My experience in having one of my children as a high school student here has been excellent. Some…read morepeople ask, "Why have your child attend an online school?" Every child is different. Every child handles their teen adolescent years and the pressures and struggles associated with those years differently. Some are able to manage through the trouble; some are not mentally or emotionally able to handle the pressures. It affects every child differently. In my case, my teenager needed to be out of the regular public school environment in order to regain focus and prosper. TCAH has helped keep my child on-target, focused, and advancing. My child is getting the same quality education (if not better) as before when in regular public school, as now with Texas Connections Academy, and it's FREE! The enrollment process was a breeze...super simple. It was actually more streamlined and faster than enrolling a child at a regular brick and mortar school, from my experience anyway. The teachers and staff are very thorough and responsive. There is a wide range of courses offered, just like a regular public brick and mortar school. Because it is a public school, there is no tuition and the school is able to obtain Title 1 funds to help with the school's funding needs. I can only give an opinion on the coursework for 9th thru 11th grade since those are the only two grades to which I have been exposed via Connections Academy. The coursework is challenging but manageable. I like the fact that parents/guardians are "Learning Coaches" and NOT the teachers. THIS IS NOT A HOMESCHOOL VENTURE. I work during the day. But, I'm able to remote into my daughter's computer while she is working on her classwork, etc. As a learning coach, I'm able to supervise and guide, but am not her teacher. Students have a teacher for each subject. It's a real-life teacher with a phone number and email contact. A few times a month, the teachers call the students and vice versa. It's a part of the required contact between them. The teachers also perform a few Live Lessons each week for the students to join. Each Live Lesson is recorded though for those who are unable to attend at the specific time. The rest of the time, the teachers are mainly interacting with the students via message boards and webmail. The assignments for each class are organized and what I love is that the assignments are to be completed by the end of the semester. This is very much like the online college courses in the interface and responsibilities, but with more interaction with the teacher and actual attendance requirements. The students' attendance is entered/submitted by the Learning Coaches and regular live interaction for each student with the TCAH teachers is required and monitored in terms of frequency by the school staff. Each student is assigned a counselor to help with course selections, transcripts, and academic progress too. This keeps each student on track with their graduation plan. This is essentially an "online" school, but there are many opportunities for actual live interaction with other students and the teachers. The students are still required to take state exams, which are administered at several testing facilities around the state. The students/parents can choose whichever location is closest and most convenient for them. If your child has a hectic extracurricular activity schedule, health issues, or for whatever reason has trouble with the typical hours of a regular public school, look into TCAH! Students are required to have 25 hours of school time each week. This is the same for regular public schools. But with TCAH, you and your child can set whatever schedule works best for your child. If you have a child who has trouble with the social difficulties associated with teenagers in a regular public school environment, whether it be fighting, peer pressure, depression, failing grades, a lack of focus, etc., look into Texas Connections Academy! The admissions process is just as easy as with a regular public school, if not easier because it can all be done electronically. The staff is welcoming and very helpful. The online interface of education is a modern approach that is becoming more popular and appealing to families because of the flexibility and benefits while maintaining high standards in curriculum. TCAH has a tech department that is available to help at any time if you or your student run into technical difficulty or aren't very tech savvy. Personally, my child and I haven't had any technical issues in the 2 years we've been a part of TCAH and have never had to call. I have recommended TCAH to many people because I genuinely feel it's an excellent school. Check out their website or call to speak to one of their admissions personnel or counselors for more information! My daughter will be attending again for her junior year. We couldn't be more pleased with Texas Connections Academy!

Today was Starr testing and I had the most racist experience this afternoon. I went to pick up my…read moreboys from taking the exam..... when I got their I was point to another table that say exist. The lady asked for my id when I try to had to her ....she look at my id with disgust......she didnt want to hold it or take it......she had me hold it up to verify who I was.......then she gave me a weird smirk....then point at boys an was like " oh u can go now......like what .....how racist is that.....mine this school is pretty diverse.......I say took other folks id who didn't look like us....with no issues....wow

Kinkaid is so sigma the other people are liars and don't know what they are talking about. There…read morekids are lying and aren't sigma. Kinkaid has great service, with 5 star food, great teachers, and has a great campus.

