Newark Center For Creative Learning

401 Phillips Avenue

Newark, DE 19711

16 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 25, 2021

I cannot say enough about how wonderful NCCL School is. I have had 2 children educated here and sending my children here was the best decision I could have ever made. My older son transitioned here in 2nd grade when the traditional school curriculum became dominated by workbook pages and passive sitting in class. He was bored and did not enjoy learning in that manner. The teachers at NCCL immediately turned him back into a student who loves learning. Both of my children have gotten so much from NCCL. They have both excelled academically while learning to be good community members at school (being kind to others and supporting and working with their peers and teachers) and more broadly (advocating for social justice issues that are important to them). NCCL teaches children to be active problem-solvers, engaged learners, and good citizens. The teachers are highly qualified, passionate about their careers, and truly care for and respect the students. This is an amazing school.
Submitted by parent on May 04, 2020

NCCL teachers are so loving and nurturing to our children and supportive to parents as well. I'm so grateful they are a part of our families' lives and a role model of compassion and positivity.Before we even had children, we knew we wanted a creative and compassionate environment for our children as they grew up. A place where their self-esteem and self-efficacy would bloom. We've found that and more at NCCL. It is such a wonderful community, and we are so appreciative to be a part of it!
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2019

Magical. That is the word to describe NCCL. Pure magic. Students and parents are involved in all aspects of the school. My daughter says that the teachers are her aunts and uncles and the other students are her siblings. Going to school is really going home.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2019

NCCL is a wonderful community! The importance of teamwork, social justice, independent thought, caring for the environment and treating others with respect and kindness are just a few of the amazing aspects of this school. The teachers and staff truly love their work (and the kids!), and it shows every day.
Submitted by principal on September 26, 2019

My child feels welcomed and loved every day! I am so happy that we found NCCL School. It's an amazing community of families and teachers.
Submitted by parent on August 02, 2018

Our daughter absolutely loves NCCL. The teachers are dedicated, passionate, creative and inspiring. Her classmates are caring and after only a year at the school, she has already formed close relationships with them. Having attended public school growing up, I was a bit unsure about the lack of grades at NCCL. However, the meetings with her teachers and written evaluations of her progress in each subject area (the final report that her teachers wrote was 8 pages single spaced!) are far more valuable than any grade. I have watched my daughter flourish both academically and socially at NCCL. And overall, I have observed that the students at NCCL are happy and have a true love of learning. NCCL is awesome!!!
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2018

We LOVE NCCL! Our daughter is about to finish 1st grade and the progress she has made over the past two years is amazing. She is genuinely happy to go to school each day and loves her teachers and classmates. As parents, we love that the school focuses on developing the whole child - academically, socially and emotionally. At NCCL our daughter is exceling academically, and she is also learning other important skills like conflict resolution, empathy, self-confidence and leadership. NCCL truly is a gift and we are so grateful that our daughter can experience it.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2018

We are about to finish our first year at NCCL and are thrilled with the school. There is not enough room on this page to list out the strengths so I will state 3 that jump to mind:1) Passion of the teachers and students - this is a place where the student's passion (regardless of topic) is encouraged and developed in every way possible....and is matched by the passion of the teachers. My 1st grader spent the last several weeks researching a particular dinosaur (through books and her own internet searches), wrote a 12 page report accompanied by art work and, along with her classmates, produced a full dinosaur museum for the entire school and parents! My 3rd grader and his class did something similar on the topic of religions. The 5th/6th grade teacher dresses up and acts the part (never out of character) of a different type of government leader (monarchy, dictator, democratically elected, etc...) for an entire week. The 7th/8th grade teachers have an internship program for students on Friday afternoons at local Newark businesses. These are just a few of the experiences at NCCL. They not only keep the child's flame of curiosity burning but also provide valuable life skills. 2) Leadership of the students - kids, even at very early ages, are setup to value and demonstrate leadership. This occurs both in and out of the classroom including: ownership of classroom tasks (younger children), being the official buddy of a younger student and musical performances led by students.3) The whole is greater than the sum of its parts - the kids are grouped into 4 classes (K, 1st.....2nd, 3rd, 4th......5th, 6th.....and 7th, 8th) but their lessons and activities have a common theme that bring together the whole experience. Additionally, there is a true school community that is on display daily at recess, in the weekly all-school meeting or in such things as the full study body support and attendance at a city basketball championship game for a team that included several NCCL players.
Submitted by parent on May 08, 2018

