Started in kindergarten...my child spoke a little english....now she speaks reads and writes…read moreenglish at her grade level and recently graduated from the ESL program. She is behind in math ...hopefully she will catch up next year in 3rd grade. As long as my child continues to progress academically i will keep her there ....drive line does leave something to be desired as well as with school communication but academically the school is getting the job done.

I'm writing to bring to your attention an incident that happened today, August 14th, around 3:20…read morePM, regarding my daughter Callie's school laptop. This morning, Callie accidentally left her laptop at home, so I brought it to the school around 9:00 AM. When I dropped it off at the front desk, the receptionist Mellisa mentioned that she "might be able to get it to her." I assumed she was joking, so I left it with her. Later in the day, I found out that Callie never received her laptop. When I returned to the front desk, I expressed that if it wasn't going to be delivered to her, I would have preferred to take it back with me. The receptionist mentioned that she thought it was for homework, but in fact, Callie needed it for classwork during her last period today. I also want to note that this is only the second time Callie has forgotten her laptop, yet the receptionist claimed it had happened three or four times, which is simply not true. I was disappointed to hear an inaccurate statement about my daughter's track record, especially when it could impact how she is perceived. I wanted to make you aware of this situation because it caused Callie to miss an important class activity. I understand everyone is busy, but I hope we can ensure that items critical to a student's classwork are delivered in a timely manner in the future and that communication remains accurate and respectful. Thank you for your time and understanding. Sincerely Jaylene . P

I love this school it is perfect for children teachers are kind and respectful students are well…read morebehaved definitely recommend for kids

The principal took a students phone and started looking through it with no explanation, the…read moreprincipal did not even ask for permission and just started looking through it, the student did nothing wrong too, and took a 20 dollar bill from the student. I saw it with my own two eyes, and this is just unacceptable.

Great experience at this school. Definitely the light at the…read moreend of the tunnel for our family. Our child can be a handful but she really excelled at Desert Heights. Thank you

It's not bad it's just some teacher being strict and sometimes ignoring kids but it's amazing!read more

My daughter is in the ABLE program. I have to say the staff is amazing with her since day one. Also…read morethe students were all giving her fist bumps or saying hi every time she said it even if she said it 10 times. When we were dropping her off she ran up to a parent and hugged him and I apologized. He was so kind and I think it actually made his day. Everything about this school has been pleasant so far and I hope it continues because we have been blessed. Thank you everyone for your hard work and dedication it shows.

Just had to stop by here to register my daughter for kinder camp at another school. The staff was…read moreincredible. They all stopped what they were doing to sing baby shark to my 1 year old who was saying "Baby shark!" He froze with all the attention but smirked a bit. Some older kids came in and joined in the singing and added dancing. Just a great atmosphere for kids. The staff really enjoy children and trying to get them to smile. Everyone was kind and courteous. My brief visit was a nice one!

My son goes to this school and we haven't had a better education experience than here. The…read moreteachers are all very attentive, the staff as a whole is great, and my son enjoys the classes. He's always excited to tell me about his day and the level of parent involvement is wonderful. Scholastic Reading Club letters go home every month and the teachers really do their best to help kids become better learners. I'm not the biggest fan of Arizona's heat, rude people, bad driving or extreme weirdness, but this school is amazing enough that I think I'll stay here for as long as I can manage to. Nothing is more important than a child's education and this is the place to help get that for them.

I appreciate that they are hosting basketball games for the high school clubs leagues.read more

This school is a dump. I don't recommend going here at all. People are mean, teachers can't teach…read more The lunch is horrible and the campus needs tons of work done to it. Dont go to this high school!

We have been at this school for three years now and have loved it. We drive 20 min each way out of…read moredistrict here to be in the deer valley unified school district and attend an A rated school. My kids have loved their preschool, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade teachers! They have fun events and PTA is great. If this is a choice in your area or you are out of area looking for a school look no further!

Abby had one of the worst attitudes I've ever encountered at a school and that is very concerning…read morein this type of environment. I would have much better to say if she had chosen to be professional and courteous toward me.

