900+ in grades K-6.
It is a Title 1 school, has one of the highest population of ELL kids amongst the elementary schools in the district (not the highest though)also houses an alterative/choice program (included in the count), and is the CLC/Special Ed central for medically fragile kids (with our numbers we get 2 full time nurses).
I love our school. Oddly, it doesn't seem that big. And the various programs (including CLC) do get a lot of time with each other. Love the community, love the teachers I know, love the administration. It does tend to draw the best and brightest teachers/staff IMO.
I think administration makes or breaks a large school. Ours does a really good job of working hard to create a community feel, even with the two components (my kids' program and the large number of CLC classrooms) outside of general ed.
Except for the 6th grade class (which is HUGE) the class numbers are no worse than anywhere else in the district (except for schools with declining enrollment, like our neighborhood school), our choice program's numbers are pretty low. They are bursting at the seams though, incredible what a elementary population boom there has been in the surrounding neighborhood that feeds into this school! 3 full time kindergartens (24 kids each) plus 2 half day kindies (24 each there too) this year. Unbelievable!
The amenities are great. Two playgrounds, full time PE teachers, full time music teachers, a huge library, decent amount of computers in the library, a pool (operated by a private company now but the CLC kids and general ed "buddies" get to use it!), and the layout is kinda weird (pods of 6 classrooms each) but it works. (no noisy cafeteria--the kids eat outside, int he pod or in their classrooms). And oddly enough, if you volunteer at all school things, you get to know a lot of the kids.
My neighborhood school is very small. My daughter attended kindy there and had 16 students in her class (including her). But I prefer the "feel" of the current school. It's a lot more open and friendly and if you like to volunteer you're actually needed and appreciated and welcomed. I could see an individual's preference going either way. They're both great, I just really enjoy the people at my kids' current school.
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