I am the building engineer at this school. I've worked at a few other schools and this is by far…read morethe best. The staff is friendly and its a very clean well organized school. I wouldn't prefer any other school.

5/2: Update: It's a different school now. The below review no longer relevant. I have no knowledge…read moreof the current school. The most amazing "little school that could". My son just graduated and we were looking back at what he achieved. It's simply incredible. School plays, lego league, chess, debate, technology club, VEX Robotics World Championships competing against high schools in California and of course solar cars, where Woodlands come home with armfuls of prizes. Great teachers who really care and classes sizes you wouldn't believe. (4-6, but not above 8 was our experience). He learned a lot and turned out a most polite young man. Would strong recommend - contact me for any more details!

A hidden gem! We…read moremoved to Castle Pines in January (from out of state) & only recently found Woodlands Academy in Castle Rock. I wish I had found them sooner. My 10 year old had been in the gifted program at her old school, had been doing well & loved school. While Douglas County school district has an open enrollment policy and a ton of charter/magnet schools, you can't actually get into any of them when you move in the middle of the year (in addition to missing the lottery for the following year). Our neighborhood elementary school was awful. I had a bad feeling about it the first time we visited it & have learned my lesson about listening to myself. It got worse over time until I was desperate to find another place (& had to promise my daughter that she would not have to go back there for 5th grade--no matter what--just to get her to be willing to get up & go to school every morning). She never had any homework, including math, and never had any make-up work when she was out sick--including a whole week she was out when we finished moving which the teachers knew about ahead of time. No assignments whatsoever. And there was no communication about anything they were studying or about any tests/projects/grades or anything. Luckily, I happened upon the Woodlands Academy while looking for another school for the following year, having promised my daughter that she would not have to go back to her old school. After applying, she went to shadow at the school to see if she liked it, while also giving them the opportunity to test her to see if she would be a good fit for their academically accelerated program. As it turns out, we were lucky that a new charter school had opened close by and had taken a lot of their students, so they had openings!!! The school was so fabulous I couldn't believe it. Very small classes with lots of one-on-one attention. They have lots of outside activities like going to the opera and hiking local places. It was so impressive that I withdrew my daughter from the local public school and am having her finish out the year there. I wouldn't normally think that would be a good idea, but she wasn't learning anything at her old school, so I couldn't imagine it being negative in any way. She went to shadow and never went back to her old school. Thankfully, the small classes allow the teachers to help catch my daughter up in things that she missed learning during her months in public school (important things that all 4th graders need to know for future school success). She loves going to school again! Now she comes home excited about debate class, learning a foreign language (they offer Spanish, French, German & Latin) and building a battery powered car (the middle schoolers designed solar powered) in technology class. If you are looking for an alternative school choice for an exceptional 1st-8th grader, I highly recommend Woodlands Academy. We are excited to have a great place lined up for next year. If I had found them sooner, or my about to be 8th grader hadn't already gotten into the STEM School & Academy for next year, I would pull her out of her enormous middle school and gladly send her to the Woodlands Academy where she could get the attention she deserves as an above average student who is clearly not getting enough attention focussed on her with her classes of 30+ students at the local middle school (which had great reviews, btw).

Good graduation rates but low standards in the classroom. They have very strict school codes but…read moreneither teachers nor students abide by. Limited sports and no music program. The clubs that they have are either Taylor swift or hiking. They do not promote students taking college courses to graduate with AA. Going to switch to another school.

Perspective of elementary student parent, lots of turnover in teachers, with no ethics at all…read more Administrators will literally lie to cover their behinds. Setup is like a prison yard. I know multiple students in my kids grade that left within 2 years of going here. It's lipstick on a pig. They love to look pretty. So happy we have left, you will be too!

PARKER LOCATION: My grandchildren attend this school. We…read morecould not be happier with the outcome of their education. Teachers are above excellent and I can't say enough about this school. Uniforms are required and they have many extracurricular activities that your children may be able to participate in. If you are looking for the best charter school in the south area, make sure to look into American Academy's new Parker facility. You won't regret the education your child receives at this school. The teachers are AMAZING. The ability grouping teachers are phenomenal. Wish I could give them a score of 10 stars. A rarity for me to give this high score.

Huge campus.Soccer field looks very cool.Clean organized and neat school.Very nice and friendly…read morestaff.

Great school definitely recommend it .Friendly staff and beyond. Especially for this neighborhood,…read moreit's a big opportunity to have this school.

