Tollgate Elementary School

701 South Kalispell Way

School District

Adams-Arapahoe 28j
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for Adams-Arapahoe 28j School District

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 parent on December 10, 2024

This is not a good school, administration does not support teacher's and they set teacher's up for failure. The teacher turnover is high with teachers leaving from the very start of the school year and all throughout, leaving vacancies because they are frustrated and depleted, student behaviors are not appropriately addressed so academics does not take place. Teachers, Para's and Service Providers that are favorites get to do whatever they want which causes a separation amongst staff, not a very "crew" atmosphere, not vet welcoming. Administration is weak, fake and not transparent. Not a good school to work at or send students too. Administration makes Tollgate a miserable place to work at. There needs to be a change in administration if this school is going to see any signs of success for our students of color. This school lacks teachers that represent the student population and the few teachers of color are the first to be set up for failure, dismissed, non-renewed by administration. If you are a teacher or parent with a voice, involvement with your student's education and genuine concern for success, do not work at or have your student attend this school. The superintendent needs to take a closer look at this school . It deserves a zero rating.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2022

Tollgate is an exceptional option if your local to the Aurora area! My daughter loves her school and all the staff!
Submitted by parent on June 06, 2021

This is a great school. I wish we found tollgate earlier. They are great with children on IEPs and they actually care about their students. They restored my faith in the APS schools system as the school we came from was terrible. My child lost a lot of confidence as a result. Tollgate restored that confidence. Bottom line, Tollgate is an amazing school with a great sense of community.
Submitted by student on July 01, 2019

ok because i was a student for 4 years and when bullying they will say to talk with the person first but overall it was bad
Submitted by other on August 18, 2015

This school itself is really nice, however, the administration is absolutely terrible. The principal, Laurie Godwin, is one of the rudest and unethical people I have ever encountered. From what I've heard, she treats her teachers very badly. So badly in fact that Tollgate has one of the highest consistent percentages of teachers who leave each year. I have a friend who works there and said about 30% of the staff left, mainly due to the administration. I used to have a child attend the school, but had such a bad experience with the administration that I took her out and enrolled her at another school. Great teachers, but awful admin.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2014

This is a great school that helps kids learn in exciting ways. There are a lot of children at this school because there are a lot of apartments. The people who complain about the principal are probably the parents whose kids cause problems. I'm at the school often and I see what the office staff and principal have to put up with. Parents need to control their kids behavior and not expect this school to do everything. The person who said the principal runs a tight ship is right! She has done so much for our school and community. The new building happened because of her and now kids don't have to be unsafe in mobiles. Great job Mrs Godwin and all the teachers you hire are good to.
Submitted by parent on September 18, 2014

This is a really good school, and I have always been happy with it. All three of my children have attended there; the oldest is now in high school and the youngest is in first grade. As a teacher myself, I feel I know what my kids need and they are getting it at Tollgate. My third and first grade boy have structured homework almost every night and read past grade level. Their teachers are caring and the principal runs a tight ship. The boys like their school and love the learning expeditions. Tollgate also offers full-day kindergarten, which is an option many Colorado schools don't offer.
Submitted by other on January 07, 2014

If I could rate this Principal Ms. Godwin any lower I would. She is the rudest, most uncaring person I have ever dealt with in a professional capacity. Her reason for any issues presented is that she has 250 students and she can't keep track of all of them. WOW! The school board was called, my daughter called them. The School Board needs to look into the ethics of this school. The teachers are good, the principal in my opinion needs to get out of the education field.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2013

I believe Tollgate has some advantages and a lot of the things to work on. My son who is in kindergarten loves his teacher, however we have had problems from them sending out a letter in Spanish saying he is not proficient in English which my family does not speak Spanish, and English is his primary language- this had me worried, but he was retested and stated he was right on tract as all the other kids. We have had issues when he is not able to go to the bathroom, the lunch lady was mean to him and refused to help him open his lunch,. He over heard a kid being taken to a different home by a police officer, His teacher definitely seems to care but i called and tried to talk to the principal, when speaking with her it was obvious she did not care about listening to my concerns and was just interrupting me to make excuses and say how many kids they have, she stated to me if I go to the superintendent they can't do anything and it will just be redirected to her. needless to say I will be changing schools which is unfortunate because my son doesn't want to change his teacher, I also went to the school board and will continue with the complain with them despite changing schools.
Submitted by parent on October 18, 2012

I have two daughters that currently attend Tollgate Elementary. One daughter has special needs, has been diagnosed with Aspergers. She receives tons of help from the Tollgate family, as well as receiving help outside the school from different support facilities, at my expense. I did have both of my daughters in a charter in APS, and unfortunately could not get the assistance I needed. I have always commended the team at Tollgate for their assistance, and continue to thank them for helping my daughter proceed toward her goals and set a expectation to her future daily.
Submitted by parent on August 23, 2012

how many parents have a child with ADHD? What would you do, as a parent, if you got a phone call from the school that says...come pick up your child, he/shes acting out again and they are no longer welcome in this school until a Dr. can tell us what to do with them!! They are basically saying they can't do their job! If I were that parent, I'd be calling the news channels and reporting them. Spread it all over the news that the teachers at Tollgate Elementary cant do the job they were hired to do! Hundreds if not thousands of kids are diagnosed with ADHD and this school kicks them out because the Principal, Vice Principal, and the guidance counselor cant handle them!!!! OMG what is this world coming to if your child can't get the education they need because they have ADHD! Tollgate you should be ashamed of yourselves. You don't deserve to have your job if you can't handle an ADHD child. Your solution=kick him out so we don't have to deal with it! IT'S YOUR JOB TO DEAL WITH IT AND TO EDUCATE ALL CHILDREN! SHAME ON YOU.