The negative posters do not actually have kids at Mt Pleasant. I now have, after switching my kids'…read moreschool. Having experienced many programs (5 kids ranging from elementary to adult), at many different schools, we are blown away by Mt Pleasant. This is education at its pinnacle, with kind, caring teachers who are committed to their students' excellence. They offer a classical liberal arts education, with emphasis on numeracy and literacy, but a good grounding in everything else. I really appreciate the efforts to foster public speaking skills and good character and work habits along with excellent academics. Your kids don't have to be brilliant to get in (mine were pretty average), just at grade level with demonstrated ability to focus and work responsibly. The entrance test is pretty easy. I think after testing for basic skills, the real thing they're looking for is behavioural info to see if the child can focus, or whether he will have a hard time sitting In a desk and will disrupt the rest of the students. The teachers take responsibility for making sure your kids learn and do their work, unlike the prevailing ethos at many schools where parents are considered the main educators. My kids have really responded. For the first time, they don't say "recess" or "lunch" is their favourite subject. Now they are excited about science, or LA or math or geography, and so proud of their accomplishments. I used to be so worried about my kids' education and had to put so much effort into teaching them at home. Thanks to Mt Pleasant, I can totally relax and be certain they will have the skills and habits to thrive at junior high, high school and in post-secondary. EDITED TO ADD: It's 3 years later and my husband and I agree that transferring our kids to this school was one of the best decisions we ever made as parents. My son is now in junior high after 2 years at MP and the transition was amazingly easy. The work habits and discipline he learned at MP made Grade 7 a total breeze. The only issue is that you will find MP kids are at least a year ahead of the regular curriculum in math, so you may need to supplement their math if you want them to stay accelerated. PS. The program isn't for everyone. It works best for kids who are able to sit and focus and who take instruction well. Disruptive classroom behaviour is not tolerated, so if this is a challenge for your kid, I would not recommend this program as you are only setting them up for butting heads with both their teacher and their classmates. On the other hand, contrary to some criticism I have read, this is not at all about making kids into robots. In fact, what I have found is that because all of the kids have a strong foundation of knowledge, this seems to result in a much higher level of discourse, debate and interest from them, in class and out of it. Because of the mock elections and debate in class, my son turned into a complete political junkie for the last provincial and federal election.

Okay, I'm not blood-related to any of the kids who attend the Cogito Program at Mount Pleasant…read moreElementary. But I used to work at the after-school care here, and saw what the kids are like after a hard day of Cogito. Cogito is a special academic program that uses explicit phonetics and repetition strategy to get the material into the kids' heads. They have regular homework everyday, and often the kids would do their homework in the daycare before their parents picked them up. I don't know about you, but I was never that diligent when I was seven years old. While I'll admit the program works, because these are some of the smartest kids I've ever seen, it does take a toll on them. The poor children are probably mentally exhausted, and want nothing more than to unleash all their pent-up energy from the whole day. Unfortunately right after school hours, when they're with the daycare staff! I think it's important to remember that all kids learn differently, so while Cogito may work wonders for some, it may not be the greatest for other kids, especially the ones who need to learn through hands-on activity. On that note, I will add that it's great for getting kids to read early. There's nothing like a five-year-old teaching you the difference between the "a" and "ai" phonemes!

I lived in Greenfield for most of life. I love it there. It's a beautiful community and a great…read moreneighbourhood. Greenfield Elementary is no exception. I attended one year of elementary school here and it was great. I went back a few months ago to see if things were still as I remembered them (I was feeling nostalgic) and they were. It was great! I also wanted to talk to someone bout volunteer opportunities which the office was happy to talk to me about. The most recent thing that sticks in my head about this school though, is the kids. I was going for a run one morning when I found a group of kids standing just to the side of the school at the edge of the field with protest signs. They read "Save Our Field." I guess there were plans to develop it. The passion that these kids had for their school and their community was incredible. That's why Greenfield Elementary is great - the kids. That's the great thing about Greenfield as a whole, it's a community and everyone there sees it that way. It's a great thing.

Steinhauer Elementary is such a great school!…read more Not only did I go to Steinhauer as a kid but I've been back over the years to visit the teachers and see how things have changed. I have volunteered in some of the classes and it's still a great place to be! It's just as I remember it (except some of the physical appearances - they've upgraded)! The teachers here are amazing. I can say that because I still know quite a few of them. And the environment is really great. They've revamped a lot of the school from the days I attended school there and everything looks amazing and modern, but comforting at the same time. It's a great school!

My life was in hell before this I was up in my own a****** trying to learn 2+3 but daddy johnny…read moretook me in and taught me things that I need to survive out of my a****** and now I'm out of the school and looking at life from another angle , they have big classrooms with big teachers and they teach in a way that others will never understand. To this day I look up and see daddy johnny pat my head and tell me "good boy" as I move on in life and take even bigger daddy ainlay later in my life

Edmonton academy is a very friendly and save environment for those with disabilities…read more As a kid with some learning disabilities they helped me a lot and recommend this school.

Weerd teachers that yell at us and r mean, Boring work, not…read moremuch to do. Smells like moldy cheese and old building.