Windsor Charter Academy Elementary School

680 Academy Court

School District

Weld County Reorganized No. Re-4
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:19
Type

charter

School Map for Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4

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 December 20, 2023

Our child has been at WCA since kindergarten. Overall I was happy with the Elementary School. When they changed Directors they lost a lot of amazing teachers. This is a direct reflection on her inexperience as a director, if she had fostered the positive work environment the previous Director had instilled, this would not have happened. We had some amazing, caring and creative teachers in Elementary School who made my child feel supported and communicated with us well. Middle School has been a struggle. Our child has an IEP and our special education case worker does not communicate well. I email, 5 days later send a follow up, and then may hear back 7 or so days. While most of the teachers communicate well and have reasonable coursework, the 6th grade History teacher is atrocious. She has completely unrealistic expectations of what an appropriate course load at this age should be, especially one for a child with a diagnosed reading disability. It’s as though she does not believe that my child’s disability is real. She made it clear during parent teacher conferences that she is unwilling to work with us. We have been told by other parents that things get better after this year, since this teacher is only limited to the 6th grade. If your child is not above average at school, I would suggest skipping 6th grade at WCA.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2021

A few years ago this school was the best elementary school around! However, in the last years they have been moving unqualified administration up in positions. Most admin at the elementary are new to their positions just this year. They are too busy trying to learn how to do the job and this leaves the kids and staff suffering! My child has two additional children in her class this year. As does every K-5. That is a 26:1. Sure they have teacher aid help but I only see them doing recess and cafeteria work. To many changes in the wrong direction for this school. We will be changing next year.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2021

Our daughters have both attended Windsor Charter Academy Elementary School since kindergarten. When we moved to Windsor from another state, we didn't know much about the area or the school district; we just wanted to find a great educational environment for our children. After some research, we decided to apply to Windsor Charter Academy. Honestly, it was one of the best decisions we have ever made! This school has been incredible for our girls - they have always had excellent teachers and, as parents, we feel that our girls have been incredibly supported in their studies and socially/emotionally. The school culture is also really positive - we have a tight-knit "Firebird Family" and we feel we are part of a strong community. Our girls are able to participate in Book Club, Art Club, and after-school intramural athletics. The teachers are awesome, the staff is amazing, and we couldn't be happier with our experience!
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2020

3 great years so far, and hope my son will complete all K-12 years here.
Submitted by parent on February 24, 2019

I am both a teacher at this school and have a middle school child who attends and has attended since Kindergarten. In all regards, both as a teacher and as a parent, my son and I have felt supported, valued, challenged, and given opportunities for growth. I love it here!
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2018

Horrible horrible school. I feel for the children that go there.
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2018

It's been a great place for my son with medical needs. So caring!
Submitted by other on November 04, 2016

IMO awesome school! Teachers are great and constantly communicate with me about my children. You can tell the kids at this school are happy, polite, friendly, and enjoy their days. More sports and clubs would be great but they do have a well rounded choice of activities. I'm not a big fan of homework, I believe after school time is for family and extracurricular activities, they could cut back without impacting education but the work load is not unreasonable. Overall, this is my school of choice that meets our needs and provides valuable education and support without the ridiculous social bullying that takes place at other public schools.
Submitted by other on May 19, 2016

Last year I pulled my four kids (grades k,1,3,5) out of a top rated community school to WCA because of several outstanding comments of friends and I couldn't be happier. The only downside is driving and I have a wonderful carpool (there are probably some in every neighborhood). The teachers have been kind and competent and my kids have learned twice as much this year as last with less homework. I feel like the assignments given are thoughtful and truly present learning opportunities rather than just fill time. I would recommend WCA to anyone!
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2015

We switched to WCA this year because my daughter was really struggling in school. She is already doing so much better. Her confidence is improving and she is loving school again. I'm very glad we chose WCA!!
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2014

