Painted Rock Academy is a highly structured traditional accelerated school with supportive teachers and strict disciplinary standards. From my experience, the parents are also stable and level headed In this day and time, this is very hard to find and I consider this school to be a diamond in the rough. As someone who grew up on the east coast, I am greatly appreciative that this school is available as a free charter school and not a small private school with high out of pocket tuition costs. This type of school would cost a fortune on the southeast coast. read more

Painted Rock Academy is a standing violation ready to be shut down. I am absolutely baffled how I made it through 5 years at this school all the way up to the last year I COULD attend. I started here as a student in 5th grade up to 8th grade, starting 6th grade I have had horrible experiences with not only the administration here but many of the teachers. Almost every year here I have been called up to the office for 'inconveniences' they believe were me just because of my 'record'. Keep in mind, I have NEVER received a detention here or at any of the schools I have ever been at, they have accused me of flooding the school, fighting, talking sexually, even have been written up for these claims, but never have I done such and their only proof was random rumors spread about me, I was purposely targeted from Mrs. Goshow & Mrs. Nash (AS Principal and Principal) due to the fact I brought up major concerns to them every year that were necessary to address. Speaking of that, if you are a parent who does not fund the school, participate in PROP, or has/has had an A+ student, you will not be listened too. My parents have been belittled and dismissed on major safety concerns regarding teachers and the facility. When it comes to the facility, you do not expect a K-8 school to be perfectly clean, but Painted Rock is disgustingly filthy; the pipes in the bathrooms leak and flood, there has been a broken window that has yet to be fixed as of the time I left (May 22nd), the floors are cracking and have stains all over them, theres black mold on the ceiling vents in the bathrooms and in office hallway, there is a hole in one of the walls, and the AC constantly gave out and leaked all over our desks from the tiles. I addressed all these problems to admin, but I was yelled at; told I was wrong, and called directly to my face I am 'sensitive' and a 'liar'. When it comes to SPED classes, they do not 'teach' your child to be better, they do not teach them how to comprehend a lesson, they automatically pass a SPED student, and it encourages low effort. No child in the SPED classes are equally cared about, some are more cared about than others, some are ignored, some are spoiled by the teachers. I know this as I had several friends from those classes approach me. There are some great teachers, but many yell, bully, and discourage. They are there simply to come and go, they do not care about their students, do nott get me wrong, they have some pretty good teachers though. (FYI: Only 80% of the teachers are qualified.) read more

Great school, great education. Teachers genuinely care about the students and know them very well individually. They are well supervised and they value kindness in the classroom. I would recommend starting your child here in preschool since the foundation is essential in being successful with an accelerated curriculum. You can't even compare this school to a public. I've had a child at lookout mountain and the quality of education and environment is night and day! read more

There is great structure with the students. Witch they have high standards for each student. Also the teachers and parents here have a great communication with each other. read more

Don't ever bring your kids here its a mistake I've made for to long 3 of my children attended painted rock academy this year one of them got a broken arm to which the nurse didn't call 911 or any emergency service which is protocol she also didn't get in trouble for doing this she instead called the parents who couldn't reach there phones cause who expects that call for 30 times and then proceed to tell us to hurry up cause she clearly didn't want to do her job that day clearly. I have been picking up my kids from the office all year long and all of a sudden that can't be done anymore and they won't say why but they will however waste time printing about more paper to send you to driveline when your kids are in Boulder club cause the office staff didn't want to do there job either. When the principals approached about my daughter going missing at this school every half day we are informed that its somehow our fault when shes been at school all day. She continues to ignore her arrogant staff members who have no regard for the children they are responsible for and agreed to watch and teach. I could say more but what's the point save yourself the trouble never bring your kids here read more

This school has the best families ever. Many kids have left only to return because they were bullied elsewhere. Here kids make friendships that last a lifetime. Academics are rigorous and chances are you will need to help your child stay on top of things. But the pay off is there. Students who graduate from here go on to do better than 75% of kids from other schools in high school because they have already learned accountability. They really get to participate in extracurricular activities of all kids in high school because they have mastered the balance between school work and social life. read more

Stay away! Worse administration ever. Teachers don't return phone calls and say they don't have time for you. They are rude, controlling, and unprofessional. Stay away. I would never work there nor send my children there. Very toxic environment . read more

First let me say it sucks because I really wanted to love the school The first issue arise when they would not respect or pay attention to my son's cow dairy allergy it was notated multiple times with the class as well as the office and he kept being given Dairy , goldfish, milk ,chocolate and etc . even after multiple times of talking with the principal and the teachers they said that they would remove it we even still dealt with the last thing of him coming home from his Valentine's Day party with candy that contain dairy in his backpack I don't understand why it what's so hard for them to follow a allergy guideline if they are a school That deals with multiple children and they should be responsible for that. Due to his allergic reactions it did cause him to miss some school. Which I felt I was always held responsible for. The other thing I wasn't a big fan of was the color chart that they kept for them. A color chart based on behavior with even small issues such as talking or not sitting in the seat correctly is a bit much for a kindergarten child . My son did find this to be very stressful and I did notice that. another thing was they never really have their notices written out properly I would always receive notices with other children's names and heading and notes that were intended for other kids sent to me but since my child had the same situation they look for that and then forget to change your name and have to go back and correct that I felt like that was an invasion of privacy to other parents because it does show that these other students were dealing with the same issues as my son as well. When it comes to homework they are sent home with a nice a lot of homework as well as it seems like they do a lot of packets in the class which can be OK depending on the learning style You'd like for your child . On a positive note the office administration was very friendly . I just feel the school could be a little bit more understanding of the fact that children are just starting school in kindergarten because of this much stress is early isn't good for All children read more

