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GreatSchools Rating

Julia A. Stark School

Public | K-5 | 532 students

Last modified
Community Rating

4 stars

Community Rating by Year
2013:
Based on 1 rating
2012:
Based on 1 rating
2011:
Based on 3 ratings
2010:
Based on 2 ratings

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Parent involvement

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15 reviews of this school


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Posted March 17, 2013

My child attends Stark. This school is much better than the greatschools rating which doesnt accurately reflect all aspects of a school. Take a look at the standardized test scores over the last 3-4 years. The scores are improved year over year and trending upwards. This reflects a rededication to improvement from everyone. My child started K this year. I cannot imagine a school having a better staff. Everyone is genuinely concerned about every child`s success and the atmosphere is warm and cordial. Importantly, parent involvement is very high. The reason I gave the school 4 stars instead of 5 has little to do with the school itself. It is just that I feel it could be funded better by the city and state for necessary repairs and upgrades to the building and facilities. For instance, there are broken chairs in the auditorium. Things like this are disconcerting because it indicates a lack of pride in the school infrastructure itself. The PTO has tried to help by raising funds through special events (the PA system in the auditorium was added through these efforts). But without proper funding from the government the needed upgrades sadly will not take place.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted October 30, 2012

Stark School is off to a great start this year with fun school events to try to bring everyone together (open house, welcome back dinner, book fair). The staff is so nice, welcoming, and knowledgeable of their subject areas/grade level. You can tell everyone loves coming to work. This school gets unfair reviews for the poor results of state wide standardized testing, but the teachers are hard working, and attempt to get all families on board to help pull the weight on the family end (the only part that this school is lacking, and it's so hard for a school to do it all... they need more of the families to READ each night and get involved in their child's education). I have two children at this school, and I am very pleased with the quality of instruction.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted November 1, 2011

Everyone's heart is in right place here. The ranking does not tell the whole story. It is by no means a perfect place. The teaching approach is a wee bit traditional.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted September 16, 2011

Just like so many other parents, i was skeptical of the school due to ratings when my son had to start Kindergarten last year, but i decided to give it a try anyways. And I am so glad I did!! This is a good school!! The teachers here are so dedicated and the emphasis is always on learning. Just recently, I've had a chance to observe my son's classroom personally (and regularly) and it has been a wonderful experience. The students are all at different learning levels and from diverse backgrounds, but the the class teacher does such a phenomenal job at keeping them all interested and imparting education at the same time. Each morning, all the kids look so happy to be in the class and ready to learn (and this was case when my son was in KG too) and the credit goes to the teachers. Stark s strength is its teachers, be it the classteachers or the assistant teachers. DO NOT go by the ratings. If you as a parent do your part, this school will not disappoint you.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted August 22, 2011

Dont go by the ratings here....they are ages old........Stark is one of the best schools your kids wd ever go to.........they give individual attention to every kid........I couldnt be happier
—Submitted by a parent


Posted December 3, 2010

My daughter attended Stark for kindergarten and first grade. We had a good experience. The student body is extremely diverse with very few behavioral issues. There was a noticeable emphasis on manners and both the teachers and principal were committed to the students' growth and development. My daughter won an award given by the city when in kinder and the principal attended the awards ceremony just for her. Don't let the low test scores scare you away. The curriculum is great. My only complaint is that I didn't think they let the children have enough recess time.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted April 14, 2010

I have 4 children; 1 graduated from Stark, 2 are there now and 1 will go there. I have friends in most Stamford schools and the difference at Stark is the teacher dedication and respect. Although the overall test scores may seem poor, Stark has the highest individual growth score gains across the district. Teachers care and work hard to help students. Compared to other schools, Stark does not have any major behavior issues. I notice some of the reviews from 2005 and earlier remark on poor leadership. There is a new principal now.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted June 18, 2009

We were on the verge of sending our daughter to private school, because Stark didn't look good objectively, NCLB, Greatschools rating, etc. We visited the school and were encouraged by what we observed. Thank goodness! Every single teacher and administrator we've encountered has been fantastic. We couldn't be happier than we are with the school. I'm so relieved that we didn't leap into private school without trying Stark first.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted March 3, 2007

I love Stark School! The teachers are incredible and the kids are very kind and respectful to one another and to all teachers and staff. My kids are doing incredible! Would not choose to go to any other school. Stark School is the best!
—Submitted by a parent


Posted August 30, 2006

This is an amazing school. I have 5 kids and they all went here I am sad to to see my fifth child graduate. Choose this school if you are undecided
—Submitted by a former student


Posted February 5, 2006

We are having a great experience at Stark School. The teachers are wonderful and very enthusiastic about teaching all kids. There don't seem to be the same discipline problems that we had to deal with at the school we transferred from. Kids at Stark seem to learn respect for others in addition to the '3 Rs'. We're very happy to have transferred here!
—Submitted by a parent


Posted August 20, 2005

Administration needs to come into the 21st century. Maybe it needs new leadership.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted June 23, 2005

We had three children attend. The oldest did 'just' okay. The second did fine till 5th grade. The youngest who has speech and hearing issues did not do well at all. We finally placed her out of district for the remainder. Some teachers are excellant, others fair to poor with negative attitudes. Not a 'modern' thinking facility compared to where we are now... We found Stark does not have the assistance from the Board, not adaquate staff, minority ratio out of balance amoung other things (not making progress with the NCLB Act).
—Submitted by Bonnie, a parent


Posted June 28, 2004

My child had attended there for almost 2 years..I am not at all happy with the school. My child faced many many obstacles within her classroom. I had requested to have her class switched and they said it was not possible due that all the classes were crowded. Though a switch with another student was possible but they insisted it couldn't be done. My child went from A's & B's to D's..I was in meeting from the first month of school until the end.. I felt they were very unfair and wasted an ENTIRE school year for my child.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted January 7, 2004

My kids have been attending Stark school for 5 and 3 years respectively and they're doing very well. I've been consistently happy with the quality of the teaching staff and the principal is approachable and maintains a high level of safety in the school. We love the fact that Stark is a neighborhood school and most of the children attending live close enough to walk. You get a real community feeling at Stark School.
—Submitted by a parent


Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.
Math

The state average for Math was 83% in 2009.

