Cottonwood Classical Prep

7801 Jefferson Street Northeast

School District

Albuquerque Public Schools
Grade

6-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

charter

School Map for Albuquerque Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by other on September 26, 2023

This school encourages the trauma of students and gives their students many mental problems.
Submitted by parent on December 28, 2022

This is my son's first year at CCPS. He indicateds that the teachers are all incredibly nice. The work is challenging but doable. There is no gifted program which we were a little concerned about, but it seems that all classes are geared toward academic excellence.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2022

Don't know how this school got a high score in equality. I had to remove my daughter because she was being bullied. Yes, she is black and the two main culprits were white males. The administration did NOTHING to stop it! Her teachers ignored it.... She started coming home everday in tears because of the "you people" comments being made towards her. They got worse as time went on when her bullies realized they wouldn't get into trouble. They started physically assaulting her and again- no actions from the Director/Asst Director/Teachers etc to stop it.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2022

The school environment is very supportive and welcoming. The teachers put in a lot of effort for their students and make the learning environment as comfortable and safe as possible.
Submitted by other on June 09, 2021

After just graduating from here and attending this school since 6th grade I think I am fully able to say that this is the best school in the state. The teachers are always kind and caring and understanding if you are going through a troubling circumstance. The work may seem like a lot at times but it is what makes us more academically ready than other public school students around us. This school deserves more than 5 stars and to the person who gave it 1 star they must be out of their mind because I know what it is truly like from the inside and out. And along with this all of our administrative staff are so amazing that they are always willing to listen to new ideas on what needs to change or be done. Let me just say that there is no room for bullying or messing around here. Since it is such a small school most of us attended since 6th grade so at this point it was more like a family than just classmates. Same goes for the teachers. All of the teachers that I have had, had only the best intentions for their students. They want to see them succeed, which includes driving them towards a better work ethic and helping them along the way with anything they need. So if you are interested in enrolling your child here, do it! Do not wait any longer, also if they get in and they have a younger sibling their sibling will automatically get it by default!
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2021

Staff does not know how to investigate into the schools deeper rooted problems. The system is incredibly unfair.
Submitted by parent on November 17, 2019

This is the first school that has challenged my kids. They love it here.
Submitted by parent on July 06, 2019

Awesome for College prep, small size may not be for everyone.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2019

After several years now at CCPS we have no complaints and look forward to having all our kids in one school beginning next year. Like many in the Albuquerque area, we struggled for years to find a school that was a safe, well rounded institution: one transparent in its operations, inquiry based with academics provided by teachers that enjoy their jobs in the subjects they teach. We feel we found these things at CCPS and hope that it continues to grow into an even greater institution in the years to come. Like any family that makes the lottery at CCPS will tell you, we really felt that we won "the lottery" when we got in. We know some students may feel that CCPS isn't a good fit for them, but we feel CCPS would be a good fit for any student.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2018

Well managed great teachers excellent education and a positive community.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2018

I don’t have one complaint. My son loves it and couldn’t be doing better
Submitted by student on January 21, 2017

CCPS is a great school with very welcoming students, many of the teachers really interact with the students and everyone is included.
Submitted by other on September 06, 2016

I went here for the entirety of high school and have made a life long family in the school. I knew every other student by name and every teacher knew me by my first and last name. I'm currently taking a class called University 101 in college that is supposed to help prepare me for my other classes. Everything this course has tried to teach me I already knew from cottonwood. I started out as a 2.0 student in 9th grade and by the time i graduated I was a 3.0 student that was tutoring other students. I have learned more about the real world in the school than any of my other friends who went to public school. I can write a college level research paper with my eyes closed because of this school and college professors are notice. Cottonwood's faculty and students are my friends and family because of how much they cared for me during and after my time there.
Submitted by parent on August 18, 2015

School has a great score compared to APS schools. But students are overworked with hours of hours of homework. My son is doing good at this school, but it crushes me to see him up until 2 in the morning just to keep up with the assignments. The stress of being a teenager alone is enough. Students are hand-picked (not really a lottery) and leadership group is always involved with some type of local headlines. If your child has no social life and is a loner. Then this is the school for you.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2014

This school started out as a wonderful place for life long learning 5 years ago. It soon became the norm to have 3 or 4 teachers that my child had leave during the school year. The school when from having a wonderful headmaster to a terrible principle to another principle who is out to make a name for himself the school is merely a launching pad. He cares very little for the students. The school has a lot of bulling and admin is aware of it but instead of dealing with the students involved the entire school gets reeducated on bulling which does nothing. Not a good school any longer.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2014

I'm highly dissatisfied with this school. Let's start at the beginning. My daughter - 6th grade enrolled here. My son - 11th grade enrolled here (IB student) For my son, the 11th grader, school is okay. His IB Classes are highly challenging, making AP classes look like a cake walk! He has watched many of his friends transfer out of this school because of the academic rigor (which is no joke), but my son is very intelligent and despite the extremely challenging classes manages to maintain a B average. He has stated, although the students here are definitely click-ish, he said they are mature and very focused on academics. My daughter on the other hand is miserable here. Being a 6th grader is very challenging here for her. My biggest complaint is the teaching staff, which I would hardly call "teachers," as they haven't earned that title! They are impossible to communicate with, won't respond to letters, emails, or voice mails! They are simply "too busy,"... oh please! The academics are very challenging even in the middle school grades. I'm running out of room so I will just say that don't be surprised if your child is as miserable as mine if you select this school!
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2013

We are in our second year at this school and agree with the following: It is an elitist atmosphere, not all children (nor families) are treated equally, some teachers are great - others brag about their high failure rates, there is very little diversity and it is blatantly obvious. Even though it's a free charter, money is constantly required for projects, books, uniforms, etc. leading to lower class families and minorities not being able to stay at the school. Teachers do not talk with parents (there are no parent conferences because "teachers don't have time"). The only way to communicate is through e-mail and most often teachers do not respond. Overall, we think this school believes they are doing a better job than they are. On the fence about staying. Class sizes have increased as well.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2013

Finally, Albuquerque has a true IB prep school that is focused on helping kids find their way in the world, to give back with community service and to become open minded caring individuals. Our boys have experienced bullies at their previous schools, now they feel comfortable and safe in this environment of learning, no bullying or disruptive behaviors so that the teachers can actually spend time teaching and not being constantly distracted.
Submitted by other on August 18, 2013

The road to "success" at this school is paved by exclusion of diversity and over exploitation of staff.
Submitted by parent on August 05, 2013

A lot here to offer the motivated student but CCPS continues to struggle in some areas. Our student completed the IB program, a grueling but comprehensive prep for college. Overall it was a positive experience for our family but we feel lucky. Unfortunately not all diploma candidates went into this spring's exams adequately prepared to pass. Most teachers were wonderful, but we experienced wildly fluctuating administrations/philosophies and extreme teacher turnover. During the critical 2 yr IB (11th-12th grade) program, our student started over with 4 new teachers out of 6 classes. Many teachers left the 1st 2 yrs too, sometimes mid-semester. Now that CCPS has moved to the new campus, hopefully the focus will move from fundraising back to academics. If your student is considering IB, I encourage you to first talk to as many former IB students/parents as you can so you'll know what to expect--it's absolutely not for everyone. I agree that the the social climate at CCPS can be quite insular--unfriendly to some parents and suffocating for students. A peculiar level of attention to things like the draconian dress code was frustrating with more important issues falling by the wayside.