I'm giving this place a 3 because it's average It has its highs and lows. If your child has an IEP, coming here they won't be bullied for it. But if they don't start in preschool, it's hard. Hard to make friends, hard to keep up with the work load, and hard to keep up with the amount of concepts they learn. Like with any school, you have great teachers, as well as bad ones. I have caught so many teachers at this school talking down to or making fun of children. As if being a kid isn't hard enough. During covid, you really got to see how the teachers "teach". If your kid doesn't understand right then and there, they get left behind quick. It was heartbreaking to watch. Bullying from other students was never handled and happened weekly. The secretaries are very sweet as is the vice principal. Go to her if there are problems because the principal will literally never respond, he's professional like that. This is one of the few schools that will teach traditional math, cursive, and phonograms for spelling. If you start them in pre k, they will come out advanced. Otherwise, they play catch up. Do your research before coming is all I'm saying:) read more

It absolutely takes a "village" to raise a well rounded child. The best choice I made for my 5 & 8 yr old was enrolling them in PRA. I will be forever thankful to the 4th grade teacher that recommended this school to me many many years ago. The teachers truly are passionate about your child's growth & success- both inside and outside of the classroom. There is constant open communication, tutoring opportunities, and numerous volunteer opportunities to be present & supportive in your child's education & growing. I'm forever grateful to what has already been accomplished & instilled in my boys in such a short time. Please look into opportunities for you child to grow & be a part of our Painted Rock Family - it will be the best choice you've made for them. read more

This is a great school that offers a safe and encouraging learning climate. The academics are rigorous, but the teachers go above and beyond to ensure student success. They have tutoring before and after school to help students reach their high academic expectations. They offer volleyball, cheerleading, football, basketball and track. They have a chapter of National Junior Honor Society. But the best thing about this school is that the students are happy. They want to be there and they want to do well. I highly recommend this school to parents wanting a quality education for their kids. read more

Not recommended unless your child begins before 2nd grade. Absolutely the worst decision I ever made for my 10 year old son. He was passing up and until 3rd quarter and then his father and I were called in to be informed that he would not be advancing to the 6th grade. The teacher flat out told us that even if his grades improved she did not believe he was mature enough to handle it. She also informed us that she had had students that struggled with organization before,(what 10 year old boy doesn't to a degree) but she just didn't have the time to work with our son. Not only that but she preached religion in the classroom and compared Stephen Hawking to Hitler. When my son asked her if he could do his report on him, she referred to him as "that atheist that died" and said she would absolutely not allow it, just like she wouldn't allow him to do a report on Hitler because there are things children are just not old enough to understand. I assure you the fact that the man was an atheist was not even on my sons radar. He admires the man for his contributions to science and his determination to not let his physical limitations stop him from doing what he loved. I was beyond disgusted. She also refuted all scientific learning in the book that went against creationism and flat out told the students she didn't believe it. Causing quite the classroom debate. Not stopping there she also told the students that the Bible's first Testament was historical fact and that the New Testament was prophecy and may or may not have or will come to pass. Keep in mind this is a semi state funded non religious charter school. All attempts by me to contact the principal went unanswered, even after his secretary promised he would be getting back to me. Needless to say I have since transferred my son into Ironwood Elementary where on the first day they not only were happy to have him, he was told that had he joined sooner he would have been recommended to the gifted program. Does that sound like a child that is not mature enough to advance to the next grade? STAY AWAY from this school if you are considering it for any transfer student above the 2nd or 3rd grade. My son developed an extreme dislike for school and felt singled out by his teacher and because of this he had serious difficulties making friends. I would also like to add that the Principal doesn't even send his son here. Repeated quote from front office staff: "This school isn't for everyone." I asked them if they had school counseling on staff and was assured that the principal would be more then happy to talk with my son. He was dealing with our recent move, divorce and a new school. After repeated requests he did sit down with my son one time. They discussed lightening his work load to help him acclimate, that lasted for almost a week before his teacher reversed the plan without contacting me. read more

I have 4 children at PRA. My youngest started in Pre-K and is now entering 3rd grade. My children have thrived at this school. The academics are top notch, the staff is patient and kind. I find the teachers to be approachable. The principal and vice-principal really care about how the children are performing, their safety, and well-being. The families at the school have are connected through PROP, bringing a community to the school. We all participate in supporting the school, teachers and staff. There are lots of ways to be involved as a parent in this school. I find it easy to get to know the other kids in my children's classes as well as their parents. This school was name the 2017 Charter School of the Year, stating the school has "established itself as a model of consistency" in its academics, continuing to earn "A" ratings every year the labels have been given. I have to agree. If you are looking for a tough academic school, with a warm social environment, this is the school for you. read more