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    13 years ago

    Best school in Arizona. Staff of the schools is very friendly and think out of the box to teach kids. We love this school.

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    Ask the Community - Valley Academy

    Review Highlights - Valley Academy

    . I am of course in 6th Grade and this is 2022 so Miss Gross by now is a 6th Grade teacher

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    Hearn Academy

    Hearn Academy

    (9 reviews)

    We have had kids at Hearn since 2010 and my kids have done great. We switched from a public school…read morewhen one of my kids was struggling and it was obvious to everyone, including the teacher, but I was told they would test her in 3rd grade. She was only in 1st. She had been in a preschool that had a curriculum for three years before kindergarten, so she should have been either doing as well or better than most kids...not struggling like she was. I was told by a friend about Hearn Academy, so I went and checked it out and was very impressed. While she was attending the summer program, that they used to have, they noticed that she wasn't up to grade level and struggling. So they contacted us and asked if they could test her. This was without telling them we felt she was struggling. It was determined that she had a learning problem and needed help with training her brain to think differently and the teachers allowed more time for her to get her stuff done in he way that worked for her. After only 4 years with an IEP (in the special education program) she graduated out and was put in honors classes. I can't even and don't want to imagine what could have happened had she gone another 2 years without anyone working with her and us so that we too knew how to help her. Then my other child was advanced and we didn't even know it. Once again in the summer program before she even started Kindergarten we received a call that they wanted to test her as well as they felt she was getting board and may need to be in Honors classes as well. Who knew there was honors for Kindergarten. It turned out they were correct she is now in seventh grade and has been in the honors classes since day one and doing fantastic. The teachers seem to take the time to understand the kids and not treat them all the same. Are there issues at the school of course, is every teacher there perfect of course not, are there things there that can be improved of course, but over all their motto holds true: Children Are Our Priority!

    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...

    Village Meadows Elementary School

    Village Meadows Elementary School

    (5 reviews)

    The principal, vice principal, teachers, and PE coach are all there for nothing more than a…read morepaycheck. They don't care about your child, their learning, or their safety and comfirtability at school. They allow children to be bullied and essentially place blame on the victimized students as if they are to handle these situations alone. They will persistently call students liars and plainly don't care. Do not do your child a disservice by enrolling them in this school. You will regret it. The gross negligence by the staff and faculty is immeasurable

    I agree with the other reviewer about not sending your child here if they are a bit challenging or…read morehave special needs. My son attended this school his kindergarten year 2016-2017 and did great! No problems at all. 1st grade, however, was a different story. He started having problems focusing, following directions, and finishing his work. He was being sent home early (sometimes within 30 mins of being dropped off in the morning) multiple times a week because according to the Ms. Weinman, the principal, "We run a school. Not a daycare." At the advice of his teacher we took him to his Dr. to see what could be going on and after having his teacher and I fill out Vanderbilt Assessments (an assessment tool that reviews possible symptoms of ADHD and other conditions), his Dr. diagnosed him with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. We thought having a diagnosis would help us start the process of getting him help or accommodations through the school such as an IEP or tailored behavior plan. Boy were we wrong. Even after multiple meetings with the principle and assistant principle it was clear they were going to keep doing everything they could to keep from having to work with him, while also making us jump through hoops. We tried to establish an IEP and as the previous reviewer also stated it took MULTIPLE meetings to even get the ball rolling. The principle was fairly rude and condescending at every meeting. Basically stating every time we saw her that she didn't have time to deal with any of this or our son. We finally got the date set for his IEP assessment and the school has up to 60 days to schedule the assessment. They scheduled it for EXACTLY 60 days out. Then a week or 2 later they sent paperwork home saying that they were revoking his open enrollment status and we had 2 weeks to find another school for him. We lived practically across the street from the Village Meadows but it wasn't technically his "home school" because of zoning so we had enrolled him there through DVUSD open enrollment. After that the assistant principal called me daily to ask if I'd enrolled him in his home school yet or found another non-DVUSD school for him. Because they had revoked his DVUSD open enrollment our only options were to enroll him in his home school per zoning of Constitution Elementary or choose a school in a different district than DVUSD. We ended up enrolling him in Constitution Elementary and it's turned out to be the best decision we could have made. He is thriving and doing amazingly minus a few hiccups when he first started halfway through 1st grade. He is also excited and looks forward to school every day now vs. crying and begging to stay home while he was at Village Meadows. The teachers at Constitution all work with him and we had a behavior plan established almost immediately when he started. The principal there, Ms. Leyva said their goal is to do whatever is necessary to keep students in the classroom and learning and that's exactly what they've done. My son is now in 3rd grade and still doing great. He is even in gifted classes because he tested above his age group in reading and math. This school (Constitution) and these teachers and administrators took the time to work with us and figure out a plan that worked for him. Something apparently Village Meadows can't do. It turns out he is extremely intelligent and was getting bored too quickly with the regular classwork which was part of the reason he was getting into trouble by not doing his work and being distracting. So they found a way to keep challenging him and he's been doing great ever since. We also have great communication with his teachers and principal at this school. The funny thing is we were in the process of moving when he was kicked out of Village Meadows and our current address would legally make Village Meadows his new home school but there is no way I would ever send him or my other son back to that place. They clearly lack the skills, competence, and patience (as Ms. Weinman stated multiple times), to work with kids that are even the littlest bit challenging.

