Cien Aguas International School

Posted: May 6, 2025

I'm like, 90% sure our class had a curse on it.

My feelings on this school are complicated. On one hand, the elementary program is out of this world. I loved going to school when I was younger, the teachers were great, the staff was wonderful, and it was a thriving community.
Then I got to middle school. The building has 4 floors, and the middle school is at the very top. Not a huge problem. What is a problem, is the fact that the classrooms are depressing, the hallways are sad and narrow (both in middle and elementary) and the stairways have no windows, and feel like prison. The carpets are a sad gray color. The ceilings are falling apart, and compared to our last building, the school is so, so awful. Another thing I don't like is that
Thankfully, the middle school isn't so terrible. The fact that we have certain classes and extra curricular activities is always good, not to mention we have an incredible bilingual program. But the thing that really stands out for me is that we have some of the best staff out there. Sure, there are some teachers that aren't great, but we also have one of the best principal and vice principal out there. Also, some of the teachers are the best I've ever had. Specifically Dra. Aceves and Sr. Allen.
But, unfortunately, not all the teachers are that great. In some classes, I don't feel like I'm learning anything, in others I feel bored out of my mind. Also, circling back to the 'I think my class is cursed' thing; my class has seen EVERY single science teacher since middle school to either quid or be fired. Not to mention, the amount of teachers that have quit, including the science teachers, since middle school have been at least 6! Holy!

Anyway, I would totally recommend you send your kid here for elementary, then send them anywhere else.

Posted: May 6, 2025

Posted: May 6, 2025

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Posted: October 21, 2015

Posted: October 21, 2015

Posted: October 21, 2015

Posted: October 21, 2015

Perhaps this school is one of the best at implementing the dual language program in Albuquerque, but so far, Spanish emersion is the only advantage of this school. The teacher really does not stay in touch with our family and does not provide feedback. When I ask my son what he learned, each day he tells me: " nothing new." Despite requesting to receive school information in English, twice, all messages still come in Spanish. Essentially, this school and the staff make non-Spanish speaking parents feel unwelcome. The reviews speak of great teachers. Our experience so far has been that a teacher will take no time outside of the duty day to address student needs. I am sorry, but to be a great teacher, you have to go the extra mile, not just settle for bare minimum. Perhaps there are great teachers in this school, but we were not fortunate enough to get one of those. I have worked with many public school teachers who would leave my son's current teacher in the dust.

Posted: April 8, 2014

CAIS challenges my daughter in every way! The new campus ( although further) is clean, modern and much nicer than the old one. The teacher's she has had thus far are excellent in every way!

Posted: September 19, 2013

I really like how cien aguas likes to help keep the environment nice and clean

Posted: September 16, 2013

Cien Aguas International School has been a great fit for my kids. They wake up everyday really excited to go to school to learn and to be with their friends. The school has PE, art, and music programs every week. Also, my kids are learning most of the curriculum in spanish, so I feel they are constantly learning two things at once. This is truly a wonderful school!

Posted: September 3, 2013

This is a bilingual K-8 school in Albuquerque. My daughter is in first grade and we love it so far! The teachers are wonderful, and the parents are very involved. Kids come from diverse backgrounds which makes for a nice community. One of the things I appreciate most about Cien Aguas is that (at least in K and 1) the kids had art and music at least once if not twice a week. This is so important, and often missing from our public schools. The lunch menu is also very healthy, and this year the school has added a "seventh inning stretch" - a 10 minute school-wide exercise every day. I love the focus on healthy minds, bodies, and environment. I think this is an amazing school, and feel very fortunate that my girls can go there.

Posted: August 30, 2013

First of all, I must say that I am a teacher and a parent at the school. But my most important job is parent. I have two children at CAIS. They have exclusively attended this school. This school is a dual language 90/10 model in which the curriculum is taught in both English and Spanish. The teachers are highly qualified. The parents are super involved. And the students are super intelligent. The students what have been with us since we opened are truly bilingual. No, we didn't fair well in the state's grading system, we are still average as a whole (K-8). But look more closely at the data of the students that started their schooling with us in K. You will be pleasently surprised! Finally, I want to mention the accepting community. My son is super shy and not your normal rough and tumble boy. He has not struggled with making a keeping friends, he has never been bullied, and everyone greets him (and us daily.) That is hard to find in a school these days.

Posted: August 30, 2013

Cien Aguas International School is a state chartered Spanish immersion program for K-8 grades. The teachers are trained in the GLAD system which allows ready understanding by the students in both Spanish and English. The small size of the school (2 classrooms per grade) provides a community feel to the school. Parental involvement is encouraged and is a regular part of the school community. The opportunity for my children to learn Spanish in such an environment has been without parallel elsewhere in the Albuquerque area.

Posted: August 30, 2013

Good curriculum, school-wide culture of respect and positive discipline, bi-lingual and multicultural. My kids love it!

Posted: August 30, 2013

CAIS is the reason we have Charter Schools. Our students always come first in our community. The teachers, families and wonderful principal are always working to improve the quality of education for our students, as well as ensure a bright future for us all. What makes us unique is the fact that we provide high quality education with a mission to provide high academic performance, in two languages, with a focus on cross cultural competency development. There is an instructional commitment to inquiry education, that embraces the environmental sciences (with a huge dollop of social consciousness) and it's done in two languages (Spanish and English). I will continue to recommend this gem of a school to anyone with small children. Our waiting lists may continue to grow, but so will our commitment to bringing high quality dual language education to the community of South Eastern Albuquerque. Que via nuestra escuela internacional, Cien Aguas (K-8)!!

Posted: August 30, 2013

My kids have been going to this school for 3 years. They have both thrived here. The teachers are excellent. The school is small and families have a chance to really bond with each other. The parents are involved but not competitive (which is a hard balance to strike). The school is a Spanish Immersion school. It has been amazing to witness my kids become fluent Spanish speakers, especially considering that my husband and I know minimal Spanish ourselves. The parents, teachers and staff work hard for the good of the kids. The overall environment is kind and loving. Best of all, my kids love the school, too.

Posted: August 29, 2013

A wonderful school! The teachers and staff are truly dedicated to giving a complete and thorough education. The parent community is welcoming and involved.

Posted: August 20, 2013

I found the facilities lacking, the receptionist extremely rude and the faculty and parents seem awfully self-important and pat themselves on the back gratuitously. I overheard a parent at a poetry competition saying horrible, horrible things about a child from another school.

Posted: August 15, 2013

Our daughter is now entering the second grade at Cien Aguas. Her experience in the school has been excellent. She arrived in kindergarten with no spanish skills to speak of and is now, 2 years later, reads, writes and speaks Spanish. Cien Aguas has faced some of the challenges of a growing charter school but a dedicated and involved group of parents has helped to work through finding a stable location for the entire school in 2014 (the elementary and middle schools presently occupy different buildings separated by some distance). The teachers are dedicated professionals with many years of experience in dual language instruction and the student body represents a nice cross section of the population of Albuquerque. We are very enthusiastic about the school and our younger daughter will start there next year.