Academy Of Tucson Middle School

Posted: September 3, 2023

What started as a positive experience, did not end up as such. Our kids were consistently bullied, with minimal communication from the admin staff. If the main woman in the office isn't there (she really is a one-person department), so much else falls apart from an administrative perspective. Some of the teachers are truly passionate about what they do, communicate well, and genuinely care about the students - however, it's clear that this school does not provide the right social/developmental environment for kids in Middle School.

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: September 3, 2023

Posted: June 17, 2022

Please do NOT send your child to this school. It is absolutely awful and does not serve the proper middle school experience. My daughter had an AWFUL time here. She was bullied every single day, in front of teachers, who did nothing. On top of being bullied, her teachers constantly had an attitude and were disrespectful to the students. This school changed my daughter in a negative way, and this cycle will continue. Their free lunch program was AWFUL. My daughter would never eat because of how cold and disgusting the food was. There was also an incident in which a student brought vodka to a school and passed it around to people.

Posted: June 17, 2022

Posted: June 17, 2022

Posted: June 17, 2022

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Posted: June 17, 2022

Posted: December 13, 2018

Posted: December 13, 2018

Posted: December 13, 2018

Posted: December 13, 2018

My experience in this school was kinda terrible. I only went there for a year and I gained many new friends yes but my time there was not good. They're only a handful of kids who are respectful and the teachers were not good at all. They didn't teach us anything and gave us attitude. I'm in High School now and I wasn't prepared for any classes besides Science. Now I'm suffering. I do not recommend Academy Of Tucson.

Posted: December 13, 2018

Posted: December 13, 2018

Some teachers didn't really like teaching. They were very disrespectful to the students saying that they are gonna work at Mcdonalds when they're older.

Posted: December 13, 2018

Students were very mean to other students. On top of it the faculty and the staff didn't do anything about it.

Posted: June 7, 2018

Posted: June 7, 2018

Home work not productive and not always relating to what they are learning in class.

Posted: June 7, 2018

Out of touch with modern education not willing to look outside the box.

Posted: June 7, 2018

Posted: June 7, 2018

Rules are not upheld and they do not respond to emails or phone calls about concerns.

Posted: June 7, 2018

100% the opposite. Services not provided and there is always just one way to learn there.

Posted: June 7, 2018

From the top down poorly run. Change is needed however if the school does not look at thier own internal issues it will never happen.

Posted: December 1, 2017

Posted: December 1, 2017

Posted: December 1, 2017

Posted: December 1, 2017

Posted: December 1, 2017

Posted: December 1, 2017

This school is absolutely horrible. The teachers there are rude and inconsiderate and they don't have fair discipline. No one there knows what they are doing!

Posted: December 1, 2017

Posted: September 10, 2017

This is a great school, they have great administrators and teachers. I was not a charter school supporter until my children started at this school this year. The TUSD schools cannot even compare. D.L.

Posted: September 10, 2017

Posted: September 10, 2017

Posted: September 10, 2017

Posted: September 10, 2017

Posted: September 10, 2017

Posted: September 10, 2017

Posted: August 24, 2015

This is a great school, they have a great principal and great teachers. We moved over to this school after two years of disappointment with the city's district. So far this year they have more than lived up to our expectations.

Posted: August 24, 2015

Posted: August 24, 2015

The school stresses good character from the principal, to the ladies in the front office and the teachers.

Posted: August 24, 2015

I think they are much more effective the the school we had our kids at for the last two years.

Posted: January 31, 2015

The Academy of Tucson Middle School is one of the better middle schools in the state, as is ALL of the Academy of Tucson Schools. This can be seen by how the middle school consistantly earns awards and is rated by Arizona, this website and others like it. What is also true is the school does have very high academic and behavior standards. We think they have a great principal (Mr. Speda) and teaching staff. Since we have been associated with this school we been very happy with the progress of our kids. I have read some of the other reviews and they do not describe the school, the principal, or the teachers we know. We live just blocks away from the school, if these reviewers do not like the location of the school being on the Eastside of Tucson, go to a school on the South or Northside. You will not find a better school there.