If your family doesn't have a legacy at this school, don't waste your time applying. When some of…read morethe school own faculty says that your kid has a better resume than 95% of the kids in the school and they don't get in, there is something wrong here. They denied my first kid in 2016 and now in 2025. It's a very exclusive country club for the elites. I'm sure the reputation is widely known through out Houston, but no one says anything about it and I'm sure many people share your feelings regarding legacy admissions and its woke culture.

Piney point is such a beautiful school . I visited during a professional development training and…read morewas amazed. The custodial staff really do maintain the upkeep. Only minor issue I had was the small critters (i.e. roaches) that I came across. The excuse could be that it's Texas but that was my main turn off moment.

this school is the worse school i been to i was only there for 5th grade a i hated it the school is…read morepathetic!!!!!!!!! only teacher i liked was erica basralian she was the teacher u could talk to ms bayley was the most pathetic meanest staff love the nurses ms emliy was the best but only thing im glad of is that they did not fail me

Both my kids are at Yorkshire and it is the perfect school for them because of the low teacher to…read morestudent ratio, small total class size and strength & encouragement in the academic, music and arts. My children have loved being at Yorkshire and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity for balanced growth YA provides. The teachers are AMAZING and truly care about the students. Its Cottage class teachers are the best for 2-4 years old. I've also found the families warm and friendly and a great mix and diversity amongst the students. Such a unique school to be able to see at the Memorial Area!

We love Yorkshire Academy! We love the community it provides, the education with small classrooms…read moreand amazing teachers, and the activities that my children get to do are so unique and fun! Also, YA doesn't go by SBISD school openings and closings. So sometimes YA is open when public schools are not (due to weather or Covid etc). YA is much more consistent with school NOT closing. It's a lovely place to be, my children are ALWAYS happy and my 3 year old wants to be a teacher now because of her amazing teacher at YA!

Not a good school. Not even a safe one. Bullying is normalized and an everyday occurrence. My kid…read morewas hit, kicked, pushed, shoved etc on a weekly and sometimes a daily basis. Teachers would do this as well (bullying). My son was bullied by a teacher repeatedly. Admin would rarely respond, and if they did it was to find a way to blame the victims of bullying. I am not alone in this, as I met other parents who felt the same. Based on our experience - we would not recommend going to a school, where your child is not safe.

This is the WORST school your child could ever be inscribed into not only are the staff almost like…read moreghost because they never respond but also the fighting and bull in this school is horrible.

A Heartfelt Thank You to Ms. Elena Morales and Smaller Scholars Montessori Academy !…read more Our son has been at the school since he was just 18 months old, and this place has truly become a second home for our family. As he now prepares to start elementary here, we reflect with deep gratitude on the impact Ms. Elena has had on his journey. Ms. Elena's dedication, warmth, and the thoughtful application of Montessori principles have been transformational. Thanks to her care and guidance, our son is not only well-prepared to start Elementary but he has also grown into a more confident, independent, and kind-hearted little boy. She has nurtured his curiosity, encouraged his growth, and helped shape the values he will carry with him into this next chapter. Thank you Smaller Scholars for everything you've done for our son and to Ms Elena for all the children lucky enough to be in your classroom. -- The Iannone Family

Great school and great community! We love the school and our daughter has flourished here. Any…read morequestions or concerns are always addressed immediately. I love that all the teachers know all the students name in the school regardless if they are in that class or not. Couldn't be happier with our decision to send our toddler here!

WOW! This school is amazing! My son got bad grades at Aldine, Johnson Elementary. He explained that…read morehis school didn't do the requirements, so we moved here. Turns out, great idea. His grades turned into 60% to a 100%! Full on F to A. I recommend moving your kids here.

