Great Hearts Northern Oaks

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

Posted: December 29, 2025

We enrolled our kindergartener excited and hopeful, but within the first three weeks of school our child received multiple suspensions, including an out-of-school suspension, during what should have been a normal adjustment period. When we raised concerns and asked for support, the response focused almost entirely on discipline and punishment, not helping a young child transition to kindergarten. What shocked us most was being told that certain state protections for young students supposedly don’t apply to charter schools—a position we later learned was incorrect. The situation quickly became stressful and punitive, and we ultimately withdrew our child to protect their well-being. We never expected kindergarten to turn into a disciplinary and legal fight. Sharing this so other parents ask clear questions upfront about how behavior is handled in the first weeks, whether support comes before punishment, and how discipline policies apply to very young children.

Please read the reviews here carefully and think twice (or more) before enrolling. We read them too and hoped things had changed. In our case, they hadn’t.

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

Posted: November 27, 2023

I went to great hearts from 5th grade-12 grade. There truly are some good teachers but the school was too conforming for many of their student including me. I have two main issues-with them. First was the blatant favoritism. If you are not the top donor, a good chunk of the teachers won’t help your student grow. Second, is how the school never followed my 504 plan. For reference, I have ADHD. Part of my 504 plan was to have extra time on homework,test,and quizzes. Many teachers would disregard that and not grant me extra time on test and quizzes even when I referred back to my 504 plan. I had 504 coordinators take away my accommodations rather than adding or keeping the same ones.Going back to the favoritism, I had a teacher grant a student a extra day on his homework because he didn’t want to do it the night before yet I got penalized for only completing half of my homework. There’s also a weird pop culture rule where if a student mentions anything considered pop culture (ex: Taylor Swift) they either get an infraction or detention. They are also VERY strict with female dress codes. For example girls if they want to paint their nails must only use the following colors: red, pink ( can’t be hot pink or a “bold” variation of pink, and French tip ( nail should never be fully painted white). If you have any other color they will give a girl detention. As if all the other things i listed out were not bad enough , the school is not safe. In 10th grade a guy had a hit list of people in the upper school. The icing on the cake was he had a knife in his locker.

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

Posted: July 13, 2023

The first few years at Great Hearts were encouraging. Our children learned, made friends, and enjoyed each day. 2022 brought changes in leadership at the upper school campus that negatively impacted the students, parent community, and the school's environment. The school is small, and it became clear that there is a variation in treatment of families who are "founding members". The founding members being certain parents who supported and launched this campus. Being a poorly funded charter school, these families seem to be the privileged elite. Adding to this, some administrators even provide preferential treatment to their close friends. There was an incident this year where a young adult bypassed the proper protocol of entering the lower school and instead made his way along the back to gain access to the upper campus. When he was confronted by concerned parents who happened to be witnessing this, he said he was going to chat with an administrator. That administrator came out and “vouched” for this older teen and she dismissed any of the parental concerns. It is widely known by the students that this administrator uses her office for her favorite students and parents as a social club. It is grossly unprofessional for someone paid by the state to be slow in her duties but quick on being on social media, running errands, or hosting friends in her office, not to mention extremely problematic for security reasons that her role in the school allows anyone not related to the school to gain access. It has also become difficult for many to obtain meetings or have access to the new headmaster of the high school. But the large donors can make meetings happen easily and they often vocalize their power over the new leadership during conversations at athletic or scholastic events. Students of those who largely donate or of the administration do not face the same consequences as the regular students. They can refuse to show up for detentions, roam the halls, use the restrooms as make-shift frat house where they often pick on other students, ignore teacher commands, and just dismiss rules that the remainder of the student body must follow. Truth, beauty, and goodness are not the virtues that we have seen in the past year. We have seen a top-down leadership that is insincere, broken, and unkind. The preferential treatment on display is why many choose to leave. It's a shame because the teachers are wonderful and deserve leaders who aren't bowing to money or power.

