This review is long overdue, but I wanted to share our experience with Gateway Academy for other…read moreparents who may be searching for the right school for a child with high-functioning autism, or what Gateway refers to as twice-exceptional students. My son started at Gateway in 7th grade after attending public school since kindergarten. We were actually very fortunate to have had a pretty good experience in public school, especially with the other kids. He had attended the same school since kindergarten and had grown up with many of his classmates, most of whom were still with him in 6th grade. But as he got older, I could see the writing on the wall. Class sizes were getting larger, the kids were growing up, and there had been a few run-ins with bullies. I also didn't love the idea of moving him to a middle school for only two years and then making another major transition to high school. Kids on the spectrum often thrive on routine and familiarity, and my son is certainly no exception. When we found Gateway, it truly felt like a Godsend. The small class sizes were exactly what he needed, and one of the biggest advantages for us was that Gateway goes all the way through 12th grade. He could attend middle school and high school in the same familiar, supportive environment. Many of the teachers have special education backgrounds, but what makes Gateway so special goes far beyond academics. There is a genuinely loving, welcoming culture there. At Gateway, these kids aren't singled out for being different. They're surrounded by other students who understand them. They can be themselves. They have friends. They belong. The teachers are wonderful, as is the office staff. Ms. Robin, Gateway's founder and principal, truly cares about her students, and that caring is reflected throughout the school. Gateway gives students an environment where they can learn at their own pace while also developing friendships, confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging. As a parent, I cannot imagine my son having had the same high school experience in a large traditional high school surrounded primarily by neurotypical students. Those teenage years can be difficult enough, and Gateway gave him a safe place where he was accepted for exactly who he is. My son graduated from Gateway in 2025 and now attends community college. I asked him recently if he misses Gateway. He said yes. So I asked him what, specifically, he misses about it. His answer was simply, "Everything." That answer was both a little sad and incredibly heartwarming for me. More than anything I could write in this review, it confirmed what I had known all along: my son had a wonderful middle and high school experience. He made memories, built friendships, felt accepted, and genuinely enjoyed going to school. As a parent of a child on the spectrum, I don't think you can ask for much more than that. Gateway was also a tremendous resource for our entire family. Through the school, we learned about services and resources available to our son that we otherwise may never have known about. They even connected us with an excellent professional who helped us navigate guardianship and establish a special needs trust as he approached adulthood. Gateway didn't just educate our son--they helped us navigate the journey of raising and preparing a twice-exceptional child for adulthood. For any parent looking for a school for a child on the spectrum, I would recommend Gateway Academy without hesitation. Ms. Robin, Mr. Bloom, Mr. Curt, Mr. Anthony, Mr. Richard, and so many others have made Gateway the special place that it is. We will always be grateful that our son had the opportunity to grow up there. Thank you, Gateway, for giving our son a place where he wasn't simply accommodated, but truly belonged.

I started at Gateway when I was in seventh grade. I just graduated from there in May. I came to…read moreGateway because I was struggling with staying on top of assignments due to the heavy workload at my old school--leading me to start failing my classes. When I first came to Gateway, I was scared and alone. Little did I know that I would make friends that were as precious to me as my life there. It's a small school, so everyone knows everyone. Some might think this is bad, but in reality it's great because we get to form a tight-knit community within our grade level (and sometimes other grades too). There are therapy animals there, which absolutely helps students who are stressed out or who are going through something in their lives. You can always find Apollo and Athena (the therapy dogs) out during passing period, saying hello to the students. Talking about therapy animals, Gateway also does an equine therapy program for both middle school and high school. I was in this equine therapy program for eighth grade and part of high school. This program helped me so much through my struggle with mental health. Being with the horses quieted my brain. The teachers are absolutely amazing. I have never had a single bad teacher there at Gateway. They were all so kind and patient. You could tell that they knew what they were talking about. The English program they have there is absolutely fantastic. Both middle school and high school. The books that we read are actually interesting. Examples of this include The Boy in Striped Pajamas, Flowers for Algernon, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Animal Farm. The lunch program that they have is great as well. They bring in food from different places, and it's covered by your tuition, so you don't have to pay for the food. Some lunches that they brought in were from Panera, Venezia's, Potbelly, and Jimmy John's. Just remember to bring a couple snacks with you because sometimes the lunches can be a little bit on the smaller side. Every Friday, they have clubs. We can pick what club we want to be in, and there are a variety of them. Such as gaming, art, and board game club. It helps give us a break from our classes and gives us some time to hang out with our friends before the weekend hits. They also have programs that help build great resumes--along with helping to make your college and scholarship applications stronger. I was in the National Honor's Society and the Student Council for two years. Those were some of the best decisions I've made in my life. I got to meet new people through volunteering and even host a school drive for a non-profit that I volunteered at. The headmistress, Mrs. Robin, is very sweet and genuinely cares about all of her students. She was the one who set me up with my (then) future externship opportunity. Mr. Curt is amazing. He is the person in charge of the National Honor's Society, and he also helped with setting out flyers among the school about my school drive. Mr. Anthony is fabulous. He is also part of the admin. He helped me a lot with my dual enrollment last year. The admin are wonderful and won't shy away from any questions and/or concerns. Gateway Academy changed my life in the best way possible. I started getting good grades again. I made friends that I thought I never would have made. I would 100% recommend you go to this school if you have high-functioning autism. Once a warrior, always a warrior.

