Core Knowledge Charter School

11661 Pine Drive

School District

Douglas County Re 1
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

charter

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 January 14, 2024

Excellent school in Douglas county from K to 8.
Submitted by parent on January 29, 2023

We couldn't be more happy with PCK. The school is very organized as a whole, and the facilities are fantastic. The teachers seem both caring and driven to help kids succeed. Academically, the school is rigorous and challenging, which we think is important for setting our child up for success. I also love the PE program and teachers. It's great to see creative programs/games the kids are playing, and to see them out actually exercising.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2023

One of the best schools in Colorado! They are very structured and well organized. I like that my kid is challenged every single time and I love that about this school. Great teachers and very friendly staff!!
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2022

We had our 3 children at this school, and it was an awful experience. The final insult came when we received in email saying our oldest son was not up to par with his grades and that he "...is in a very low math track for high school. This will have a direct impact on college entrance and career choices" this excerpt of the email was sent when our son was in 6th grade. In the same email they said my daughter was getting a C in reading in the first grade and that "she will simply not be able to access any of the curriculum in the 2nd grade" in other words they wanted to hold her back in first grade because she couldn't read according to their standards.The principal and vice principal were unwilling to admit that there are issues with their teachers. My husband and I often had meetings with the teachers, and they had no solutions for our children and seemed bored to say the least. We were already warned that unless your child gets high grades without the teachers exerting much effort, you would be singled out and forced out of the school.I sent that email to the superintendent for Cherry Creek schools and he was appalled. He recommended we pull out our kids ASAP which we did. We went to another local school that was superior to this school where the kids thrived. I can tell you and I sure hope PCK is reading this that my oldest is doing very well in computer engineering at CU Denver and my daughter who's in the 8th grade is getting very good grades and is able to read just fine!It's not winning the lottery, in our experience it's more like losing the lottery! Be careful with selecting a school for your child.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2022

Excellent preschool, elementary and middle school! We got in via lottery. We are very pleased with our children’s progress. The teachers are wonderful, the quality of education is way above par and our kids have made lots of friends!
Submitted by parent on February 04, 2022

Excellent teachers: they care about their students education, but also their well-being. Helpful support staff: music, art, Spanish and PE teachers have been wonderful. Especially love the small group reading development with the younger grades to ensure that each kid learns to read well. Love the emphasis on character development. Wonderful school!
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2022

PCK has been a wonderful community for our family. My students are cared for personally and academically. Most of the teachers are willing to bend over backwards to ensure that students succeed and enjoy learning. The curriculum and content is rigorous, but my teachers make it fun for students.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2022

A very fun and dynamic environment PCK is providing for all kids. A big thank you to all Principals, Admins and Teachers at PCK who work so hard to establish a positive and accommodating environment for all children. Thank you for setting high expectations for our students and educators, this will help greatly when they move to higher education and next steps towards their careers. Lastly, Knowing that you care for our kids gives us the confidence and reassurance we need through tough times like COVID. Thanks a lot. I am proud to say I picked the best school in PCK for my kids .My Kid is in 8th grade currently and his name is Srey Alla.
Submitted by parent on January 27, 2022

Parker Core Knowledge Charter school has been a great fit for our family. The teachers are deeply caring and hard-working people. The support staff does not let anything pass by or slip through the cracks. Having been around for over twenty years, the wrinkles have all been worked out and the result is a well-oiled machine that has the priorities correctly managed. One of the best parts about PCK is the community. Parents are included and actively involved. Keep up the good work! #PCKproud
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2021

Very bad experience with PCK pre-school. I was told my kid was not up to the mark and was asked to repeat pre-school. When we said no the principal bullied us to either repeat or leave the school. I am really surprised people like that are put in-charge of 3-4 year old's. The pre-school principal targets students based on their race which is disgusting. We switched schools and the other school and has no complains what so ever and has very good feedback. We are never sending our kid back to PCK.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2021

Fantastic K-6 education, but an entirely different story in middle school. 7th/8th grades are manned by a very small pool of faculty for both levels, so students are likely to have the same teachers (for better or worse) throughout middle school. While a handful of these have been decent, the rest present as largely apathetic, passive-aggressive, and decidedly mediocre. Moreover, gifted & talented programs are awful in MS. Students are inexplicably expected to repeat honors classes in which they don't maintain A's (vs. failing grades, per established norms). This in turn sends a message to kids that it's simply not worth the effort to pursue these programs at all. Absolutely disheartening, and unlike anything we've ever seen or heard about. Would have moved our student to another MS had they not pleaded with us to stay with friends. Leaving us very disappointed and deeply jaded in the entire PCK experience by these 7th/8th grade issues. While great for elementary school, not even remotely geared for the needs of MS students.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2020

This is a review in the COVID time. The school's attitude toward online learning is pathetic!! All they care about are the grades and school test ranking. They refuse any help from REO (Remote Education Option) parents and they have made it their goal to make us feel we are not welcomed anymore in this school. Although they have provided an online learning option, they do not support the kids AT ALL. Their attitude is very shameful.
Submitted by student on November 21, 2019

Education is of the utmost importance in our family and we considered our options carefully in Parker. Having moved from Boulder, Colorado where the public schools are phenomenal, we had high expectations. Considering we were looking at preschools for our young child, it was important that while the curriculum was "play based," there was still an emphasis on teaching core skills and fundamentals. Additionally, we believe socialization to be exceedingly important. It was with these requirements in mind that we set forth to consider our options. Happily, I can report that PCK Preschool checked every single one of these boxes. Our child is THRIVING at PCK and we have enjoyed every interaction with all his teachers, the director, and the other families at PCK. In fact, we have been so pleased, that we plan on sending our second child to PCK, as well. If you are searching for a loving, caring, educational environment for your child, I cannot recommend the PCK preschool enough.
Submitted by parent on November 21, 2019