I cannot imagine a better school for our children than NCCL. We are so glad we discovered this treasure. Both my sons have had wonderful, caring, smart, and inspiring teachers at NCCL. My sons both look forward to school every day, and they learn so much. In part, this is because the school avoids testing, mindless repetition, and memorization. Instead, children learn by exploring their world in ways that make sense and that inspire them. But my children are also thriving because the teachers at NCCL know them so well, which means that the teachers’ guidance helps them learn how to deal with inevitable challenges in the classroom and outside of it. I am an educator myself, and I can say that in all my years as a teacher, and an observer of teachers, NCCL has the most talented teachers I have ever known. Under their care, my children are growing up in love with learning.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2017

I wrote a review in 2012 based on my older son and am back with another review, this time about my younger son. He went to NCCL for 1st through 8th grade and recently graduated from Newark High School as the co-salutatorian. He has always been competitive, but NCCL helped him learn to listen to and collaborate with others instead of treating everything as a race. He is a fast learner, and his teachers provided him with advanced topics when appropriate to keep him from being bored. That is one of the biggest benefits of NCCL--the classes are small enough for the teachers to meet the needs of individual students. Teaching kids how to think instead of how to memorize facts is a major benefit of NCCL. The kids there also learn how to communicate with a diverse set of peers and adults so they're prepared to do that in the real world. If I had to do it all over again, I would send my kids to NCCL again in a heartbeat.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2017

My daughter is in kindergarten at NCCL and I have been involved with the school for over 20 years. The school does an amazing job of helping children develop into empathetic members of a community and critical thinkers in the world. If you want a school where teachers really get to know and appreciate your child, NCCL is it. The caring, professional teachers, student-teacher ratio, and the fact that the kids spend more than one year in each homeroom, all make this possible. What a gift to have teachers who recognize and champion your child's strengths and support his or her struggles. From speaking with parents of graduates, I've heard that the kids are prepared and perform very well upon entering high school. This is the kind of foundation I want for my child.
Submitted by other on March 19, 2017

NCCL is truly an amazing place for kids to learn and grow. The teachers are really engaged, and it is such a welcoming community. NCCL teaches kids way beyond the basics, and really helps them to become empowered, curious learners who care about their community and the larger world. They teach amazing social skills to kids, and help them become problem solvers and answer finders!
Submitted by other on October 19, 2015

My child attended NCCL from Grades 3-5, when we moved. I would say to check out the location for yourself. It is on a quiet street, but sometimes there is a train that goes by (if you're familiar with the University of Delaware, you can't escape the train!). Her teachers were loving, attentive, and supportive. She blossomed. Now she is in middle school and earning straight A's - she is in all Honors classes. She wasn't behind in any of her subjects. In fact, her teachers comment about how thoughtful she is about her friends and her school work. I highly recommend NCCL.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2015

This school is horrible. I live near the school, and witness bullying everyday. The teachers do nothing about it, and watch it. The teachers are irresponsible.
Submitted by parent on May 16, 2015

This is the worst school I have ever seen run! First of all the location is terrible. Its a busy one way street that makes pick up nearly impossible and not to mention the rehab house at the end of the road. Second, the faculty here is horrible. Anytime I have asked them for help it has been met with snooty comments and passing me off the the next person that doesn't care. I can't think of any bigger waste of money than sending my child here. There are far better schools in better locations with faculty better equip to handle the needs of children. They are inattentive at recess and in just about every other aspect of the school. Its sickening the number of times I've seen young children playing outside with no supervision. Really do your research and think twice before sending your child here. It will save you from many frustrating conversations with a faculty that truly doesn't care about you or your child
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2013

This school has some good features, but overall the teachers and staff are not open to considering how they might improve the school. Feedback, is not welcome.
Submitted by parent on December 06, 2011

Overall I would rate this school as fair. I would say that the majority of the faculty were good and had a mastery of the subjects they were teaching The early groups were weak academically. I am basing this decision on having taken our children out primarily because we had moved. Our younger kids were way behind in Math and close to gradel level in Reading. Our midddle schooler seemed to know some things but be completely lacking in other areas. The teachers at the new school said this can happen whenever you change schools. But when my younger children entered second and third grade the teachers felt they were very unprepared. We needed to get tutoring to get them up to speed. The written reports from NCCL and feedback from the teachers were glowing. So it was a surprise to find out that they were behind their peers in their new school. Again my middle schooler just had the usual adjustments to make going to a new school - somethings had been covered some things had not.