Chambers Prairie Elementary School

6501 Virginia St SE

School District

North Thurston Public Schools
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for North Thurston Public Schools

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 May 07, 2024

Overall…a solid school. Just like EVERY school there are troubled kids with horrible family dynamics that affect their behavior. Schools everywhere have their hands full in today’s society and Chambers Prairie has a staff filled with great educators and caring human beings.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2024

Chambers Prairie is truly a gem in the educational landscape. From the moment you step onto campus, you're greeted with warmth and hospitality. The staff and faculty go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment where students feel valued and supported. Academically, the school excels, providing rigorous curriculum alongside personalized attention to ensure every student reaches their full potential. Beyond academics, Chambers Prairie fosters a strong sense of community, with numerous activities and events that bring students, families, and staff together. I cannot recommend Chambers Prairie highly enough for anyone seeking a school where excellence, care, and community thrive.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2024

Teachers are great and principal is exceptional!
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2024

We moved into the district a year ago and have been very pleased with the education our kids are receiving. The elementary went out of their way even before school officially began to meet our kids, get to know them, and help them get excited for the coming year. The teachers and staff have kept us informed consistently throughout the year and have met with us on several occasions to discuss our children's progress, successes, and challenges. My Kindergartener in particular has learned SO MUCH in such a short time. I'm so impressed with his teacher! My daughter joined the Garden Club after school and is able to help work in the outdoor classroom. The art room is huge and can be opened up to enjoy the fresh air. School wide events are fun and well-attended. Overall, we're very happy with Chambers Prairie!
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2024

This school has completely turned around under the new administration. Mr. Greer is a phenomenal principal and majority of the teachers here are great. There is constant communication out to parents and they are willing to listen and address concerns. I was once looking to transfer my kids out of this school, but I’m very pleased to see that things have turned around for the better.
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2024

CPES’ overall is okay since my kid have been struggling with their learning in math since each teacher teaching differently methods and didn’t have a time to sit down and do one on one to make sure that kid is learning with better methods in math than just leave it to the math group. Also the teacher is not really good communicating with parents to keep update on students’ learning and status on their grades. I am considering that CPES is “ failing “ in support students in their learning when it comes to struggling with their learning in different subjects.
Submitted by other on June 09, 2021

You have to jump through so many loopholes to get your child extra support and for some the staff to take you seriously. Very unprofessional.
Submitted by other on March 02, 2021

Teachers are unforgiving for pretty much anything, and admin backs up teachers when they know they are in the wrong. They still refuse to apologize for any wrongdoing. We are looking forward to moving out of this school district.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2021

The brain of a homeless people in the in street works better than the brain of the principal in this school.The teachers and staff,they think it is ok to be rude to the parents because this is what the leadership have showed them.This school and the whole staff needs to be fix.Im sad for the children who attend this school.This school is in WA the reason why it is rated 5.In other States it will probably rated 0.Not functional at all! Don't come to this school or else it would be a nightmare!
Submitted by parent on March 14, 2019

Super disappointed with the teachers at this school. My kids have been going there for 2 years. They used to like going school but they don't like going anymore. They were at Centennial before that. The teachers are absolutely amazing. I really wish I could transfer them out of Chambers.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2019

Up until a couple years ago, we loved this school. Unfortunately it has been one issue after another that is consistently not handled well, and we have had to try to involve the district on more than one occasion. This principal is horrible to deal with, and I have a suspicion he’s a good reason why they have an awful lot of turn over!!
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2019

I have had kids in this school for 7 years (11 different teachers). There has been a lot of staff turnover, new principal, and many changes. Behavioral issues are being dealt with better than under the last principle. As with all schools, some (most) teachers here are absolutely fantastic while others are not (we loved all but 1 teacher who is still currently teaching here). It is not the schools fault these bad teachers can not be fired... That is a union issue. The art and pe teachers here are incredible and dedicated. I am unfortunately seeing more teachers hired here in the past few years that are just plain rude to kids so I hope to see that trend change.
Submitted by parent on March 29, 2017

If you have a child that is challenging, I would recommend going else where!Principal and teachers have very little experience!
Submitted by other on April 01, 2016

The teacher has given my daughter the opportunity to excel above her classmates instead of holding her to one set curriculum. The overall enthusiasm and drive for academic success is very nice to see in an elementary school!
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2015

Would not recommend this school to parents of children with disabilities. My son is high functioning autistic and was punished and embarrassed daily for behaviors he could not control. Instead of trying to get to the root of the problem or put any effort into understanding what triggered the unwanted behavior, he was sent away from class and essentially in time out for much of the school year. The teachers we encountered had no real knowledge of autism. A rewards/punishment system was always their fall back approach and they sacrificed opportunities to teach self control and encourage self competence for momentary peace in the classroom. My son's motivation literally eroded during the course of the year and left him defeated. The teachers and principal often came across as though their main interest was making their job easier for themselves and medicating my son came up often even though his dr.'s had advised against it at such a young age. I also approached the school several times regarding bullying and nothing was ever done despite the fact that many of my son's outbursts that he was chastised and sent to "recovery " for were direct results of being bullied and my son's inability to communicate what happened. He was told "I don't care" and told to leave the classroom on at least one occasion where he did try to explain himself. The counselor, quite honestly, was incompetent. She did not contribute anything that was useful or helpful, lacked understanding of his disability, frequently gave us wrong information, phone numbers, resources etc. The front office staff was just plain rude on a regular basis. I witnessed several children bullied and others say and do things that would typically warrant suspension and complaints by the parents were ignored whereas we received phone calls from the principal often regarding minor infractions. In my opinion, the faculty turned a blind eye to some things to avoid dealing with the more "difficult " parents. If your child naturally excels at school and socially, they would likely have an enjoyable experience and a mediocre education at this school. If they need extra attention or would challenge this faculty in any capacity I would avoid this school at all costs. Thankfully our child will not be returning this fall.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2012

Update to my review: "This is our 3rd year at Chambers Prairie..." I wanted to update after reading the last review. Since my last review, my son was diagnosed with disabilities (ADHD, ODD, & epilepsy). The school as a whole has made every accomodation for him and us. Not every teacher is equipped to deal with disabilities so it takes a lot of communication between parent & staff. We also dealt with bulling on and off of school premises. When I approached his teacher and principal about it, they took immediate action and it stopped. They continue to work hard to make sure every child can learn to the best of their abilities.
Submitted by parent on July 24, 2012

My son went there and was in 4th grade. We had moved here from another state and saw the 2 reviews on here and heard that it is a great school. It's not great for kids with disabilities for sure. My son is autistic and had been being bullied by 3 kids. We didn't know for the 2 weeks it was happening. We were the last to know and I don't think the teacher even liked my son. The principal knew as well and didn't let us know either. I recommend for parents that have kids autistic or have any other disability to find a better school.