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

Posted: March 1, 2023

I attended this school for 6 years and did end up graduating from GHNO. As a student, the school seems harsh and unjust however being able to look at it now from an outside perspective, most of the things that went on that a student would say is harsh or unjust, I now can say it was necessary to form the human being I am today.I still have family in the staff throughout the GH network and siblings and close family attending GH schools. However there are a few things that I wish were different and did negatively impact me. There is absolutely no support for LGBTQ+ students and those students feel alienated through out their time there. The special education system is systemically broken with the small exception of a few good teachers sprinkled throughout the GH network which caused many amazing educators to leave GHNO. The teachers blatantly teach and push religion onto their students. The admin of the upper school has gone downhill since 2021 when the headmaster left for to start another branch of GH. The admin does not care to head the words of their students, teachers are always right. There is no care for mental health, whether it be a student is just struggling in class or if its larger issues. It takes being hospitalized and multiple student concerns for the admin to sit down and just ask if you’re okay. I will say, the teachers that care, CARE. I still hear from many teachers and admin and every time I see them they still only want whats best for me. I do recommend the school and at least trying it because it is not for everyone and that is okay.

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 14, 2021

I have three kids attending GHNO. The teachers and administration are very engaged and are caring. They are the best assets. They don't teach to the test but teach the history and eveolution of the subject before teaching the subject at hand. The shcool builds student character and a love of learning.

The course work is rigourous. If you have a marginal student, this may not be the best place. Many of the students are high achievers with high achieving parents. It is not a place where you can sleep your way through the educational system.

My oldest is a Senior and is applying for colleges. She is well prepared and is being recruited by the top universities in the state. If I had one change, I wish that they taught technology. A classical education is great, but some real world technological applications would make them more well rounded.

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 14, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

My kids have been going to this school for 4 years. It started out great; but has gotten worse over the years. This school now has a conservative religious private school vibe, rather than a public charter school. There is no diversity among students and teachers, most are white. Their classic books for literature were written by white men during an era when women had no right to vote, black people were still slaves, and native Americans were portrayed as stinky Indians. They do not teach in detail about slavery which is a huge part of Texas and US history. They sing Christian songs and read about the Bible to students, but will not discuss other religions or cultures in the same detail. There is zero support or studies about LGBTQIA rights. There are no stem classes and after school clubs/athletics cost a lot of money. There is no bus or van system, therefore underserved students are not able to go to this school. Their approach in managing students behavior is archaic at best and will penalize a student for not wearing a belt or take away recess if part of their homework is not done. They also manage all special needs students under one umbrella, rather than customizing to each student’s needs. There is blatant favoritism to student’s whose parents donate a lot of money or volunteer a lot of hours to the school. They ask parents to donate money to the school, but are not transparent on how they spend it. Some teachers are great and underpaid. Some teachers are unprofessional and rude. Almost the whole school doesn't wear a mask and/or are against it. Their only candidate for superintendent is a white conservative male without any experience in education.

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: October 11, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

I have been devastatingly disappointed by GHNO. There may be campuses within the Great Hearts district that are better than others but as a family who started at GHNO 6 years ago and as an educator and admin in a different school system, I have found it impossible to reconcile my educational philosophy and knowledge of best practices with Great Hearts practices and general procedures, or lack there of. There are serious systemic issues that exist throughout but that do not become glaringly obvious until students get in upper School and even more so in grade 8 and 9. Some of the issues are (but definitely not limited to):

poor, and almost non-existent, feedback from teachers about student progress - it is rarely provided in a constructive way and grades are rarely provided in a timely manner that would allow for improvement/further understanding of missed concepts prior to the next assignment or exam

report card surprise - because they do not provide grades or graded assignments consistently or in t timely manner, it is very difficult for either a child or parent to truly know overall performance/grade until it is too late. To be clear...my children made good grades...mostly A's and B's, which I am very pleased with but there were often many mistakes that went both ways, either hurting or benefitting us, may not accurately reflecting tru knowledge of overall content and course standards

Sense of Wonder is the biggest issue with students grades - it is a category that counts 25% of a students overall grade and can make the difference in 1 - 2 letter grades. The stated intent of Sense of Wonder looks good on paper and sounds good. However, there is no process the school implements to ensure objectivity and consistency . The goal post continues to move making it very challenging for students to be successful int his grading category. It is very subjective and teachers rarely assess the grade until the end of the quarter. It seems to be a very arbitrarily assigned grade that allows too much subjectivity for an overall grade to easily, and without notice, go up or down, for a given student. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to how these grades are assess from one content area to another or from one class to another. This grade can benefit naturally extroverted students while being devastating for quieter/shy students