I am very happy with the WESD. My child has received a wonderful education through the Washington…read moreSchool District. They welcome parent interaction. Their teachers care about the kids personally and academically . All 32 schools are rated as excelling, highly performing, performing plus, or performing by the Arizona Department of Education. Open enrollment and full-day kindergarten opportunities are available at all schools. Gifted Services are offered at all schools, with approximately 1,700 students being challenged beyond the traditional classroom setting, including two self-contained programs that serve highly gifted students. Music, art, and physical education programs are offered in all District schools. Acacia Elementary is an A+ School of Excellence. Abraham Lincoln Traditional School is an excelling school, featuring open enrollment. Arizona Cardinals Preparatory Academy for grades 5-8 provides small-school experience through a community partnership with Cardinals Charities, University of Phoenix and Communities in Schools of Arizona. National Junior Honor Society organizations are offered at all middle/junior high schools. Parent teacher organizations (PTO/PTAs) are active throughout WESD schools. Forty National Board Certified teachers are employed in the WESD (including five who renewed their certification after 10 years), the third highest number of any district in Arizona. Pretty good stuff for free!!

This is a great district, especially for children with special needs. The staff genuinely cares…read moreabout the students, and are very dedicated to the students. There are a variety of placement options to meet the individual needs of special ed students. I have worked in other districts, and none compared to WESD! It's the best!

Highly unimpressed with the leadership here at this school. Principal is rude and condescending to…read moreconcerned parents, and if parents try to advocate for their child, the principal will interrupt, belittle, and then start crying when things don't go her way (not an exaggeration btw). Children with special needs such as ADHD or autism are overlooked and/or looked down upon. Communication is extremely poor. If something happens between children, you may not hear about it for a week or so, and when you try to ask them why they are delaying telling you about certain behaviors or incidents, they will put the blame back on you saying "well why does it matter when I tell you?" Principal seems to care little to nothing about what parents think, or how the children feel. How can you trust a place that doesn't communicate with you about your child, and then when you try to communicate with them they shut you down, make you feel like you're inconveniencing them, or refuse to talk to you all together?

I love Challenge! Everyone here has been incredibly welcoming to me since the day I stepped on…read morestaff. It is a dream to be apart of a school that puts kids FIRST!

I chose this school because everyone in my community used to rave about it…read more Let's start from the beginning: my son started in kindergarten and things seemed okay-ish. But once he hit first grade, red flags started waving like it was a parade. I noticed his entire class was filled with kids of color -- which in itself is fine -- but then on a field trip, I saw another class (shoutout to Mrs. Vanderholt's class) that was almost exclusively white. It was awkwardly obvious. I asked his teacher why the classes looked segregated. She hit me with a shrug. Now, about that field trip. While I was waiting for my son to come out of the restroom, I overheard a teacher (shout out again to the same teacher) ask, "Is he blaaaack?!" when a staff member reported a kid playing in the bathroom. The staff member looked like they were still in high school and clearly had no clue how to respond. The teacher then stormed into the restroom and screamed the child's name like she was summoning a demon. That poor boy -- I have no idea what he goes through daily, but if that was her "public field trip" voice, I shudder to think about her "classroom voice." Then came the conferences. I use the word conferences loosely because they were about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine. The teacher-to-student ratio? A joke. And apparently, speaking above a whisper is now a felony. My son came home saying they played a game called "Cemetery" -- where kids pretend to be dead... by staying silent. Yep. That's the actual game. Can't make this up. And no, I didn't teach him that, nor does anyone in our home play "funeral-themed" games for fun. Oh, and to add insult to injury: I once recommended this school to a friend whose child was literally reading at 2 years old. She drove 40 minutes just to enroll him here. What did the school do with her little prodigy? The conferences considered him "average"-- He's now 9, reading at an eighth-grade level, and crushing math. So unless their problem was "he's too smart for us," I don't get it. Maybe his skin and hair didn't fit the school's unspoken criteria. Bottom line: If you're considering this school -- RUN. I wanted to believe in Copperwood. I truly did. But between the weirdly segregated classes, tone-deaf teachers, useless conferences, and "play dead" games, I don't recommend. Although, the librarian there is PHENOMENAL!!!! Talk about a spunky, sweet soul! He helps with pick up and drop off every morning and truly set my day up for success! shot out to MR. R!

I went to this school years ago from K-8th. I wouldn't like my children to go here, only because…read morethe teachers are not helpful. I struggled in math (still do) because my 5th grade teacher, failed to teach us an ounce of math. Set me back for years. This is the same teacher that made an announcement about my older sister who she saw on TV, and directly insulted my sister, calling her rude, intolerable, uneducated, and falsely speaking on behalf of a student body (she still works there today) then she proceeded to e-mail my mother to tell her I was not being truthful. Had an occasion where a principal had threatened me, used an incident that happened outside of school as a weapon because she was the aunt of the girl i had issues with. The Choral program and teacher changed my life, along with the best teacher ever, Ms. Land.