Great school for the size! Ratio of students to teachers is…read moreexcellent! Rigor curriculum to learn! Great opportunities to play on the middle school and upper sports team. High school sports has a great tradition to play hard and learn to win and loose in any game situations. Most importantly playing to Glorify God!

I do not recommend this school. It is very sad to witness…read morehow much this school has declined. The middle school experience has been especially disappointing. The teachers often come across as rude and seem more focused on enforcing dress code policies than providing quality education and meaningful lessons. The school also does not reflect the Christian values and kindness it claims to promote. Everything seems centered around money, and some wealthy families appear to receive special recognition not because of their children's achievements, but because of their financial donations to the school. Overall, this has been a very discouraging experience for our family.

Don't be fooled by the prestige name, the academics here are far from excellent. The school lacks…read morethe robust, advanced curriculum you would expect from a high-end private institution. What they lack in academic rigor, they make up for in donor-pleasing. There is a continuous, undeniable filtering process where the system goes out of its way to pamper wealthy donors.

Went to tour with some family members because their child was interested in the school. It's a…read morepretty nice campus but you can FEEL the snottiness here. They're not very friendly and there's a sterile coldness in both the buildings and the people. Although modern and stocked with amenities this feels more like Stanford than an actual school.

Don't send your kid to this terrible school. Administration and leadership are absolute jokes, the…read moreteachers are incompetent and bitter, and the school is poorly run.

As someone who's visited a lot of these campuses lately, this is the WORST high school in the area…read moreby a mile. The students are cocky, conceited in rude, and the staff is not much better. There's many better schools in the area than Chaparral. I can tell from my experiences there that it is not a good school or ran well in any manner.

I truly cannot say enough wonderful things about this school. We absolutely love it here. From the…read moreteachers to the staff to the entire community, there is such a genuine feeling of kindness, love and care. I love that our daughter is not only receiving an incredible education but is also learning about God and the Bible in an environment that is loving, welcoming and nonjudgmental. They teach these values by actually living them every single day. The teachers truly care about their students as individuals and you can feel how much heart goes into everything they do. As a parent, there is nothing better than knowing your child is somewhere she is loved, encouraged, challenged and cared for. We feel incredibly lucky to be part of this school and this community. I honestly couldn't imagine a better place for our daughter.

If I could give this school negative stars I would. The way…read moremy daughter and family was treated by her teacher and the staff was nothing short of horrible. My daughter was constantly bullied by her teacher and when I approached the principal | was blown off. The pure lack of biblical understanding is apparent when you attend there. I had to spend the last year helping my daughter heal from the hurtful way she was treated. I expected more from a school that claims to be Christian but this is just another high priced private school that has nothing to do with helping your child to learn more about Christ. Very disappointed to say the least.

Most of the staff is nice and the teachers are good and the sports are awesome even through theirs…read moreconstruction. Also it one of the best public schools .

My children go here and it's ok. Staffs ok, I just don't like the Slope...the kids think it's ok.read more

