Carson Elementary School

5420 East 1st Avenue

School District

Denver County 1
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for Denver County 1 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 February 16, 2024

Carson had been an excellent school for our student. We love the administration, teachers and have found it a welcoming place.
Submitted by other on December 24, 2022

If you have a child that has learning disabilities or is physically disabled or anything along those lines I'd steer clear of this place they preach that they are an anti-bullying School but coming from experience I've never been more bullied and more singled out in my entire life there's not one day I did not go home with tears in my eyes
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2022

Our experience at Carson has been excellent. After our son attended private preschool and Kindergarten we sent him here for 1st grade and he is thriving. He loves going to school each day, his teacher is excellent, and they absolutely stand behind their Character Education program. Respect, responsibility, kindness, acceptance, perseverance and courage are all covered as Carson character traits. They teach lessons behind these traits and our son retains and tries to emulate these qualities, which is so valuable to our family. The teachers are very experienced and dedicated to the students. When our son was out for an extended period of time with COVID, his teacher even dropped off school work and notes for him, which we so appreciated. Another bonus of the school is that there are deaf and hard of hearing students that spend part of the day in the classroom. My son has picked up sign language and enjoyed getting to know those students as well.
Submitted by parent on August 11, 2020

It started out great. then went downhill dramatically. The "new" principal, who is now gone, really brought the school down from a morale perspective for students, families and teachers. No consistency in discipline, and no consistency in who earned spots in the HGT program (which is now gone). Terrbile communication with parents, even with bullying, racial issues and other 'bad' things happening at the school. Hopefully the new principals this year will be able to turn things around.
Submitted by parent on August 11, 2020

I have not been impressed with Carson for the past 3 years. I had to complain because the doors were not monitored or just left open. They didn't monitor who was picking up kindergarten students, which really concerned me. It seems this school has a higher rating because it's in an affluent area, not because its approach to learning is more effective.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2018

I could not disagree with the two most recent reviews more. There is a small, but vocal, minority who have been disastisfied with recent decisions that the school has made. As a parent, I can see that the school is making these decisions with the best interest of the students in mind. The angry reviews as of recent, are based around the fact that the school is losing its librarian. With the best of intentions, this small minority of parents has tried to save the librarian's job. When they weren't able to do that due to aggressive budget cuts at the state-level (i.e. not a decision that the staff/admin wanted to make), these parents were upset (understandably so). However, this minority of parents have created a really unsettling and negative environment that they are trying to spread through to others in the community. I wholeheartedly believe the principal when she says that everything she does is with the best of intentions for children. I have never seen a school with such dedication to not only creating the best possible academic and emotional environment for its students, but as well as the staff. The current administration has been working in education for over 20 years with their combined experience and, as a parent, I feel blessed to be able to afford to live in a community with this wonderful of a staff, this encouraging of an environment, and this knowledgeable of an administration.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2018

Carson was a wonderful school the first couple years my children attended. There are many excellent teachers. We moved into the (pricey) neighborhood so that we could be in the school boundary. Unfortunately, the new Principal has created a very negative, elitist environment, with a small group of her friends and supporters involved in the major decisions. There have been some poor choices made without the majority of parental or community feedback. This appears to be because the Admin does not care have others question decisions, lest they be held accountable. For example, since the arrival of the new principal, HGT and ECE have been eliminated, good teachers are leaving or being pushed out when they voice differing opinions under the guise of budget decisions, there is a shift from FT Teachers towards para-professionals, and there is very little proactive communication or visibility into anything; from budgeting to safety. In meetings the Principal has indicated that she does not want parents to ask questions or voice their opinions. The most recent controversial issue is the lack of communication about the new bell schedule, (early release Friday's at 1:15pm) which has been approved by DPS already with essentially NO parental or community feedback. The process that the Administration choose to take was unacceptable in that they sought approval prior to having feedback and data from the community. This places a burden on families who have 2 working parents; extends the school day for children by 30 minutes the rest of the days. I am concerned that my children's learning will suffer due them being overworked/stressed. Not to mention the fact that many in this school already remove their kids early on Friday's; what happens when a significant portion of the class is absent on a regular basis? Friday early release is being justified by indicating that teachers need more time to plan and meet.Friday afternoons are the likely not the best time for this - teachers are tired. Admin is making a poor decision at the expense of the students without communicating or looking for an alternate solution.I will likely be removing my children from Carson next year to attend school where EXPERIENCED Admin prioritizes learning and safety over ratings, and focuses on working and engaging WITH parents. Carson is at great risk of becoming sub-par. DPS, please listen.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2018

Carson WAS a fantastic school until the new principal came in two years ago. She doesn't have the creativity or frankly the experience to ensure the needs are met of all the different tracks within the school community -and she's never taught in the classroom which feels like a huge miss. Additionally, she's an extremely poor communicator who tries to exclude parents from the educational process. She's intimidated by the neighborhood parents who want nothing more to help and support the school - so she keeps them at arm's length. It's extremely sad. It once was a great place. Now, all the classrooms are over crowded and resources are in short supply. The school as the potential to be so much more, but not under the current leadership. Thankfully, the teachers are fantastic and power through despite the circumstances.
Submitted by parent on May 08, 2017

