Central Park School for Children

724 Foster Street

School District

Central Park School For Children
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

charter

School Map for Central Park School For Children 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 23, 2023

We are currently looking for high school and in touring other schools, it is clear that our experience at CPSC has been unique compared to the other charter schools out there. This is my child's 8th year in the school and outside of the pandemic impacted years, the overall experience has been amazing. The teachers are some of the best out there and they know my kid - academically and socially emotionally. Wonderful place, wonderful staff.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2023

We’ve been a Central Park family for about 7 years and we love this school
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2023

The school has a great promise and potential, but struggles on following through. The school has no PTA like organization, and if parents aren't also working for the school, have little visibility, opportunity to participate, and struggle getting a substantive response to concerns. Communication is poor, disorganized, and not timely for things as a parent I would want to know about adverse experiences my children are having. A blatant example of lack of visibility and communication is the lack of any kind of staff directory on the website. Many parents are not sure who the admin team are. The executive director and director of operations rarely respond to direct communications. The director of operations becomes a bottle neck for communications, and responses that do come often sound pre-prepared and slightly disconnected from what they were asked. They appear to be in control of how teachers and staff respond, though there is not quite enough visibility to tell. While it is extremely difficult right now to be in the field of education, I have concerns that the school may not have the staffing or funding or skills or something to follow through. If you are extremely unhappy in your current school, this may be a good place for you. However, if you value having a voice, and parent involvement (healthy parent involvement/PTA is a sign of a healthy school environment), then this school does not quite live up to the reputation it seems to have gathered.
Submitted by other on December 06, 2022

So far this school is a wonderful environment. It is welcoming, creative and has a genuine interest in providing effective and meaningful instruction to each specific child's needs. Also like many institutions they have a history of not including all but have really made it their ethos to change this for the better, so now it is a much more inclusive and equitable environment. I also love the community involvement that's coming back since Covid. Would recommend for families and potential employees if you like an openminded, authentic and innovative learning community with students' best interests truly at heart.
Submitted by student on October 26, 2022

to be honest i go to this school and i was going to dog on it but i cant really think of anything that bad
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2022

I am beyond disappointed with my experience with this school for the first Quarter. When I went down to the school to find out when the school would start, the First Day of Schoo, since we were not to the school and I couldn't find the information listed on their website and was not even told at Open House, I was rudely asked if "I even my son to attend since it's year round?". Like, of course I want my son to attend I did put his name in the lottery, I just want to know when the school Starts! They then realized the error was on their end and they were supposed to update my email address. They have yet to do so, and I'm still not receiving notifications from the school. I have not had any contact with the teachers. When I told them my son was being bullied, I was assured that I would have a call returned. No call. They didn't even bother talking to my son about it. The teachers are not providing any homework. If they do receive homework it's only one sheet. Which is highly disappointing considering this is 6th grade!
Submitted by parent on September 15, 2022

My child has been at CPSFC's elementary school since kindergarten and is now in fourth grade. It is not perfect, but no school is perfect. They have a very strong special education program and really try to meet the needs of every student, not just the "easy" ones. The school helps grow every aspect of a child's development, not just academics. This year feels almost like the pre-pandemic days and classrooms seem to be filled with joy and project work. From talking with fellow parents, it seems like this year's staff is the best, and lots of learning is happening. They spend a lot of time outdoors and believe that learning happens everywhere, not just in the classroom. My child loves all the specials, especially Media, PE, and Yoga. I highly recommend CPSFC elementary school.
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2022

The sense of community is strong at CPSC. The teachers get to know the students well and work to build trust. Some of my kids enjoy the Project Base Learning experiences, the flexibility and the accountability they have. For my ASD son, it is not as great as he needs a more structured environment. Great experience overall.
Submitted by parent on February 17, 2022

This school pushes a far left liberal agenda. They actually asked kids in a large gathering to raise their hand if they are a christian. They also asked them (2nd graders) what gender they were and it was ok if they felt like they were a girl. Also, as bad as the academic school year was last year during COVID, the principal decided they should shut down the school after Jan. 6th incident to "reflect". An obvious attempt on his part to bring politics into an elementary school. Additionally, their academics and accountabilty during COVID was horrendous. My 3rd grader is currently reading at a 2nd grade level. We will NOT be returning.
Submitted by other on February 15, 2022