Great safe school accompanying a beautiful language. Exceptionally great education. The environment…read moreis always clean

I am writing this review to encourage parents to carefully consider their options and make an…read moreinformed decision when choosing this school. I can only speak to my personal experience. I moved to Texas in February and enrolled my daughter in this public school after missing the private school enrollment deadline. We previously lived in Florida, and I believed that attending this school for one year would be manageable. Unfortunately, the experience has been extremely disappointing from the beginning. The enrollment process was disorganized and redundant. Although all documentation was submitted online, I was still required to bring physical copies. Communication was lacking, as there were no clear instructions regarding where to go upon arrival. We had to walk around the campus trying to locate the enrollment office. "Meet the Teacher" day was equally chaotic. There was no clear communication, and the event itself was poorly organized. When we finally located my daughter's classroom, I learned that the teacher had 29 students and no teacher's aide. As a former kindergarten teacher, I know this class size is not appropriate. Approximately two months later, I received a letter from the state indicating that Texas requires a 22:1 student-to-teacher ratio and that the school was out of compliance and requesting an extension. The first day of school was alarming. There were very few staff members present and no clear directions for where children were supposed to go. At dismissal, my husband arrived to pick up our daughter, and the school was unable to locate her for nearly 30 minutes. Staff had no idea where she was. I was at work and ultimately used an AirTag in her backpack to confirm she was still inside the school. She was eventually found hysterical, as there was no staff directing kindergarten students during dismissal. On her very first day, children were simply expected to know where to go. Dismissal procedures continue to be a major safety concern. Children are allowed to walk out unsupervised. This creates a serious risk, as a child could easily be taken without notice. Students wear color-coded cards, but all parents receive the same white card, making it difficult to identify which grade level is being released. I have personally observed a teacher leave approximately ten kindergarten students unattended. I have also witnessed staff members who were not actively supervising students. In one instance, I watched a child get pushed off a 6-8 foot platform and lie on the ground for several minutes while the supervising adult remained on their phone and did not intervene. Additionally, backpacks are frequently left outside for days at a time without being secured. My daughter has also experienced bullying. She is mixed race (Irish and Indian) and has been subjected to verbal harassment, having her clothes written on, and physical aggression. I have raised these concerns multiple times with her teacher and emailed the principal, but no action has been taken. As a result, I have had to instruct my daughter to defend herself. Communication from the teacher has been consistently inadequate. Items are sent home without instructions, with the expectation that parents will simply know how to support the material. I am a highly involved parent and make every effort to reinforce learning at home, but without guidance this has been difficult. I emailed the teacher six times asking for clarification regarding a book sent home and received no response until the parent-teacher conference, where I brought the book with me. The teacher acknowledged seeing the emails and stated she sent the book "just in case" I wanted it, without providing any educational purpose or instructions. The curriculum itself is also weak and below what I would expect for a kindergarten program. The final issue involved speech services. My daughter previously received speech therapy at her former school, which I paid for out of pocket, as it was not part of an IEP. I submitted all relevant documentation four months ago and worked with the school to continue support. I later learned that the staff member handling the process went on leave without notifying us. During a scheduled meeting, there was confusion about whether it was virtual or in person. At the meeting, the principal asked how I knew my daughter needed speech therapy and had not reviewed the documentation I submitted until that moment. I explained my daughter's challenges with pronouns and sentence structure. Her teacher stated she had not noticed any issues. I expressed concern that with nearly 30 students, it would be difficult to identify these needs. Ultimately, I was told the school would not provide services. After waiting four months, this decision was communicated, wasting valuable time when I could have continued services privately. Despite my willingness to pay, I was told it was unnecessary, which I strongly disagreed with. Would not recommend

My son started Kindergarten this year, during a pandemic, and this school has been so great at…read moretrying to navigate the situation for the children. They use enhanced safety measures and provided both virtual and in class options. The staff cooperates and coordinates so well together for drop off and pick up. They take time to say "good morning" to each student. Our teacher, Ms. Wren, is amazingly dedicated. My son has been genuinely learning, despite the pandemic. Finally, the PTA, too, is down to Earth and works well with the school, which is an added bonus!