This school did not meet my expectations. The teachers were rude and disrespectful. They had verbally abused my child. My kid had come home one day claiming that she got barked at by a bunch of 3 graders and also claiming that there was a "booger wall" read more

Westgate Community School - Private Schools Near Me - Thornton, Colorado

My oldest child began as a kindergartner at Westgate in 2021 and we unenrolled from the school after he completed second grade. If I can prevent even ONE family from enrolling their child(ren) at Westgate, then I'll consider this review successful. The dysfunction of Westgate starts at the top. Sharon Collins is a complete disaster of an Executive Director and Cassie Seybold is equally as disastrous. I have tangible proof of these two women lying and deflecting in multiple situations (not just one single isolated incident) in an effort to avoid taking accountability for various issues. Next, after looking at the current staff directory, I can report that not one single kindergarten teacher is still there from my son's short stint at Westgate. In fact, it looks like the staff has been slashed down to only 2 kinder teachers when there were at least 4 in 2021. Also, the K-4 Assistant Principal has changed again, making this the 3rd Assistant Principal that I personally know of in 4 years. There's a reason Westgate cannot retain staff, and it starts at the top. Here is a very brief summary of what my son endured while at Westgate: 1. He (and another student) were quite literally lost in carpool line on the very first day of kindergarten. It was a "code red" on the walkie talkies as they tried to locate our children. Cassie Seybold told me this happened because they (5 year olds) did not follow proper instructions. We found them walking towards Washington Street. 2. A 6th grade boy told my son sexually explicit stories that left him confused and feeling awkward. I brought this up to staff, asking why this 6th grader had access to my son, and nobody could tell me why. 3. My son's class was evacuated at least twice (that I know of) due to violent student behavior and I was never proactively notified by anyone on staff, but the incidents were confirmed when I emailed his teacher(s). 4. My son was punched on more than one occasion, and the offending student was also punching & kicking other classmates without repercussion. Oddly enough, this always seemed to happen during recess and none of the staff ever seemed to notice. Again, I have tangible proof that we were not the only family to endure physical violence during recess and have it dismissed by administration. The list of low-grade and offensive interactions my son had at Westgate is quite long, but those are the highest priority items that I think parents should be aware of. Last, as it relates to me, I was called a "bully" by Cassie Seybold during a conference in what I thought would be a professional setting. And finally, I was lied to about student placement by Sharon Collins. When I asked her about this lie, I was at first deflected to another administrator and then ultimately ignored without resolution. There is zero accountability amongst the administration. Nobody is willing to take responsibility and make corrections. Deny or deflect seems to be the MO. There are so many better options. Please learn from my mistakes, and don't subject yourself, nor your child, to this type of environment. Good luck! read more

From my time at westgate . It has a lot of fights but good teachers the staff needs some work. Car line is horrible but the teachers are nice. The thermostat is almost always broken. Some teachers don't care about bullying even though it is advertised read more

Worst school ever dawg this school ignored my parents requests like 6 times and said they would take care of it they are very incompetent

Our daughter has been here the last couple of years. Education is good, she's making friends like never before, and she feels like she belongs. Not a school for every kid, because it isn't like every school, but especially if your child is twice exceptional (my daughter has ADHD), they might just excel. read more

I attended Westgate from 2nd to 4th grade. PLEASE DONT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE!!! In 5th grade, I transferred over to Stargate and have since graduated high school. It is well known amongst the middle and highschoolers in Thorton that Westgate is a horrible place. People would always ask me if I was OK when I mentioned going there. The answer is NO. When I started at Westgate, I got a diagnosis for autism. In third grade I was bullied to the point of nearly committing suicide. I WAS EIGHT. The staff were aware and did absolutely nothing nor did they take mandated reporting seriously. In addition, my teacher put her hands on me as a DISABLED CHILD (it was Miss Burhicker or however it's spelt). Now, as an adult, I have complex trauma from what Westgate did to me. I also recall hearing about gun and bomb threats during my time there and we were still required to attend school those days. I cannot stress this enough: please don't send your kids here. read more

My daughter started at Westgate this year. We are so pleased with the individualized learning program. They identify her strengths and weaknesses and help her succeed. read more

Westgate Community School - Private Schools Near Me - Thornton, Colorado

This school has worked well for our son since they opened the school. Small classes, emphasis on no homework, group projects. No one school is perfect for everyone. I appreciate the diverse academic options we have in our area. This was a good fit for him. read more

