Collegiate Academy of Colorado

This school is great, and yes like many schools it has its challenges. Parents have had a tough time dealing with change, when the administration was shaken up but change can also lead to many great things. Like all charter schools this school needs support with funding and volunteerism, but I have faith that in time we will get there. I moved my daughter to this school for many reasons and I am not about to give up on it just because things got off track for a bit. Or just because administration changed. It had to change! I want nothing but the best for this school and while they may not have the luxuries the traditional public schools have, I know my daughter feels at home and loves all the teachers and staff. In 7th and 8th grade in all Jeffco schools there is roughly 500 to 700 children. I am not about to send my child to that environment. She will still deal with peer pressures here but on a much smaller scale. That is important to me and should be for ALL parents. Collegiate Academy is not an alternative school for troubled youth either and parents with kids that have serious behavior issues and or use drugs and alcohol should be not bring their kids here.
—Submitted by a parent

In one respect this tool is very useful but in another there is no control for incorrect posts by mean & vindictive people. The previous board members were removed and replaced by teachers & parents with nothing but the best interests of the students in mind. Both my children attend and love this school. The class sizes are small and students are group by ability not arbitrarily by age. This community is very tight knit and it is thriving.
—Submitted by a parent

I was a student here for my high school career and after attending a large high school for a almost a year (thunder ridge) I felt CAC was a little slice of heaven. Yes not every aspect of it is perfect but what school is? The teachers here treated me with respect and integrity and allowed me to flourish in subjects I had struggled in for years. The technology was the only area that needed improvement but they have an incredible new president of the Board who is actually thinking about the community coming together. The biggest point that I want to hit home is that there will always be kids who hate this school or that school or what not but for the first time in my life I made friends who I still keep in touch with (even after graduation) as well as some teachers who are aiding me in my pursuits of happiness now that I am in the real world. I felt part of a family there we fought, we cried, we laughed, we grew together, and most importantly we stuck together. CAC an incredible school with a passionate staff (mr. P knudson conradt,) all of those teachers not only love there job but they LIVE their passion and get paid very little to do it. That there is what dedication looks like.

I am a high school student at Collegiate Academy and I really like how far the school has come. A couple years ago the staff was unfriendly and did not treat the students as well as they should. I used to never see the principals during the day because they would always hide in their offices. This year the administration has changed and everyone is really friendly. Throughout the day they will always say hi to me and sometimes we'll have a friendly chat. I will never look up to and respect any other teachers as much as the teachers at Collegiate. The teachers are always focused on how they can help the students and be great examples. I will miss all of the teachers and everything they did for me when I graduate.

I have a couple of kids at Collegiate - one is extremely gifted and the other has a learning challenge. What impresses me is how the teachers and staff have been able to meet the needs of kids at both ends of the spectrum. My kids know that the teachers truly care about them, give them the attention they need and always keep them challenged. My kids love the small class sizes and have a lot of great friends here. They would not want to attend any other school!
—Submitted by a parent

I have had children at Collegiate Academy for the last 12 years and currently still have 2 enrolled. I am a very involved parent who has been in the classroom on a regular basis each year. The reason my kids attend this school are the excellent teachers and the small class sizes. You will not find better teachers anywhere. The high school offers a variety of AP classes where the teachers are able to offer their students individual attention. The only downside is the size of the school makes it difficult to offer many sports programs, but students are able to participate in sports at the school of their choice. My kids are thriving in this school, academically and socially.
—Submitted by a parent

Clueless Academy of Colorado is what this place should be renamed. Last year we received an email that the school board had decided on a new focus for the school to become a college prep school. Considering the name of the school, one would have thought that to be a given. The fact that they felt they had to actually point it out is telling evidence of how clueless, unorganized and untrained the people in charge are. Bullying is so unchecked that the administration actually relied on it last year to try to keep students in line and the teachers joined in. I would go into detail but I have limited space. Suffice it to say many wonderful students have fled due to rampant bullying. Each time my son had any problem, we were always told something about having to keep up the image of the school. Come to find out that Jefferson County had programs and funding available to help him but the teachers and administration preferred to threaten holding him back rather than follow Jefferson County policies. This school can barely keep the lights on because so many people are leaving. The PTO is fundraising just to pay teachers. It should be allowed to die if they can't turn it around.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is awful! The new administration was supposed to be so great. They made the new Dean sound like the second coming. It seems impossible but the school is actually worse now. My daughters new third grade teacher was extremely rude. The kindergarten teacher is very unenthusiastic. We took our girls out after the first day of school. They are now happy and at a school that is actually teaching at grade level.
—Submitted by a parent

