School might be great but you have to get in first. If you are not rich and white or brown and poor…read moreyou will have a challenge.A special education teacher is one that denied my child admission because she self diagnosed my kid as ADHD after spending 6 minutes with him. My child went on to a competitive middle school (PCDS) since she had the hand in denying him admission and has now completed his semester freshmen year at PRINCETON with all A's. My neighbors kid was a member of the church and her student was denied for kindergarten because he couldn't draw a complete circle! SERIOUSLY! he is now a sophomore at BROPHY! How the diocese allows this school to deny their own based on one person's opinion is scary. So parents do not be discouraged if your child is denied admission here since they are "selective". Your child will be okay.

I went to St. Francis for nine years; I attended kindergarten to 8th grade and was in class of 05'…read more Let me first say that K-6th grade was great, I had bad teachers here and there but the atmosphere of the school was relaxed, great classmates' good teachers and I had a good time. Then around 6th grade the schools then principle died from cancer and Ms. Elliot took over in her place as the new principle after that the school went from a fun learning environment to a horrid lockdown strict hellhole. After Ms. Elliot came into power, they locked the gates and installed new ones; this gave me a very unsafe insecure feeling as they basically locked us in. They installed secretary camera's everywhere. They also took down the old playground equipment and installed newer "safer" equipment which basically sucked. Then they changed the way they release students to school making a "drop off lane" it was horrid and I had to wait 30+ mins in the hot sun for my mom to drive through the line to pick me up. Before the lane it took me 3 mins to walk to my mom's car and leave. They outsourced the lunch food to a horrid company that made the worst garbage not fit for human consumption. Even though the school upgraded the playground, cameras and the Jail gates, they never upgraded the classrooms, cafeteria, buildings and "blacktop". They said they would get rid of the nasty portable buildings by 2004 but here they are, in 2009 still standing! In fact they built way more crappy portable buildings where the old playground used to be! There are many things the school promised to renovate but they never got to it the management is generally lazy. As far as academics, the classes are harder then any of the classes I've experienced at Brophy College prep, they push grade-schoolers extremely hard I had about 2-4hrs of homework every night. They teach algebra and chemistry at the college level in GRADESCHOOL! 2-4 page research papers were common assignments for various classes each week in 7-8th grade. They always told us it had to be formatted in Perfect MLA format for high school, truth is Brophy's workload was WAY MORE LIENENT and less then SFX ever was.

Montessori Day School is where I went to grade school. During my time there, we consistently scored…read morevery high on state and national academic tests. We were taught honesty, compassion, personal strength and accountability. I was lucky enough in 8th grade to score at a 12th grade reading level, and a 10th grade math level. My scores were *not* special compared with my fellow students. I don't have kids, but my friends went on to send their children to MDS and were quite happy they did. I have continued to maintain some contact with the community and staff over the years. (it was an important place to me) and though some of the the people and practices have changed to match the times, it's clear to me MDS has remained committed to those core Montessori values and continues to offer an excellent education. There is just one thing about the Montessori Method. To work well it needs parents who are willing to _actually parent_ their children and who are in a place to take an active role in their child's development, both in celebrating their successes and clearly perceiving where their child needs to put effort into growing and learning... because children are *always* growing and learning. Every moment of life is an educational one. Of note - There are a couple reviews here that feel as though the person in question more interested in having the MDS do the schooling, the parenting, everything. Children do best when parents are willing to put in the work with Montessori. Beats all other educational systems IMO!

I have been employed as a teacher in public schools around Arizona districts for almost a decade…read more My own children, 3 and 6 year olds attend Montessori Day School and you cannot find higher quality instruction and administration. My Kindergartener has far exceeded the expectations of that grade level in the schools I have taught. My kids love going to school and participating in the variety of after-school and summer programs. This school has a dedicated and highly trained staff with virtually no turn over or inconsistencies. You will be lucky if they have space as their enrollment grows due to word of mouth of their exceptional services. If you truly know education and what environments foster the personal and academic growth of children, you will not be disappointed in this school!

XCP says "Xavier College Preparatory does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or…read moreethnic origin in admissions ..." but this is completely a lie when majority of the students are white followed by Hispanic with African American & Native Americans having the lowest representation. They focus on accepting girls from specific backgrounds that fit their image, giving less chance for others who don't to receive the same opportunities. If you are looking for a school with diversity, XCP is not the school to attend. If you are a minority & are part of the small number that gets accepted, there is no one there who looks like or can relate to you culturally.

Love this school, my daughters a Junior and she loves it too. I am an Arizona Native and did not…read morehave the means to go when I was young

My son and daughter have been at Echo Canyon since Pre-K and now they're in 2nd and 4th grade…read more We've had such an amazing experience here. The staff is all so warm and welcoming. The principal and assistant principal are out greeting kids every morning and they know everyone's name, it's impressive! My kids have thrived here, with my daughter in the advanced Math and ELA and my son finding a love of reading. I'm a very involved parent and can say every single person who works at the school is amazing, thoughtful, and truly care about the students. We feel very lucky to have found this great community.