I am a parent of a Pre-K student who is in her second year at PCK. I also have an older child at another Parker area charter school so I feel like I have a good comparison point. Our older child also attended 2 other Parker area preschools prior to Kindergarten. All that being said, here is my review on the preschool/pre-k program. I do not know enough about the k-8 program to comment, but my limited experience with it thus far has been positive. As for the preschool/pre-k:My daughter has thrived in the enriching environment and I have grown to really love all of the teachers she has had or who have assisted in the classroom. They are VERY open to parent opinion, input, participation, and being on the same page at school/home (through Love & Logic). This is such an important time for 3-4yr. olds to start learning about their social/emotion world through play and structure and the PCK preschool programs NAIL this area! I wish our older child would have had this experience as well. They are also doing a wonderful job teaching my little one HOW to learn and why is it such an exciting process. I am a fan.I am also a fan of the parent education nights the school puts on. I did not get any of this info with our older child and I am beyond grateful to feel such a part of the process as I do when attending these events. I will say, it is very hard to get into K-8 so we have mostly planned on not attending. If, by some miracle we get in, we will go with it... but I keep the expectations low. I am just happy to have the groundwork set for a successful life of learning for my child.I have read some comments about the director and I have never had anything but good/positive interactions with her. I assume she has a lot to balance, but she does a great job of always making the children (learning and safety) the #1 priority. She has a very "team-player" mentality with her team/admin/teachers and it shown through their staff development opportunity outcomes as they try new things in the classroom. Bottom line: Great school for early learners, friendly experience, in-the-loop parent interaction, and a happy/safe for kiddos to begin to flourish.
Submitted by parent on July 09, 2019

A Late review from a 2016 parent.My son attends PCK preschool. He has a developmental delay. The director while helpful and nice, began with the attitude of "if he doesn't fit the PCK mold he shouldn't be there". Continually pointing out, that they could not provide any extra special Ed support to meet his needs. She mainly focused on what they couldn't do. I still sent him there due to the high test rankings that PCK K-8 has and with hopes he would benefit and be eligible for the junior preschool lottery. His results were mediocre according to their checkbox style test. (While he did make good progress in another non-pck program.)After a few months of attendance, I felt that push out the door again via continually discouraging me to reenroll him and restating that they could not provide any extra support for his needs. She again mainly focused on what they couldn't do and questioned if my child could meet the advanced expectations. I believe based on our experience that PCK Preschool's agenda is not to do what's best for my child's needs but instead to not "tarnish" their performance metrics. They strongly discourage those that do not fit their ideal of an advanced child, leaving my developmentally delayed child out. It was clear to me that her job was to ensure that children that won't "cut it" in their environment will be nicely pushed out with a smile. Only the strongest should move on in their program. I considered re-enrolling him there in spite of their exclusive attitude but there are plenty of schools that want my child there, root for him and meet him where he is and help him succeed. That's where I'll take my child.
Submitted by parent on June 07, 2019

I've heard many positive things about the PCK school and the test score which obviously makes every parent a dream school to put in their kids. There is no way you get into this school unless there is another sibling, one of the parent is a full time staff, Or if you've registered when your kid is less than 1 month old. I'm one of those hundreds of parents who doesn't belong to any of these category. Still i managed to find one way to get a better chance for my kid to enter into PCK - The PCK preschool. The preschool will give you an experience which will make you to hate the school you loved and dreamed so far. The director has a fake smile on her face always through which she tries to cover up the person she actually is. Her words and actions tells more about her. It's either her way or no way. Completely not friendly and when she decides that a 3 year or year old is not suitable for PCK she tarnishes the kid's and parents feelings and will push the kid out or create a situation where the parents will dis-enroll the kid thinking that being loved and respected in better school is far better than getting educated in this distinguished blue ribbon school.
Submitted by parent on May 27, 2019

Nothing less than spectacular for our kids, and we don't say that about many programs- we're truly beyond impressed, frequently awed and left with a sense of wonder, and simply counting our lucky stars still. If you have a chance to be a part of this school, do it! The academic growth of students goes without saying (just look at scores year after year, and ask any parent), but there's far more to praise at this school, and the laundry list is much too long to give here-but at top of the list is students who are respectful, responsible, caring of their peers, positive and optimistic, truly proud of their school, goal-oriented with high standards, helpful and giving, appreciative, enthusiastic about learning, and very well-rounded. This school is simply a gift, and we wish every kid could receive it- but since they can't, maybe they need to begin teaching other schools how to get it RIGHT!
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2018

Some minor issues, but a truly incredible school across the board.
Submitted by parent on May 10, 2017

A current family of Core for the last nine years. I currently have two children there with my oldest a freshman in high school. My oldest son was well prepared for high school because of the education he received at Core. The teachers all all so loving and giving. The teachers and staff at Core look out for you children as their own. We LOVE Parker Core Knowlege Charter School. We feel very blessed to be a part of the school. Marla Utzerath
Submitted by parent on April 24, 2014

I am very happy with the choice we have made for our children to attend Parker Core Knowledge. The teachers and staff are amazing and I am always in awe of how much they learn each year. Parents are encouraged to get involved and I enjoy being at the school to help where I can.