Do you value your children's education? their mental health? what about their spiritual well-being?…read more If you answered yes to any of these questions do yourself a favor and steer well clear of this institution. My own experience and the opinions I formed as one of their students inform this. Their name is Chautauqua Christian Academy now but that means nothing, just as bad they just have a principal now. They value their personal reputation as good Christians above the safety, wellbeing, and education of their students. You will have little to no support if you have learning disabilities, or any disabilities for that matter. They don't care about you if you fall outside the image of their perfect Christian. I'm struggling to see where exactly they're meant to be Christ-like.​

I wanted to make sure I reviewed this as I send my son here and he loves it. I can tell day after…read moreday he is learning. He comes home telling me about his day and all hes learned I trust this school not because its where I spend my money but its the feeling I get while I get walk my son in and how the staff makes it a point to know his name even if he is 3. I never believed I would send my children here but it just turns out that investing into the future is not really that expensive. Villa Maria Academy is a Catholic, co-educational, secondary school established to further the mission of unity of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Through Villa Maria Academy's leadership, gospel-centered environment and commitment to academic excellence, we empower young people to recognize their God-given uniqueness and talents, to acquire knowledge and skills for success in a global society and to be leaders in creating a future of optimism, generosity and confidence. Founded: by Sisters of St. Joseph in 1892, 118 years young and the oldest of 3 Catholic High Schools in Erie. Affiliation: Villa Maria Academy is college preparatory Catholic school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie for students in grades 9-12. Students from all faiths are welcome to attend. Accreditation and Memberships: * Accredited by Middles States Commission on Secondary Schools. * Member of National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Number of Students: 300 Student to Teacher Ratio: 12:1 Tuition and Fees: * Total Tuition for 2011-2012: $6,995.00* (All freshmen receive a Tablet PC included in tuition) *Additional fees apply for seniors, athletes, non-Catholic students, and families choosing a special payment plan. Admission: Acceptance to the freshman class at Villa Maria Academy is based on the results of the mandatory Entrance Exam, elementary school transcripts, elementary school disciplinary record, and recommendations from the elementary school teachers and principal. Transfer students are accepted based on the transcripts, disciplinary records, and recommendations from the teachers and principal from the previous school. Non-Discrimination Policy: Although Villa Maria Academy is a distinctly Catholic school, it welcomes students of all backgrounds and does not discriminate against any qualified student on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, or age, as required by law, in the administration of its educational policies, admissions procedures, financial aid/scholarship awards, and/or any other school administered programs. Class of 2011 Statistics: * 76 graduates * 96% attended a four-year college * Over $3.5 million in merit-based scholarships

I went to this school from 1981-1984. The principle at that time was Terry Wolfenden…read more It used to be called Dunkirk Junior High School, but they changed the name a few years before I went to emphasize the middle school years were a separate stage of child/student development, worthy of its own name, and not just a high school but "junior". All in all, I can say that I received a somewhat rigorous education here, with some exceptions. Students of all abilities were grouped into the same class. It didn't compare to more wealthy school districts or to boarding/day schools, but for a small, rural town, it was good. And of couese, it doesn't compare to schooling nowadays, where younger and younger students are taught more advanced concepts. We were still doing arithmetic in seventh grade and didn't fully start a foreign language until eighth grade. I am a little miffed now that lunch breaks back then were only one-half of a period, so 20 minutes. We really had to rush to line up and then eat our lunches, especially if you were at the end of the line. Another time, the lunch supervisor made the entire lunchroom (about 100 students) stay after school to punish us because just a few students were being unruly. This was not fair to us, and I missed a student council meeting because of this. All of us also all were required to attend vocational classes like metal shop, sewing, cooking, and woodshop even in the eighth grade, even though some were in the college-bound track. This is what the classes were for college-track students: 6th grade (9 periods of 40 minutes each): English Social Studies (I forget what) Math (arithmetic) Science Reading Vocational (woodshop, metal/plastic shop, art, sewing, cooking, library skills) Spelling (called "Achievement")/Lunch Music/P.E. Activity period 7th Grade (9 periods of 40 minutes each): English Social Studies (local history: NY State, Chautauqua County, and City of Dunkirk) Math (advanced intensive arithmetic) Science/Health Reading/tour of German, Spanish, and French to see what you liked best Vocational (art, either woodshop or metal/plastic show, either sewing or cooking) Spelling (called "Achievement")/Lunch Music/P.E. Activity period 8th Grade (9 periods of 40 minutes each): English Social Studies (American history I think) Math (pre-algebra) Science one of the three: Spanish, French, German for high school credit Vocational (art, either woodshop or metal/plastic show, either sewing or cooking) Spelling/other areas of the class' choice (called "Achievement")/Lunch Music/P.E. Activity period As for sports, there weren't many, unlike today. The was intramural after-school basketball in all grades, but for boys only. And there was an extramural eighth grade boys basketball team (by tryout only). Major Title IX violations here! Back then, there was not a sports field on campus and no parking lot for teachers and staff. Don't believe me? Take a look at the website Historic Aerials (https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer) to see what it was like in the 1980's. I'm jealous of today's students! :-)

Move here a few years ago. Worried about the schools. If you are looking at the area, I would…read morerecommend this school to anyone. My kids are excited to go to school everyday. There is a lot of one on one attention. The teachers are great. I went to Pa schools and, there is no comparison. My kids have been on more field trips in pre-k and first grade than I went to my entire school career.