80 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
78%

2008

 
 
53%

2007

 
 
49%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 71% in 2009.

81 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
62%

2008

 
 
46%

2007

 
 
45%
Writing

The state average for Writing was 83% in 2009.

82 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
77%

2008

 
 
60%

2007

 
 
53%
Scale: % level 3, 4, or 5

About the tests


In 2008-2009 Connecticut used the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) to test students' skills in reading, writing and math in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The CMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Connecticut.

See Connecticut's state standards

Source: Connecticut Department of Education

Math

The state average for Math was 85% in 2009.

79 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
67%

2008

 
 
61%

2007

 
 
65%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 74% in 2009.

80 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
53%

2008

 
 
49%

2007

 
 
58%
Writing

The state average for Writing was 85% in 2009.

87 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
68%

2008

 
 
72%

2007

 
 
74%
Scale: % level 3, 4, or 5

About the tests


In 2008-2009 Connecticut used the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) to test students' skills in reading, writing and math in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The CMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Connecticut.

See Connecticut's state standards

Source: Connecticut Department of Education

Math

The state average for Math was 86% in 2009.

94 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
85%

2008

 
 
83%

2007

 
 
83%
Reading

The state average for Reading was 78% in 2009.

94 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
65%

2008

 
 
70%

2007

 
 
62%
Science

The state average for Science was 81% in 2008.

101 students were tested at this school in 2008.

2008

 
 
76%
Writing

The state average for Writing was 87% in 2009.

101 students were tested at this school in 2009.

2009

 
 
73%

2008

 
 
81%

2007

 
 
87%
Scale: % level 3, 4, or 5

About the tests


In 2008-2009 Connecticut used the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) to test students' skills in reading, writing and math in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The CMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Connecticut.

See Connecticut's state standards

Source: Connecticut Department of Education

Math

All Students78%
Female85%
Male72%
Black58%
Asian Americann/a
Hispanic86%
Whiten/a
Economically disadvantaged72%
Not economically disadvantaged89%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities82%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English80%

Reading

All Students62%
Female71%
Male55%
Black42%
Asian Americann/a
Hispanic63%
Whiten/a
Economically disadvantaged54%
Not economically disadvantaged78%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities66%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English64%

Writing

All Students77%
Female89%
Male68%
Black65%
Asian Americann/a
Hispanic80%
Whiten/a
Economically disadvantaged69%
Not economically disadvantaged93%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities83%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English80%
Scale: % level 3, 4, or 5

About the tests


In 2008-2009 Connecticut used the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) to test students' skills in reading, writing and math in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The CMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Connecticut.

The different student groups are identified by the Connecticut Department of Education. If there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Connecticut's state standards

Source: Connecticut Department of Education

Math

All Students67%
Female54%
Male79%
Black57%
Hispanic63%
White71%
Economically disadvantaged61%
Not economically disadvantaged76%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities68%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English76%

Reading

All Students53%
Female37%
Male67%
Black48%
Hispanic44%
White50%
Economically disadvantaged44%
Not economically disadvantaged65%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities54%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English61%

Writing

All Students68%
Female68%
Male67%
Black58%
Hispanic71%
White67%
Economically disadvantaged59%
Not economically disadvantaged82%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities76%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English72%
Scale: % level 3, 4, or 5

About the tests


In 2008-2009 Connecticut used the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) to test students' skills in reading, writing and math in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The CMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Connecticut.

The different student groups are identified by the Connecticut Department of Education. If there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Connecticut's state standards

Source: Connecticut Department of Education

Math

All Students85%
Female85%
Male86%
Black74%
Asian Americann/a
Hispanic89%
White96%
Economically disadvantaged79%
Not economically disadvantaged94%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities88%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English85%

Reading

All Students65%
Female62%
Male67%
Black51%
Asian Americann/a
Hispanic61%
White91%
Economically disadvantaged53%
Not economically disadvantaged83%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities66%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English67%

Writing

All Students73%
Female78%
Male70%
Black76%
Asian Americann/a
Hispanic67%
White78%
Economically disadvantaged67%
Not economically disadvantaged83%
Students with disabilitiesn/a
Students without disabilities83%
English language learnersn/a
Proficient in English74%
Scale: % level 3, 4, or 5

About the tests


In 2008-2009 Connecticut used the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) to test students' skills in reading, writing and math in grades 3 through 8, and in science in grades 5 and 8. The CMT is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Connecticut.

The different student groups are identified by the Connecticut Department of Education. If there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group, the state doesn't report data for that group.

See Connecticut's state standards

Source: Connecticut Department of Education

Breaking down the GreatSchools Rating

GreatSchools Ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results for schools. Use the breakdown ratings below to compare types of students at this school. Learn more »


Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school State average
Hispanic 41% 17%
Black 29% 14%
White 24% 64%
Asian/Pacific Islander 6% 4%
American Indian/Alaska Native N/A 0%
Source: NCES, 2008-2009

Student subgroups

  This school District averageState average
Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program 57%N/A30%
Source: NCES, 2008-2009

Student-teacher ratio

  This school District averageState average
Students per FTE teacher 11N/A12
Source: NCES, 2008-2009
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

398 Glenbrook Rd
Stamford, CT 06906
Phone: (203) 977-4583

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