I am a parent of a student entering 6th Grade at Arizona School for the Arts. I work in Education…read moreand I talk to Teachers, Curriculum Directors, and Principals from all over the West Coast. And,I am married to a former teacher at ASA. I am passionate about this school. I will admit, I was suspect. I thought the parents who were so ecstic over the education offered at ASA might be a little off. It couldn't be that good. Really? My son started school with all the aprehensions of a 5th Grade student who knew very little about music, was active in sports and was very sad about leaving his friends behind. We (even he) chose this school because they had a strong emphasis on education and we expected the school to offer my son the opportunity to learn in an environment that was strict, supportive and creative. We were not disappointed. ASA was all that - and MORE! The academic teachers are inventive, collaborative, and very supportive. The arts teachers are music professionals and perform with and for the students and move them along in the curriculum with such finesse it's like they have private music lessons every day. And, the year was a success. My son was delighted with all his classes, especially his music classes with Monica Sauer Anthony. What a surprise to find him begging us to play his clarinet every evening before we had dinner or before we participted in a famly event. He loved the Science Curriculum, the hands-on activity and his teacher's passion for education. He worked hard in Language Arts and Social Studies and really showed off his new found maturity and knowledge during Presentation Week. And the lessons he learned in Life Skills class were really applicable and life changing. Then the performances at the end of the year were very remarkable and telling. I saw kids excelling in their musical expertise and showing off this success with such poise and confidence that I couldn't believe these were the same kids I met just 10 months prior at our summer welcome parties. The school does have a rigorous application process that leaves you on edge just wondering if your son or daughter will be permitted entry into this prestigious, blue ribbon school. The school doesn't tolerate any bullying and supports all types of students. And, the school is near Downtown Phoenix, so there are issues with the campus being spread across some streets, but those are being addressed quickly as they are building and expanding into new facilities that will offer a number of benefits for the ever-growing school. This school is really a dream. It's an educational opportunity I would recommend to any parent. I think my son would write a similiar recommendation!

I have had 6 kids there over the years and the school has really gone downhill recently…read more Leadership cannot keep things straight, then invent new policies and apply them here and there but no constancy and a huge lack of communication. The students are the ones losing out due to them shifting to be a very punitive type of campus. They have taken retaliatory actions against my children for me pointing out their hypocrisy and sadly the kids are only there because they want to be there whereases before I loved and supported the school and wanted them there, now i dont but they want to be there, so im trying to put up with it but many parents i talk to are disappointed with them as well, and new parents should be warned. They cut dozens of good teachers due to loss of students, but they seem to want to push more out!!!

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.

This message isn't about the school I love this school and made a lot of friends here and without…read morethem I wouldn't be who I am but the one teacher that ruined my highschool experience was miss Bridges math algebra 3-4 this teacher has ruined everybody's highschool experience you could ask any student in the school that has had her they will say she is the worst she teaches us like we're 2yr old kids and when you ask for help her explanation was the worst because of her I went from a straight A student to a student who did really bad in math!! This highschool needs to do something about her becuase there are way too many kids who are failing becuase of her

This review is not aimed at the school. In general, it's a fine place with good teachers. Mrs…read more Taylor Huth is the problem. She is an English teacher that has had an uncountable number of complaints lodged against her, from both students and teachers. She grades her essays based on her personal opinions, and grades fluctuate wildly based on her mood of the day. Her lessons are disjointed and extremely hard to follow, and she offers little to no clarification when asked about whatever vague and pointless concept she is rambling about. The material she presents to the class is often pulled from the internet. This wouldn't be terrible, if she would read the things before using them in class. She lacks the ability for confrontation, leading to her room being uncontrollable and loud. Her assignments are ridiculous, with extremely vague rubrics. It is better to brownnose and suck up to her than actually put effort into the class. I remain anonymous because if I were to make her angry, she'd find a reason to fail me. She should be, at the very least, placed under review. Sincerely, A dissatisfied junior

It is the best K -8 school in the valley, and I am pleased that my kids are the products of Valley…read moreAcademy! The teachers are great and very attentive. They provide a nurturing environment for the kids. The curriculum is strong, and they are pretty much rounded with other extracurricular activities, too, unlike other schools, which do not entertain that. My only complaint is I wish they had a high school. When my son moved to high school, even though he had completed the basic levels of certain subjects in Valley Academy, he couldn't take the advanced level because the new high school didn't recognize the levels at Valley Academy since they don't have a high school. That's a huge bummer

I am in second grade my teacher is Mrs.Carpenter.She's very nice.Their is annoying boys in my…read moreclassroom. The others are tattletales.Valley Academy is a good school.Literally every day I come home from school l have something to tell my parents that I learned.Once my friend had trouble breathing and we went to the nurse. She was very helpful and she sent my friend home.