Posted: January 27, 2015

Since this school ask that my previous post be taken down because it exposed the truth of their dirt, I will rephrase the truth in another way. At this school, my son was mistreated by two teachers because of his weight and race. One of them admitted to me and several others during a meeting that she mistreated him, bullied him, picked on him and isolated him; the other blamed him for her poor actions of her throwing his papers on the ground and making him pick them up humiliating him constantly in front of the other students for no reason. I'm glad I removed him from that school and I would never recommend that school to anyone!!! These teachers are not held accountable but the blame is typically placed on the parents and students only.

Posted: January 23, 2015

I wish more parents would write in and share their good experiences since sites like this mostly generate the bad. I am a parent and had my child go to the Academy of Tucson Schools. My son absolutely loved it and flourished! The Academy schools are fantastic and continue to earn high ratings - not only among parents and students, but also among the state. I have never seen any teacher be mean, or cruel, to students in the 10 years in which I have been associated with the school. The students are also more welcoming than any other school we have ever experienced (being a military family we have moved a lot). I also have had no problem helping at the school whether in the classroom, or any other area that I was needed or willing. What I can say, is that there are parents that don't like their student/s being held accountable. Accountability is a life long lesson and the Academy of Tucson does a great job at teaching our children just how important it is. I have found that most of the parents that are disgruntled with the Academy of Tucson schools, have this issue.

Posted: September 27, 2014

I have two girls at the school and they just love it . They have a lot of activitys for the children and a great staff.The principal is very involved with all aspects of the school.As a parent I have been very happy with the school's comunication between theachers and parants

Posted: August 21, 2014

This school is amazing! There are many activities like sports or yearbook club. Most parents are saying they are upset about no P.E. Well the 2014-2015 school year now has a P.E. teacher. Mr Kelleman is awesome too. There is also a new office helper rather than Mrs. Whitby which is Mrs. Thorns.. Also we have google chrome books now and each student has their own email. We use the chrome books for typing or researching.In my opinion Mr. Moore, Mrs. Creenan, and Mrs. Bujedo are the best. Some sports are volleyball, flag football, soccer, softball, and boys and girls basketball. I am in 8th grade and very happy here. Also most parents complain about the small school but it isn't our fault. We used to be where Emily gray is. Emily gray thought the school was worn down so we bought it from them. Back then they had swamp cooling and it was falling apart and they fixed it up. Later emily gray came in the middle of the night and decided they liked the way we fixed it so they bought it back. They gave us 1 YEAR to get out so we did. By March we finally found this location which was decent. We fixed it up and wasted all that money. So don't compain to us because we barely had any time at all

Posted: July 23, 2014

Academy of Tucson is the best school I have ever gone to. The care about my education, the make everything fun, but still educational, we have great people to associate, we were given Chrome books to use in classes, for a day. It is just fun for any one who cares about there education. Mr. Speta is very clear with the guide lines, which makes it even better, so we know we are all treated equal. The teachers are always out to help, and amazing. They come up with the best field trips, 5th grade goes to Mount Lemon, 6th grade has gone to Sea World Or the Aquarium in Phoenix, 7th grade does to fort lone tree, And 8th grade goes to Disney land and 8th grade picnic.(in the past).

Posted: May 31, 2014

I would recommend AOT. AOT is a safe bully free environment where kids are free to reach their potential academically. The principal Mr. Speta is a leader of leaders. He is not just an authority figure, but also a coach, partner, and motivator. He is a collaborative leader who does not stay in his office all day. He visits the classrooms, directs traffic (in the parking lot and in the breezeway) and makes himself accessible to the staff and the students. The teachers are incredible and they believe that each child can be a successful student. Mr. Moore brought life to social studies and kept my son interested. Ms. Creenan made math a fun and powerful learning experience. Ms. Moseley taught them about art and how to express themselves in a variety of positive ways. There are more wonderful teachers with so much to offer the students. AOT utilizes Familylink website to keep the family apprised of the student s grades. The highly qualified teachers who are dedicated to create and keep a healthy parent-teacher partnership. AOT encourages families and the community to get involved. There are various ways families can contribute, including a few organized volunteer groups.