I wanted to like Collegiate: small classes, consistent teachers for 7th and 8th graders, ability level classes and teachers who really did seem to care about the students who learn a little differently. But administration is so poor that the good gets overshadowed. One of my son's middle school teachers abruptly quit two weeks before Christmas. No information was given to the school community. My son's bully was never addressed adequately and he endured two years of harassment from the same kid. My son dis-enrolled properly at the end of the year to transfer to a new school. And his transcripts were still not received at his new school by the beginning of the next school year. In fact the staffer said she was drowning in 75 students with the same need the first week of school. Sounds like a mass exodus has occurred. Sadly, I'm not surprised.
—Submitted by a parent

This school was a unsatisfactory toward my child's learning. There was poor communication with the teachers. Had to put my child in Powderhorn just to get her caught up to her grade level.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has changed my life. I am a junior in high school and I have been a student here for about a year now, with nothing but great things to say. In just a year, I have made great relationships with all of my teachers as well as students. Because of the student-teacher rate, its a great school to build stable friendships, as well as a stable future. The teachers are awesome with the students, and are always making sure that no student is left behind. My grades have dramatically changed from the day I started at this school, and I couldn't have made a better choice.

As a current high school student at CAC, I find the teachers held back by the curriculum they must teach. I've learned far more from tangents and time outside of the classroom, which spurs independent research, than from the curriculum. The teachers are amazing people and really attempt to connect with the students, and often hold a lot of knowledge outside of their assigned teaching areas. I do think that, because it's a charter school, CAC attracts more of the "irregular" students. Administration sometimes has trouble controlling and maintaining behavior, and often miscalculates punishments. The recently introduced after-school detention, for example, is a fiasco. Regardless, I think with a little TLC and more dedicated parents, the school is a good choice. Your child is much more likely to get one-on-one teacher interaction and motivation at CAC.

The school has, for the most part, highly dedicated and professional teachers. Principal/adminstrative leadership is extremely weak, ineffective, and top-heavy. There is significant tension between administration and faculty that negatively impacts quality of instruction. High school curriculum is lacking. Would recommend for K-8, definitely not for high school.

My kids have been at Collegiate for nine years. It has been a positive experience for all of us. There have been frustrating times, as there are at all schools, but the administration has always been accesible and willing to listen. We will stay at Collegiate through High School.
—Submitted by a parent

We love this school. My children are happy and challenged. No school is perfect...especially these days when school funding is low and the economy makes people stressed to the max on both time and finances. Yes, you are asked to help volunteer. I am a full time working parent. I work more than 50 hours a week and still find a way to give 40 hours back to the school over the 7 months my kids are in school. Not because I have to but because I care about my child's education. School is not some place you just drop your kid off at! You need to be involved. Set the example for your children that education matters.
—Submitted by a parent

My experience with CAC was absolutely horrible. My child has been in a charter school, without any issues, since the age of two. During the 6 months we were there, my child went through 3 classrooms and 4 teachers. My child was slapped in the face, spit on, and harrassed on the playground. I removed my child after the administration refused to take responsibility for the inexcusable and terrifying experiences my child was going through. There is no academic standard that is upheld nor do they hold themselves accountable for the complete disaster that is CAC. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this school. There are other Charter schools that are worth the wait.
—Submitted by a parent

I dont think this is a good school at all. Yes they have small class sizes but it is not worth the other BS you have to put up with. You are always being asked to volunteer which is fine but if you dont you are looked down on it can be very hard do this if you are a fulltime working parent I do go on field trips but it is diffcult to put in volunteer hours. I also agree with the comment above about the academic reporting policies they are false. This school is just not up to par. I would definitely look at other schools in the area and do your homework before you pick this school.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers and principals are fantastic. My daughter loves going to school there.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been there since kindergarten. They are always available to help. He's a straight A student.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is amazing!! They have small class sizes and excellent, loving teachers. My child gets a lot of one on one extra help and she is finally learning to read! They have an amazing PE teacher as well as awesome art and music teachers. They just got a new cafeteria that is beautiful!
—Submitted by a parent