Casis Elementary School

Teachers are AMAZING... 5 stars and then 5 more. You won’t find a bad teacher here. My daughter’s education is thriving at Casis. She’s a bright child already but her teacher’s definitely nurture her. The downside: Casis is severely lacking in ethnic and cultural diversity. It is also difficult for the 1% of minority kids who stick out like a sore thumb among the sea of white kids. Another Downside: What I find almost cruel is the massive renovation to rebuild Casis while the special needs programs (like for dyslexia) continue to get mediocre care and attention.

My children will both go to school here until 5th grade. The oldest is in kindergarten now. She has the hardest working teacher who is young and vibrant. I adore this school. There is a forest in which to play, three playgrounds, easygoing and hard working teachers and supportive PTA and parents. The principals are positive thinkers and creative problem solvers and the whole vibe at Casis is so amazing. It is truly a well oiled machine from arrival to dismissal, where 850 + students enter and exit the building in a matter of minutes. I have never seen a cafeteria run so well despite its size. The teachers appear to have freedom to plan and implement lessons. Happy teachers = happy students. If you haven’t visited this wonderful place, you’re missing out!

Our experience at Casis was confusing, sometimes deserving of a 1 (or zero if I am honest) other times a 5 or 6, so I averaged it to a 3. Just my observation, but it seems to me that curriculum and learning environments are a little more consistent across classrooms at other schools that I’ve seen or taught at than they are at Casis. The hefty classroom autonomy here is great when teachers are passionate, dedicated, and kind, as almost all at Casis are. Not so much though when your child gets one that is not.One thing to note to prospective parents...the facilities at Casis are really special. They have a forest (!), an outdoor classroom, four playgrounds, a huge library AND a brand spanking new art room. The PTA was kind of intimidating to me as a parent, but it is a strong force for good. They make so many extras possible, including helping the school to pay teachers that serve kids with all kinds of learning and behavior differences. Even when things don’t go great, as was the case for us for part of the year, there are a lot of things to love about this school.

The school is a terrible place for a dyslexic child or a child with learning disabilities. I have a child who was in General Education there for years and we really loved the GenEd teachers, students and families. Once my child was "placed" in special education, I was shocked by the lack of teacher training, lack of transparency about what was happening in "resource room," inaccurate reporting of progress and negligence in providing remediation. If you have a child with severe dyslexia, I would strongly suggest you try to transfer to Brykerwoods, Mathews or Highland Park. Many parents remove their students with disabilities from Casis.