Castle Elementary School

6675 50th Street North

School District

North St Paul-Maplewood School Dist
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

School Map for North St Paul-Maplewood School Dist

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 January 26, 2020

Castle Elementary is an amazing school with solid leadership and very caring teachers. Yes, there are "hard kids" at Castle, but "hard kids are in ALL schools and are a part of life. The Castle Team has done a fantastic job of working with children and families to bring the best out in every child. Lastly, Castle is a beautifully remodeled school with great new features to enrich children's learning experience.
Submitted by parent on October 19, 2017

I've had 2 students at this school and they both love it and their teachers. The teachers are very supportive & open to ideas to help deal with certain issues with a child. They have provided them with what they need with the limited resources that they've been given for the school year. It really is a team effort in making sure all of our students succeed, and I believe that Castle teachers and staff try to do just that. My child is doing well and performing above her grade right now, so I'm happy.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2017

This is my 2nd child going through this elementary. Very engaged teachers that seem like they have endless energy. My daughter's thriving academically. The entire staff is always available to speak with further. Their STEM and music classes provide a great balance to the 3 R's.
Submitted by parent on October 16, 2017

I have had a student in this school district for the past 10 years and still have a few more to go. I love Castle! Over the years there have been ups, downs, teacher changes, principal changes, classroom sizes changes, diversity changes, and even behavior changes but not once did I ever feel my kid was let down in any way! Kids are tested to see where they are at - challenged to do better - offered help by many services available at the school and most of all they are LOVED! I can't say how it would be at a different school but I can say I feel this way about all grade levels we have been to...elementary (Castle)- middle school (John Glenn) and even high school (North High)!
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2015

Saddly we did move our daughter out of Castle, the behavior probles in the calss room became WAY to much and to often, this was to be her last year there and she was more than happy to leave. She is noe at Eagle Point which I can not say enough about, Outstanding school education is number one, they even have a Science Fair from K to 5th each child is involved as well as the community. Our daughter who is doing great, saddly was behind in reading when we got there and now is all caught up and ahead of the game, even accepted into the Young Authors Program. So glad we made the switch!
Submitted by parent on February 11, 2015

My son is in K this year and I love the school! The principal is always walking around in the morning greeting the students and my sons teacher is so sweet, I can not believe how much he has learned just in the first couple months of school and my son went to a Pre-K before this so I am just amazed. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because the bus system is not that great, myself and other parents have has issues with the "frog" bus driver since the beginning of the year, there was also one issue with my son being bullied on the bus but when I told the school they handled it RIGHT away and my son hasn't had problems since. Overall, great school!
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2014

I went to this school as a child (many moons ago) and never had a problem at all - loved it, actually. My two daughters have been to this school now for a couple of years and this was DEFINITELY our last year here. We've done all that we can to hang in there for the remainder of this school year - and, it's been painful to say the least. Castle has been through 3 principals in the past 4 years for a reason! The children are insane - behavior issues left and right. And, the teachers are ill equipped to deal with it, to say the least. Instead of focusing on creating engaging learning opportunities, they are completely focused on "correcting" the poor behavior (which is NEVER solved because they aren't dealing with it properly in the first place, not to mention that the behavior stems from home issues that schools just cannot solve). This is a VERY POOR ENVIRONMENT that is NOT CONDUCIVE to GOOD EDUCATION. We will be leaving after this year due to the terrible learning environment, poorly trained teachers (there are a few great ones, but NOT representative of the group, for sure), negative attitudes of the adults "in charge", and RIDICULOUS behavior of the children.
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2014

This is in response to the last post on 5/11/14 - it was posted under Castle, but really goes into a lot of ISD 622. Which much is true, parts of it are communities that don't care about education. But, Castle is rated the lowest of the district, not "the best of the bunch". There are better schools in 622 - ones with higher rating. If you look at the ratings of Elem. schools -all the "4" are in neighboring areas. North High is not the only high school in the district, there is another, Tartan, in Oakdale. As for the past reviews being phony or written by school officials- there are teachers that care in every school, there are good, kind, loving teachers in struggling schools.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2014

Castle is fair at best. This entire school district (622) which consists of the three burbs of Oakdale, Maplewood, and N.St. Paul is comprised of old, run down schools, poorly paid teachers, and unmotivated students who come from low income households. There are some good teachers yes, but they are fighting a tough battle. This area is becoming more run down every year. The local government here is apathetic too. With a heavily aging population, voters frequently vote "no" on tax increases for schools. So it only gets worse. Pay no attention to the stellar reviews that other so called parents wrote. Those sound phony. I am telling you the truth about this entire district 622. Come over and look at the one and only high school - North High. Drive by it. That should tell you all you need to know. Kids have to walk outside in all weather to get to added classrooms! No protection at all. This relic should have been replaced ages ago! Look at this site's test score results. The glowing parent reviews must be written by city and school officials. Castle Elem. may be the "best" of the bunch, but that's not saying much. If you live here, you'll have to use the middle and HS too. Bad News.
Submitted by parent on January 02, 2014

Castle Elementary School, has lots of opportunity's for children to take more advanced classes. While making all students feel important.
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2013

We are so fortunate to be able to send our children to Castle Elementary in Oakdale, MN. Every time I walk in the doors, I marvel at positive buzz that fills the halls. It is abundantly clear that every single person working there cares so much about what they are doing. I'm glad that my kids get to walk through those doors every day knowing that they will be safe, well-cared for, and that the highest expectations are upon them. The teachers our kids have had have exceeded all of our expectations. The four star rating is only because there is always room for improvement; and there is no group more committed to making those improvements than the staff and PTO of Castle Elementary. As a parent, I feel like Castle does a good job of providing many opportunities for my involvement.
Submitted by parent on August 16, 2013

Castle is an awesome community of students, educators and parents working together to make the best school possible! We have great teachers, an involved principal and are located in a wonderful community!