Cherokee Trail Elementary School

17302 Clarke Farms Drive

School District

Douglas County Re 1
Grade

PK, K-6
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:17
Type

public

School Map for Douglas County Re 1 School District

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 16, 2021

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SCHOOL! it is AMAZING! Everyone the principal, teachers, therapists, custodians, librarian, all the staff in general greet the students and parents with smiles. The care and attention they give to my son by far exceed any of my expectations. Beyond my happiness with the school is my son’s, which is most important. He cannot wait to leave for school every morning. I am absolutely thrilled to have found an environment that is allowing our son to flourish and preparing him for his future education, while at that same time providing him with tools that will help him succeed in the future. I absolutely love the kids are academically challenged through their STEAM-based learning model and I also loved the Alphabeaths techniques they teach to kids for self-regulation.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2021

We have been at this school for three years and the first year was great, second year was little to no issues, but this year the teacher seems to be a problem. She is constantly writing me about issues with my kid and seems to be very one sided. What my kid says, and the teacher says usually is two different stories and far apart. The teacher also throws monthly parties and if your kid has done everything the teacher asked for the month they get to participate, otherwise you are to sit and do work while the other kids are loud and play around you. I am all for incentives to help your kid achieve what it is the teacher wants but this is ridiculous and more of a punishment/reward system. I do not think this should be allowed and if it is allowed then the kids that need to sit and work should be offered a quiet place to work, not in the middle of the teacher’s popularity party. The teacher also says she will send something out by Friday with more information and we often do not get it until days later.Overall the school is okay but hope you get a decent teacher.There is also bullying that is brought up and ignored.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2020

I could not think of a better school overall for my four children's elementary years. I actually open-enrolled here because of the family friendly atmosphere. Oh...the art is incredible. Mr. Barton is an artist and every graduating class leaves a permanent art display that they plan and design at the school. The halls are filled with creativity.
Submitted by parent on July 18, 2019

My daughter had Mrs Petty for 1st grade, what an amazing sweet teacher!!! loved her all year! She was very caring and always there when a parent reached out.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2018

A wonderful school that feels like family. My kids have always been supported and are confident and successful as they have moved on to middle and high school. Very caring and committed staff.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2018

Lack of administrative advocacy for students and parent support.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2017

So far our experience has been great. Our kids are challenged academically and get recognized for their good behavior all the time. I am very glad we choose our neighborhood school.
Submitted by parent on August 15, 2017

Below average to say the least. I have had experiences at several Douglas County Elementary Schools and this is the worst of the lot.
Submitted by parent on August 04, 2017

We have had kids attend Cherokee Trail Elementary since the late 2000's. The first year was wonderful, and then they replaced the principal. Over her reign, the school gradually declined. There were some good (even great) teachers along the way who went the distance to challenge our kids instead of just teaching to the lowest common denominator, and we always liked the CTE staff. However, the atmosphere in the school as a whole seemed to become stale, dismal, and even oppressive, to the point where we considered switching schools. When we found out the principal was finally being replaced, we held off to see what change might come from it. And low and behold, the school has completely turned around in the last 2 years under the leadership of Josh Miller. It's like a different school today. The children seem more engaged and inspired than we've ever seen in the past. So we highly recommend Cherokee Trail as it is today. Also, check out the dates of the reviews below and what they are actually saying - you'll likely see a pattern.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2017

An amazing STEAM based school. Incredible principle, teachers and staff!
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2015

My kids have been at this school for 3 years now after transferring from a Castle Pines school. We love it the kids love it. This year we got a new principle Josh Miller and he has been great. He is very supportive of kids, families as well as the teachers. Very well balanced. The Asst. Principle Dan Relic is great too! We have loved everyone one of our teachers and the front desk assistants. I only wish the school had an after school writing club for kids who struggle. There is one teach who does math review before school for his class and that has helped my kid a lot. I recommend this school even if you are open enrolling
Submitted by parent on April 12, 2015

