Ponderosa Elementary School in Denver, Colorado

“Ponderosa Elementary is a secret gem. The teachers are fantastic and the principal is forward thinking and fast moving. The special ed department is especially hard working.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“I absolutely love this school! My youngest just started kindergarten this year but my oldest son is in 2nd grade and has attended since kindergarten as well. I love their reading recovery program it helped my son out so much! The diversity is great. I've had great experiences with the teachers so far and this year am hoping to get to know other moms so that I can keep up with everything going on!”
This review was posted by a parent.

“This school is amazing, I love it. They teach me so much and everyone is really nice. I've been here sice kindergarten and I'm sad to say that I'm going to middle school next year and leaving Ponderosa. But, it was a fantastic and a great influence to me.”
This review was posted by a student.

“we have had many positive experiences and wonderful teachers at Ponderosa. The diversity is amazing. We'd love to see some more stabiltiy with the teaching staff.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Great school. Lousy support from the district. Cherry Creek has decided that schools in minority-heavy neighborhoods (more than 5% non-white) should not need advanced classes to the degree that white-based neighborhood schools do. It's completely racist and disgusting. Ponderosa did a great job considering the support they have from the district. Even the new Cherry Creek newsletter describes the”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Both of my children have attended Ponderosa Elementary since they were in kindergarten. The teachers are very hardworking, and the principle, Gigi Dodson, is a great leader and motivator. Two of the things that make Ponderosa great are the dedication of the PTCO and the inclusion of music, PE, technology and Art in the curriculum. The PTCO ensures there is money to have a TA for each grade level and some of the special programs, and provides countless services that would otherwise disappear for lack of funding. The elective programs and teachers provide intramural sports, choir, computer club and art club where the kids can develop skills beyond traditional academics. The children are divided in the classroom by ability in reading and math, so they are always challenged. The atmosphere is safe and positive. The school has a fairly diverse population for Cherry Creek schools, and everyone is accepted.”
This review was posted by a parent.

“Many of the teachers at this school are excellent. A few are average and teach to the bottom of the class. If your child has special needs, the school appears to have good programs, however, if your child is gifted, the program is iffy. They keep cutting the programs for the smart kids and do not individualize enough, giving the excuse that there are too many children for them to be able to individualize. Many of the advanced children become bored out of their heads and when they ask advanced questions are often told that they will 'get to that subject in a few years' rather than encouraging the questions and either finding out the answers in order to answer the student, or encouraging the student to find the answer himself. This school has had about 4 or 5 principals in about ten years.”
This review was posted by a parent.