Awesome school. Academics are well rounded, the sports are competitive, and the students, faculty,…read moreand staff are wonderful. I love Bellarmine

I went to high school here. Class of 2007. While I assume a lot has changed since I went there and…read morethis review may not be 100% relevant to today, I do feel it set me up with a decently good education and I ended up with a great career so that probably says something. I was a 3.6 GPA student here that found some classes easy and some hard. The block schedule with long classes and A and B days did help set me up for college well. The religious aspect was a big part of school but also not overbearing in my opinion. As someone who is mildly religious, I feel I was well educated on religion without having it completely pushed down my throat. The religious retreats were enjoyable regardless of an individual's beliefs. The campus grounds are pretty, and have improved immensely since I went there. The new student center is beautiful and they no longer have the ugly portables I had to go to class in. I do feel they played favorites and I was not one of those favorites, and that determines a lot about kids futures and college applications. For example, the musical cast was ALWAYS the same people. Mr. Wilkinson (musical and play) was the biggest culprit of favoritism. I know I wasn't the best singer in the world but I also was decently good and he really killed my confidence in something I had been passionate about up until high school. He never even gave feedback to anyone to improve. He could have switched up the choruses in his musicals instead of THE SAME PEOPLE EVERY SEASON. The journalism staff was also predictable based on staff family members and their friends. From what I heard about the sports teams, it was usually the same. Basically any extracurricular was made by politics and not always by hard work or talent. Some staff that deserve shout outs: Mr. Ellis is a great coach, teacher, and positive ray of energy. Mr. Stokely is no longer there but always did a wonderful job of making every single student feel heard and included. I was terrible at math, but Mr. Stokely never made me feel bad about it. Ms. Hanigan was a wonderful, positive, and supportive teacher. And Father Jerry was a terrific counselor that always helped guide me in the right direction whether academic or personal. Also, the dress code here got a little insane when I went here so I hope they've relaxed and stopped policing women's bodies so much. (No one should be appalled by the clavicle and it's terrible to teach women that their body is inherently sexual). I'd probably send my kid here. I imagine some of my complaints here (politics) would be similar elsewhere and I do feel I got a good education. Hopefully things have changed on my concerns since I went there and if not hopefully this brings valuable feedback to light.

Great place for children with learning differences to explore and thrive in their individual…read morelearning styles. Helpful teachers, low teacher to student ratio, and numerous student lead ASB activities gives the feel of a larger welcoming education community. Their mission states this is a place where students come first and it's definitely apparent in the effort and caring attitude of their office personnel and staff.

My son goes here. He has excelled here since the 8th grade. He is now a senior. If you're child has…read morea learning disorder or disability this school is geared towards that.

I was just telling some friends how great our school is. Then I saw a bummer of a review on here,…read morebased on a short transition period, so I'm writing this. The short story is - it's a very good school run by professionals. A wonderful environment for kids who are neurodivergent or similar and have struggled in a larger school setting. It is supportive and non-judgmental, and we've found it to be a great balance of a place to learn and grow and a place to be supported and accepted. We were worried that it wouldn't be academically rigorous but found that it exceeded our expectations when our child was ready to learn. They meet all children where they are at every step of the way. Also, they do so many fun educational field trips. Here's the long version if you're interested: Our family started at Academy in 2024. That year, the old school director retired. Yes, there were staff changes. Yes, there was an interim director. Yes, it was a time of change and changes is hard especially when you are emotionally invested. Some families were so attached to the old director they didn't come back. Two years later and we're still very happily there. We found gold. Is it fancy? No. Is it exactly like a larger school? No. In areas where a child needs more support, they have it. The policy of "walk to math/language arts/science" allows them to learn subjects at a level and in a group setting difficult to access in larger private or public schools in a supportive way, whether accelerated or at a slower pace. Curriculum is solid and classroom size is excellent. As to the information concern - no. Many kids are district placements. The oversight and regulation involved in that is significant. No public school would partner with them if they broke any laws about information handling and they have placements from many districts. In May of 2024 they had just interviewed candidates for a new permanent director. I hope people will consider that Spring 2024 was just one rare season in the school's administration and while the other review was from someone that felt upset by how that transition was going, the new school director who was hired at the end of that year is awesome. I think she will be there for years to come. I never post reviews, but I hate that that review might be pushing families away from a truly excellent option for kids. To whoever you were it sounds like you felt like your school family was being ripped apart and you were afraid the whole place would be ruined, which must have been awful. Maybe you lost your job, maybe you pulled your child from the school. Regardless, please know that it is still "the little school with a big heart" and from my perspective as a very aware parent, it's in responsible hands.

Academy Schools was a buoy for our family after several years of struggling to stay afloat. The…read morestaff are compassionate, patient, and deeply dedicated to providing an individualized education in an environment that allows many students to feel accepted and safe in school for the first time ever. I'll forever be grateful for the tools and community they provided for both my kid and myself.

My daughter has been attending this school for three years, and she has loved every minute. I…read moreappreciate that they continue to value specialists at a time when public schools are cutting these programs. At the same time, the parent communication has varied from fair to middling each school year. I am a teacher myself, so I know the struggle, but it's hard to justify the lack of information received as a parent. There have been many staff and program changes in the last couple of years, but the emphasis continues to be on student success. If you're looking for an alternative to our dismal school system, this is a great choice.

