Collister Elementary School

4426 Catalpa Drive

School District

Boise Independent District
Grade

PK, K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

public

School Map for Boise Independent 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 June 21, 2023

I moved to Boise from the East Coast, (NYC) and I'm very pleased with the school, the teachers and the way I can interact with other parents about the well-being and education of my children. My children are getting a real education in a caring, safe and beautiful environment we never had in NYC. The respect I have for the teacher/student relationship is very high. More importantly, my children are excelling academically and they are learning history, math and English in a way that they also appreciate our community and our country. I've seen some parents get upset over such minor things and think they must walk in my shoes to see what a blessing this school is and Boise as a whole for me and my family. We traded concrete for trees and I think we made the best choice for our family. We found a great community and a wonderful school to go along with all the good things in Boise. Thank you
Submitted by parent on April 08, 2023

The overall rating and reputation of this school far exceeds the quality of educational experience you’ll find here. The counselors are the best part about the school however due to the nature of their job they cannot report incidents to the principal. The principal denies all issues and gossips to the parents. She certainly chose who she prefers to support (rich white hetero parents).Test score differences can be explained by the supplemental programs that most of the parents send their kids to from the GATE program. Overall we found it to be an environment hostile to people of color and students/families who were LGBTQIA+.
Submitted by parent on January 12, 2023

Our family did not have a positive experience at this school. Our concerns were not listened to at all and we were treated differently throughout our time there. The culture is a bullying culture.
Submitted by parent on September 06, 2016

At Collister, you'd be lucky if your child got sent to the Principal's office thanks to Dr. Bell! He really connects with the kids and truly cares about the teachers and staff. Our son's attended since Kinder and from K-4th we can personally vouch for top-notch teachers at Collister who take the time to email and call and consider each kids (small class sizes, one room per grade help with this). There's also some programs like Chess Club and Homework Club. The school has a great location next to Catalpa Park and a fantastic neighborhood surrounding it! The Highly Gifted program is also a driver of excellence and cultural diversity.
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2015

I have 3 children there and I (and they) love it. Obviously all schools have issues but I couldn't be happier. The staff are caring and skilled. They provide a "just right" challenge for the kids and work hard to meet their individual needs.