Westgate Elementary School

8550 West Vassar Drive

School District

Jeffco Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

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 21, 2024

We left at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. After years of an overall positive experience, things changed fast and even before the worst of it happened I had resolved myself to looking for a new school for our kids. It all started when they placed my twice exceptional child in a class with a brand new teacher - she had never taught before and knew nothing practical or legal about special education or GT kids and it showed. She was gone nearly every Friday out of town for a wedding. My daughter experienced bullying and instead of handling it the principal said of the bully “she will get hers eventually.” Not what anyone likes to hear from school leadership. There was a weird push to participate in the Leader In Me program which is a child version of a self help course used by corporate professionals. There was PTA drama where the group was split in two and made it impossible for those of us trying to help students actually do our part. I tried to stay out of it and ended up getting yanked in by one of the most conniving parents involved. When I stood up for myself, my kids and I were shunned. Which was fine, because we were already done there. A shame that a school that experienced such an incredible turnaround and Renaissance period was so short lived and ruined within only six years. I feel as though the pandemic played a small role - we saw the writing on the wall well before Covid happened. Covid merely accelerated the inevitable. Everything so many parents and teachers worked to build is basically gone. Plenty of amazing teachers quit or were pushed out between 2015 and 2020. A friend visited this week to consider the school for her child who will begin kindergarten in August and she was not impressed. The latest rumor is the school is going to be absorbed by another one due to low enrollment. All the people credited with making this school “great” left it behind and have political careers, and still pat themselves on the back for the work they did there. Well the work didn’t hold up, so that should tell you something.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2024

In my expedience, my daughter attended kindergarten and grade one. Kindergarten was good and she felt welcomed as part of the group. The teacher was great in kindergarten, however, in grade one my child was mostly placed in the blue table ( trouble maker table) cause she couldn’t express herself and she is the most shy and quiet child you’ll meet, but I felt it really took a toll on her confidence when the teacher constantly sat her there cause she couldn’t take the time to explain to my daughter what she was supposed to be doing or not. We had many days where my daughter just simply did not want to go to school. To keep the story short , I had emailed the school and asked for either support or shall we change her school and the immediate answer was change her schools. Which obviously gave me more assurance of how bad my child self esteem was being brought down. Anyways I’m happy she’s now in a better school and she’s progressing amazingly. With a teacher that really cares about each child in the class. What a difference it makes when you have a teacher that really cares. My only point at Westgate is they should have better communication over all amongst their principal and also more consistency amongst their teachers as I’m sure most teachers there are great, it’s unfortunate that our grade on experience was just aweful and instead of bringing up my kids confidence it took away from her self esteem.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2023

People are very nice the school but as far as support and accountability extra help is hard to come by as my child was not supported at all and fell behind. And although my child’s teacher agreed immediately to have my child change schools without even letting us know there’s other options when I had asked about her level of reading and understanding in that same school, and we felt there was no effort on their part to help our child. And when it came closer to the end of the school year we were told there was finally some support we felt it there was no real effect as they decided to focus on other things then what was needed. I write this objectively as now my child “started to attend a different school” and within the first month without asking they asked us if they could give our child extra help in the subjects needed to improve upon, which is literally night and day from this school. I know my experience was not the same as other parents at Westgate but I had to get it off my chest as that is how we felt. And am I ever glad I switched schools.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2021

I want to give a great shout out to the Westgate teachers , administration & students. I really appreciate the the great P.T.A leadership; diversity, food pantry and the value Westgate provides to the community. Keep going Roadrunners!
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2021

We have been connected with Westgate Elementary School for decades. Our family experience was very rewarding as our children attended in the 90’s and our grandchildren are attending currently. Westgate is diverse, welcoming, cracks down on bullying, offers a food & clothing pantry & backpack program, has an involved PTA, new playground that was organized and paid for by grants and the community, has good leadership, teachers are great. Our grandchildren loved and benefitted greatly from the Leader in Me program, based off of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We love Westgate and are grateful to them.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2021

We shopped around to nearby schools to get an idea for what is out there and Westgate was the best option for our family and my two students who currently attend Westgate Elementary.Upon first touring the school (prior to COVID), I was impressed at how I was not immediately buzzed into the building, even though I had an appointment. I appreciated that I was met at the door and confirmed before entering. My first impressions were quite favorable- the building is clean and the staff were welcoming and willing to answer my questions and provide additional information.Now that my students have been enrolled for a few years, we are consistently impressed with the positive mission to Lead, Love & Learn- you see it and feel it within the student body, the staff and the parents that I have been able to meet. The PTA is active and welcoming, they work hard to support the school and steer away from 'fluffy' fundraisers, so we can avoid tasking the kids to sell gift wrap & chocolate. This diverse Title 1 school offers initiatives and obtain federal funding to additionally support the needs of students and their families. Additionally, there is a food & clothing pantry on-site that is supported 100% by community donations and volunteers- to help students and families, as well as provide a Friday Backpack Program to send food home with students who need it each weekend. There is also a Garden Club that student get to assist with after school- the produce from that garden is available to the students and neighboring community to take advantage of.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2019

I've never put your student in this school it's a horrible school with incompetent staff who don't know the law around special education
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2018

5 stars! Thank you Dave Weiss and Miss O for helping Emily two years ago during a trying time for her and Us. Your school was a good experience for our family. Great school with forward thinking, problem solving and teamwork! Thank you!
Submitted by parent on November 15, 2016