Staff does not reply to parent concerns appropriately or timely; often waiting weeks for a response (from both teachers and admin)

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: April 29, 2021

Posted: May 22, 2020

Posted: May 22, 2020

Posted: May 22, 2020

Posted: May 22, 2020

This was my first year as a freshman and coming from public school it was quite a change. The school mandating the elective you take doesn’t allow you to utilize school time to grow in a skill. The have clubs but these are afterschool. Programs like cross-country and other sports have very skilled coaches and meet frequently but music and art clubs are way less prioritized. Besides that, I enjoyed being in such a positive environment. Although I’m not sure I will return, the people here are amazing and welcoming and the teachers are great people.

Posted: May 22, 2020

Teachers are always on top of checking homework and explaining the importance that it’s done.

Posted: May 22, 2020

Teachers always go above and beyond by offering tutoring and trying to help people understand their work.

Posted: December 13, 2019

From my experiences, there really isn’t much bullying at all.

Posted: December 13, 2019

The school is a great choice, however it could be better if they offered more extracurricular activities and a more defined High School experience. But, they have made significant improvements and getting better each year, as they are still a new school.

Posted: December 13, 2019

You will not find a culture like the one at Great Hearts anywhere else. The kids are for the most part very kind to each other and are taught to make meaningful decisions.

Posted: May 14, 2019

Posted: May 14, 2019

they say they do but action and the bullying from staff and administration says other wise. it is "do as I say, not as I do" culture

Posted: May 14, 2019

lower school is just as bad as public school. the treatment of children is only good if your parents give them money and give more money so staff can drive luxury cars. the headmaster k-6 hates men as she failed in her own marriage and now takes it out on fathers.

Posted: May 14, 2019

they strive for a good balance of home life and home work

Posted: May 14, 2019

some hit students and some are compassionate and there for the passion of teaching.

Posted: May 14, 2019

starts at home, the school has contradicted or alienated my kid so they have learned hypocrisy and poor leadership for the school Also a good teaching tool.

Posted: April 2, 2019

I'm pretty neutral on this. We have not had any issues and I have been pleased with the leadership displayed.

Posted: April 2, 2019

I do not have experience with this.

Posted: April 2, 2019

Again, I do not have experience with this, however I would think there is zero tolerance. The behavior standards are set high.

Posted: April 2, 2019

We love GHNO and cannot sing the praises highly enough. It is not a school for everyone, and that's okay. I would encourage anyone looking at GH to really examine the classical education model and make sure it is a good fit for your child and family. READ the handbook so there are no surprises. We love that everything is clearly defined and laid out. My children are thriving in a way that I am not sure they would in a typical school.

Posted: April 2, 2019

GH states in the student/parent handbook there will be nightly homework, so it should come as no surprise. The homework is simple, meaningful, and my two children have no problem completing it nightly.

Posted: April 2, 2019

I cannot speak highly enough about the many teachers we have had a GH. They are consistent, effective, and display a love of teaching.

Posted: April 2, 2019

Yes yes yes! A strong emphasis is placed on a variety of solid character traits.

Posted: March 31, 2019

They are constantly working to improve. They will not respond to criticism of the philosophy and curriculum because these are what makes the school unique. They do respond to criticism of the details of effectively running a school. They're always working to make things better.

Posted: March 31, 2019

The Special Ed department is out of this world.

Posted: March 31, 2019

The teachers are so compassionate and eager to mediate when the students have disagreements. The administration takes accusations of bullying very seriously.

Posted: March 31, 2019

They are a school so they have the ordinary problems of any other school BUT they have a curriculum and a philosophy of education that is unique. This is the education that I want for my kids and it is worth it to work through these bumps to be a part of this amazing place.

Posted: March 31, 2019

There are days when the workload is heavy but the students are given support and direction to help them manage their tasks.

Posted: March 31, 2019

The teachers are passionate hard working people. They could make more money elsewhere and are usually here because they love the curriculum and philosophy of the school.

