I Cento School

Posted: June 5, 2016

Disappointing...I had heard great things about this school upon moving to the area. We had a great experience in preschool where I think the school really shines. However, in the K-5 grades it leaves something to be desired and can be seen in the schools population drop off where the classes go from full preschool down to as little as 3 kids in upper grades. There is high teacher turn over which is a huge red flag and the administration is very disorganized. There are severe communication issues and the teachers are given no autonomy in their own classrooms. I heard that 3 or 4 years ago it was the place to send your kids if you wanted a non-religious private school option. I hate to write an unfavorable review, but the school's philosophy is hit or miss depending on the class/grade/teacher, and is not what it used to be, according to multiple longtime parents I consulted with before leaving the school. Unfortunately, we made the difficult choice to remove our child from the school along with a multitude of other families at the time who were also dissatisfied. Again, preschool seems to be the area of best practice for this school and I would send my child there again for that age-group as there are several fantastic preschool teachers.

Posted: October 19, 2013

i Cento School is a wonderful school in so many ways! The faculty and administrators are professional, kind, and knowledgeable. We have had children enrolled at the school for a total of 6 years. My children learned to read in preschool due to the hard work of teachers, and opportunities for one-on-one interaction. My children received daily reading instruction with their teacher. The project based nature of the curriculum really taught my children to think, and gave them a great deal of confidence to work with others, and speak in front of a group. Parents are always welcome to participate, and volunteer. I highly recommend i Cento School! I'm not sure what the previously reviewed parent is referring to, but all grades play on the playground daily (weather permitting), and both of my children participate in music/art. I really can only say that this is a wonderful school, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a great school.

Posted: February 11, 2013

The good things about I Cento: small class size (15 students), lots of involved parents, and after almost a year of having my children there we have had absolutely no problems in the classroom. No problem kids, no bullying, no negative influences. But I Cento does not live up to its philosophy as presented on its website. Much of the curriculum seems to be worksheets and the class only seems to do "project work" in science. There is very little hands on learning and constant spelling and math tests, even in the younger grades. The art room and playground are only for preschool through first grade. Grades 2-5 don't appear to have any art or music instruction (except for a christmas program) and spend recess playing in the parking lot. P.E. for grades 2-5 is one hour a week taught by a volunteer parent, and therefore doesn't always happen. We've been a bit disappointed by I Cento, but since there are no other non religious private schools in town to choose from we will be staying since it still seems like an improvement from a public school with a large classroom. The kids do get more individual attention in the small classes.

Posted: May 14, 2009