My experience relates to the special election that was held at Mohawk Elementary School on…read moreSaturday, May 2. I didn't take any photos of the voting area as that would be inappropriate. The entrance is clearly marked and accessible with plenty of parking available. Signs clearly showed where to go to the cafeteria and there were several poll workers there to get you checked in and provide ballots. Once you made your selections, it was easy to place your ballot in the machine and be on your way! I hadn't been inside the school in a number of years so it was fun to see the remodeled cafeteria and library. Tax dollars well spent. Elementary aged students should be proud to attend school here. It looks to be a great place to have fun and learn at the same time.

It's a very supportive environment for students in grades K-6th. The staff and families work well…read moretogether to provide a well-rounded and happy experience for the children.

We could not be happier that we chose to send our daughter to Arapaho Classical Magnet. The school…read moreis filled with caring faculty, very involved parents, strong academic standards, and kind kids (the faculty works very hard to teach the kids to be supportive of each other - it's so fun to see how well that works). This is our child's last year at ACM (she's been there K-6) and it feels like it just gets better every year.

Both of my girls go to ACM and they love it. As a parent we chose ACM because of the dedication…read morefrom both the staff and the parents. This is an amazing school and any kid would be lucky to be a student here.

I am a Texas Certified Math (8-12) and Technology Applications (EC-12) Teacher and have been…read moreteaching Math in the North Dallas Area since 2001. I have taught in Private Schools to Public Charter Schools. I have taught small classes to up to 30+-40 students. I have taught at 6 different schools and all grade levels from 4th Grade to 12th Grade (Precalculus, Statistics, Math Reasoning, Math Models with Applications). I was also a former Adjunct Part Time College Professor at Collin College teaching a computer class for four years. I started teaching at Bridge Builder Academy (BBA) in Richardson, Texas in January 2022. BBA is uniquely different in that students are taught one on one with their teachers. They get 100% of their teacher's time, and focus during each one-hour lesson. Students are constantly working because there is no time to be distracted by other students, goofing off on their phones, tablets, laptops, etc. They can't just "hide" in a large classroom and get lost in the material, or be afraid to ask for help, etc. Most schools would have forced me to use a set of curricula but each BBA individual's curriculum is designed according to what is best for the student to become successful based on their unique individual learning needs, styles, etc. I was approached by parents of students I taught at BBA's Graduation in May 2022 and they were thanking me for putting in the time to know their students, working with them, and helping them to do better in math. One student hated math, but the parents told me that in my 5 short months that they learned to appreciate it and like it. Another parent thanked me for her getting her son more than well-prepared for the upcoming school year. BBA offers parents and students a chance to have teachers work directly with their students in an individual one on one relationship. I have the freedom to be able to adjust individual learning. Yes, our tuition might be higher than other Private Schools. Make sure when you compare schools you look at how big the classes are. How can your child get the individualized attention and learning in a 45 minute or 1 hour class with 10, 20 or 30 other students? Are your teachers certified by TEA in the State of Texas? Are your teachers certified in Special Education or have worked with Special Education Students in the past? Will your student get one-on-one support? Will the curriculum be developed for your child's unique skills or learning styles to be successful in life? How will it change from the other students in the class? Are your child's Principals (or in the case of Private Schools and Charter Schools or Directors) have recent certification in the classroom as a Teacher and/or Administrator? Are all of the School's Classes taught by a certified teacher or just a long term substitute who may or may not having any teaching credentials? Is your student going to get the attention they need in your school or are they just a number in the classroom? In my 22+ years of teaching at multiple schools, I have had Principals with no certification and no teaching experience. BBA was recently (2023) awarded a 1st Place GOLD MEDAL in the Dallas Morning News' People's Choice Awards for the BEST PRIVATE SCHOOL in the DFW Area! This is the SECOND YEAR IN A ROW (We also won for 2022). Some schools talk about STEM, but have your students ever participated in a NASA Sponsored Contest? During the 2021-2022 school year, students from Bridge Builder Academy participated in the NASA Hunch program. Led by Mr. Michael Hays (BBA Teacher of the Year 21-22) students designed a prototype moon shoe "Lunar Loafers". They presented their original design during an event in November 2021 where NASA scientists evaluated their ideas and presentation. At this event, it was suggested that they pursue a patent for their product. Our students were selected to participate in the "Innovation Day" event in April 2022 at the Johnson Space Center. At this final event for the school year, they were awarded 3rd place in addition to winning a National Award for Design and Prototype. BBA has recently been selected by the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) to be a 2022-2023 School of Excellence! BBA was the ONLY school in Richardson and Plano, 1 of 4 in the DFW area, 1 of 7 in the State of Texas, and just 1 of 123 in the entire United States! We are honored to receive this recognition! In 2019, Teresa A. Bronsky, Head of the School, was named a Member of the Continuing Advisory Committee for Special Education. With this appointment, she was able to help formulate the direction that Special Education would take in the state of Texas for the foreseeable future. In July, 2023, Two Teachers from BBA were selected and worked on Proclamation 2024 in Austin, TX to review and provide input for proposed new State Approved TEA Curriculum for Schools for Technology Applications and Personal Finance.