Posted: March 31, 2019

This school teaches integrity and virtue throughout the curriculum with intention and compassion.

Posted: February 17, 2019

I cannot speak to this issue from experience.

Posted: February 17, 2019

My child did not experience bullying and did not observe any that I know of.

Posted: February 17, 2019

I had a gut feeling about this school that just made me uncomfortable. For one thing, I feel like there is an undercurrent of a political and religious agenda that is wholly inappropriate for a public elementary school. The school also touts the structure that it requires, but I think that the structure would be better defined as uniformity. Kids are not encouraged to think for themselves, but rather to memorize lessons provided to them by their teachers. I did not want my child's curiosity, personality, and creativity to be crushed, nor did I want him/her to be brainwashed, so we went elsewhere after grade 1.

Posted: February 17, 2019

My child attended for kinder and first in the school's first two years. The homework was not difficult, but it required an hour or so each night. It was mostly repetitive drills and probably not worth the time it took.

Posted: February 17, 2019

My child's kinder teachers were good and seemed invested in their students. The first grade head teacher was okay, but the assistant teacher was not impressive. She was short-tempered with the kids and read word-for-word from a script when teaching history one day when I was in the class. I felt bad for the kids.

Posted: February 17, 2019

I think my child did pick up on these lessons at GHNO.

Posted: September 16, 2018

There's the headmaster. And whatever he says, all teachers do without question. The headmaster is only concerned about scores and performance and has little time to waste on straggler and disruptive students. He gets his orders from Corporate in Arizona who frankly do not care about parents' concerns or your child's emotional development issues when things do not work out, because there's a waitlist of 500 enthusiastic parents just waiting to put their kids in the GH meatgrinder.

Posted: September 16, 2018

GH can only support students who do as they are told. Questioning, creative, or wandering types will get suspended, and expelled very quickly.

Posted: September 16, 2018

In order to achieve conformity, students are encouraged to tell on other kids who are breaking form. It's hard for kids to make friends here. Kind of like prison.

Posted: September 16, 2018

My first grader was doing lots of homework that reinforced the lessons of the day. It took several hours to get through.

Posted: September 16, 2018

Teachers seem to be able to teach only good students who do as they are told keep on tasks, and keep quiet, but are wholly incompetent to work with children just being children. Teachers quickly send disruptive or slow students to admin.

Posted: September 16, 2018

GH makes kids dull and not friendly. Not a fun place to be when you're a just kid finding your way in the world. This place is way to serious.

Posted: September 16, 2018

Awful. There is not much 'heart' in Great Hearts. GH chooses to only teach one kind of child: one's that just do what they are told. No resources are put into child development or counseling. Suspensions are liberally doled out.
This place is not for the intelligent, creative, questioning, individualistic child. They will get rooted out quickly. Only automatons on board with group-think should apply. As a parent who went there after I got 'the call' to get my unruly child for cutting in line, this place was Kafkaesque. No sympathy, no understanding, demented logic, exaggerated claims, and no one questioning how the absurdity is actually hurting a child.

Posted: May 22, 2018

Some students are corrected. Teachers bully students, parents ask questions those teachers try to bully parents, leadership is asked why and inturn ignore, or try to bully parents.
“Do as i say, not as i do” at its finest.

Posted: May 22, 2018

Unable to speak to this topic specifically.

Posted: May 22, 2018

The school has two head masters (principal) one is logical and professional, he is open to commucation with parents and contructive feed back to better the school. The other one well she is narcissistic and egotistical. Ignores parents, projects her failing in her presonal life on parents and professionals enviorment. She leads the favoritism club with certain teachers or coworks from Arizona. Bryan smith the VP of academics has even turned blind eyes to complaints.

Posted: May 22, 2018

If the teacher wants to deal with the grading. It can be a good size workload for children.

Posted: May 22, 2018

Just like other school you have passionate educators verse paycheck collectors.

Posted: May 22, 2018

Compassion by studies isnt the right path. Empathy is better teaching but laziness prevals.
Integrity is taught but when demonstrated it is condemn .

Posted: May 22, 2018

The education is liberal arts and it is Phenomenal. Some teachers are collecting a paycheck and some are the true assets and cornerstones of the schools success. Some leadership is worthless.
The campus safety is lacking and waiting a law suit. The pressure of religion with less then moral churches contradicts the education model.