We have 2 kids in Echo Canyon and they both started out in their outstanding Pre-K program. As they…read morehave grown and continued on we have loved all of their teachers and their looping model as well! We live the small school feel, where the students are created by name every morning by the principal and assistant principal. Their beautiful gardens, tortoise habitat and monarch weigh station and some of the features that really set this school apart from the rest. We really couldn't be happier that we found Echo and that it's a part of our families story :)

My kiddos attend this school and it's been a wonderful experience for both of them. The teachers…read moreprovide classic Montessori instruction and work with each kid to know where to push them and where to help them. Very happy with our experience here!

This small school is a gem. My wife and I toured several Montessori programs in central Phoenix…read morebefore deciding on MCH. We love the staff, the curriculum and the other families that attend. Our son started in the beginner program where we saw him grow leaps and bounds developmentally and socially. He is now in the Primary program, and everyday I'm impressed with the knowledge he brings home and how articulately he is able to express himself to adults and peers alike. All of the lead teachers are Montessori certified, but the primary classroom has 2 leads, both certified and a kitchen assistant who cooks with the children and an outdoor assistant. Compared to the other schools we visited the children have more opportunities because of this arrangement. The school is private, so there is tuition even at the higher grades. However, we noticed that because it stayed private when all the other Montessori schools we toured were charter, it seemed to stick closer to the traditional Montessori curriculum we read about in our research. Children were not tested in any standardized way, and the teachers seem more able to truly follow the child. At one of the Montessori charters we saw 5 year olds doing standardized test practice during our tour. Yikes. Another thing we love about this school is how close knit the community is. When we toured we found out that one of the teachers attended the school and all of her children have been through the program, the director's husband was a student there and all of their children attended the school, etc. There is only one of every classroom so the children all know each other. Our son loves all of his friends and speaks of school excitedly everyday. On the weekends he begs to go to school to play with his friends. We have been so pleased with MCH, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a caring, small and diverse school community.

This is where baby spends his days while his parents work. I just love the staff here. Everyone…read moreis so friendly and loving to the babies. They also provide me with daily report cards, detailing when my son ate, slept, etc. When I come to pick him up, the workers always pass him around, giving him hugs and kisses. They always have sweet things to say about my son. It just feels nice to know that he is so loved at his day care (or baby school, as I like to call it) I could not be happier with the service and quality at Calvary, I would recommend it to anyone.

I can not speak highly enough of Calvary Chapel Central Daycare. My three year old daughter has…read morebeen going there for the past two years and my toddler for one year. It honestly feels like I leave them with family everyday. My girls love it as well. The Director Sherry and her daughter Tiffany have a gift for what they are called to do and it shows in the attitudes of the staff and children. This place is amazing period.

We cannot really find anything we don't love about this school. Our daughter did not get in for…read morekindergarten, but we had researched so much and decided to pull her from her current school and put in for 1st grade when we got the call that she was in. We have not regretted it. Of course, she missed her friends from kinder, but the Academy is so well done we never regretted our decision. The campus is done with such purpose and the teachers truly care about the students. So get on it and get on the waitlist asap!

Veritas is hands-down the best school I have been a part of. It has been open for one school year…read moreand my husband and I are very happy that our son was able to be accepted in to the school. It has made such an impact on his on his life. He is so much more structured in his ways of life...and he is only 9. His first year at Veritas was great and he had a phenomenal teacher. I joked with that teacher, Mr. Haley, about him being Kai's teacher every year. It's also nice that parents get many volunteer opportunities so you can engage with your child and his/her class. That kind of engagement even help change my life and gave me weekly volunteer opportunities to be a part of with the children. On another note, it is also very neat that the school also just made a plethora of renovations and added a high school. It's wonderful to such forward progress so fast. I can only imagine what the future holds for this incredible school. I think it's great that the children have to wear uniforms and adhere to a strict appearance policies. Veritas is a classical academy so it really try to enforce that in everything. Not only are "normal" subjects taught like match and science, students choose between Greek and Latin, they read classic novels, learn and practice different genres of art, and they partake in Healthy Hearts. It is a really impressive curriculum. Also, the the extra-curricular activities are amazing: there's ballroom dancing, chess club, running club, sportball, just to name a few. I highly recommend Veritas to any parent who is looking for a well-structured, well-rounded, classical way of teaching. I have already referred many of our family friends to the school and they have set up appointments for next school term. If you have a child, I recommend you do too!

My son has been attending ABC Preschool for 4 years, I won't take him anywhere else! My son is…read morehighly functional autistic which requires more patience and understanding.... The teachers have been AMAZING!! I searched high and low for best rates and off of recommendation we landed here, so Happy we did. I'd refer ANYONE and have...

They're always accomodating for daily drop offs and the teachers and staff and very nice and…read morefriendly.