So, I don't wanna sound like some random upset teenager who just doesn't like middle school in…read moregeneral, but Cocopah is really not the best for some people. And I would STRONGLY advise this comment should be read if you are interested in enrolling your child. I have witnessed many students being bullied to the point of suicidal thoughts and the teachers do absolutely nothing. The community in general are actually not the nicest people anyway. Also, there is not currently a nurse?? My younger brother is in seventh grade and nearly everyone isn't doing that well academically. Also, I've noticed some of the staff seemed to not care that much due to how much students they have. When I was here, only one staff member actually checked up on me and my friend (nope not the counselor) I remember I was doing very bad in math and not the best grade in ELA, both of the teachers were late to the student conference (and left early) that I had scheduled a week before, rude much. Also, they have a very interesting mindset, especially counselors, they would constantly guilt trip and gaslight me and my parents into constantly putting me in honors (which was definitely not a good idea) just add one more thing. This school is HUGE along with Chaperel, which it feeds into. So I don't entirely blame the teachers for being overwhelmed. But yet again, this is the job they signed up for, and they must have proper work etiquette. There is also a problem in eighth grade with pressuring into vaping and teen s*x which is not managed as much as it should. A lot of the kids there are a very bad influence. (and I'm not trying to be a saint, it's genuinely bad.) they should also be a bit stricter on the dress code, I mean, you can wear practically anything, and a lot of people bullied because they don't have a certain (expensive) clothing item. I know this is long, but it's very important and I could add a lot more. My family certainly got fed up with it and we switched in the eighth grade. I would overall not recommend this school sorry if this offended anyone. (one more thing, READ THIS apparently this school doesn't do much of a background check on its teachers since they literally hired someone who was addicted to child p*rn and g*re (shout out to Michael Gill I hope you rot in jail )

Horrible school. Horrible teachers. Horrible principal. Spineless principal who covers for ignorant…read moreteachers who pick on children they've decided they don't like. Teachers who attempt to intimidate the children and parents in meetings then get shown proof of their lies and manipulation and "Mr. Shrimp" principal goes "shocked" faced and pretends it's all new to him. Teachers who literally hate kids and treat them like crap are teaching here. Lazy and never update grades in their "awesome" app and when asked why they aren't up to date, blame the kids. Constant emails that go unanswered. Teachers giving excessive homework with unrealistic due dates (some with so much work that has to be "done only in class") and give no time in class to do it so kids have to give up their lunch and after school to complete it. Kids in tears because it's too much and teachers expectations are absurd THEN don't put the grades in the grade book because they "can complete it on their own schedule" causing kids to stress out and are upset their grades look like failing grades. SUSD has dropped the ball here and I will tell everyone every chance I can what a sh*tty school this is.

Parents of girls, please be aware…read more In our experience, our daughter reported behavior by a teacher that made her uncomfortable and that we believed was inappropriate. We brought these concerns to the school administration. We were deeply disappointed by how the situation was handled. Shawn Bell did not take action in a way we felt protected our daughter or addressed similar concerns raised by other students. To our knowledge, the teacher remained employed at the time we withdrew our children. Because of this experience and the school's response, our family chose not to continue enrollment.

Only one of my sons went here for middle school. I absolutely loved the seventh grade program. Mrs…read more Olsen is incredible with her social studies program! The Gettysburg and White House Dinner reenactment were fabulous! It's the 8th grade program that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe it's the fact that Mrs. Kendrick the school principal retired and the school's feel changed. But I don't feel my son had any growth during the second year. I knew once Mr. Shappee left that there was no way my other son would go here. I saw major bullying at this school as well, among other issues. My son enjoyed seventh grade here, went to Costa Rica for 10 days which he will cherish forever but I really feel that PVUSD just isn't what it could be or has been in years past. Sad really.

XCP says "Xavier College Preparatory does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or…read moreethnic origin in admissions ..." but this is completely a lie when majority of the students are white followed by Hispanic with African American & Native Americans having the lowest representation. They focus on accepting girls from specific backgrounds that fit their image, giving less chance for others who don't to receive the same opportunities. If you are looking for a school with diversity, XCP is not the school to attend. If you are a minority & are part of the small number that gets accepted, there is no one there who looks like or can relate to you culturally.

Love this school, my daughters a Junior and she loves it too. I am an Arizona Native and did not…read morehave the means to go when I was young

Both of my boys graduated from Brophy. They are expensive but worth the money! I wanted good…read moreChristian male role models for my sons as I am a single mom. As a Jesuit institution I was very impressed with their inclusivity as well as the amazing credentials of the teaching staff. They are able enforce rules that the public school system is sorely lacking. My oldest son learned so much from his teachers and developed a passion for engineering through work at the "IC" which is innovation commons. He learned to 3-D print, program and loved the remote control club. This launched him into a career in aeronautical engineering. My younger son took enough AP courses that he is almost a year ahead and will be able to triple major as a result at Syracuse University. The dean, President and staff are so supportive. Their mission programs are also a unique offering that is life changing. My older son went on a mission to Peru that changed his life! It was hard work physically, but I was most impressed by the attitude change. He learned a lot about himself and the world around him. He returned grateful, no longer a picky eater, and with a servants heart. At Brophy they truly strive and help develop Men for Others.

Top notch education. The price is expensive but worth it - I would send my second son here if I had…read moreone. Although we only attended for 2 years, the education was worth it before my son wanted to attend a public school for a better chance at playing college sports (scouting) and more of a selection for friends/groups.