Posted: April 18, 2018

Issues like bullying are simply not addressed at the school. The headmaster simply let it be or ignores it completely.

Posted: April 18, 2018

Posted: April 18, 2018

The headmaster ignores it and any issue is brushed under the rug.

Posted: April 18, 2018

Posted: April 18, 2018

Initially they started out great but a lot of the really good ones left. If you have an issue with any teacher the headmaster of the lower grade usually sides with them.

Posted: April 18, 2018

Compassion is not taught. It’s more fear-based. It seems as if the teachers are more concerned about the length of a boy’s hair rather than the morale of the students.

Posted: April 18, 2018

It’s getting worse. The headmaster really needs to listen to the parents feelings on different topics and not disparage them or ignore them.

Posted: March 29, 2018

Posted: March 29, 2018

Posted: March 29, 2018

My kids have been at this school since 2016. Yes, the school was tough on behavior the first semester it opened, but that was to set expectations and clear boundaries. What I love about this school is the discussions that my children are engaged in. They come home memorizing Keats, discussing the differences of Madison and Hamilton in the Federalist Papers, talking about Euclid in their geometry class, frustrated with the passivism of Thoreau, and excited about the art project they want to show me. Is it for everyone? No. But I know that, even with flaws (that you will find in every school), my kids are getting a classical education (the Trivium) that will serve them the rest of their lives.

Posted: March 29, 2018

Posted: March 29, 2018

Posted: March 29, 2018

Posted: March 29, 2018

Posted: March 1, 2018

Posted: March 1, 2018

Posted: March 1, 2018

Posted: March 1, 2018

Posted: March 1, 2018

Posted: March 1, 2018

We have been her since the beginning and could not ask for a better education for our three girls. It is not easy, the homework is a ton every night but it is doable, my girls are learning that they have to work for their success and that is a good thing. Every Teacher one of our Children has had has been outstanding, and top notch. We could not be happier with GHNO.....

Posted: October 12, 2017

Posted: October 12, 2017

Posted: October 12, 2017

Schools structure is unparalleled and discipline constant

Posted: October 12, 2017

Posted: October 12, 2017

Posted: October 12, 2017

Posted: October 12, 2017

Posted: September 11, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

Posted: May 26, 2017

My two children are excelling all aspects including character development. A traditional public school would teaching the test only.

Posted: May 25, 2017

Posted: May 25, 2017

Posted: May 25, 2017

Our son is just now finishing up his second year at GHNO. Compared to the Public School choices...there is no choice. Our son comes home now quoting Plato and other philosophers. His friends from public school come home quoting JayZ....that to me, is the biggest difference. Great Hearts promotes knowledge of knowledge not pop culture. If you want your kid to be exposed to something different without the price tag of a private school then I can highly recommend Great Hearts. If you want your kids to have neck tattoos or nose piercings this is not the school for your kids. Simple as that. A lot of these kids were previously in private "Christ Centered" schools or were home schooled. Coming from the Public godless system it has been very refreshing to have our son part of something in the world but not of the world. If you like that statement this is the right school for your kid. If that statement ticks you off...then by all means Go Public!

Posted: May 25, 2017

Posted: May 25, 2017

Posted: May 25, 2017

Posted: May 25, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

In only one year, GHNO has changed and not for the better. It is part of a large chain of schools and now feels like it. Gone is the family-like atmosphere. In its place are manufactured platitudes alluding to higher purpose and noble virtues, all designed to mask antiquated rectitude and stale pedagogical methodology, all at the expense of the child. The parent is made to feel good while the child suffers. Ask a child what they think, not their parents, and the truth will be revealed. There are some excellent teachers, a few exceptional, but most are mediocre and unhappy, and there some truly poor, to the point of always wearing dour expressions. For kids, routines of endless drilling are designed to bring up the low academic performers, while children capable of superior achievement are numbed by repetition and held back from reaching their true potential by waiting for their classmates to catch up. Despite the best hopes of many parents, GHNO is not as represented. If your child is above average, enroll him/her in a traditional public school and opt for gifted/talented. If your child is underperforming, GH may elevate their achievement but at an emotional cost for your child. Unfortunately for GH, there are better ways to achieve superior education for our children, and it is only a matter of time for GH's limitations to become well-known.