I went to this school and it was amazing but hearing stories now it has declined quite a bit so go here if ya want
Submitted by student on December 10, 2020

the elementary school is fantastic, it has great teachers, hardly any bullying, and good leadership. but the in the middle school it falls apart a little bit. most of the teachers are ok/good, but some have been absolutely horrid, and while they were fired the year after, the damage was done. in the middle school they try their hardest to stop bullying, but to no avail. they have a new campaign or something similar every year against bullies, and while most of the kids aren't bullies to begin with, and the bullies are not a lot, they never change their behavior, and bully BADLY. the leadership is average, nothing to rave about, or hate on. and the homework system is ok, but not the best in the world. they have fantastic program for kids with disabilities, mental and physical. dont get me wrong, i totally recommend this school, but it has some things to work on, and if your child is extremely sensitive and would respond very poorly to bulling i wouldent consider the middle school.
Submitted by other on May 05, 2020

Overall this school taught me a lot more in terms of my character, morals, and myself as a whole than it did in terms of academics.
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2019

My son has only been at the school for 2 years and has had a great experience so far. He's grown as a learner, and more importantly, this school is nurturing a love of learning in him. It's not a perfect school but it's been a good fit for him.
Submitted by parent on September 22, 2018

The school has changed tremendously over the past several years and become much more of a negative environment unfortunately. I hope they can get back to what made it a great school and focus on educating kids. The school website does not reflect the changes and I feel is misleading.
Submitted by parent on September 18, 2017

The experience has been a good one so far. The teachers are much more responsive to the unique needs of our children than the schools they attended before. While testing is an important part of gauging academic progress and development, the focus is not teaching to the test. There is a greater emphasis on experiential-learning which is very refreshing and has helped improve comprehension. The CPSC approach may not be for every child though. Kids that are used to and thrive in a very top-down structured environment may find the academic freedom more difficult to navigate. So far CPSC has had a very positive impact on the academic and social development of our kids.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2016

I am stunned that the last 2 reviews of CPSC, which mentioned key concerns at the school, have been taken down from this site. So much for accountability for CPSC or the Great Schools site. Or for freedom of speech!!! What looks great on paper or for new parents, will soon become more concerning the longer you attend the school. High and sudden turnover for associate directors who were well-loved and supported by parents and teachers should be significant cause for concern.
Submitted by other on June 27, 2016

We've found Central Park School for Children to be a warm and caring school that supports child in her academic achievement as well as social/emotional and physical growth. The latter two are so very important and are unfortunately not an area of priority at many public schools. Central Park offers young children extra time for outdoor play and learning. Classroom lessons make space for creative thinking and problem solving together with classmates. Parents volunteer their time to enrich experiences by doing things like providing support for field trips for hands on learning (our child's class went on 6 or so last year) or cooking with the kids. We've felt that the teachers, aftercare counselors, and administration really care and work with the children's best interests at the forefront of all they do. This school does not teach to the test, but teaches to each individual child. While less rigorous than Pearsontown (another Durham school with which we have direct experience) in drilling technical lessons), the overall growth of our smart, confident, well rounded child at Central Park has exceeded our expectations. A much better fit for our child and our family.
Submitted by other on December 14, 2015

I was a member of the first class to go from kindergarten to fifth grade at CPSC (graduated in 2009), and had an amazing 6 years while at the school. I wouldn't trade my experience there for anything. The school's original principal made it a top priority to have a diverse staff and a diverse student body. It was important to her that teachers of color would be hired to act as role models to less advantaged students. The student body was diverse, and kids came from all backgrounds. The class projects were captivating, and we were often plenty of responsibility and freedom.However, it seems that the school has changed a lot since I've been there. As opposed to being around a 50/50 split of white people and minorities when I attended, white students make up 80+% of the school's population. Students who graduated years after me told me of the school's changes. Diversity seemed to be a stated priority, and Central Park is moving closer toward being just another 'progressive' private school masked as a charter, a la Voyager. Although I had a wonderful experience at Central Park, it seems that it was a wholly different one than today's students will receive.
Submitted by parent on July 08, 2014

I have read the latest reviews and I respectively disagree with their perspective. This school is a safe haven for people who want an advocacy environment for their child. After being exhausted with the bureaucracy of Durham Public Schools, it is wonderful to be able to simply ask for what your child needs and have people who not only care, but who will work with you to figure out a way to get it. This school exemplifies the phrase, "where there is a will, there is a way". We need more schools committed to this approach.
Submitted by parent on May 25, 2014

Great teachers and philosophy but the Principal and Board have created an atmosphere that is hostile to any child and family that they feel is not "right" for their school. Staff who try to stand up are retaliated against. This is not a public school serving all children but an elistist private school using public dollars.