Posted: March 11, 2014

My son's 8th grade year is his first year at AoT, and we are very grateful for such a good experience. We were in private school up until this year, and have had positive experiences in all areas, from academics to extra curricular activities. Staff is very open to communication and cares about my son's success in school. This has been a great experience for us. Very nice families, too.

Posted: January 14, 2014

I love this school! I think the previous parent is spot on about the Principal. He smiles at my kids in the morning when I drop them off, he is in the parking lot at the end of the day to see them go. He has assembled a great teaching staff. What I also like about this school is the teachers will call you if their is a concern. At our last school we found out at report card time, that is not the time to learn this.

Posted: September 17, 2013

Academy of Tucson Middle School is a great school. My daughter has attended the Academy since the third grade and her grades, self esteem and willingness to learn has improved greatly. The office staff at the middle school is always their to help and assist with the kids and parents at any given time. The teachers are so dedicated in their jobs by being open with the kids whenever they need special assistance as well with the parents when corresponding via email or in person. The true leader and principal, Mr. Spata, is incredibly dedicated. He is always involved with the kids and the kids respect him so much. He has been a great addition to this most wonderful charter school in Tucson. Mr. Spata is always the first staff member at school and always the last one to leave his demeanor towards helping the kids learn and making it possible for all of the students to succeed. Major Kudos to Mr. Spata.

Posted: August 30, 2013

Why doesn't this school have a PE teacher or a computer teacher? They offered both of these courses a few years ago. It's simple really. When you can get the existing teachers to fill in and teach these classes why go back to the old system? It's a business. Pure and simple. The students don't need to learn computers. We need to go back to the good old days...before computers were invented.

Posted: August 26, 2013

I would rather have our children learning critical thinking skills, than computer skills. If the last parent would have looked in some of the classrooms for the middle school they would have seen the "missing computers". We have had four children grow up through the AOT school system, academically they are ahead. You do not have to beleave me, look at the list of top 20 school districts. AOT has been on this list for years. All three schools are "A" rated according to the state. We do not have children at the elementary school this year, but the parents we know who do still love it. If you wish a computer to teach your child, these schools are not for you, if you want a child who can think, then AOT is your school.

Posted: August 13, 2013

I am really sorry that the school has taken computers out of the school and I don't understand why they did it. These children are at an age where they should be learning something on the computer other than games and Facebook. NO computers for the elementary school or the middle school. WOW!

Posted: February 6, 2013

I am SO glad I'm not in this school anymore. It is completely and utterly awful. 0/10 would not recommend.

Posted: September 13, 2012

This is an excellent choice for parents who drive through the carpool lane in the morning and drive back through in the afternoon and that is their involvement in their child's education. However, if you want to be kept informed of your child's progress and be treated with respect when there is an issue, you might want to reconsider your choice of schools.

Posted: August 15, 2012

This school does not deserve five stars. It is mediocre and the location is terrible.

Posted: August 14, 2012

We love this school, we have great teachers and a great principal. Mr. & Mrs. Creenam are awesome teachers!

Posted: August 13, 2012

We love this school! My kids love it, while it may be small, the district is small, but they are in the top 3% of school districts according to the Department of Education for the state of Arizona, For the parent who said that they do not offer a challenging curriculum explain my child's exceeding AIMS scores and the rest in the class room. Also another note to the parent who said its a "bad neighborhood". I live in the neighborhood, the Eastside of Tucson is not a bad or rough area so where are you getting this from? Finally we have a new principle this year, he complements an already great staff. Go Cougars -ROAR!

Posted: June 23, 2012

This school is with out a doubt one of the worst schools in Tucson. This school does not have challenging academic progams, or an effective teaching style. Also, the location of this school negatively effected my child's experience. First off my child was forced to run in the parking lot of the school! This is not a safe place for children to be running with or without supervision. And lastly, I expected my child to be treated with the same respect that he gave the staff. However when my child hadn't been feeling the best I told him to check in with me, so when he went to the front office to call home, he was denied. After various incidents during the school year I decided to take my child out and put them in a healthier environment. We are much happier where we are now, no thanks to the Academy.