Posted: November 30, 2016

The teachers are amazing and the curriculum consistently challenging. 504's and IEP's are enthusiastically enforced without sacrificing the character development of the child.

Posted: September 8, 2016

We've been to 2 private schools that weren't teaching students or managing classrooms and our public schools nearby have students with behavioral and drug issues. Getting into Great Hearts is a blessing and this is our second year. The work is tough! It takes my child more time to complete it but that's because she puts extra time in for the best grade she can get. She came into Great Hearts behind academically and is soaring strong now. Teachers treat students, each other and parents with respect. Students are encouraged to lift each other up and have built a strong community. Tutoring is in the morning and after school. Teachers are willing to take the time to help students with subjects. My child has really become responsible, confident, and loves Great Hearts so much. No school is "perfect" for everyone but for us Great Hearts is! It's worth our travel time to get there.

Posted: August 24, 2016

Posted: August 24, 2016

Posted: August 24, 2016

The One time that my son had a conflict as school with another student, they were both given an opportunity to grow and learn from their experience. They are good friends now. What a great lesson in life on how to best deal with conflict? Conflict happens, your choices matter and make a difference in the outcome.

Posted: August 24, 2016

This is our second year at this school. We are blessed to be part of a community of scholars who look to challenge and shape the minds of our children for a better and higher purpose.

Posted: August 21, 2016

Read the Great Hearts handbook about homework for the grade levels and multiply what it says by 2 or 3. This is consistently true and they will tell you to write notes about it taking longer than the stated time, but you may never know if those notes are read and/or it will probably result in them telling you your child has a problem. To test this, I often timed myself doing the homework and I always ran over the handbook time even when I knew the material and did it as if I were in a race (math).

Posted: August 21, 2016

My experience is that the best teachers are those that have resisted being micromanaged by the lower school headmaster (2015-16) who prior to this job was a 5th grade teacher at an Arizona Great Hearts school. This person demonstrates a callousness bordering on contempt when challenged. The school would likely improve overnight with someone more equipped in that position. Examine the reviews written by staff at GlassDoor website and you will find some honesty from some of the current and former teachers -- it may make you think twice about having your children there.

Posted: July 18, 2016

I am highly impressed with the school's teacher, admin, and parent community. There is always a willingness to help one another or ways to create a tighter between students. Students are held to high standards and are expected to show respect to adults (authority) and one another, something that our society has lost. Having been at previous schools, I can honestly say that this school provides everything a child needs to grow, intellectually and respect for others.

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: July 18, 2016

Posted: March 29, 2016

Headmasters are inexperienced and arrogant. They are at their best when asking for money or performing for outsiders. They believe that the path to discipline for a child is to instill fear. The preach humility but never model it.

Posted: March 7, 2016

It would be a stretch to say that leadership in the school consistently models any of these traits. My kids constantly talk about how punishment is doled out for the slightest issues.

Posted: January 30, 2016

Too much for sure. They have not arrived at creative ways to cover the breadth of material in a way that can indicate progress for the student without potentially overloading them. For example, cover the same math pages but only do the odd numbered problems and assess the group for additional instruction. They can fit it in, discover whether the topic is being learned, and easily modify and adjust without overburdening the child.

Posted: January 30, 2016

The school has high ideals about honesty, integrity, and fairness. This is noteworthy and meaningful. They encourage students to embrace these ideas in addition to humility. Humility (not weakness) is not demonstrably modeled by key leaders in the school. This constitutes a flaw in their approach and it leads one to believe that they value the authoritative role of an adult over a child to a fault. A strong, earnest teacher who can also be vulnerable and make mistakes will be more effective in exciting and nurturing the mind of a child.

Posted: January 30, 2016

Leadership at the school is inconsistent in their approach to families and students. The structure, curriculum, and the rules are commendable but the delivery is often contrived. There are parents who are as excited about the material being taught as they are perplexed by the unhappiness of their attending child. Once the team gains some wisdom, maturity, and humility in the ways they interact with families, they will have the chance to truly claim the excellence they project.