My child attended BBA and we had a most positive experience! They truly meet children where they…read moreare and get them where they need to be. The director, Mike, and his wife, Teresa, were excellent to work with and easy to connect with when needed. The teachers exceeded our expectations and the one time we didn't have a great connection with an instructor, a change was easily made!

Our boys go here and we love it! Some of the teachers have made a huge impact on our sons!…read moreParticularly Mr. Newsome, Miss Mason and Mrs. Manning/Brown. M and D LOVE you all! Thanks!

Our experience at Jess Harben was good. Diverse population, invested teachers, wonderful principal.read more

St. Joesph's has been a blessing for my daughters education. The staff at the school are amazing…read moreat their jobs and care so much about the children and school. The amount of attention that each child gets in class is so much higher than at public school. My child enjoys everyday at school and feels more confident in her classes due to her teachers. The new principal has brought a vision of growth and leadership that has made the school prosper like never before. Her attention to detail and knowing each child, parent, activity, and teacher makes the school vibrant with life. Our child adores her interactions with her everyday. Overall, the school is in great hands with the new leadership and growing in a direction that I recommend it to anyone that is looking for a more focused environment for their children.

They've restricted many websites from children, some of which are necessary for learning. Their…read morecomputer website blockers randomly ban the children from even searching things up for no apparent reason. One main website is YouTube, in which some kids need to watch videos for certain classes, yet it's banned for them. It's also all over the place, some kids have very heavy restrictions, while others have close to none. The school computer block policy is very unfair, and I hope they address this issue.

Brentfield Is a magical place. My son began there in the middle of fourth grade when we transferred…read moreto Dallas with AT&T from San Antonio. It was a huge change for all of us but especially for him. I don't care about Commended This and Blue Ribbon That, I care about my son living a fulfilling life. Brentfield is the only school where someone knew more about autism than I do. Principal Steve Lemons is a diplomat. He supports his teachers tremendously but he also acknowledges their flaws. He knows the name of every child, he greets them, he is no stranger to the cafeteria. He was born to be an elementary school principal. Absolutely.

Our family loves this school! We have 2 children at Brentfield, and we have had a great…read moreexperience. Every year we feel like we hit the teacher jackpot. They are great educators, and they go above and beyond with individual needs of the kids. We moved specifically to this area for the school and has exceeded our expectations. My kids love going to school every day and they are learning so much. Another great aspect to the school is the community between parents, teachers and staff. Our family feels extremely connected to the Brentfield community.

Everything you need to know about the school: the school has ongoing difficulties hiring qualified…read moreteachers, which is a critical concern. The math teacher and the IB coordinator resigned last March, and as of December, no permanent replacements have been appointed. The teacher currently covering these responsibilities reportedly has no prior IB experience. Assigning teachers without confirmed IB background to senior-level classes raises serious concerns about the quality and continuity of instruction. The chemistry teacher taught online for half a year because the school was unable to secure a visa. Another teacher was hired in the middle of the year; however, the school has not provided any information regarding her IB experience or certification. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for parents to assess whether IB standards are being met. The school's salary and benefits package appears to be uncompetitive within the local market, which may explain the hiring challenges. At the same time, the school continues to allocate funds to cosmetic updates such as repainting facilities and redesigning the website through third-party contractors. This raises reasonable questions about budget priorities. Overall, student academic outcomes do not appear to be the school's primary focus. Additionally, it is publicly known that the director's wife works in UX design; beyond this, the rationale for the recent urgency to redesign the school's website remains unclear.

Imagine, just for a second, that you live in a different world…read more In this world, when you are traveling in France or Canadá, your child can have a conversation with adults or other kids in French with such a pure Parisian accent that no local would ever suspect that he/she did not grew up in France. Imagine a world where in highschool the honors class is the entire highschool, 9th graders present the College Board "AP French" exam and every single 9th grader gets a solid 5 (max AP grade). Imagine a place where AP courses and IB (International Baccalaureate) or FB (French Baccalaureate) diplomas are not mutually exclusive and, 1370 SAT and 30 ACT scores are the average. Sounds like a familiar place? If it does not then you should consider DIS for your kids.