We love the entrepreneurial design magnet and the diversity of this school! The teachers are so…read moreengaged with the kids and families, the PTA is very strong and involved, and my children are thriving at Conn. I cannot say enough great things about this school.

I had to write this review when, after repeated attempts at check-ins, I realised my kids' school…read morewasn't even listed on Yelp as an elementary school! I believe the school was named for Emma Conn, but for the past several years the school has been the ONLY magnet school in Wake County offering the Active Learning and Technology program. As a parent, obviously I put a lot of thought into which school I wanted my kids to attend. The recent Wake County school board controversy really made me shy away from the public schools; I knew I was interested in a magnet program. My husband and I have been looking to buy a house also, so knowing we were moving (possibly from one school district to another) was also an incentive for magnet schools- my kids would be able to attend the same school from K-5th grade! As a kid who attended 3 elementary schools myself, that really spoke to me. More importantly, I can vouch that the Conn system really works. Today, I had my kindergarten son's 3rd quarter parent-teacher conference. Prior to him enrolling in school, I was concerned, because like a lot of little boys, he had trouble sitting still, listening, being attentive for long periods of time. I don't know if it was his wonderful teacher Ms. Christie, or the syllabus that includes time for dance, drama, PE, and arts in addition to the reading/writing/arithmetic basics, but I literally nearly teared up as she laid out for us a sample of his free-period writing from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter. My son has made insane progress this year, moving from a kid who was proud to know his alphabet, to a kid who can write multiple sentences without any adult input at all. The "technology" and "active" part of the curriculum aren't just buzzwords, either. Whether it's the interactive "smart tables" the school is placing in kindergarten classrooms, or that strawberry "learning module"/fundraiser they recently held (an educational trip to the berry farm followed by sales of baggies of regular and chocolate-dipped strawberries), the school not only keeps kids motivated and interested in learning, but helps parents feel involved as well. I'm a technology-minded person myself, and I HATE being sent home random slips of paper that will inevitably end up lost in my kid's bookbag or in the dredges of my car's backseat, so I also appreciate principal Diane Kearney's weekly pre-recorded phone calls full of the latest school news! Try relying on your 6-year-old for important data and you would appreciate it also! Tonight we had Kindergarten Orientation for my youngest, who will hopefully benefit from the same great teachers Jack had, but regardless will benefit from Conn's innovative magnet approach. I felt stressed at the time of choosing a school to apply for, and I felt stressed we wouldn't be chosen after submitting my application, but ever since my kids started attending Conn, I have never once been stressed about their safety, happiness, or education. That's about the highest praise I can give. Keep it up Conn!!