Needham Elementary School

2425 West 3rd Avenue

School District

Durango 9-R
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for Durango 9-R 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 April 03, 2024

We have been at Needham for 3 years. The teachers are excellent and the community is welcoming and supportive.
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2023

We've had children at Needham for 4 years and counting, and we've been consistently pleased with all aspects of the school. Teachers are caring and have high expectations, the PTO is very active, and the community feel of the school is amazing. We are so grateful for all of the staff at Needham and their commitment to children & families in Durango!
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2017

Needham is in transition as a new principal started just this year. For 4 or 5 years Needham had a principal that rarely stepped foot in a classroom and did not get along with staff. Test scores just came out this week and it shows that Needham has fallen behind in math and science during the former principal's tenure. He has a new job working with the superintendent. Needham used to be one of the top performing schools in the district and families actually sought out Needham and alot of those same teachers are still there. Our district superintendent keeps implementing new grading systems that have nothing to do with educating the kids so I don't know how that plays in to Needham's decline. A few years ago it was something called Vault that was implemented at great expense to the taxpayer and which was abandoned. Now they are getting rid of the standard grading system of A - F for older grades and 1 - 5 for elementary and replacing it with something called competency-based grading which no one really knows what it is. Feels like we have a superintendent that is really out of touch with the actual classroom experience. Hopefully the new principal is given the necessary freedom to work closely with the Needham staff to build up the morale going forward. Obviously test scores need to improve and hopefully the new leadership at Needham can take us there. Needham is a great community of kids, families and teachers. It just needs the right leadership and funding. The reviews below that talk about the great principal are referencing the principal that retired before the principal that left at the end of last year.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2012

Needham is a wonderful, loving, open school. It just received its IB authorization and is truly embracing a world view teaching philosophy. My 2 children could not imagine being anywhere else. This is one of the few elementary schools in Durango that offer a second language.
Submitted by parent on September 04, 2011

My 3 children have had great experiences with this school. The teachers are of great support and the principal leadership is outstanding. Of my 3 children 2 of them attended from Kindergarten to 5th grade, but are both currently enrolled in a college prepatory academy and both are doing an awesome job in all classes, also being in 7th grade but testing into Freshman Algebra so I would just like to say "Thank You" to all the staff who are doing a wonderful job and teaching with a passion for education and also for assisting in preparing my children academically for the future. We have moved away from the area and even though it has been months, all 3 continue to miss the schools and the entire Durango area.
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2008

N/A
Submitted by parent on August 25, 2008

N/A