Heatherwood Elementary School

7750 Concord Drive

School District

Boulder Valley Re 2
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for Boulder Valley Re 2 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 November 14, 2024

We've been part of the Heatherwood family since the beginning of the 23/24 school year. We are impressed with the opportunities available to the students - academically, socially, and from the strong parent community. Our youngest (now 4) is in his 2nd year in the PreK/Enrichment programs and is thriving. I'm impressed with how prepared he will be, socially and academically, when he starts kindergarten next year, compared to my oldest, who came from a traditional daycare setting. Our oldest (now 6) is also thriving in 1st grade. After a rough start, transitioning into public school, I was impressed by how the teachers worked with the different student backgrounds (previous schools) and prepared them for the jump to 1st grade. Now in 1st grade, the academic focus and development I see week after week is solid. Both kids were also flagged for support with speech and could get an IEP for additional support. I would recommend Heatherwood to any family interested in a caring and academic public school environment.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2024

The staff at Heatherwood has been incredibly patient and compassionate towards our kids needs the past 7 years for our 2 children. They have helped with focus and attention challenges, recognizing gifts and strengths, and helping them when they are feeling big and challenging emotions. Both of my children are thriving in their lessons and the staff have offered multiple types of support where our kids could use a little extra help in.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2024

My kids started days before Covid closed everything down and they have always made sure we have been apart of the community. Whether it's extra support for my kids that have fallen behind but even when my daughter went to the hospital for weeks. They made sure my home had dinner every night with a meal train. This community comes together for its people! It's not just a school! They care about every student and their family. They work hard to help my babies be successful. We have moved out of town and I commute 25 minutes every morning and afternoon because I know my kids are safe and cared for! Also they have their academic needs met here! My kids love waking up and going to school!
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2024

My kids have had an amazing experience at this school. The staff is highly educated and works well as a team.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2024

The staff at Heatherwood Elementary School is truly outstanding! They exhibit patience, kindness, and compassion towards students and their families. Our journey as Heatherwood Huskies began when our son was 3 1/2 at the preschool. Upon meeting the teachers and administrative team, we were certain that this was the perfect place for our child. If you are thinking about enrolling your child(ren) at Heatherwood, reach out to the school. They are extremely welcoming and eager to provide tours to prospective families. Paws Up!!
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2024

Our Kindergartner started at Heatherwood this fall and we are blown away by how amazing this school is. I knew it would be great based off of my initial tour and word of mouth, but it has exceeded all of my expectations. My son looks forward to going and is always so excited to tell me something about his day at pick up. His teacher, principal and the entire staff are so supportive of him and us as a new family. He did have a hard time transitioning into the classroom the first few weeks, but he was met with so much compassion and encouragement and was soon able to go in on his own (and now runs in). He has learned so much already, but most importantly his has gained a love for learning in general. His teacher gave us an amazing update at his conference with insight into his strengths and where he has room to grow. I was so impressed with how well she already knew him in such a short amount of time. Overall this school fosters such an amazing balance of social-emotional support and focus on learning/academic rigor.
Submitted by parent on November 04, 2024

The school environment is warm and supportive, and parents know each other (even if just faces) and look out for each others' kids. Teachers and staff stick around for a long time (some their entire career) and older kids and alumni families come back to say hello at school events. The parent community is really supportive of PTO efforts to build community and hold awesome events, and the new STEAM focus coming in 25/26 will take advantage of the unbeatable location close to open space, trails, and rural Boulder county resources. Truly a gem of a neighborhood school!
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2024

We are currently at Heatherwood Elementary and could not imagine a better school for our kid! He started in preschool (amazing!) and is now going into 4th grade. The staff is great and the admin team makes it a point to know each and every student. The community feel in this neighborhood school is fantastic. From the seasonal events that the PTO runs to the surprise activities that keep every day exciting, my kid looks forward to going to school. It has been a great experience for our family!
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2024

We love our neighborhood school! Starting with 3 year old Preschool, every staff in the building knew my kids' names - they're greeted in the morning coming in the door, met with smiles and eye contact, and "good morning!" - and this spirit of community continues through the entire school. Many of the staff have been there 10, 15, 20+ years which says a lot. It's a beautiful campus overlooking Boulder, within walking distance to multiple trailheads and open space - awesome for after-school activities. In the winter, the sledding hill across the street is *the* place to be and feels like the kind of neighborhood experience that just doesn't happen anymore. Teachers look out for kids' individual needs - our first-grader was tracked in with higher level reading groups and got individual instruction a year before any "designation" had been made that the school would be required to follow. Heatherwood students look out for each other and seem to love being at school.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2023