Carson is a well-regarded elementary school in the Hilltop area. It has a fabulous character ed program that really differentiates it from other schools. On the whole, it's a very safe, fun and enriching place to attend elementary school in Denver. The math program is new this year, and so far, it looks much better than the previous Everyday Math program. Kudos to Carson for switching out of the DPS curriculum. As far as administration, they have worked very hard to clean up the school -- new paint, new tile, organized classrooms, tidy office and entrance, no mouse droppings, no foul smells -- a HUGE improvement. As for the previous reviewer who is irritated with "entitled" Hilltop parents who want a small neighborhood school for our children....yes, we do. We do not want a magnet HGT program that excludes our neighborhood students. On that vein, the school has made huge efforts to identify children in the traditional classrooms and provide advanced HGT enrichment to more students. Additionally, it is a huge improvement with car drop off / pick up zones that encourage student independence. There are tons of volunteer opportunities for parents who work outside of Carson to raise funds and support faculty and staff. Thanks to the new admin for making these changes and cleaning up Carson.
Submitted by parent on August 28, 2016

Our family spent three years at Carson and regret wasting a large part of our children's elementary education. The first two years were spent with one child being bullied by her combination first/second grade class teacher. The interim administration acknowledged the behavior, but there were no consequences for the bullying teacher. Third grade brought a brand new principal who doesn't care about the school's families - only "her test scores." She pushed out the HGT certified teachers only to replace them with non-certified teachers. Her inability to budget correctly cost the PTA well over $30,000 to fill the monetary gaps created by her limiting student enrollment to well under district averages or standards. The limited enrollment is partially due to the above mentioned test scores, but also because "the neighborhood wants a small, neighborhood school." That's all well and good, but this is a public school with two separate magnet programs funded by the state. The school administration doesn't support either magnet program or their teachers, but the school is completely dependent on the extra money that funds the magnet programs. What was once a vibrant and involved parent community has been squelched by the new administration's demand that all ECE and kindergarten students be dropped off at the curb - she is very specific she doesn't want parents on campus. Parents on campus is how you get volunteers and without volunteers Carson doesn't exist. Carson was once a lovely, welcoming school community. The new administration bowing to the white, entitled residents of Hilltop will be the ultimate downfall of the school.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2016

I concur with the reviewer below about the Carson classrooms and teacher absenteeism (in some cases). The school is becoming more popular because the neighborhood is drawing a more affluent and educated crowd hence the overcrowding. The admin should not let out of bounds students enroll during choice until the registration numbers are confirmed. Moreover, the admin needs to think about the curriculum more thoroughly and strive to unify this highly divided school. The constituency of bright, high achieving neighborhood students in "traditional" classrooms is underserved due to the separation of the HGT program, even when most of the traditional students are advanced themselves. HGT students get better curricula, more commitment from teachers / students, and higher expectations resulting in better grades. The HGT students have an air of superiority, telling the traditional students that they are smarter, more "talented", and deserve better treatment (like being first to lunch, etc). Yes, there is a huge division between the traditional and HGT programs, and it is unclear why the administration needs to continue this course. Historically, the HGT program was put in place to keep neighborhood children in the school but now it serves as a discriminatory tool pitting neighbor against neighbor. As George removed barriers to their IB Diploma program so too should Carson. Of course, HGT parents will insist on their entitlement by reserving Carson's advanced coursework to the few, but it is the right thing to open up the program for all to access. HGT and all related monikers are programs designed to track students thus limiting non-HGT students' exposure and ultimately limiting their opportunity. It's not in keeping with great neighborhood schools (see Steck and Bromwell), and Carson needs to adjust accordingly. Besides, Carson scores lower than Steck and Bromwell on DPS assessments yet the student demographics are identical so clearly having high expectations for only the few leads to a lesser oucome overall. Choicing into nearby Steck / Bromwell is impossible so the neighborhood is stuck with this discriminatory school. Generally, a raw deal for this fantastic neighborhood.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2016

Character education is the best thing going at Carson. The (new) administration has been a disappointment. Emphasis on rewarding teachers for mostly mediocre performance. Schoolwide attendance initiative should include teachers, not just students. The advertised student/teacher ratio is misleading since all classrooms are taken into account- DHH and some HGT classrooms are small while many traditional classrooms are overcrowded. Behavioral issues in the classroom take away from learning time. The school has a lot of potential given the involved parents, but leadership from the top down needs to be stronger.
Submitted by other on June 03, 2016

Very out of touch with the needs of the students.Focus is on patting teachers on the back and donating towards monetary rewards for the teachers.No individualized help.Admin is horrible.Very dedicated towards student "fun days" which are just extra work for parents while students required to make homemade projects and try to sell them to the other students.Do not recommend at all.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2014

Very disappointing school. This school has high teacher turnover, we have lost two teachers during the school year. I am a full-time working parent and communication is terrible, no lead time to make any plans for child care, school parties, picking up school supplies, etc. if I had to do it over again, I would never have enrolled my child at this school.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2013

My son started Carson in 3rd grade and it has been a terrific experience. The staff is wonderful, his teachers have his best interests at heart. The parental involvement is outstanding and I am so happy that I chose Carson for my son. I was worried because of all the bad you hear about Denver Public Schools, but this school is amazing and I would not change a thing. The character education that they have at Carson falls right in line with how I raise my son and the small class sizes mean that each child does not get overlooked. I would recommend Carson to any parent looking for a great learning environment for their child!
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2012

Carson is a terrific school. The teachers and school leadership are exceptional. The academic level is advanced. I feel fortunate to have my child attending the school. Very impressed. I would also like to highlight the kindergarten program, it's excellent.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2012

Carson is an excellent school!!! We have been thrilled with the teachers, principle and parents at Carson. We wouldn't go anywhere else.