It's hard to write a review for an entire school as it's made of so many parts. The staff, the…read moreteachers, the parents, the students... But, I feel I need to write one as our experience has been so widely varied from teacher to teacher, year to year, child to child.
Let me start by saying that this school gives no training to teachers in bullying behavior, interpersonal communication (i.e. how to communicate with students), theology, emotional dysregulation, or any skill that may be a strong basis for better student engagement, true discipleship, and teaching. In addition, to my understanding, most teachers are not required to get regular training or gain CECs. Furthermore, there is essentially little to no documentation of events when a student has a conflict with a teacher. (And my "no documentation" I mean exactly that... no paper trail, no proof. So, if your child is experiencing any unfair treatment by a teacher, as a parent, you need to document it like you were a lawyer preparing for court case).
For decades, this school has been touted as a "good" school to send Christian kids. However, it's really the "only" non-denominational Christian school in Missoula that offers sports. And the idea of "good" is subjective at best. There is no objective measurement to which this school is seemingly held.
All of this to say... your - or more appropriately, your child's - experience at this school will largely depend on the teacher or teachers your child gets assigned. The teacher holds the total control on the way the classroom is managed (through fear or love), how students are allowed to treat each other, and how your student is percieved to be (through an objective lens or a subjective one).
Since there is no training, no "staff check in" and no set objective measurement that teachers are held to upholding, you are at the mercy of the teacher's natural personality, view of children, and skillset they gain outside of the classroom on their own time. You are also at the mercy on how that teacher views their role to their/your students' lives - are they compassionate, calm, trainers (i.e. train them up in the way they should go)? Or are they over-bearing, religious, authority figures that teach children to "submit" to them?
Many staff are quite kind. Sweet, engaging, and geniunely care about these kids. Others are cold, worn out, and not interested in kindess at all. Many teachers are wonderful and passionate people who love God, their job, and their students. Others are truly - and I say this with some compassion - emotionally scarred, traumatized, religiously abused people who see their role as one of complete authority ready to pounce on any child who "disobeys" them. There seems to be very little in between. And that is the Russion Roulet game you are playing when you bring your children to this school.
For example, some students in elementary get a 13-year plus experienced teacher who has excellent classroom management, positive reinforcement, clear boundaries and goals. For other students in the same grade they will recieve a teacher who is angry, controls students with fear, is never happy, and will blame students for any failure. With this teacher, your child will not recieve any kind training or guidance; only assumptions, accusations, and punishments. All. Year. Long.
I have knows of students who begin having anxiety, begin trauma-induced behaviors, and overall dread school because of the in-class environment in Elementary. I have known kids that are bullied by their peers in Middle School but teachers turn a blind eye and explain it away so students go years (with an "s") being bullied here with no intervention from teachers or staff (possibly because they aren't trained to see it? Have no guidelines in their handbook?). I have known of many High Schoolers that are teased in front of the class by their teacher as a "joke", mocked, made and "example of", or genuinely belittled week after week after week with no intervention from upper leadership. In addition, there are Middle School and High School teachers who are notorious to show favoritism (buy them drinks, give them rights to leave class while others can not, etc), threaten kids with their earned privledges in class, or passive aggressively correct students year after year after year. Again, with no intervention, correction, or dismissal from the school despite many students and parents speaking out.
All of this to say... run. Run away from this school. It is like a disease that slowly creeps deep into your bones. No "good teacher" can erase the bad. There is NO basis for objective goals reached by teachers or staff behavior. There is no clear documentation for student-teacher conflict that seems to protect the student at all. There is extreme favoritism from many teachers of upper grades and many "overlords" in the lower grades. It's a crap shoot as to what your child will get. A game, as a parent, you shouldn't risk participating in.
