Central Park East I

CPE1 is truly a progressive education school. It is a place where children are part of a cohesive and nurturing community, where they learn academics within a curriculum of arts, working together, finding individual interests and passions and valuing others. The emphasis is on helping children learn to think and problem solve and create and make choices. Our children love it there, they love going to school. Between attending Metropolitan Opera, visiting the zoo week after week to intensively study animal behavior, becoming strong and reflective writers and finding their voice, deeply understanding math concepts, ice skating weekly, what more could we ask for?
—Submitted by a parent

Creates independent life long learners! Fantastic Art, Music, Movement, Opus 118 opportunity, with a fantastically diverse and caring staff and parent community!
—Submitted by a parent

After four years at another school in a G&T program, my son couldn't be happier in school. He has dedicated, smart, caring and innovative teachers. The principal is welcoming, involved and understands how kids really grow into responsible, thoughtful, scholarly citizens. The parent coordinator is very friendly, responsible and seriously great at her job! You really couldn't ask for more in a public school. Some say it's lacking in academic rigor, but I disagree. I don't think burning kids out with test prep and busy-work homework is how you raise outstanding students. It's how you burn kids out quickly!
—Submitted by a parent

it is great, everyone should look at it!!! it has a great curriculum for a public school. it is an awesome school, a lot of people would enjoy the way the schools goes.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attend this school since kindergarten and our entire family is ever so pleased. The school has wonderful facilities, including a fantastic art room, a movement room, and a fantastic new play yard. Just as important is its amazing team of teachers and paraprofessionals, its highly active parent association, and a wonderful staff including highly involved and accessible parent coordinator and principal. Home-school communication is top-notch. It seems likely that a gifted program could have been attainable given my child's highly accelerated learning, but such children can thrive in this school, which treats kids as individuals and continues to move them rapidly ahead, even as they learn about the real world and interact with diverse classmates from many different backgrounds and with many different styles and paces of learning.
—Submitted by a parent

My son goes there and this school could not be better.
—Submitted by a parent

Every morning when I wake up and see my son getting ready for school with a smile in his face I know I made a right decision choosing this school. He is learning faster than I never could imagine before, he is not 5 yet and he knows to write his name, painting with definition, he sings and dances, he knows about animals, and time, he is listening better, he cleans his room without me asking him to do it, he loves cooking with me at home and he tells me about what he cooks at class, he has less fear with new people and play wonderful with his partners, his evolution in only one year is really amazing...
—Submitted by a parent

It took months of tours, research, and discussions with other parents for us to decide that CPE1 is the place we want our children to go for their elementary education. We have two children at the school (PK & 1) and we all love it. CPE1 is a breath of fresh air with its deemphasis on standardized testing and its focus on really teaching children to think. My 1st grader is reading independently, has no problem with addition, is tackling subtraction, and knows enough about science and nature to 'rock' the Trivail Pursuit orange category (am I dating myself?). My PK child writes independently and in two short months has developed sufficient word recognition skills to where she 'reads' to me at night. This is a great school for all the right reasons and hopefully the seriously flawed schoolwide grading system will not detract from what CPE1 does so well.
—Submitted by a parent

I cannot think of another school where I would like to have my two children attend. The teachers truly see each child as an individual and work extremely hard to foster their growth. Children really have the opportunity to make choices during the school day, which has made my children mature and centered. They have the chance to be children and enjoy their childhood. Both my children love to read and are competent in math, and they both love going to school! Parents and families are a welcome presence at CPEl, and there are many community events which brings families closer together. If it takes a village to raise a child, this is one of those villages! Families who go to CPE know that a good education cannot be measured simply by test scores. We don't want our children taught to the test-we want our children to be learning.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter started Kindergarten 2 months ago and we are so glad we chose this school! She loves her teachers,Marilyn & Donny & Alveda, including music, movement and art teachers! The hands on learning is great and she is so excited to choose what she does for work group each day! It's great to have parent involvement, as much as you can, even if it's a little-it is appreciated! The open class room concept works and I can see that my daughter, who turns 5yrs in Dec 07 is sounding out words on the bus, or wherever we are and telling me things she is learning about 'seeds' or whatever the topic is that week!
—Submitted by Laury, a parent

CPE1 is a very unique public school. The teachers and principal involve themselves in the children's lives like I have never seen. It is amazing to find teachers that have insight into your children because they seriously care about teaching them. It is a holistic environment that teaches the 'basics' while integrating it into social, physical, and artistic activities. There is room for and encouragement of diversity within the school because creativity, freedom, and friendship are fostered. There is no urgency, it seems, to compare one child to the next academically because they all seem to learn anyway. Teachers assist those that need extra help and motivate those that are moving ahead. The environment is not rigidly structured and therefore, not for everyone.
—Submitted by a parent

CPE1 Elementary is an amazing school- an unusual place that does not believe tests are what help children learn and succeed. Children are educated in a close and nurturing community, the environment is warm and caring. With less than 200 kids, teachers get to know all the kids. There is an incredible arts program- music, visual arts, drama, incorporated into the daily curriculum. Children learn by doing, they make discoveries and really get to pursue their interests. Children can work on projects over time- days or weeks. There is an emphasis on building community, respecting others and learning to problem solve and resolve conflict in acceptable ways. From pre-k on up, children are supported to make their own choices and take responsibility for their work and their behavior. Teachers are great. Kids learn science in Central Park, visit museums, use the city. Plus they ice skate in Central Park!
—Submitted by a parent