Colfax Elementary School

I have two children at Colfax, and to date their teachers have all been excellent. The principal is very engaged, and gets parents engaged. The recently completed addition gives the school a much-needed larger gym and lunch space. Our kids reading and math levels are above some of their neighborhood peers who attend expensive private schools.
--Submitted by a parent

This school has and is undergoing some major transitions. We just transferred our 3rd grader here from another local school. We like the way the classes are structured - separate math, science, spanish teahcers instead of one teacher for everything.
--Submitted by a parent

The hype far outweighs the reality for this school. It has a great group of very commited parents. Many of whom will leave because of the level of kaos that has taken place in the 2006-7 school year. There are many factors that have screwed up this school that was on the fast track to becoming a star of PPS. Much of it was because of too many poorly planned changes in too short a time.
--Submitted by a parent

Colfax Spanish Academy in Pittsburgh is a school that has made a remarkable turn-around in the past three years (2003-06), in large part due to the great leadership of the principal David May-Stein, who has been able to rally parental support and efforts. The school is growing both in popularity, and in size, as more neighbors come back, and it has moved to a K-8, and will receive an addition, construction set to start summer 2006. However, the school was rated a low 1 out of 5 on a recent Rand rating, due in part to a racial achievement gap, and has just been clared an 'Accelerated Learning Academy' by the PBOE, and will undergo unknown changes in curriculum, approach to testing, length of school day, and school year in the 2006-07 year.
--Submitted by a parent