Central Elementary School

I attended this school starting in second grade and I absolutely loved it! The teachers were so interactive with our classes and i really had a great time there. Mrs.Haberline is the best principal like ever! I think she does a fine job at Central Elementary. She and Ms. Keenen, which has sadly moved on, helped me win the ark community award and i cant thank them enough. My education there has brought me far, enabeling me to be in the most advanced coarses possible in middle school, including high-school coarse classes in 6th grade. I would recommend this school to anybody because i just loved it soo much. I even still attend Author Artist Night to connect with my old teachers.

Love it. We have three children currently attending Central Elementary. In the last few years I have been able to volunteer often at the school, where I have seen the teachers and staff in action and I am so impressed. They go the extra mile, they take it personally and the children respond. The parent involvement is equally impressive and as a result the school offers so many unique programs and events. It is a great feeling to know you are sending your children off to a place where they will thrive.
--Submitted by a parent

This is an amazing school i love it here. Most of the teachers are young but they know what there doing. The principal is great she gets to know the students she knows all of there names when they go down the hall. There is very little bullying and if there is it is put to a stop immediately. If you have children and are moving to this area i highly recommend this fantastic school.

Our family absolutely loves this school! We moved back to this school district after having children so our little ones could go to the same schools we did. It is amazing how many people/couples I recognize from childhood who have moved across the state or moved across the country to come "back home" and enroll their children in their childhood school. My child is also in second grade this year, and I have been very impressed with the math and language arts programs. The advanced reading groups (no more "Open Court"!) and the M2 math program and T&G math has proven very challenging. While I agree that the curriculum in previous years wasn't as challenging as it could have been, I firmly believe that this was due to NCLB, not the quality of the teachers. Now that this school has been relieved (due to high test scores) from the whole Open Court system and requiring teachers in the same grades to be teaching exactly the same curriculum each day (another downfall of NCLB), the quality of the learning environment has improved. For a school with as many students as Central has, it maintains a "small town" feel.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is currently in second grade. I would echo one of the other parent's statements regarding the degree to which the curriculum challenges students. I am pleased with the language arts curriculum; I feel that my daughter is at or above comparable-aged students elsewhere. The math curriculum, on the other hand, has not challenged her since starting school 3 years ago. More needs to be done to add varying degrees of difficulty to challenge those students who grasp the curriculum without much effort. The school is a top-notch school otherwise with active involvement from teachers, parents, and volunteers alike. I would recommend CES to anyone thinking of moving into the district.
--Submitted by a parent

I have several children attending school at Central Elementary and find that the County curriculum is inadequate and not challenging. The math curriculum is absolutely poor, at least 2 grades behind where it should be, and worst of all the teachers know and acknowledge this. The county system cannot react to their "NEW" curriculum deficiencies and make changes due to its size and politics. The teachers and principal are dedicated to educational and student success and enjoy a VERY active PTA. Every parent we have spoken to who have children attending this school has the same comments without being provoked. Please suppliment the program quickly a student is only in each grade once and years are lost if not challenged.
--Submitted by a parent

We are going into our second year at Central my son is a first grader the school is wonderful the staff is excellent. I love going into the school and seeing nothing but smiles from the teachers and students at Central Elementary. I would highly recommend this school to any parents with children about to enter school.
--Submitted by a parent

We have just finished our first year at Central Elementary after living in Howard Cty for 13 years and we are very happy here. My child had an excellent teacher. She enjoyed participating in the after school activities that were offered at Central. The PTA responded quickly to items I requested were needed for the students. After making such a big change, we are happy with the results.
--Submitted by a parent

We've just finished our first year in Central, having transferred to fourth grade from private school. Central is great as public schools go, with enthusiastic teachers, an expansive after-school program, active parents and a fantastic principal. The teachers do their best with the county curriculum, and modify/add content as necessary. Test scores have come a long way over the past several years, and are now comparable with the best schools in the county and many in Howard & Montgomery counties. Based on my experience, I believe the quality of education will continue to rise in the next couple of years.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had six years of experience with two children at Central. I do not believe that my children have had an outstanding education, but believe that Central teaches to the average student and is an average school. Kids are learning, homework is minimal, teachers are kind, and the PTA is active. Students are not pushed to achieve more, but ARE taught grade level material in the day by day pattern suggested by the county programs (Open Court Reading and Scott Foresman Math).
--Submitted by a parent