Coral Park Elementary School

CPE is a great school I have 3 children enrolled. Under the new administration ( about 2 years now) the school has thrived. You'r childs school experience improves if you are involved, volunteer and attend events. The teachers, support staff, and administration know all the children by name and love them as if they are there own.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my 1st year at Coral Park Elementary, and so far I love the administration, they have being very good to my two kids, very good communication with the teachers and assistant principal, and all the other staff, they do so many activities for the kids, The PTA is a WOW they do so much to keep the kids busy I'm very excited and glad I showed the school, so far everything is great I'll keep you post if something change.
—Submitted by a parent

for all students, this school up to the 5th grade, is great. but at 5th grade level, if you are not in their so called "gifted program", you are forgotten. the principal is fantastic, something i didn't know" , and missed out on, when you get to elementary school level, have your children tested for the gifted program, and sign up for the free or reduced lunch program. once the kids are in the gifted club they stay, and get all the best teachers".
—Submitted by a parent

My two kids have been attending Coral Park for two years now and I must say I am extremely dissatisfied. The admin staff are rude. The focus on FCAT readiness made everything else pale in comparison and the education was seriously left lacking. At a recent event, "dads for doughnuts" to recognize father's day, I had my kids' uncle attend because my kids have an absentee father. When the principal announced it was "dads for doughnuts" day, I didn't want my kids or others feeling left out that I knew went without their fathers, so I suggested to the principal that maybe they could use a more generic name. She walked away after acknowledging me, without a word. The other parents, also single working parents have told me repeatedly the same issue. They receive a very cold reception from this school. I admire the teachers, but the school expects too much.
—Submitted by a parent

My son Noah started Kindergarten this year. This was our first experience with Coral Park Elementary. I am so pleased with the school. They have great teachers, great staff and a great principal. There PTA is very good! They raised money to help a child Cameron and his family pay medical bills etc. He had to go into the hospital for a long period of time. This school is just overall great! I am so happy . with them and can not wait until my daughter Sierra starts Kindergarten in August.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal is terrific, she is open to ideas and opportunities to improve the children achievements and is really caring with them. The teachers are inspiring (the majority of them) including the special teachers. The gifted teachers really challenge the children's mind. Top program in the school. The bear clubs (after school programs run by PTA) -even thought they don't run year long- provide a great opportunity for children to enrich their curriculum. i.e. cooking, cheerleading, karate, chess club, math minds, etc The only but is: that budget cuts and FCAT oriented minds have made a dent in the original goal of the school: 'Improve children's life through knowledge'. PTA is fantastic, makes everybody feel welcome and helpful. They organize tons of events and programs with lots of opportunities for everybody to attend or participate.
—Submitted by a parent

Coral Park Elementary has been an excellent school for my son. He has surpassed his expected reading level under the guidance of Mrs. Burns, then Mrs. DeVeney, and over seen by Dr. Miles, Principal. The PTA is very active, the entire school staff is caring, and the overall 'school spirit' has been a positive influence on my childs introduction to education.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 3 children in the school and I am very happy with the overall structure. The Principal is on top of everything which is GREAT. The volunteers are fantastic and always in search of opportunities to help around the school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the best school my child has ever been to!
—Submitted by a parent

I have 3 children that attend CPE and siblings whom attended more than 10 years ago. On both occasions, there were a few different instances that were somewhat alarming. I must say that there are a few great teachers and few not so good teachers at this school. Overall, I believe the emphasis put on teacher and student FCAT readiness has taken away from the task at hand which is to educate our children. Beware.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school, wonderful teachers, My son was placed in the gifted classes, and i believe this is due to the attention to learning that he received as a kindergarten student at Coral Park.
—Submitted by a parent

Academically this is a great school, however it takes a long time and a lot of perseverence to get your child help if they are having any learning difficulties. The after school clubs vary from year to year but drama is a big hit, although it is very hard for newcomers to get into the program. They have a great aftercare program at the school which runs through the summer too. Socially the school is very lacking, they tend to focus on academics even amongst the very youngest children. The same parents tend to get involved every year and so a lot of things are status quo year - to year. Overall the school could do better to enhance morale, but academically it's great.
—Submitted by a parent

My son had a great Kindergarden year last year, his teacher was a pro. She really got the parents involed and had an open door for volunteers. This year in first grade the teacher does not really welcome parents in the classroom but I feel she is doing a great job. I feel that Coral Park has a great PTA that sponsors a lot of activities for the students. The school is kept very clean. Most of the mothers I know are very happy with the school and the way it is run. The only negative I could say is they have taken alot of the fun things (parties and field trips) away from the kids.
—Submitted by a parent

This school fails miserably when dealing with special needs children. They are more into punishments then working together with the parents to assure success. They also lack common sense. Dealing with this school was pure misery and resulted in temporarily homeschooling my child. Now he is at Westchester and doing very well.
—Submitted by a parent

I believe this is a strong academic school, but I feel it lacks in extracurricular activities (as compared to other local elementart schools). The PTA is not active here. The teachers I have encountered to date are excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

With two children in the advanced placement/gifted education, I can say that CPE has an excellent advanced education program.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended kindergarten and first grades at this school. Attention parents! kindergarden is extremely crowded and the montessori method is used. It's chaos, so if you seem to suddenly have an out of control child, be certain to participate in at least 1 class day to learn 'why'. Not but a few blacks in classrooms. Be certain to assist in any way to assure your child isn't discriminated against. Mine was and it was heck to have him moved to another classroom. Teacher was transferred to another local school. ** Wait until you receive the broward county school board's rules. This is extremely sad that the teacher's union has resorted to military rule with children. Discipline and actions are preposterous! (hense the poor rating i have them.)
—Submitted by a parent

When we moved from out of state last year, I was nervous about the quality of schools. I was wrong to be concerned. Coral Park upholds strong academic standards. Programs like Accelerated Reader allow children to work at their individual levels while tracking progress and areas where help is needed. After attending PTA meetings, I see the school staff trying to make improvements and address parental concerns but sometimes issues are not at the school level. It is out of Coral Park's hands and needs to be addressed at the district level. Overall, I am very pleased with the educational standards that have been set.
—Submitted by Ruth Krzyk, a parent

The school seems to be more interested in maintaining their 'A' school status than providing solutions to current issues. Small playground is deplorable despite receiving funds last year to improve this playground. After school program has many problems including a poor system in dealing with child discipline, having enough staff to watch the children and I have noticed increased instances of no accident reports getting filed for children that get hurt.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are excellent! It's like having the greatest team of teachers who bring out the best out of our children!
—Submitted by a parent