Highland Free School

Posted: January 13, 2024

Our grandson started at Highland in kindergarten and is now enjoying his 6th year there. The school focuses on project-based learning to engage the students and spark their curiosity and creativity. Not every child learns at the same rate, but they usually end up proficient with teachers who focus on a growth mindset like the teachers at Highland. The emotional and academic growth we've seen in our grandson over the years has been amazing. Highland offers many field trips each year, often walking trips to University of Arizona venues. They also have in-school visits from community groups such as Tucson Symphony members. Our grandson loves going to school each day. Learning is meaningful when it's driven by desire and curiosity. If you want your child to learn how to learn so they can be self-motivated and a lifelong learner, we HIGHLY recommend Highland Free School!

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: January 13, 2024

Posted: September 4, 2017

After having tried out two other small/alternative elementary schools, we found Highland, and are so glad that we did! The teachers are amazing; I wish my teachers had the energy and passion for teaching that I have seen at Highland.

Posted: September 4, 2017

Posted: September 4, 2017

Posted: September 4, 2017

Posted: September 4, 2017

Posted: September 4, 2017

Posted: September 4, 2017

Posted: September 2, 2017

Posted: September 2, 2017

Posted: September 2, 2017

My son is attending this school, he loves his classmates, teachers, princial and the pets too. He moved from a public school to Highland and I immediately saw the difference. I couldn't be hapier with the school and community.

Posted: September 2, 2017

Posted: September 2, 2017

Posted: September 2, 2017

Posted: September 2, 2017

Posted: September 1, 2017

Posted: September 1, 2017

Posted: September 1, 2017

Posted: September 1, 2017

Posted: September 1, 2017

Posted: September 1, 2017

This school is fantastic. My son is a attending this School just like his dad

Posted: September 1, 2017

Posted: April 14, 2016

Some of my fondest memories are from elementary school. There are several complaints that the school leaves gaps in knowledge and I absolutely disagree. I moved onto become an honor student in middle and high school, because in elementary school I was taught how to think, not how to memorize a state test.

Posted: April 14, 2016

Highland is a small school, and so the teachers know their students well and are better able to work with the students on responsibility and getting along with others.

Posted: April 14, 2016

You can tell the teachers care about the students, and they are extremely dedicated. My son loves his teacher.

Posted: April 14, 2016

The family projects are great! Our family enjoys working together to learn, and my son loves to share what he learned in class.

Posted: April 14, 2016

My son is currently attending Highland Free School, and we love it! He enjoys the hands-on projects and is blossoming academically in all subject areas. I have been surprised at his advancement in math and his ability to solve complex problems in his head at his young age! As a parent I also appreciate how safe and nurturing the environment is.

Posted: September 17, 2013

My child went to school here for 4 years. I thought it was a good school until my child went some place else and I discovered all the holes in the things he was taught. There were many things that the other students at his new school knew that he was never taught. I wouldn't recommend this school.

Posted: April 30, 2011

I'm not quite sure if "parent" from March, 2011 has a child who has gone there or is going there. I have never seen a "new age" philosophy or any sort of philosophy in the curriculum. It's a leftover from the Free School Movement--maybe s/he should have actually researched it first and learned something. I also have a friend who lived on the property of Drexel Elementary, although he was a janitor for Sunnyside School District, so an administrator or employee living on premises isn't all that weird! "Different" doesn't mean bad! There's also animals there, so it makes sense that someone is there as caretaker. His personality is quite interesting, but I've been impressed with my son's education there. As long as he keeps learning and the environment stays positive, I'll keep sending him there.

Posted: March 18, 2011

First of all this school espouses some new age philosophy, now I don't know what it's all about but what it seem's to amount to is that they coddle the kid's who are disruptive and disrespectful. Also people should know that highland has a reputation of having kid's at the school who have undiagnosed issue's. In general it doesn't seem like a lot of thought and attention goes in to the way the school is run, the director who "live's" at the school "full time" ( which seem's really weird to me) is a guy who has anger issue's big time. I could go on, I wouldn't recommend this school at all, however I do like the teacher's there but they are constrained by the way the director want's to do everything, and so nothing changes. I hope this was helpful...