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).

My child also experienced bullying over the course of many years. After the principal and school…read morecounselor proved they weren't interested in resolving this problem, we removed our children from ACS. I would never recommend this charter school to any parent.

I am a recently graduated student from acs. Over the 5 years I was at acs I felt like I was not…read moreonly being drowned out by school work but also the disrespect of not only students, but also the teachers/staff. Starting out at the school I noticed a severe case of bullying from other students which I ended up experiencing myself. Some kids were physically hurt and others mentally, and the schools staff failed to punish or take the situation seriously when brought to them. When I was in 6th grade I was being bullied by multiple classmates and when I brought it to the counselor, nothing was resolved nor did she attempt to even speak with the students. I have noticed how much the school lacks in providing a safe environment when it comes to mental health and bullying for students. When I entered middle school the sheer amount of work pressed on us caused constant anxiety of failed grades and teacher relationships. Especially in 8th grade I found myself doing homework from the time I got home till dinner, then starting back up until late at night. Even after spending hours I still couldn't find the time to do it all. Many students found themselves falling behind in classes and not having the time to have fun extracurriculars to enjoy. Spending so long on homework caused a lack of sleep for the students making it harder to focus. Most teachers didn't seem to have the patience for it. If you weren't passing a class many teachers claimed you just didn't have good time management or didn't pay attention, instead of acknowledging how much work they forced on students. Teacher student relationships often struggled from this. However, giving acs one star goes out truly to the few teachers I found at that school that were really helpful and kind. It wasn't until middle school that I found a teacher willing to listen and provide a safe classroom along with stern advice and good teaching that has helped me become who I am now. He will remain an important mentor in my life. I also found that my 6th grade homeroom teacher helped me get through the tough times of that year. If you are planning on sending your children through this school, please prepare to set them up with therapy or consider moving them into online school instead. Most students I attended acs with have left the school with a lower self esteem, self worth, pride, and joy than children leaving 8th grade should. I even know a student in my grade who moved schools halfway through 8th grade year because of student and teacher disrespect. That student recently told me how toxic the acs environment truly was and how much better his new school ended up being. Reconsider sending your kid please.

Our experience with Brightmont Academy in Castle Pines was a complete disappointment and a very…read moreexpensive mistake. From the start, the lack of organization was obvious. We attended an open house where no other families showed up, which should have been a warning sign. The director made confident promises about socialization, ADHD support, individualized learning, and keeping students on track without relying on homework. None of those promises held up. What we actually experienced was a disorganized, inconsistent environment with constant teacher turnover and no clear structure. There was no onboarding, no real explanation of how the program worked, and no access provided to track our child's progress. It genuinely felt like we were expected to "drop our kid off and figure it out later." Despite being told homework wouldn't be necessary, it was assigned repeatedly. Communication was consistently poor, emails rarely resulted in direct answers, and there was no proactive outreach when our child began falling behind. Instead, we were blindsided. At one point, we were told, without warning, that our child was significantly behind and that we would need to pay thousands more (around $7,000) just to get him through required credits. That is not a small oversight, that is a complete failure in communication and accountability. For the amount we paid, comparable to a year at a four-year university the value simply was not there. The educational model felt heavily reliant on pre-existing computer-based curriculum, with limited oversight and little sense of urgency to ensure students stayed on track. There was no clear system in place to prevent students from quietly falling behind until it became a financial problem for the family. Socialization was essentially nonexistent. There were very few students, and no meaningful effort from staff to create interaction or a sense of community. There were also concerning gaps in communication around safety. At one point, we were notified that a firearm had been found near the school, but there was no meaningful follow-up or reassurance beyond a brief message. This experience was frustrating, disheartening, and incredibly costly for what was delivered. We trusted what we were told during enrollment, and that trust was not earned. I would strongly caution any parent considering Brightmont Academy to ask very detailed questions, get everything in writing, and think carefully before committing. Based on our experience, this is not a program I would recommend especially given the financial investment required.

From the owner: Every student deserves an educational experience built around how they learn best. With more than…read more26 campuses across 11 states and growing, Brightmont Academy provides a personalized approach to learning through one-to-one instruction, individualized attention, flexible pacing, and a learning plan tailored to each student’s academic goals, strengths, and challenges. For over 26 years, students have come to Brightmont for many reasons, whether they are seeking flexible schedules, credit acceleration or recovery, greater academic challenges, or additional support. Our experienced teachers build strong relationships with students, helping them grow academically while developing confidence, independence, and a love of learning.

I would call DC Oakes a High School Alternative rather than an Alternative High School. The small…read moreclass sizes, outdoor experiences, arts and family culture, that are hallmarks of this school, make this a school where kids feel safe reflect on choices made. More importantly it has a way of supporting young adults in becoming responsible contributing members of their community. I am very impressed with the dedicated staff at DC Oakes. They are professional yet down-to-earth and they strive to see each individual who walks through the front door as a valuable member of their extended school family.

Our daughter was miserable at Legend and dropped out in her Jr year. Even though she was not…read moretechnically enrolled in DC Oaks, the staff helped her gain the confidence to pass her GED and enroll in cosmetology school. DC Oakes is not your typical hard-driving, college bound academic high school...the teachers genuinely care about young people, especially those with challenges.

There isn't much this school has going for it. Take advice from a former student (me, now a…read moresophomore in high school) who had come back to this yelp page to give good feedback for the school and advice for parents thinking about enrolling their student. First, don't base the enrollment of your student off this review but please take note as to what your child might experience at this school. Now, into my insight on this school. Though I had been there only from 1st-6th I had to transfer due to poor ability to put kids in the right classes and an awful 1:35 male to woman staff employment. As you can tell, it is very uncommon to have very little male staff members, and you might be wondering "could this school give more opportunity to succeed for a girl rather than a boy" the answer is yes. many sexist teachers flood the school every year and they seem to have a vendetta against male students. Though this could be blindly overlooked when your student is younger, by 5th grade, it becomes very obvious. Second, the teachers' ability to teach proper lessons is awful. The school hires younger teachers so they can pay them less, in hope to save money. It also seems that training doesn't exist at this school because some teachers seem very clueless as to what new students might need for resources. In all, this school should not be your primary choice but feel free to overlook this comment

AVA has been a great experience for our children. top notch teachers, an active PTO that provides…read moreplenty of volunteer opportunities, strong academic and sports programs are plentiful overlayed with character education at the center of everything. When combined with an amazing principal and school administration that always puts children's needs first, it's easy to see why this school has been voted Best of the Best for the last two years! https://coloradocommunitymedia.com/stories/best-of-the-best-2019,282899