I went to Westgate as a child and now my daughter is going there. I have loved every single teacher she has had and wouldn't ask for a better place for her to be. Thank you Westgate for the continued amazing teachers and experiences for my daughter and I.
Submitted by other on March 18, 2016

Westgate has a hard working staff that cares so deeply for their students. We especially love the principal and the direction that he is leading the school. Thank you for helping us to build a strong community here!
Submitted by parent on January 23, 2015

This school is becoming better and better with each passing year, it seems. There is a new principal/assistant principal team and they are fantastic! The teachers and staff are friendly, caring, and involved. Parents and guardians frequently volunteer. The Watchdog Program is amazing, and the PTA has managed to get funding for a brand-new playground (construction is supposed to start summer 2015). Admittedly, I had heard negative things about Westgate, which is our neighborhood school. However, a funny twist of fate ended up with us enrolling our daughter there. She is thriving and loves going to school! We are excited to continue sending our kids there as our son will start attending in the fall of 2015. Go Roadrunners!
Submitted by parent on June 28, 2014

I have 2 kids that attend Westgate and I love it there. The PTA was fantastic last year and had a lot of afterschool activities. I loved the schools new running club. My kids always looked forward to Wednesdays. The staff was very dedicated to having my children succeed. A lot of negative parents left leaving room for the positive to shine through. I love this school and their continued growth.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2014

My son is currently finishing his second grade year at Westgate. Although I have concerns about Jefferson County's current direction as a whole, I could not be happier with this school. There has been an amazing amount of help and support for our kids over recent years and finally our test scores exemplify that! Contrary to another post, this school does also have a very healthy schedule of social activities (thanks in large part to the PTA) that include multiple family dances throughout the year, this year a family Carnival (free to students and parents), a running club and the PTA does carry a charter for our own pack of Cub Scouts. One other thing that has been beyond meaningful to me is Westgates focus on reading and improving the reading level of ALL readers...they've been able to also make this a fun process through the offering of a new software program (Lexia) and by being on board with Bandimere speedway's Race to Read. I know this school looks like its a little lacking from the outside (yes, we'd like to raise the funds to upgrade the playground!) but I have not once regretted the decision to send my son here.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2014

My children have attended Westgate for 3 years now. We love the fact that it is a "neighborhood school" and we can walk there from our house. This also allows me as a mother to be involved, volunteering, etc. We have been very fortunate to get excellent teachers for our kids, all 3 years. I was relieved, as there are some teachers at the school that are not very good. They do not seem to care about the kids. :-( My husband and I both have education degrees, so the level of academic rigor is a bit light for our liking. We wish that the staff would focus more on academics and figure out a way to minimize the drama that comes from the kids who do not want to study and do not have parental support. I know that is a tough thing to balance, but it would greatly improve the climate of the school, I think. Aside from that, we have been happy with the school and hope that it continues to improve rather than decline!!
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2013

Love this school. My daughter was struggling last year at a different school and this year she is right on track. The teachers care about their students and helping them achieve their goal.
Submitted by parent on May 24, 2013

My kids go to this school and it is great! I always feel welcomed there and everyone is always freindly. My kids love their teachers and their scores have improved. This was a low preforming school, but has gain so much momentum which shows they really care. The Principal has really focused the school on learning and not playing and the teachers have started to excel. This is really a great school and your kids will enjoy themselves. I do wish I saw more parents volunteering or at events, but the ones who are, are very nice and supportive.
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2012

The school as a whole gets the job done but has a lot of areas for improvement. The teachers are amazing and really want to do what is needed for each individual student but they do not have the help or the time or the support to do this. My daughter is in 1st grade and loves school so she does well and is learning what she needs to but she has 2 friends with significant barriers to learning and need the extra attention but the teachers don't have the support in the classroom to be able to take the time to do this so they get left behind. The teachers have also been dealt a poor hand because the kids are only given 1 recess. No 6 yr old can be expected to focus when they have to be in a classroom for 6 hours out of the day. Kids need the opportunity to go out and release some of the built up energy so they can focus. It is also difficult to volunteer in the classroom. I have been trying for 2 months to volunteer so my daughter's teacher can have a little help but she is so overwhelmed that she has not been able to coordinate parent helpers. If your child has support at home & enjoys school Westgate is a good school because the teachers really care, if not I would not recommend it.
Submitted by teacher on May 04, 2012

I have worked at Westgate for over 10 years now and my son went to Westgate from 1st grade through 6th. I feel that all of the adults who work there have the best interest of the students in mind. With the previous principal necessary changes came slowly since not all teachers take kindly to change. With the new principal the necessary changes have been implemented and many of the teachers have been working hard to make sure that the students have the necessary knowledge to prepare them for their continuing education. The playground is actually a Jeffco Park and looks out over a beautiful piece of greenbelt. There are no ugly chainlink fences. Overall Westgate is a very hardworking, loving and beautiful school.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2012

I have been in Westgate since 2006, and it's so sad to see how a principal changed the charismatic of this school... I'm leaving the school because for me it's so important that my children feel like it is their second home and for the parents to feel welcome at all times.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2012

The principal has changed to many things, (no 6th grade continuation, no halloween parade, no thanksgiving luncheon with kidnergarten and parents, no 6th grade performance. Academics is great but the students need a little zest and the parents need to feel welcomed at the school. If we wanted it to be no fun just academics we would send our kids to Bear Creek K-8.