My family has been involved with WCA since its beginning 12?13? years ago, and in this upcoming school year, 2 of our daughters will still be in attendance. I love the Core Knowledge (NOT Common Core!) curriculum, and have been amazed at how far ahead my children have been compared to good students who attended other schools. Classes are small enough to support individual help and a closeness among students, but large enough to give plenty of opportunities. The new principal has restored a sense of discipline, which might have been lacking during some of the previous years. In addition, one daughter was an ESL student, who came to the US as an 8 year old. She received wonderful individualized help, and by the time of her 8th grade graduation, she was one of the top students in her class. The work is difficult, and much is expected of students, but the staff is caring and works with kids for success.
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2014

I feel like I need to set the record straight as the WCA staff member in charge of the talent show (for 6 years). The theme of this year's show "The Golden Teeples" was entirely student generated. It was a play on the oscars/golden globes and our principal was open and light-hearted enough to let our student emcees go with this really fun idea. It is unfair to judge her without a full understanding of how the theme came to be. Further, we've had a lot of positive feedback regarding the theme and Mrs. Teeples role in the talent show night. I am writing b.c I think it important for those considering our school to read accurate reviews. Thank you. - Erica Koehler, WCA School Counselor and WCA Parent.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

WCA provides excellent hands learning experience to actively engage all students. The principal and staff create a positive and engaging culture for students and staff. The teachers are empowered to utilize positive classroom management techniques
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

Great school! Love the teachers, they really care about the students. Love core knowledge. My kids live the small feel of the school.
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2014

The new principal is horrible, very hands off and leaves discipline to teachers instead of taking care of it herself. I was appalled when the kids go "Golden Teeples" certificates at the Talent Show. A lot of hard work goes into this by teachers and staff. The Talent show started way before she arrived, why did she have to do that? I will be leaving the school next year with my kids, not the same. Very dis-satisfied.
Submitted by parent on March 22, 2014

Our daughter struggled in the past. She has attended WCA for two years. Since she's been at this school, she has made a drastic improvement. The teachers spend the necessary time to help her learn the things she struggles with so she doesn't get behind. She gets the extra help that she needs. The Core Knowledge Curriculum is awesome! The kids learn so much! We absolutely LOVE that they teach Spanish to the kids and they don't have to wait until high school to learn. We are so incredibly grateful for everything that this school offers and provides! We are hoping that a WCA High School will be coming soon!!!
Submitted by other on September 24, 2013

When the two old principals were fired I saw a huge change in WCA. It's lost it's family feel. Students are being pulled left and right and the school is crashing and burning because of the board: Dishonest and untrustworthy. I love WCA and support the staff and students but I can not and will not ever back the board. They're killing the school. Our family is now completely uninvolved in charter but we have neighbors and friends talking about how down hill the school has gone. It hurts so much to know a once great school has so drastically declined.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2013

I love this school and don't understand the negative posts at all. The new principal is doing a wonderful job. She has plenty of experience and has shown herself to be professional and extremely able. Sure she has made a few changes but none that are negatively impacting our kids. I don't believe the school is at all financially unsound--ridiculous! In fact my daughter told me her class is expecting a new student this month and for those who've left, new students have filled the spots. I wanted to express that academically, this school is challenging. No doubt they are getting an incredible learning experience. But beyond that, as a parent we had a bully situation that was completely handled with a sense of emergency. I love that I know my kids are taken care of and that the teachers don't brush bullying situations under the rug. Please take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. There are some bitter folks with an agenda to see the school get a bad reputation. Hopefully they can move on now that they've left. I hope they find what they need and they leave the negativity behind.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2013

WCA has been an amazing atmosphere for both my kids. We've had wonderful teachers who put all their efforts in my kids' learning. The Core Knowledge curriculum is first-rate. I love the uniform policy as it makes the mornings so easy. WCA offers many challenging opportunities. Some parents complain about sports but WCA does offer soccer, basketball,track and what it doesn't offer, your child can still opt in and participate and compete elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on May 29, 2013

I love the community and parental involvement at Windsor Charter. Also the teachers care very much for our children. Our children are excelling in the environment there.