Our kids went through Heatherwood starting in Kindergarten and ending in 5th grade. We basically had every teacher in the school through both kids. Our kids loved school. Their teachers were mostly fantastic (we had one down year… covid played a part in this). I have great respect and appreciation for the faculty/staff. We have found academic support in areas that were needed for our kids. They are leaving the school confident, positive, and ready for middle school.
Submitted by parent on December 19, 2016

My child was bullied by two teachers, in back-to-back years, that left him head-down on his desk, unwilling to engage, and believing he was "stupid," to the level that he spent 18 months intermittently saying that he wanted to kill himself. I spent that time in a useless spiral of attempting to solve the problem, believing that the problem was within our home based on the exchanges I had with the principal and teachers. Finally, distressed, afraid, and out of ideas, I sought counseling support for my child. Two counselors and assessments later, both concluded that my child suffered from trauma induced by cruelty in the HEATHERWOOD ELEMENTARY classrooms by the TEACHERS. There were, in fact, no signs of educational impairments, and his verbal capacity was extraordinarily high. The after-care program located at Heatherwood is a zoo; the children who pour into the after-care environment are frazzled, edgy, and fighthing. Once provider told me that of all the schools she has worked in, Heatherwood kiddos come in from their school day in the worst shape. We moved my son to a different school, and EVERYTHING changed for the better... once he started to understand that to engage in the classroom would not be met with punitive action. I have since relocated my other child (as soon as I could open enroll) and both are socially and academically in healthier environments. Steer clear of Heatherwood's toxic, nasty environment.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2016

I love being part of the Heatherwood community -- where students, parents and teachers are all working together.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2016

The neighborhood feel and community involvement is great. However, the class sizes are too large and communication regarding academic progress and behavior is poor. My child has had a couple wonderful engaging teachers, but has also had disengaged and unorganized teachers.The open floor plan can make concentration difficult for some children. I volunteer in the classroom and find that I am anxious most of the time due to the noise and commotion going on.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2016

Heatherwood has a great neighborhood-school vibe and, rounding-out our second year there now, we have been pleased with the focus on academics. Having said that, we are thrilled that every week our son is experiencing art, music and a healthy amount of outdoor time. As parents, this school checks-off a lot of boxes on our education wish-list. It's not perfect – for example, we could use more foreign language studies – but it's a fantastic public school. We've met great people, our son is thriving and we are grateful that we find ourselves in such an engaged, invigorating community.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

Amazing parent involvement makes this a great school. Brent Caldwell is highly engaged as the principal and ensures that the kids are well cared for and growing their minds.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

Great teachers! Pre K teachers Ms. Gurrentz and Ms. Brenda are the best! They work so well with the students and make sure that they use all resources available to really enrich the student's learning experience. We have really enjoyed our time at Heatherwood so far thanks to these great educators and the wonderful front office staff.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

We love Heatherwood. We love Heatherwood because the staff loves my daughter. We truly feel kids learn best when they feel loved, safe, and a part of the community. Ellen E. in KE is truly exceptional- she helped students learn through play, cooperation, and love. The entire Kindergarten team is wonderful and was the perfect start for my daughter's journey in education. My daughter has also flourished in 1st grade. She has loved the job-share between Lynn Sullivan and Amy Siemel. They teach with peacefulness and compassion- and truly make learning fun. My daughter is reading all over town because of them, we are so grateful. We love the community feel - the bbq's, design thinking, walk and roll week, running clubs, and monster math- as a family we feel like we are part of the school community. We love Heatherwood.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

Heatherwood starts with the excellent leadership. Principal Caldwell encourages his teachers, provides excellent resources, and offers too-notch special needs support.
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2016

Heatherwood is a COMMUNITY school! The families come together to make great things happen! The school is a FAMILY!
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2016

This is a true neighborhood school and it feels that way. Classes are small, parents know eachother, and the teachers are invested in the community.The open-concept layout of the school was a concern at first - but then I visited the school during the day. You wouldn't believe how quiet is it! The teachers really have a strategy for sharing the space....If one teacher is giving a lesson on a projector, the teacher in the adjoining classroom has dimmed the lights and pulled her class in close....One class is gone to P.E. while the kids next door work in math groups....It is not at all the circus that you'd expect from a no-walls school set-up!