Columbia Elementary School

We have been very happy at Columbia. The teachers have been great, and the school has received a "School of Distinction" award from the State the last 3 years. The children's reading scores are especially high. We've found the teachers to be kind, connected and smart. The PTA is very active, which allows the kids to do field trips, science fair, etc. Sometimes it does feel a little closed-in, so I back away for a while. All in all, we're grateful for the experience we've had at Columbia the past 5 years.
—Submitted by a parent

Columbia is a fine school with a personal touch. The Special ED program is great and the teacher gives the kids good basics in math, reading and writing. However I find that sometimes that parents there are much to envolved and are very pushy at the school. So of the parents just need to back off and let the teachers do their jobs.

This is a nice safe school but they do not have a good Special Ed program. They do not have any sort of idea on how to treat children with special needs and could learn a thing or two from some of the other schools in the area.
—Submitted by a parent

A nice safe place but not a whole lot of academics. And by that I mean none. Lest you count pajama days as academic. Anyway, second grade was basically the same as K'garten so we decided to go elsewhere for third.
—Submitted by a parent

The kindergarten experience at Columbia was entirely disappointing. The teacher is disconnected, disorganized and self-centered. The parents are literally ignored and pushed away. The children are not greeted or approached warmly. We regularly are not told what is going on. It was a sad start to school. The first grade has had better communication, and a better teacher,but there is something ugly and unfriendly about that school. I wish we could afford an alternative.
—Submitted by a parent

Because Columbia is a 'walking school' meaning no bussing, the parents are much more involved and you have a chance to really know all the kids and parents in your child's class. Other than that I really have nothing positive to say. Many teachers seem to do very little academic teaching, with way too much emphasis on free time, activities and fun time. Sure, learning should be fun, but we need a bit more learning going on here and some accountability to get kids up to grade level. Assessment too is very lax. My child was well below grade for reading and writing yet it never reflected in grading
—Submitted by a parent

A culture of no teacher accountability and minimal academic rigor - as reflected in consistently poor WASL scores.
—Submitted by a parent

Columbia is a warm and caring school with high parental involvement. There seem to be two types of teaching styles, Traditional and 'New', though you don't get a choice as to which one you'd like. This can be a problem if you have a child that would thrive in one of the distinct environments, and is placed in the other. We have a new principal that might even out the discrepancies between the two styles of teaching for each grade. Because of the active CPA and parental involvement, students are able to go on several field trips each year and enjoy interesting extracurricular activities from basketball clinics to drama club to FLAN, some at no cost. We love our neighborhood school and want to help make it more academic.
—Submitted by a parent