    Echo Mountain School

    Echo Mountain School

    (9 reviews)

    My son got yelled at today for no reason and started crying because his teacher ms garcia told him…read morehe was gonna get sent to the office because he told another kid to be quiet

    Be aware of echo mountain intermediate the principal there is very unprofessional. My daughter used…read moreto go there she's been there since kindergarten and this past year she was volleyball captain and a kid was threatening her at the school for 2 weeks in a row I reported it to the principal she ignored the issue it escalated. Since the principal ignored the issue the little girl who kept threatening my daughter that she was going to not stop until she was dead and she admitted all this on a group video chat of six it caused the rest of the girls to be emotionally distressed one of the kids threatened to bring a gun to school I heard it and immediately tried to take action I try to report it to the school to give them a heads up and they ignored me they told me I was tripping paranoid and I didn't know what I was talking about that they were only in sixth grade and nothing like that would ever happen at that school. No consequence was given to the girl harassing my daughter therefore my daughter and a group of friends decided to rough House in the school bathroom just playing around they weren't fighting they weren't bringing home to nobody they were just simply play fighting and because of that the principal then decided to suspend all six kids for play fighting not even making any threats to nobody meanwhile the little girl making threats to multiple kids still remained in school never got suspended I then took a different approach involving police making a report a week later my daughter was transferred to a different School without my knowledge the principal's saying you need to sign we've already did the transfer. She now goes to a different School where nobody likes her she's away from all of her friends and it's caused her to be depressed and the school district doesn't do nothing about it Paradise valley schools don't even care about their children and none of our kids are safe going to school anymore. My heart goes out to the kids that still remain at that school because they got to go to school in fear instead of feeling safe all because the principal wants to ignore dangerous threats.

    Brightmont Academy

    Brightmont Academy

    (14 reviews)

    The principal and staff at this Brightmont location have gone above and beyond to accommodate the…read moreneeds of my special needs son. Although this is not a dedicated special needs school, I am incredibly grateful for everything they have done. My son struggled at every other school until he came to Brightmont, and now, for the first time, he is truly learning and thriving with the one-on-one lessons. This approach is working wonderfully for him, and I couldn't be happier. If I could give them more than five stars, I absolutely would!