Cherokee Trail Elementary is a great little neighborhood school. The teachers and support staff really work hard to get to know the kids and help them out. The office staff are always friendly and welcoming when you walk through the doors. CTE is blessed with a wonderful supportive community of involved parents. Everyday you see volunteers working hard with school events and working in classrooms helping teachers. The new principal is working hard to transform the school to offer more learning opportunities for the students with a focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Project Based Learning. There are permanent art installations throughout the school that 6th grade students have created over the years. Pretty cool that kids get to leave something unique behind for others to enjoy for many years to come before they go off to middle school. Is the school perfect? No. But do they work hard for the best interests of the students? ABSOLUTELY!!! I believe that there is something wonderful and special to be said about a humble little neighborhood school that kids can walk to and spend so many wonderful years growing up in.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2014

This is a great school, great parent involvement, activities, before and after school care. My child is doing better than he has at other schools.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2014

This school isnt a good school to send your children people. Im sure the last post from the parent is one of the people they play favoritism to... They play favoritism to certain kids there some of the teachers and Kate Moss the school Principle there dont care about whatever the parents concerns are that's happening in the school... I regret sending my kids there. This was the worse school that I know of. These people really don't care about some of the kids that don't get the same treatment/attention like the other kids they favor with. Be aware of this school people, please.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2014

My kids love this school. We have been very pleased with all of their teachers and other office staff. There is a ton of parent involvement with lots of classroom volunteers, special events and fund raisers. The kids center day care is also great. My kids really enjoy going there. I couldn't be happier with the school. The parent that wrote a comment about them losing her son left out an important detail... Her son was participating in a voluntary running program after school. It was not a day care program! The Kids Running America program was run by volunteers. Please stop bad mouthing the school, the P.E. Teacher has a heart of gold. She was/is not a babysitter, she was providing a fun optional activity for kids to participate in. I'm one of several hundred parents that think she is great!
Submitted by parent on September 09, 2013

Your child is not safe at this school! As of today, this is the second tme Cherokee Trail has literally lost my son. The 1st time, I didn't even get a call from the school, I heard of him missing from the daycare who went to pick him up and he wasn't there. Today, he was picked up by the Parker police after someone saw a van stop to talk to him. When I arrived, they were non chalant about it, simply said, we can't find him. They took a couple laps around the school before even acting like it was a problem, and then had the audacity to yell at me when I stressed the seriousness of the situation. Do not send your child here, they don't care about your kids.
Submitted by parent on August 12, 2013

This school lacks proper leadership from the principal and certain teachers. It's sad that the leader of this school has no "people skills" or empathy for what students endure when they are struggling with subjects and requires payment for teachers to lend a hand in tutoring.
Submitted by teacher on May 31, 2013

I think Cherokee Trail is a great school and I am proud to work there. We have great students, supportive families, and hard-working, experienced staff. I also think that our current principal is excellent. She is definitely not a pushover, but I see on a daily basis that she makes decisions with the best interests of students and her staff at heart. She truly cares about and knows each student at our school.
Submitted by parent on August 17, 2012

I agree with the last post. I have had 3 children at Cherokee Trail, my youngest is in her final 2 years. My oldest struggled his way through, no fault of the teachers. However, they did give him a good basic education and he ended up in AP classes at Chap. My middle child was a struggling reader. They worked with her and now reading is one of her strengths. My youngest is consistently in the top 25% of the advanced placement students, and every teacher she has had went out of their way to provide challenging material to keep her ahead of the curve. Yes, there is a focus on education, but I don't think that is necessarily the teachers decision. The feds, state, and district are constantly pushing for higher scores, so the result is less time for other things. IMHO
Submitted by parent on July 22, 2012

Our oldest son started at Cherokee Trail in 1999. Our youngest is there now. It's true that there have been many changes through the years; some good and some bad, but it isn't fair to just bash the current principle and call it day. Yes, Regina was amazing, and Drew Francis did an awesome job. Change is hard, but I have learned to take it a year at a time. Every school has teachers that are amazing, and teachers that should have persued a different career. Unfortunately, you can't have the "perfect" teacher every year. You can, however, stay involved and keep the lines of communication open to ensure your child gets the best education he can...no matter what school they attend. Yes, our class sizes are increasing. We have a huge community, budget cuts, and a district that decides what the cut off is for class sizes. It just makes me want to help in the classroom as much as I can. I love Cherokee Trail. It may not be "perfect", but it is my neighborhood school and has been a part of our family for many years. There are many people there that give it their all each and every day!