Research Conte/West Hills Magnet School public Schools in Ansonia, Connecticut

“The school used to be very hands on and great but in the eight years that I've been there it has gone down hill.”

“I have had 3 chidren leave Conte West Hills as graduates and all of them have realized how much the school has changed and their gripe with the school is not something that is typical of young people, to want more discipline and control. I have noticed first hand that the school has joined the rest of the NHPS system jump on the overtesting and not enough teaching bandwagon. Funding has taken away the teachers ability to creatively teach our children instead of boring them and yelling at them into disciplinary problematic children. I am planning on removing my 11 yr old to another school district even if I have to move away from New Haven.”

“This is a wonderfully enriched school with a balance of diverse backgrounds attending the school. Besides my child, we have 3 sets of family friends whose children have been in attendance for the past 8 years for a total of 9 happy children.”

“This is an once great school that is quickly becoming mediocre. As is the case with all NHPS, the school primarily teaches to the CMT. While the teachers on the whole are well qualified, there seems to be little support for creativity in the classroom. Teachers do the best they can do but often spend too much time with disciplinary problems. As is the case with other NHPS there is no daily recess. The drama class no longer exists either. As for parent involvement, there are fundraising opportunities for parents to spend money on but little else that could qualify for building a strong parent community.”

“my child is in first grade and i am very pleased about this school. they provide a very positive atmosphere and my child is exceeding grade level in all of his courses. the music teacher is very good and always puts on a wonderful show for parents in both the winter and in the spring. the school also has a pto. we do wish more parents would be involved, but that has to come from the individual. there are enough chances for the parents to become involved. each week a weekly word is sent home along with a newsletter from the class. that is great because it lets me know what is going on in the class as well as the school community. all in all, i love the school and am very happy that my child is a part of their community.”

“We're very happy with Conte/West Hills. We send our two children from a suburb into New Haven because we like Conte so much. I'd rate the 3 teachers our kids have had so far (K-2) between excellent and super-amazing. Art and Music are also terrific. I've been very pleased with their teachers. We're very happy with the instruction, the environment and the structure of the school. There is great school spirit and are a lot of really committed people working to make Conte a wonderful school. The only drawback is the long bus ride, but the administrators really crack the whip to get those buses in and out on time, which I appreciate.”

“This school is a very great school. I totally disagree with the others. My child comes home every day happy. This school seems to me to be supported because I support it.”

“A typical unsupported public school, only teaching what's put in front of them. No title 1 help for children that need that extra boost. Parents seem like they don't care.”