I came from San Bernardino California where I was going to school at Wilma Amina Carter high it was…read moretraumatic experience but I move here to Arizona and went to school here at Barry Goldwater where teachers had such high spirits and positivity I had an English teacher that read books to us with different voices to make us really get the personality of the characters I had an math teacher that never gave up on me and I was an F student til I came to her class and I had a history teacher that made history exciting to me and a cooking teacher who's methods I still use til this day! I love it and recommend to every parent searching for a school for their kids to go to ignore the bad ratings this is the purest one ! #classof2016

For the positives of this school, one of the best things I did was choir. Choir was amazing, it got…read moreme really experienced with finding true genuine people. Some of the only genuine people in the schools were in clubs. Fun people, with personalities. Most of my friends were in choir, and overall it was a wonderful time. A fun teacher as well, and an enjoying experience to walk into everyday. It made the school experience fun, and it made me feel at home knowing I was part of a family. The cafeteria food was absolutely amazing! Literally so good for school food, it was also nice being able to sit outside. Used to sit outside with my buddies and listen to music. My favorite food was the orange chicken! Stadium events, football games, anything club related was always enjoyable. Definitely recommend, the school has very fun activities as well. The main issue with all schools is a balance between drama/friends and education. I don't think a single school doesn't have issues with drama and fights. For this school though, it seemed to have been much worse. Fights and a lot of smoking going on all the time. Their was maybe one student in a class that distracted everyone that was there to learn. Sometimes more...school threats also happened a few times a year. Nothing bad ever happened but still, troubled teenagers are ruthless sometimes and it was an issue. For staff, I never had any issues with any of the staff there. I knew a lot of them, since my sister went to Barry as well. Our experiences are similar, it's not great and it's not bad, it's simply okay. If you do have a young teenager or any teenager going there, beware of the issues with drugs, and drama. Motivate them into a club and, help them find something their passionate in. School is for learning, not fighting and drama!! It's very important to also get troubled kids to talk with the school counselors. They helped a lot, and they supported me through the rough battles of my teenage years. Their is support! :)

My son is in his second year at Ingleside, and we love it. I truly believe he is getting a…read moreworld-class education here. He's been able to advance to the math level that makes sense for him--he's a 7th grader in Algebra--and I really appreciate that they try to get kids into a math that makes sense for where they're at. I also think they have a very decent set of electives. For instance, he's taking Forensic Science--which he loves--and he's signed up for Public Speaking/Debate in the spring. The principal, Dr. Michael, is both inspiring and very hands on. The teachers are experienced, and they seem to enjoy teaching kids this age. My son had a concussion at one point, and literally every single teacher was incredibly understanding and gave him significant time to recover and get caught up. We were very grateful. It's worth noting: to limit opportunities for bullying and misbehavior, the time between classes is tight. Middle schoolers are expected to take care of and speak up for themselves. So if someone needs water, they should bring a water bottle and fill it in the morning and at lunch. This means they have to step away from their friends for a hot second, but they figure it out pretty quickly. All in all, my son is getting a great academic education and he's learning to manage his time and speak up for himself with teachers. I'm very pleased with his experience and growth thus far! Please note: our experience is with CGP, math and electives.

My experience at this school was more than disappointing. I transferred here in the near ending…read more(February) of seventh grade along with some other students. Almost everyone at this school had no personality, like they were all copy and pastes of each other. Almost all the girls were blonde even if it was bleached (probably just to fit in), or the typical modern preppy, the boys however had the biggest egos I have seen. Almost every student and teacher made me feel very unsupported, overlooked, and constantly had me stressing over my appearance, and my style. The teachers were very dismissive, inconsiderate, inattentive, and overall just unprofessional. One in particular teacher was my science teacher Ms. Hains, she would constantly support the bullying of one certain student, even sometimes making rude comments to and of this student for absolutely no reason at all. Yes, I know teaching is and can be very hard but it absolutely does not mean you can take out your frustration on to your students. One of my other teachers even said that bullying should be brought back, although I know this could be a harmless joke to some, but for the people who have experienced actual bullying would not have found this funny at all. Sometimes I would go days without showing up just because of how mentally draining this school was, and when I would return NO teacher would ask how I have been, or maybe why I was out, not one single genuine concern for me. I would even go to school every single day feeling so anxious that I would sometimes throw up in the morning because of how overwhelmed I felt. I hope that I never ever have to go to a school like this ever again, I wouldn't even wish this on my worst enemy.

I got bullied for having a disability and they wouldn't do anything the principal, Mr. Traud and…read moremiss Kathy were very disrespectful and and the food was not very good even at the end of the year they wouldn't give the children food. They said that we have a food shortage and they wouldn't provide any food. This is their job to provide food. why won't they do it? It is a failure school and if they don't like a child, they will stay hating him for the whole year and if they do hate a child, they don't post any pictures of that specific child. They don't do anything even if you wanna like request something they do not do it they don't provide anything so disrespectful and don't come to the school. I will move my child from this school...

We absolutely love this school! The teachers are supportive and caring, and we are so happy we…read morefound this place!

Horrible experience. I was constantly treated with disrespect and looked down on, I transfered here…read morefrom Pinnacle High School expecting a better experience. That was a total letdown. It's one thing to be disrespected as a student, but to disrespect one's parent(s)? That is another level of rude, and is uncalled for. I was constantly called names, and bullied. The front office including counseling didn't give one cent about that and care more about "getting back to class." Stay away from this place.

We are new from LV and the staff have been amazing at helping my 15 yr. old girl adjust.Carol Lowry…read moreat the front desk is like a ray of sunshine & makes every student feel special Her counselor helped her get into some classes that she loves, even though school was starting very soon.She is crazy about her teachers & her grades are much better here When my teen was sick, I called the attendance office & the woman was very kind. I was so nervous about changing schools, and we are so blessed that we chose Horizon.I just can't say enough good things about the staff there!!