Would not recommend this school some of the teachers are stingy and arrogant Just annoying…read more On the other hand I've had a teacher who made it worth going to school like the 2025-2026 8th grade teacher Sandra McCann props to her Also the dress code contradicts its self it says we let our students express themselves but draws the line at a cartoon on your shirt acting like it impacts learning so much the teachers do not get paid enough to care that much

Great for those wanting a tuition-free option for a Waldorf school. It's the best of both worlds-…read moreWaldorf and public school.

My daughter has been at St. Francis since freshman year. She's graduating this year. Honestly, I…read morecouldn't be happier. Sure. There's always ups and downs with kids at this age and personalities that clash with teachers. But I always knew she was safe, And getting an amazing education. Dean,Cost Is absolutely amazing. I'm not the easiest parent to deal with and if I had this to do over again I would choose it a thousand over.

This is my daughters freshman year at St. Francis. We are extremely disappointed. Although the…read moreteachers seem to care about their students, the administration clearly does not. They are not willing to do anything to help the emotional well-being of their students. Weather it's students suffering from racism or the mental health of the girls during this terrible year, they do nothing. They are obviously focused on profits, not the students. I've heard this was a good school once upon a time. Very sad!!

A good school would be one that my kid enjoys, and learns at…read more However, my kids comes home hating school and constantly asks me for help. Why pay a school that makes you be the teacher? The role of a teacher is to teach, yet my child struggles with things constantly. The teacher isn't doing the teaching. A total waste of money. They also make your kids memorize scripture, which is a worst way to instill biblical values. This makes them hate the Bible. Rather than actual teaching of the Bible, they make kids memorize verses without even knowing their context. Do we need to define the word "teacher" to this school?

Incredible staff. Finally a school that feels like home. On my first call, the teacher even prayed…read morewith me on the phone. Incredible.

I'm happy with the summer camp. This is my daughters first experience with school. She's been…read morehomeschooled and will go in to second grade in the fall. She's made friends and hasn't had a troubles she's had some learning curves but they have helped her and me be more comfortable with the school setting.

My step-daughter is in fifth grade here and has been since kindergarten. My wife has two older…read morechildren who attended here and she raves about the school, I am not impressed however. My step-son is brilliant but undisciplined and he was allowed to "graduate" sixth grade without doing any work at all and only getting "1's" and "2's" his whole career there. My oldest step-child would've succeeded anywhere anyhow and still does..... My fifth grade daughter has had much the same experience as my son until this year. This year I've been heavily involved and her teacher is very communicative and the difference has been huge. The school goes on wonderful field trips in every grade. The music program is awesome, my daughter has class for 30min 3x's/week and is learning quickly. The office staff are typically rude. The parking lot ( pickup / drop off ) is well managed and there is a great focus on child safety and using crosswalks. There's also a crossing guard and a " lighted?" Crosswalk just for school goers. P.E. is not a large focus but I believe funding is gone for health at most elementry schools. The children do have a large field, two playgrounds, ball courts, basketball courts and a basebal / kickball backstop. The surrounding area is typical for the city except that there is an outpatient psychiatric facility about 1 mile up mission avenue. There are people often in the area that " act weird " but I've heard of nothing harmful from them. I would rather my daughter been in a different school for all previous years but I am happy with her, her teacher and myself right. I wouldn't choose to enroll another child in this school but I'm alright with my daughter finishing out this year there.

Very difficult to work with. No idea why it takes nearly a month for one guy to contact someone…read moreelse regarding setting up a meeting, but seeing as the gentleman I had a meeting with was so delightful(Mocking the way I answered questions, not even bothering to keep eye contact and eating cereal, getting my name wrong at least twice, getting basic info wrong, to lazy to contact people) I can kinda see why 3.8 Stars is "generous" enough of a score.

So grateful we found Meristem! Big D is thriving and learning so many new life, job and friendship…read moreskills. He said "they get me" and he's right. D is learning what he likes and what he doesn't like in terms of jobs and thinking about his independence in the future including living in the dorms.

Best choice I have ever made for my child! The structure and format of READ helped my child make…read moretremendous gains in reading, writing, and organizing that wasn't possible in the red-taped environment of public schools.

After years of advocating for my son and searching for a school that could meet his unique learning…read moreneeds, we had high hopes for READ. My son made meaningful progress in reading, and I am grateful for the school's evidence-based dyslexia instruction. However, our experience also revealed important limitations for students with co-occurring autism, ADHD, and executive functioning challenges. As both a parent and an LCSW specializing in autism, I approached READ as a partner. I expected early collaboration around my son's strengths, challenges, and the strategies that had helped him succeed elsewhere. Before significant behavioral concerns emerged, I requested simple accommodations such as movement breaks and fidget tools but was told they would be disruptive to other students. To my knowledge, my son never had a proactive support plan. My experience was that my son's behaviors were addressed primarily through discipline rather than understanding their function or teaching replacement skills. As behavior logs became increasingly detailed, it became harder to distinguish meaningful concerns from age-appropriate immaturity or autism-related social differences. It was difficult to watch my son become increasingly discouraged, isolated, and unsure of how to be successful at school. Despite repeated efforts to collaborate, I saw little emphasis on proactive intervention, positive reinforcement, or identifying the function of behavior. My concern was never that READ had limits to the support it could provide, but that those limits did not become clear until the end of our experience. During our final meeting, READ told me they could no longer support my son unless he first attended a behavior program. That recommendation differed from those of the public school district and the professionals involved in his care. I was also told READ does not have a behaviorist, therapist, or behavioral specialist on staff. The end of our time at READ was especially disappointing. The focus was almost entirely on my son's challenges, with little acknowledgment of his strengths or growth. He was also excluded from the school's end-of-year BBQ as his placement ended. For autistic children, thoughtful transitions matter, and I wish his departure had reflected that he was a valued member of the community. READ can be an excellent fit for many students with dyslexia. I share my experience so families of children with additional developmental or behavioral needs can ask informed questions before enrolling, including: * How are autism- and ADHD-related needs supported? * What proactive accommodations and interventions are available? * What behavioral or mental health expertise is available on campus? * At what point does the school determine that a student's needs exceed the supports it can provide?