    I'm sharing my experience with Brightmont Academy Scottsdale Campus under the leadership of Sarah…read moreHorton. As a mom, I truly loved the idea of Brightmont's one-on-one model. My son is extremely intelligent--like many gifted children--and that's exactly why I chose this school. The 1:1 structure has the potential to be an incredible fit for the right student. My son is 14, bright, funny, and capable. He successfully homeschooled for three years without incident--not by accident, but because I took the time to understand how he learns. I taught him in a way that worked for him, with patience and flexibility. Sometimes we would even switch roles and pretend he was the teacher and I was the student--and honestly, that part came easy because he is incredibly smart. He wanted to attend school, liked his teachers, and was completing his work. That's why this experience has been so difficult. For a child like mine--who needs additional behavioral support and structure--the necessary supports were not meaningfully put in place. Over the course of several months: * The BCBA conducted only one observation lasting less than two hours * After that, there were no additional observations for approximately two months * A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) was put together based on that limited observation and did not reflect my son's level of need * No Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) was ever created or implemented * An RBT was providing support, but there was no BCBA oversight or supervision at any point I was never provided behavioral data, no analysis of the function of behaviors, and no tracking to support decisions. There was no communication from the BCBA--not with me, not with the RBT, and not with the teachers. No meetings, no weekly collaboration, nothing. At one point, Sarah Horton said that Brightmont was a perfect fit for Blake. Despite that, she removed him from Brightmont with less than three weeks of school left, knowing there was no other placement available for him. I was actively advocating for appropriate services and support through the district, and she did not stand behind that advocacy. Instead, she sided with the district, and I don't believe that's right. I also understand that the district (Paradise Valley Unified School District) funds placements like this. However, from my perspective, it felt like those priorities were not aligned with what my child needed. Regardless of how funding works, a child's needs should always come first--especially for a vulnerable student who is trying, engaged, and wanting to learn. What makes this even harder is that there were options. I offered to have my son's behavioral coach come into the school during those final weeks to support him. She was willing to do so. That option was denied, and the decision to end his placement was made by Sarah Horton. Every day, my son's access to water and the bathroom was restricted. My son is on medication and has a doctor's note requiring unrestricted access to water. The amount he needs varies, and staying hydrated is medically necessary to prevent serious side effects, including migraines and other complications. My son recorded a conversation, and what I heard was inexcusable. He was denied access to water and left in a room by himself. It is incomprehensible to me that a child with a documented medical need would have water withheld. Access to water is a basic need, and in this case, it was also a medical requirement. My son does well with the right support. He works with a behavioral coach at home before and after school and thrives because she is experienced, patient, and speaks with him--not at him--and never shames him. I wish that Brightmont and Sarah Horton had taken the opportunity to support him, advocate for him, and ensure he was not denied access to FAPE--which ultimately, he was. If your child needs behavioral support, structure, communication, and advocacy, I strongly encourage you to ask detailed questions before choosing this school. Sarah, I encourage you--as well as any educator or administrator--to stand behind your students. Stand with caregivers. Stand up to the district when a child needs appropriate services and support. What you did to my son was harmful. It was psychologically traumatizing. My child has already survived a national disaster, the loss of his home and our business, and a major life transition relocating to Arizona. This was an opportunity to embrace him, encourage him, build his confidence, and help him re-engage in school. Instead, you did the opposite--and removed him with less than three weeks left in the school year. Every child deserves better.

    Pinnacle High School

    Pinnacle High School

    (5 reviews)

    It's not that bad it's just I'm depressed so it's hard to make friends. Advice is to join a sport…read moreor club when ur a freshman so u won't become a loser like me

    Edit::: forgot to mention that this school has an ethical problem as well, the staff here should…read moreALWAYS tell the parents of the kids they search that they are SEARCHING their personal being. I was searched, made to feel uncomfortable by a female security guard because she touched my butt, I told my mom about it, she called the school and you know what the school did? They tried LYING saying they never searched me, and my mom caught them trying to not admit it? So she had MR MALDONADO admit that he searched me. But why was he trying to say I didn't get searched at first? Why aren't the school officials at this school letting the PARENTS know that they are touching their children? Crazy. Honestly that's probably a legal problem there that they didn't want to mention. This school used to be an A+ school but now it's the rating it should be at, if anything it should be lower for how much of a HORRIBLE school it is. This school and the people at this school only want to watch their back, they even threaten kids by saying they're gonna make AZ MERIT apart of their grade cause they want the school to have better ratings. You're not supposed to do that. This school seriously needs to be checked out, there's A BUNCH OF THINGS happening that PARENTS DONT KNOW ABOUT that only a former student would know.

    Valley Academy - elementaryschools - Updated May 2026

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