I have taken much time and pondered my thoughts extensively as it pertains to writing this review…read more Please know that it comes from a place of passion, hurt and confusion. This review will be extensively, but I urge you to read it in its entirety. Firstly, I want to say that my wife and I had high hopes for this school when enrolling our three-year-old daughter. My name is Gerry Gordon and I am writing and advocating for my wife and daughter who have been tremendously affected by the misconduct of Annie Wright schools. Secondly, I want to address that due to the numerous accounts of negligence and social injustice my daughter endured I am convinced there is no diversity inclusion training or awareness within the Lower school staff, before and after school staff and its counterparts. Why do I say these things? Here are the things my daughter had to endure in only a 6-month period. Not in any particular order. 1. My daughter got ill with the flu due to the Annie Wrights lack of communication. To expound on this topic, I received an email stating that my daughter was "out of sorts", lethargic and not herself. Still having trust in the educators and nurse at this point, my wife and I took their advice to "monitor" her and check for a fever. We asked their opinion if we should come and they said NO she doesn't have a fever. Mind you we were never called but emailed and who knows how long she was sick. Come to find out she was in the nurse's office for over an hour maybe more. Long story short, my daughter ends up with the flu because I decided to take her to the doctor because the next day she returned to school and got a fever. On multiple occasions, we have seen her outside in the cold without a jacket. WE WERE NEVER CALLED ONCE while she exhibited concerning health signs. The nurse and the teachers refused to call and said email their primary form of contacting parents, even after I BOLDY requested phone calls due to the nature of my job and my wife's schooling. My daughter getting the flu could have been avoided with better communication. Once we gave them the requested doctors note it was questioned by the nurse. There was a lack of empathy and most importantly again we were never called. 2. My daughter was walking around barefoot I'm not sure how long this took place because we were never told or notified. The school requires extra shows and socks and she has rainboots. There is no reason for my child to walk around school for who knows how long without any shows or socks on. Once again it was treated as a simple thing and hardly addressed. 3. My daughter told us she was hit by a door from one of the staff that works directly with her. This concerned us, and we always follow up with the staff when our daughter tells us something. This said the staff has treated my wife and very different when trying to communicate simple things like "good morning". She even said Bria didn't like her for some odd reason. When confronted about the door situation her response we "it was an accident". 4. My daughter went an entire day without eating lunch. This was the final straw for us. I picked my daughter up at 5 pm and the first thing she said to me was "Daddy I didn't eat lunch today". I was concerned but questioned her and she insisted she didn't eat. Upon arriving home, I checked her lunchbox to validate her claim and there was a sticky note on there from her ticker that read, "We still don't have power for our microwave... Likely not tomorrow as well. Thanks!! Mrs. Peterson". This is wrong on so many levels. We never received a phone call so that we could possibly provide another meal. There were so many options that were not explored for my daughter to eat. Heating the meal up in another class. Giving her the paid hot lunch, the school provides and so many others. Instead, her teacher gave her a graham cracker or two and let her watch all the other kids in the class eat their lunch because she was the only one that didn't get a feed that day. Mind you she is the only African American shouldn't in her class, so this is more than just negligence of a child but socially bias behavior. When confronted by my wife, the teacher showed a lack of empathy. She stated, "I didn't think it was that big of a deal". Once my wife explained her distaste for her lack of empathy, I clam but passionate way, the teacher began to weep and blamed it on her being pregnant. Please refer to photos for the rest of my review

As a student myself here I personally think that this school is kinda stupid for the reason that…read morethe teachers give you a bajillion assignments everyday and it suck 3 stars.

They have it together at 417, you dont hear of the problems this school district has compared to…read moreothers have. As a voter I dont mind as much passing money for schools when know the district is well run. Hope its well run, must be dont hear students rioting, and other school problems other have and are reported on,,good work 417

Pay attention to the dates on the bad reviews!…read more 2026: This school is and has been better than we could have ever asked for. Our daughter (now a Senior) could not have found a more welcoming and caring school community. The education and instruction from her teachers and the administration is and has consistently been top notch. KCHS took my daughter as a freshman and helped form her into a strong, respectful and caring leader. Side note: She started 2 new sports (swim & water polo) her freshman year and is now team captain of both for her senior year. This is not because she is the best or most popular on the teams but because hard work, respect and support of your teammates is also appreciated.

This school suffered bad publicity due to public judgement without the complete details of the…read moresituation. There are many current staff members here who are openly gay and they are not fired nor condemned because they maintain respectful of their environment. This is a really good school and my kid thrives here. This is a welcoming environment and teaches love, service to the community and respect. In any other workplace, if you "sh-- where you eat," you will probably get fired no matter your sexual orientation. Keep it in your pants until you get out of school grounds and no one will care!

Incredible school grounds! We fell in love walking around during our first visit. They have farm…read moreanimals that live there! The children get to interact with the animals and learn about them during animal care. The outdoor education program is our favorite too (one of the main reasons we wanted our child to attend). My son absolutely adores all his teachers from his classroom (shout out to Mr. Jerry and Ms. Amanda!) including "the farmer" Ms.Chellas and outdoor ed teacher Mr. Alex. They are so kind and knowledgeable. Everyone is Montessori certified and the staff is all amazing. They truly care for the overall wellbeing of your children! We've attended the early childhood program and summer camp. Highly recommend both!

My child transitioned from a local public into the lower elementary classroom. He couldn't be…read morehappier. They take academic rigor very seriously, while also allowing the students time and space to process and learn. He loves it! Lots of outside time in nature. The school does an excellent job fostering the natural creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm in children as part of each child's learning journey.