The community at AM Winn is kind, welcoming, and open-minded. Every teacher is dedicated and…read morefantastic. This is the underdog of the area Waldorf schools - we are scrappy, diverse, and creative. We have been growing every year. I moved my children here from another Waldorf school, first feeling like it was a risk, but my children and I are so happy we made the move. The low reviews seem to be from people who don't understand what waldorf education is, and are upset their children aren't getting drilled and rigorously tested. Your children will get a good education here, not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. And the work may sometimes be disguised in song or helping the earth. Raising kind humans takes all those things.

This is a great school and a real community. It gets back to the heart of teaching and not just…read moretesting, and truly allows kids to be kids while reaching them where they are. Before switching my daughter from a college prep to AM WINN I scheduled a visit, did my research on the curriculum, and checked with some coworkers who grew up in a Waldorf education and found that there were so many beneficial aspects. The curriculum is based on what's appropriate for the age and fully submerges them in a subject. The kids learn actual life skills (think in the sense that most middle/high schools lost home economics, cooking, gardening, sewing, cursive, etc - these kids are learning it from K-8). All of the kids play an instrument each year. They transition through various handwork - finger knitting, knitting, crocheting, sewing, etc. And after meeting several kids in the neighborhood I noticed they have such amazing temperaments and spirits and are so welcoming and joyful. I am truly glad that we found AM Winn as my daughter is blossoming in the Waldorf community and education approach. At first glance I believed Waldorf was something only "white, hippie people put their kids in" as I read some reviews on Waldorf education, but I was so wrong for going along with that belief, even if only for a moment. Consider that as adults we all learn differently and receive information differently - so why do we expect our kids to learn one way in school? AM Winn and the Waldorf approach reaches kids by incorporating every learning style. It's a holistic approach with a concern for the mind body and spirit of the child. They will not only learn about a culture/era, but they will build shelters, take a field trip to an exhibit, sing about it, write about it, draw it out, etc. Math is taught in a way for the kids to think through it in various methods, not just regurgitate information. It's age appropriate not where the district says they should be for their funding purposes. And I love that the school is VERY culturally diverse. Had I gone based on some of the school rating websites or testing sites I might have steered from the school, But I toured the school and fell in love. Some of the reports show that it's not diverse, the kids are far behind in subject matter, and it received some negative reviews - that I will say from my experience here that info is false. My daughter is multiracial, and she has a diverse group of friends that don't see color, she is just as knowledgeable in subjects as my step kids who attend another public school, thinks on a deeper level than they do, has developed a strong sense of empathy and justice for others, and we love it here. I've watched my daughter recover from some of the damage that her previous school did to her She previously attended a college prep school that I won't name but literally broke her spirit, and I've known many people who reported the same thing. The kids were expected to "slant" and sit perfectly still while others finished their work, she would get in trouble for READING in class or drawing because she wasn't slanting, and wasn't actually taught to work through a math problem only to memorize answers for timed lessons. There wasn't much play involved with only a tiny jungle gym in the parking lot - she didn't even have the coordination to do the monkey bars. Math was drilled in and time tested, without the proper attention for those that didn't understand. I had to make a change because my daughter who once loved school cried every evening and had anxiety with math. The college prep/common core was not actually taught in a way to solve the problem but merely to memorize and test well for funding. After making the change to AM Winn it was a drastic change in her. It took a moment for her to adjust but she loved it. She gets to be creative. She gets to be free. And most importantly she gets to be a kid- something that many children are missing out on in today's society as we push them to grow up quickly and test well. My daughter has become quite the artist, loves playing the guitar and singing, she's a great story teller and writer, an avid reader and reads 3 grades above her level. I say all of that to say this - just as everyone has their own taste in food, so too our children will have their own taste in learning. As a parent you have to allow them to satisfy that taste and not just force the norm on them. AM Winn might not be the best school for everyone, but for many of these kids a traditional public school that drills in information but doesn't address the heart of the child isn't the best for them. AM Winn reaches for their heart when material is presented and these kids WANT to learn because of it. So if you've made it through reading all of this it's because you're interested in the school and wanted a real opinion on it. I would say your next step is to visit and see if it's right for you and your child.

The pick up and drop off at River view stem elementary is insane. I understand that half of the…read moreparents do not live in mills ranch but to be this selfish and messy is disgusting. The school holds themself as the best school in rancho, however, they need a better system for drop off / pick ups. This mess creates an environment where kids are going to get hurt. Cars drive crazy, park wherever they feel like and pass up cars on the wrong side of the road. What are they waiting for ? Maybe only until a kid gets ran over by a car will they start to do something. I have spoken to most of my neighbors on ambassador and they have complained and reached out to the school with the same concerns. Yet the school has done nothing to fix this issue.

I love this school! The parents are so supportive, the staff is the best, and the kids are superb!…read more If you want your child to be academically challenged, make good friends, and develop an interest in STEM activities... this is the best school for your child!!!