Coral Reef Elementary School

This school has excellent teachers. My children have been at the school for several years and are doing great. The school has higher test schools than all the neighbor schools and lots of parents that really care. I think CRE is a great place to be.
--Submitted by a parent

The main problem with CRE is the students that are transferred in using the No Child Left Behind Act, there are 6 buses full every day, these students are not contected to the school in any way, the parents do not show for PTA meeting or school functions. The school has 48% of it's enrollment from out of district, may parent that live in district chose to send their children to other schools, i.e. Howard Drive elementary. CRE was once a neighbor school it no longer is and I do not see it ever returning to what it once was, which was a wonderful neighborhood school.
--Submitted by a parent

Very disappointing. Faculty and Staff are honestly horrible. I am a very involved parent and from conversations with Principal, Staff, and teachers, I came to realize that this is not a school that puts students first and is not concerned about them. I have a Bachelors degree and working on my Masters and Dade County should definitely hire employees that are better qualified to work with children! I would rate this school a negative!
--Submitted by a parent

My children have been at CRE for 2 years now. They transferred in using the No Child Left Behind Act. The academics at this school are on par with the other A schools however, the principal and some of the teachers are far below average. The principal is extremely inaccessible. If you call you will receive a call back from his secretary asking for an e-mail with your concerns. This is just so he can forward it to the Assistant Principal who will then just dismiss the problems as parental concerns without merit. Some of the teachers are wonderful, and some leave a lot to be desired. My daughter s teacher is known for yelling at students and refusing to answer questions from the students because she is e-mailing on her cell phone during lessons. Attempts were made for contact and she has refused all correspondence. On a plus side, CRE is an A school and is in a wonderful neighborhood.
--Submitted by a parent

CRE is a great neighborhood school which has provided my children an excellent education. It has a small town feel in a big city. I am very happy with the school and highly recommend it.
--Submitted by a parent

Like all public schools, this school has some problems but overall I have been very happy here for the past 6 years! Most of the teachers are phenomenal. This is reflected in their very high test scores. The school also has a very strong PTA which helps make it feel like a community. I agree the security needs to improve but other than that it is wonderful school. My children have been very happy there.
--Submitted by a parent

Ensuring kids safety is a priority. Like every school, there are good teachers who teach because it comes from their HEART & BAD teachers, who only CARE about receiving a PAY CHECK. Yelling at the kids SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED, it causes fear in them NOT respect contrary to what some think. Cafeteria NEEDS A lot of Help, kids throw food, run, hit & do as they please. the blinds in the cafeteria shouldn't have any string to pull up or down, kids play with them!! I have seen it early morning during breakfast! SAFETY should be a Priority! NOT GOOD AT ALL!! I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE SCHOOL!
--Submitted by a parent

Security is a big issue here, anyone can walk right in, they need a security guard. My son's teacher speaks loud when explaining tasks, BUT she yells at them, specially when they make a mistake. What ever happened to RESPECT ?? teacher had an intern who needed extra spelling lessons herself! teacher doesn't like you telling her anything about your child being bullied by another kids, she always has an excuse, Principal delegates these issues to the assistant Principal who dismisses them AS MERE ALLEGATIONS, there is NO RESPECT or consideration shown here. PRINCIPAL is never available to discuss important issues, overall, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL.
--Submitted by a parent

It's a great school that helps the children learn, grow and thrive.
--Submitted by a parent

I had to register my dauther in CRE this year because we moved to the area, she was in an excellent charter school all her life and this has been quite the adjustment. The security is a joke, there's no afterschool programs not even homework assistance! The way math is taught it's ridiculous and uniforms? kids wear whatever and it just looks horrible..
--Submitted by a parent