Some of the finest homes in Douglas County are located in the close-in suburb of Lone tree. Heritage Hills, Heritage Estates, The Fairways and Carriage Club offer luxury homes at more affordable prices.
However, the one impediment to selling a home here has always been what has been perceived as the mediocre elementary school test results at Acres Green which serves the area. All that is changing now that Lone Tree Elementary School Opens for the 2007-2008 school year.
The magnet school was spearheaded by homeowners in Heritage Hills who still sit on the Board of Directors of the school. Although anyone is Douglas County is eligible to attend, most students come from Heritage Hills, Heritage Estates and Carriage Club.
Test scores won’t be available until next summer but scores are expected to improve. The have hired a top-notch Principal and many great teachers are on the faculty. The school is the first in Colorado to use the ITI teaching style based on brain research that emphasizes the relationship between hands-on experience and learning.
Enrollment is limited to 330 students but open slots still exist for grades 2-6 as of August, 2007.
Residents here are celebrating the new addition to the community.
As a proud parent of two students who excel at Acres Green Elementary, I must update this post with a comment to ensure readers know that Acres Green Elementary holds the top rating of “Excellent” on the 2006-2007 School Accountability Report as developed by the Colorado Department of Education. The Excellent rating indicates Acres Green “Overall Academic Performance on State Assessments.”
Wow, congratulations to Acres Green Elementary! After being a High ranked school for the past 4 years, it earned the best school report card ranking of Excellent this year, one of only 12 out of 48 elementary schools in Douglas County to do so!!
Great points Karen and Scott. Acres Green CSAP scores are excellent.
As a resident of nearby Heritage Hills, I attended several planning meetings of parents wanting to form this new charter school even though my children are grown. Most of the parents providing the initiative were from Heritage Hills. The points they made for such a school were: 1)Better proximity to the neighborhood so walking to school can be an option 2)More parental control over staffing especially the principle 3)Better test scores had been achieved by the demonstration, charter school in Florida within 3 years compared to results from the regular public schools serving the area. 4) A newer facility with state of the art design.
Acres Green CSAP scores are indeed commendable. They are essentially the same as nearby Cougar Run Elementary school. So, perhaps the parents concerns about mediocre test scores were in comparison to nearby schools. I don’t for sure. I just know that was the claim at the meetings. Now, those same parents are very pleased with the education their children are receiving at Heritage Hills Elementary School.
Comments on greatschools.net from parents also laud Acres Green elementary school. There the school ranks 8 on a scale on 10 which is “Excellent”.
I know many educators who believe CSAP scores are not the only or even the primary consideration to properly evaluate a school. I always recommend parents visiting the schools personally for a tour before deciding on moving into a particular area.
Thanks Karen and Scott for clarifying this point. That is a great advantage of a blog that encourages comments from readers.
It should be mentioned that Acres Green Elementary now has a magnet program for gifted and talented children. It is very popular and one the few in Douglas County Schools.