Clark Elementary School

Posted: February 1, 2020

All in all pretty good...I feel like I've heard complaints about every public and private elementary school in Cville at this point so even though we could afford not to pick our neighborhood school we're happy here...

Posted: February 1, 2020

They've reduced homework as per current fashion.

Posted: February 1, 2020

Teachers of course vary in dedication but are generally good.

Posted: February 1, 2020

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Posted: January 31, 2020

Hardly any homework is given. I have to make up things for my kid at home.

Posted: January 31, 2020

Some are effective but most aren’t. Bullying is a huge problem here. I’ve heard from most parents.

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

Posted: January 31, 2020

This school is not really where you would want to put your child. It’s only because you live in a a certain district of Charlottesville.

Posted: February 7, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

Posted: February 7, 2018

I have a second grader who has been in private school, another city school, and a county school and Clark is the best by a million miles. The teachers and administrators support him in his development to the nth degree. He has grown socially and academically since the beginning of the year and for that I am harbor nothing that gratitude.

Posted: February 21, 2016

Our daughter's kindergarten teacher has been very effective, as has the music teacher. And the librarians are great! But we haven't had any exposure to the other teachers yet.

Posted: February 21, 2016

This rating is based only on the level of homework given by our daughter's kindergarten teacher.

Posted: February 21, 2016

Posted: February 21, 2016

We enrolled our daughter in kindergarten at Clark last fall, so I can only share our experiences so far. But since there are so few reviews (and mostly outdated), I want to post this for parents with options who are trying to decide whether or not to enroll their kids at Clark. We've found Clark to be a wonderfully diverse, small, well-run school. Since joining Clark from Burnley-Moran several years back, award-winning principal Dr. K. has assembled a talented and caring team of teachers and staff that clearly love and care about the kids. Our daughter looks forward to going to school, and we're thrilled with her reading and writing progress, as well as her clear interest in science and math. Her teacher immediately identified our daughter's strengths--as well as the areas needing improvement, both academically and behaviorally. Since my wife and I both work, we enrolled our daughter in the after school program as well. As part of the C.L.A.S.S. program last semester she was given free swimming lessons at ACAC, as well as free dance lessons. This semester she's in the STEM club (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math), and has free yoga lessons once each week.

Our biggest challenge with our daughter's transition to Clark was adjusting to her early lunch schedule and ensuring that she had enough snacks to make it through the after school program--8AM to 6PM makes for a long day!

Finally, I've heard from three different parents who have gone to visit Clark who came away with a sense that they didn’t feel as recruited/urged to enroll their kids as they imagined they would be. Clark is our well-run neighborhood public school. Rest assured that if you enroll your child at Clark they will be loved, and you and your family will be welcomed into the Clark community. I haven’t asked, but I suspect that the hard-working administrative team at Clark knows that their most important responsibility is to do a great job teaching the students who enroll--instead of spending time and mental energy on recruitment. We called up and said we wanted to enroll our child, and have felt warmly welcomed right from the beginning. It’s still early in our daughter’s Clark career, but we’re already looking forward to enrolling our younger child in 2017.

Posted: February 4, 2016

We've had two children attend Clark and both flourished academically and personally. They have a dedicated, talented staff and strong leadership. The Quest program for advanced scholars was excellent at Clark and had small group sizes which was great for a lot of direct teacher interaction. We valued the diversity of the student body and community at Clark. We would strongly recommend it.

Posted: February 4, 2016

Posted: February 4, 2016

Posted: February 4, 2016

Posted: July 4, 2012

Our child has been a student at Clark Elementary School for three years. We love that the school is in the middle of a vibrant and interesting community, and has a diverse student body. The teachers are committed and caring, and the principal has years of experience in school administration. The class sizes are wonderfully small: so far we ve had the following class sizes: 13 kids in Kindergarten (with two teachers), 15 in 1st grade and 17 in 2nd grade. At Clark, our child has developed a passion and skill for African drumming, and has declared that his favorite subjects are science and math. The school building is beautiful, and a hallway was recently decorated with a new mural designed by our art teacher. This summer the school is adding a schoolyard garden and the students will help grow and pick the vegetables. If you're thinking about sending your child Clark, definitely come and visit! I think you'll be impressed.

Posted: April 27, 2012

I strongly believe the three previous reviews were not written by parents but by the same school administrator. What real parent uses the phrases: accountable, differentiating the curriculum to meet the learning needs of each child. Really? They sound like catchphrases lifted from a dissertation. So the only flaw is that the school needs a new playground? Give me a break! I can t imagine three separate parents having the time to diligently monitor reviews about their child s school and that each would submit positive reviews within a day or two right after the one negative review appears? My suggestion to the real parents - visit the school with your eyes wide open. Notice if the teachers ever smiles naturally around the principal. Does the staff act nervous when the principal walks by - do they hide behind a file cabinet? Do teachers avoid being seen talking to a particular teacher (a teacher that looks haggard and pecked on) else they also face the same wrath by the principal? Ask your third grade child if their teacher ever humiliates them in front of other students or the principal says something to a teacher that makes them sad. My child has!

Posted: February 15, 2012

It seems like the OP has never been in the school. Our child is in his third year at Clark (he's in second grade) and the teachers have been excellent, attentive, and very well trained. And they care. Alot. There is a friendly, family-like environment and everyone is very approachable and accountable. My family is very satisfied with the school and are thrilled to see it improving and should be even better in the future. I rate the administration as top-notch, the teachers as very good (some are exemplary) and the facility is very good--the most beautiful school in the system. The only flaw, really, is the insufficient upper-grade playground space. There is an excellent pre-k play structure, and an adequate K-1 area. After that, the children are limited to an open field. If there's something that needs investigation, it's how a jewel of a school like this can have such a pitiful play area. The kids find a way to entertain themselves but they deserve better.

Posted: February 14, 2012

I strongly disagree with the review below. I have two kids at Clark, and for the most part we've had a wonderful experience. Classes are small (as is the school itself), the teachers are very caring and they do a great job differentiating the curriculum to meet the learning needs of each child. Some of the best teachers at Clark are true stars who manage to change kids lives for the better. Support services are extensive and in my experience excellent. There has been some turnover in principals in recent years, but the school now has a very experienced and talented principal who is building on some of the positive changes that were made last year. Test scores went up dramatically last year too. Clark does have a very diverse student population in terms of both race and income - that presents some challenges for the teachers, but also provides real learning opportunities for the kids. If you're thinking about Clark for your child, my advice is to visit and give it a chance. Also, the statement about the after-school program below is simply inaccurate. There are always multiple adults there...

Posted: February 14, 2012

We have been very happy with our experience at Clark. The teachers are very committed to the well being and success of the students. The children are seen as individuals, with unique needs and strengths. The teachers are happy to communicate with us, and have been wonderfully attentive to our son's intellectual strengths, while still supporting him socially and emotionally. They have also been phenomenal about his medical needs.

Posted: February 13, 2012

Terrible school. Teachers have no idea what they are doing. After school program is a joke. The students sometimes have no teacher to monitor them in a after school program. This school needs a review by the board of education.