adequate. Extra-curricular activities are limited. A small group of parents is very involved and the rest of the parents are minimally involved. Some teachers are stellar but there are also extremely mediocre teachers, too.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is so obsessed with csap scores that it has lost touch of the overall learning that need to take place in a childs life! teachers for the most part can not deal with children who tend to be creative in their thought processes. Instead of embrassing unique qualities they are squashed! this school will not recognize any way of learning unless it will prove fruitful on csap test scores. As for fun..It does not exist!! there is more to a child's development then learning how to score well on tests. If your child complete conformist than by all means sign them up. If your child has feelings, creativity and a desire to learn in an non-threatening environment.. Go somewhere else. In addition this school lacks leadership. The principal should worry about budgets a little less and worry about the overall quality of the school a lot more!
—Submitted by Concerned Parent, a parent

This is a school obsessed with test scores, which are high. The principal is a bureaucratic number cruncher. Each of the classes are focused on preparing the kids for test-taking and to insure that the 'core curriculum' is covered. This has meant, in the eight years that we have had kids in this school, a significant decline or elimination all together of fun and creative teaching (hands-on projects like field trips, Young Ameritowne, Huck Finn Day, Pioneer Day) that engages and excites the kids. If you are looking for a school with high numbers, this is it. It you're looking for a school tuned into the kids and how to make them love learning and school, this has become less and less of that type of environment. Additionally, if you have a kid with special needs, the school simply is not good at accommodating 'outside the box.'
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school. Great parent involvement.
—Submitted by a parent

Great parent involvement.
—Submitted by Karen Wood, a parent