Our daughter attended SCS for 3s Preschool and we had a wonderful experience. As she is our eldest,…read moreI was curious about exploring other educational models / learning methodology. I also was not yet 100% sold on paying for a Christian education. She did a year of Montessori preschool and two years at a homeschool hybrid. This process of exploration over three years helped me gain clarity on what we want to prioritize in our children's education. It ultimately led us back to SCS, with grateful hearts. She returned to SCS as a first grader this past school year and I was completely blown away. I'll touch on three areas of 'insider insight' that I couldn't have known about until we were part of the school: community, discipleship and spiritual maturity. Community Community is of utmost importance to me, especially coming from a small, tightly-knit homeschool community at our previous school. SCS not only met, but exceeded my expectations for a parent community. I immediately felt plugged in and connected to the parent community just by jumping into a few of the many opportunities for parent involvement like Parents in Prayer, Mom's Time Out, Women's Bible Study, Room Parent and Volunteer XC / Track Coach. Raising our children in a community of like-minded, trustworthy, faithful and believing families is high on our priority list and brings so much peace of mind. I have connected with and really love and enjoy, not just a handful of families, but SO many families at SCS! Discipleship We truly felt that our daughter's teacher and all of her 'specials' teachers (PE, Music, Art & Library) partnered with us in training her up in the ways she should go. A biblical worldview and curriculum is woven throughout all subjects. As such, we have a consistency of discipleship from home, to church, to school. Spiritual Maturity Growing in my own spiritual maturity over the past three years and critically thinking about what I want our kids to take away from their education convinced me of the importance of investing in a Christian education, including any sacrifice necessary to make that happen. This first year back at SCS only affirmed and solidified that decision for me. I recently attended the last chapel of the year which featured two graduating eighth grade speakers. I was moved to tears by the spiritual maturity of these two young ladies. The spiritual fruit of a Christian education was evident in their words. I left challenged, moved, and hopeful for my own young children's experience. My own daughter demonstrated so much spiritual growth this past year too. From the conversations we had, to the Bible stories she recounted to me, to the songs, pledges and other things she memorized - her little heart was captured. The culmination being when she gave her heart to Jesus toward the end of the year. Her teacher emailed my husband and I to share the good news and I just cried and praised God. Our daughter's first grade teacher and SCS are forever a part of our family's eternal story and we are beyond grateful. This school is educating for eternity and, as a parent, I can think of nothing more valuable.

Happy to see all the videos. Excellent job of educating children. Keep up the great work. Christ…read morecentered education is vital. Proverbs...Train up a child in the way he should go...and he ell not depart from it.

My son currently goes to Orchard Valley. We recently moved to Colorado from Seattle, where my son…read morewent to an in-home day care center. So finding a nice day care center was important for us. We are so impressed with Orchard Valley. The staff is friendly and welcoming. Each of the classrooms have bright colors and lots of toys. Communication is great, as they send a weekly email and even daily updates on how your child did. The one and only reason this isn't a five star review is there seems to be staffing issues. I know this isn't the teachers' fault, but from time to time they struggle to have enough teachers in each classroom and can sometimes combine classes if a teacher is sick or has a day off. Otherwise, I would highly recommend Orchard Valley Learning Center.

I do not recommend enrolling your children at Orchard Valley. The director is irresponsable,…read moreunorganized, and unwilling to make an effort to correct her mistakes. While, ideally the school director would be competent enough to resolve any issues on her own, that is unfortunately not the case here. In addition, corporate office is set up for employees and has no contacts for parents of the students. I was beyond disappointed and both of my children were miserable. In response... That was actually not the case at all. I was told on Friday morning by Janie that there was "definitely availability" for both of my children. I explained our special circumstances and that we needed Orchard Valley specifically because of one of their employees. I was told that I would be able to start my children the next week and there was no mention of a deposit. When I called Monday morning, I was told that there were no spaces, it was my fault, and I was hung up on. So yes, my review is accurate, and proven more so by the fact that no one involved has taken any responsibility or offered any solution, yet they have found the time to try to defend themselves on a public forum. If there are any specific accusations that you "Jason" would like to deny I would be happy to address them... Bottom line... I've never even been in direct contact with this facility, or in contact at all with their parent company, and as you can see they are not at all interested in helping their parents or students.

My child attended PCK Preschool and is autistic. While staff were polite, we were repeatedly told…read morethat the program could not offer additional support and that it "wasn't a good fit." The school would not allow his ABA therapist to attend with him, and conversations consistently focused on limitations rather than collaboration or accommodation. Based on our experience, the program appears designed for children who already fit a narrow profile, leaving little room for those who need support. We ultimately chose a school that welcomes our child, works with his providers, and supports his growth--and that decision has made a significant difference.

The PRESCHOOL is way too expensive for the quality and amount of schooling received. basically you…read moreare just paying a lot to have an extra chance to get into kindergarten. I didn't feel like my daughter was receiving any better education than the neighborhood preschool we switched to. The teacher also didn't seem to discipline a kid who kept pushing the other kids on the playground, as it never got resolved. drop off/pickup is a NIGHTMARE. the preschool parents have to work around the regular school pickup/drop off. they won't let you park to pick up your kid if the school is still doing elementary pickup, even if theyre super late and it's preschool pickup time. but yet I'd you're late on other days you have to pay a fee. they have no care for parents schedules. the preschool does not follow rules/guidelines by health department in regards to masks. One good thing, at least in my daughters class, there was a lot of diversity of students!

It's ok some teachers were a lil crazy and some of the rules made sense some didn't some teachers…read morethought this was a high school with the way of discipline tho.

Southmoor Elementary is our home school. The parent community is extremely supportive. We have new…read moreleadership-our principal is amazing, motivating, transparent and collaborative. My kids love school and I love that Southmoor is focused on the whole child, inside and out.