Trust your instincts.

1. Make a list of needs and wants.  Priortize those as must haves, would likes, don't have to have but would be nice. 

2. Research the schools in your area online first- you will get the homepage info and that is nice but pretty whitewashed.  Next look up CSAP scores- but don't just look at the one word description of Excellent or Poor note the way the school is trending- up or down.  Google the name and see what comes up- newspaper articles might indicate incidents at the school or in the area that the school might not want to promote on the homepage.

3. Go to the school and visit several times before, after and during the day.  Take a tour.  Make notes- is the front office helpful and friendly?  Do they want to answer questions or  can't wait for you to leave.  Do they show you the school and have pride and excitment about were they work?  Of do they sort of point the way down the hall and let you wander.

4.  Watch the kids in the classroom- do they join in and look excited and ready to participate? Are the halls chaotic and loud?  Is the school clean?  Would you want to spend your day here?

5. Interview the teacher and see if you like them and the way they work.  How does this room function- orderly, dirty, fun chaotic? 

6.  Remeber to listen to your gut feeling.  If you do not like how the school feels, how a teacher behaves, a policy they have- whatever  remember how much time your child will be living here and dealing with this full time.  If you hate it for a short visit think of the 7 hours they will be spending.

7.  Every school sounds wonderful on paper and all your wishes are met there- now go talk to some parents on the playground- listen to the teachers they love and the ones they don't.  Do they participate in the school? Do you do endless fundraising and see no results.  Do parents lament about things the school used to do. 

8.  Now go talk to people in the neighborhood.  Drive around and see if the neighbors walk dogs, stroll to the local coffee shop, or do they jsut pull inside their garage and stay put.  If you see an old man watering the grass ask him his opinion of the school.  Do the kids stomp on his flowers and drive him crazy or does he like young kids in the neighborhood.  Schools should be part of the community and be good neighbors.

9. Remember that in Colorado almost all school districts have open enrollment and school choice.  If you are willing to drive you can attend almost any school you wish.  Some have special qualifications like GT or something but if they have room youcan attend. 

**Our home school is rated excellent and has every special whatever you could want.  They also have a disengaged principal, rude staff, and over crowded classrooms with 30+ students.  Endless fund raising and mote emphasis on elite programs and little attention to the general population.  This school teaches to the test and values reputation over substance.

We choose to go to a neighboring school rated High and with fewer special programs.  They have class sizes rarely over 20, all the teachers know all of the kids, the principal is loved, the office staff will help you with anything, the parents are involved, many parents attended the school when they were kids, they walk in the neighborhood, play at the school.  They care about the students and their needs. The CSAP is prescient but not pressured.  I have seen a boy whose family was illitirate as was he in 3rd grade go from no reading ability to  a 2nd grade ability in 4 months- technically he failed the CSAP but to go from 0 to 2nd grade in a semester is remarkable teaching. Thsi same child the next year was reading at grade level poorly and this year was one of the outstanding performers. 

I believe that this is the kind of trending that really tells you how a school is doing not how many kids they trained to color in the corrct bubble.  If teachers at all grade levels on their own take the time to teach one on one and make the group work as a whole and have support from the administration I do not care what one word critique a standardized test board assigns that school.