We absolutely LOVE Westgate! My 2nd grader is very sensitive and her teachers have seemed to "get her" big emotions that come with being a gifted learner. The extra care the teachers show is absolutely amazing. We are so grateful to have found a place for our unique daughter to thrive. read more

My daughter started at this school in Kindergarten, she's now in 5th grade here and we feel it is still the best fit for her, and for us as a family. It's a great community of parents, teachers, and staff all working together to help our quirky kids thrive in their own unique ways and give them the best possible school experience. read more

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I'll start by saying that writing this review has taken a lot of thought. I'm not in the habit of reviewing on-line, but, I think this is very important for parents who may be considering Westgate. Headline first, the executive director and the dean demonstrated to me that are simply not capable of supporting the needs of kids with a 504, IEP or any unique learning profile. Moreover, although they always have time to promote the school and any positive recognition that they can get, they just won't have tough conversations about parent and student engagement. There was some good stuff to mention. The teachers get one extra star for being nice, dedicated and energetic. In fact, I was 100% sold on the school during my campus visits and the shadow day. Just like anywhere, some teachers are stronger than others, but, I think that most tried hard and my child did fine in class. The really big problem with Westgate is that the actions of the administration don't support any type of authentic partnership and communication with students and families. Everything seems fine and first glance (and they certainly talk a good talk), but, if a 504, IEP, or a social challenge exists, then the school dean, executive director and staff just can't handle the challenge. They make A LOT of excuses and they always focus more on ways to protect their reputation and public image than on the kids well being. In other words, I found the school leadership to be so focused on their own status that they isolate parents and students from conversations that don't reflect the perfect image that they want to promote. To put it bluntly, my child's learning profile was absolutely neglected. They are quick to ask for cheerleaders from the community and they never accepted any crucial conversations. Like some of you who are reading this, I simply wanted an environment in which my child could thrive. I was expecting open and honest communication and instead I actually even felt bullied by the dean and executive director (and so did my child). Crazy, right?!? Having the privilege of seeing first hand what great leadership at Adams 12 can look like at another school, there is no way I could ever trust Westgate to care for anyone important to me. In short, my reflection is that the actions of the administration are ironic in the face of their stated school values, frustrating to me as a parent and extremely sad in he context to my child's experience. read more

well. if i'm being honest. westgate is a pretty great school. i feel like i can really be accepted for me here. my teachers make me feel welcomed every morning. the admin being so much joy into your day as you walk in through those doors. i used to have mixed opinions on this school but i now know that it is one of the best schools out there. that's teachers and admin sacrifice a lot for the students here. the staff have very hard jobs and obviously get stressed but they always maintain to keep a smile on their face. that's amazing read more

As a parent I love this school! My son was at STEM Launch before and he hated it. When we switched him, it was a totally different story. He loves going to school and never wants to move now! I also work at the school and as much as I loved it as a parent, I love working there also! It is such a great environment and welcoming to everyone! read more

Our son went to a STEM school before that was not challenging him, so we moved him to Westgate for more of a challenge. Westgate is such a special school that supports gifted children better than normal schools and I feel other local gifted schools. One part that is great is that they support twice exceptional children and do not push them away. My child is not but being myself twice exceptional I realize the huge amount of prejudice there is with gifts schools rejecting them and normal schools not supporting them. Westgate at least opens their arms to such kids. I've seen children go in to this school nearly traumatized from other schools and with in months have friends and open up like they never have before. They teach the kids not just academics, but how to think, how to manage their time, and overall how to open up to people and be a good person. Like any schools, there are ups and downs, but the overall ups far outweigh the downs. I am beyond happy that we have entered our child into this school and it was one of our best choices we have done. read more

The bullying at this school is out of control. My daughter was verbally attacked, which escalated into physical attacks and then death threats. I have the physical proof in the form of emails to and from the school, police reports and recorded meetings with administration, if anyone needs to see it. These issues weren't addressed and administration seemed to just be trying to use pacification towards us at every meeting telling us the child's mother was a huge part of them problem but never actually addressing the problem. This girl has physically assaulted many students at the school with no consequence. If you're considering this school, I get it. The model is great but they're NOT implementing what they promise you at all. The bullies run this school. Many people use this school as a landing place while waiting to get into Stargate but I wouldn't encourage it. Your child may suffer more damage than good, as mine did, while waiting on the transition. Please pay close attention to all of their one star reviews on other sites. These parents are speaking the same truth we experienced at this school. The sales pitch is really good but please, spend a day in the school, while students are there if you can. You will see what you are being sold is NOT what is happening at all unfortunately. read more