Centennial Elementary School

2637 45th Avenue Southeast

School District

Olympia
Grade

PK, K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
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 May 17, 2023

Great school. Great diversity. Love that my child gets to experience lots of different cultures and we can talk about them all at home. Counselors and Principal have been very supportive of actually helping the kids deal with emotions rather than dictate their behavior.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2022

The quality of education has drastically decreased over the past few years. The principal doesn't address parent concerns. My child started to hate school. Many days she came home hungry and said she didn't have enough time to eat lunch. I don't recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2022

My kids have gone here a few years and we've had terrible experiences! The principal does not truly care about your problems and the receptionists are not friendly. I do not recommend this school or any school in the Olympia School District! Not a good place for conservative or God-fearing families... as they are as liberal as they come and makes your children celebrate everything that God's Word goes against. Even if I have to homeschool them, I will be taking my kids out of this school and school district.
Submitted by parent on June 02, 2021

Centennial Elementary School is the best. We have had the best teacher ever. The principal is very sincere and concerned about all students and faculty. The facilities are very clean and they have great systems in place.
Submitted by other on April 16, 2021

School is good and teachers are resourceful and help kids achieve their goals.My kid loves going to school and proud to represent Centennial school.
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2020

All of my children have attended Centennial over the past 8 years and our experience with so many different teachers and staff have been so positive. They are encouraging, supportive, constructive, and personal. One of my kids needed more of a challenge, and the teachers she had met her at her level, which she (and I) loved! One of my kids struggled to read and the teachers she had helped us build a plan to help my daughter become a successful reader. I would recommend this school and this particular area to any one new to Olympia School District-- the best experience!
Submitted by parent on February 19, 2020

Our kindergartner's experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Both of us (parents) work, so we were relieved and excited when it became clear that our child was going to be happy at school. The school has, without a doubt, created a love of learning in our child along with strong sense of acceptance. The school focuses on reinforcing behaviors that are tied to academic success (empathy, perseverance, focus, etc) and getting those dialed in, and in differentiating instruction between students. Within one semester, our child has gone from barely knowing the alphabet and numbers at the beginning of the school year to reading (with some effort) books designated for 1st graders along with being comfortable with math including addition/subtraction, measurement, etc. Could not be happier with Centennial and its focus on academics.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2019

I was very excited for my son to attend Centennial this year when we moved. The reviews were amazing and I thought it would be a great place for him. I can't say the school has been bad, it just hasn't been good or great as others have stated. I have noticed a difference of opinion about the school between the families who have a parent who is home and available to participate in the classroom or be very active in PTA and those who have two parents working and aren't often available during the day. We're not the only family who feels this way, but there aren't many other options if you aren't available to drive your kid to a school on a waiver. My kid has learned some this year, other kids seem nice enough, but nothing about this school makes it stand out for me. They are taking a school full of kids who tend to be academically solid and middle to upper middle class and making decent growth with them and helping to create relatively happy and stable kids. I'm glad it's happening but I don't think the staff is doing anything exceptional to make it happen.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2018

School has been very effective for our children. Even our ADHD child is performing above average academically thanks to the strong support from the district and school. Also has a very strong parent group that is active. With new building for 4th and 5th grade students I am looking forward to an even better environment.
Submitted by parent on June 13, 2018

Centennial has been a home to my kids and there is no where else I’d like them to be. Academics, character building, and a love of learning make kids want to be there.
Submitted by parent on November 02, 2017

I feel extremely lucky that my child attends Centennial. The expectations for my child are high and she enjoys the challenges. Students here also have a lot of opportunities for art and STEM programs that other schools don't have. We love it here!
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2016

It was not that long ago that I believed this was the top elementary school in the State. However, over that past two years the quality of education and standards has dropped visibly. First it was the Passport and geography program. Many students just did not study for the test and so the school, instead of enforcing the standards and holding students accountable for their studies decided to succumb to the lazy and made it voluntary and during recess....oh, that will make sure kids are inspired to study. My daughter is now in 4th grade and preparing (theoretically) for Middle School. How does Centennial get them ready? Well, the teacher stopped sending home homework at Christmas....have not seen any since. Apparently the school feels that homework would interfere with the kids video games and TV time and so they do not want them to stress over homework. Again, emphasizing progress.....my 4th grade daughter is doing the same math she was doing in 2nd and 3rd grade. Very disappointing. During Spring Break we travelled and took a friend of my daughter who is in the same class. She had no clue how to perform division problems because she had not been taught division yet...I mean we are at the end of 4th grade and they have not done division yet. Reading Olympics are no longer reading Olympics....just reading. Kids were required during February to read 100 minutes a week at home (14 minutes a day)....the kids could not count minutes read at school. My daughter read 4,400 minutes. Those kids who did not turn in reading slips - they got to read at school and count their minutes. Now that will ensure these kids read at home. It seems the new answer is to teach at the lowest level, discourage learning standards and allow the lazy to decide the standards for those who really want to excel. I am so disappointed this year! Having said that the Music and PE programs are top notch as is the Office Staff. If you were expecting your kids to learn excellence here this year, think again. You will have to greatly supplement learning at home if you want your kid to be ready for Middle School....assuming of course Washington Middle School is still a place of learning and instruction with some semblance of standards.
Submitted by parent on August 22, 2014

When leadership at this school changed we were hopeful of a more inclusive environment. Unfortunately, special needs kids are not a welcome part of this school.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2012

This is an excellent school with an amazing music program, along with strong academics. There is excellent leadership with principal Alice Drummer. My children loved this school.
Submitted by parent on December 23, 2011

Was not impressed!! We had 2 kids in this school for two years. We are a military family and have had the opportunity to live in several states and have had our kids in several school systems. This is not a bad school, but like most schools in Western Washington, the focus is not academic, but more towards "diversity." The teachers in the school are nice, but not that engaged. Your child is part of the herd thats getting pushed through, don't kid yourself. It seemed to me the academic effort was ramped up a bit just before the mandatory state testing, (which has a lot to do with "No child left behind.") In the end, we pulled our kids out and are now paying for private school. They are still taught diversity, but they are actually being prepared for High School and College. The good news is Olympia High School is actually a good school. We have friends whose kids are in this school, and they are happy with it. These friends had their kids in the same private school (K-8) as ours, then put them in Olympia High School. We probably won't be here that long, but if that is your plan, live in the Centennial, Washington Middle School, Oly HS district.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2011

I have one child at Centennial with another starting in the fall. My son's experience has been excellent. He has progressed rapidly this year to well above grade level in reading (from being just average last year) and I feel that his classroom teacher and his reading teacher have been very responsive in moving him up and providing him with material at his level. He is excited to go to school. There is a great deal of parent involvement at Centennial and I'm very happy to have my children there.