Walnut Hills Community Elementary School

As a family that moves with the government every few years, we've been to more than our fair share of elementary schools, and we've found Cottonwood to be one of the best. Parent involvement, teacher partnerships, relationships with administration have all be wonderful and welcoming. New children are welcomed to new family programs. Whether a child has physical requirements or neurodivergent needs, they are supported early on and consistently. Before school and after school care are easily to get into (on a per event basis which is amazing to us, coming from a less accommodating previous school district). There are many playgrounds for different grade levels. My kids really enjoy this school and we'll be sad to leave when we head to our next destination.

I Went here a while ago but i almost took my own life because of the bullying and back-talking i endured.i dress alt and constantly would tell the teachers im getting picked on. only a few cared. my favorite sub did all he could when a few girls in our grade got S/A'ed but still the kid who did the nasty things to me and others got off with a slap on the wrist. They dont speak much of mental health and when i tried talking to someone they didnt care. I thank the music teacher for inspiring me and actually caring for the kids.

As a parent whose child attended Willow Creek, I was somewhat surprised to see the school singled out in this way. Not because the concerns raised aren’t serious, but because they sound very similar to what families across the Cherry Creek School District have been experiencing for years. Willow Creek may have its own issues, but it largely falls into the category of many barely functioning schools in CCSD right now, operating with very little real accountability or leadership. Recent media coverage about district leadership helps explain why confidence has eroded. Families have learned that the former superintendent of Cherry Creek School District was married to the district’s head of HR, and that the former assistant superintendent was married to the head of special education. Meanwhile, the new interim superintendent appears to have spent her first months negotiating compensation while parents are still waiting to see meaningful improvements in the district’s direction. When leadership at the top raises those kinds of questions, it’s difficult to expect strong accountability further down the chain. Given that backdrop, focusing on a single principal doesn’t really address the deeper problem. The district’s administrative culture feels stagnant and insulated, and real change would likely require a full reset with new leadership across the board, including at the building level. Until that happens, the same issues will continue to affect schools like Willow Creek: administrations that seem indifferent to parent concerns, contract teachers who appear to be counting down the clock rather than investing in the school community, and facilities stretched to the point where storage rooms without windows are converted into classrooms. Willow Creek may be the most visible example of this culture, but families should understand that within Cherry Creek School District the grass is often not much greener elsewhere.

My son was sent here as part of the 2e program. Now we struggle to get transportation, he knows less every day and spends all day drawing pictures and making crafts. Sure they can talk the talk and wowed us with the walk through and all that Jazz but when it came time to do school they fell flat on their face. I have never seen such a bumbling group of fools such as the ones who run our education system.

I have never been more disappointed in a public school. Our child was discriminated against, their IEP was not followed, it was incredibly unsafe with holds happening constantly because there was no control, a child even ran down the street towards a busy intersection. There is zero support from a horrible administration who had no idea how to handle any kind of diverse learner, their goal is to get rid of any student that does not fit their mold. They find a way to blame the child or the child’s parents instead of meeting the actual needs or trying to understand what may need to be accommodated. They suspend even kindergartners on IEP’s and try to get students to only come part-time, encourage students to leave the school, and try anything to get you to withdraw your child. Thankfully, our child moved on and is thriving in another public school and doesn’t even need accommodations at this point because the teacher and administration know what they are doing! Stay away from this school, the administration is absolutely terrible and should be investigated for their special ed practices.