My nephew went here.. Understaffed and the "teachers" aren't certified by the state. One of the high school teachers were pushing DEI agendas on the STUDENTS; making them create a poster board about diversion and equality in workforce. It's supposed to be a school, not political ideology bs. Students were punished for standing up for themselves in unfair situations. Teachers and assistants were gossiping about other students right in front of the class. Woke and terrible, overpriced for a mediocre education. read more

My son went there for 5th and a little bit for 6th grade, and he had a good time with his peers. He expressed how he loved going to school, He liked Mrs. Yolanda Rodriguez, she is a very good teacher for children with special needs. I'm sure all the teachers are good here. My son misses school and his schoolmates and the teacher. He and I miss the staff. I became very close with them. Also, they are friendly. They are warm. You can ask him anything. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the staff and the teachers the Dean is a nice person and I hope that he can go back read more

Center Academy has been such a blessing for my son. The most important part of our experience is the academic strides my son has made while at Center Academy. Public school was not working at all for him, even with an IEP and extra help. He fell so far behind that it ended up hurting his mental health. I immediately pulled him out of public school in the middle of his 5th grade year. Once he started at Center Academy that same year, he became a new child. As far as social aspects, my son had a hard time in public school because other children didn't really understand him or relate to him. He had a hard time making connections with students, but at Center Academy, since the children understand each other and know that they are there because they face some of the same difficulties, they are compassionate towards one another and they understand each other. It's easier for them to make connections and friends. All the teachers are great. I have yet to have a complaint about any teacher. They are very understanding and compassionate towards the students. They are great at communicating, great at keeping order in the classroom and making it a positive and enjoyable learning experience. The same goes for the administration. They truly care for their students as if they were their own children. Every child has different needs and in some cases health issues. The faculty and staff have always done everything they could to help accommodate my son whenever he's needed it. The students are acknowledged as individuals and they are not expected to "fit in a box." With smaller classrooms and two teachers per classroom, they get the attention and help they need which wasn't possible in public school. The teachers and assistants are always there to help. The students enjoy field trips throughout the year and the school has various family activities throughout the year. My son went from getting C's, D's, and F's to A's and B's every semester and even all A's some semesters. The teachers challenge the students and they make sure they don't stay stagnant and they help them reach their full potential. This is where I've seen the biggest academic strides with my son. He went from writing maybe five sentences to being able to fill a whole page with writing. It was hard for him to get his thoughts on paper, but he no longer has that issue. He volunteers to read out loud which he never would've done previously. He went from needing someone to sit next to him in order to get his work done or having to be constantly redirected, to doing his work completely unassisted and even going around to help other students with their work. My son has great relationships with the teachers, teacher's assistants, and faculty and he even feels comfortable talking to them about what's going on in his life. His self-esteem went up, his confidence went up, he came out of his shell, and he honestly became a new child thanks to the help from Center Academy. My son is now in 11th grade and right on track to graduate next year. I could never thank the faculty and staff at Center Academy enough. read more

I cannot say enough great things about this school. The staff is amazing and for the first time my daughters needs are supported, and she is thriving! read more

My step child goes here, and has for a few years. The child was held back once, and would have been again if he/she had not gone to this school. The positive: nice teachers. Nice group of kids. Small class size. Good support. Kid is happy and wants to go to school. No homework. The not so positive: That being said, he/she also (like many of the other reviews stated) went from C/D/Fs to straight A's many semesters. Well, my friends, that's because they take the curriculum down to the child's level of understanding. So the kid is doing work at grade 3-6 (depending on the subject) but is in high school. This is a great esteem booster. But what happens when the kid goes to college? The child will be a freshman in college in a matter of years with the education of a 9th grader (if we are lucky). How does that help? So, we are prolonging the struggles and the crying for when the kid goes to college (at least they graduate high school, right?). As mentioned in the positives- there's no homework. That's great, but they don't learn how to study. I can understand the reason behind no homework.....but asking these kids to read for 20 min each day as homework isn't unreasonable. Reading has proven to raise IQ. The kid can barely write a paragraph. The kid is 16/17. I have not noticed any support in this area. At the teacher conference, they stated the kid has improved in writing. I'm not sure how, except the ramblings go on longer. I didn't know it was acceptable to write "um, so yeah, like" in a paper. On top of all of this, the school has a high turn over rate with the staff. The principal just left - Mike T. This will be the 4th one coming in 4 or 5 years. The teaching staff, too. New ones every year, it seems. There is another campus in Maitland. I'm not sure how things vary from that campus. If it were up to me, I'd switch schools. I have a son with ADHD and dyslexia in public schools, so I understand LDs. I would never put him in this school- they say they support dyslexic students, but they don't say which method they use (there are specific, proven ones), and I don't think he would be educated to his full potential at this "academy". If a kid is getting straight A's at this school, and they perform 3 years or more below their grade level, perhaps they need to be challenged a bit more so they can eventually be somewhat close to their peers by the time they get to college or vocational school. It's gonna be a slap in the face when step-kid goes to the first semester of college. The self esteem that has been built up by CA over the years will definitely take a dive in one week at a mainstream educational institution like Valencia College or Seminole State. read more

My son started this school because he needed more attention than he was receiving at Timber Creek High School he was making A- C's but the amount of homework was ridiculous. Started this school because there was no or very little homework. He was doing horribly in the writing classes and despite my recommendations that he needed more help and for things to be broken down into smaller more manageable chunks nothing was done. He ended up failing the creative writing class. I'm so disappointed. I should have just kept him at timber creek where he at least would have passed all of his classes because he would not have had to take creative writing. Writing obviously is his worst subject. He needs way more help than they were able to provide. Even with only 10 kids in the class. Words cannot express how much I wish I had not subjected him to this school. What a waste of money and time. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE IF THEY ARE DEFICIENT IN ANYTHING THEY WILL NOT HELP. It will only make things worse. read more

run from the center academy academy schools! students are given busy work with no real learning. Teachers di not have degrees in ESE and they say they don't accept students with behavior issues but they do. principals are told what to do and turn around is high. read more

There are no words to express my gratitude to the amazing staff of this school. From the principal to her assistance to all the amazing educational staff. As a former public school teacher and a mother I can tell you that enrolling my kids in Center Academy was the best decision that I ever made. The academic, and emotional growth that I have seen in my kids is amazing. The constant support, follow-ups and genuine desire of helping my kids are the essential key factors that helped them fall in love with school again. Listening to my kids talking about college, telling me what their future would look like, and coming back from school showing me their gains, especially in Reading and Math is stunning. The way I see my kids, their emotional growth, and how they have built back their self-esteem is something that even their doctor's specialists have asked for, questioning the name of the school. (I even remember one, taking a picture of my son's uniform logo) As a mom, I acknowledge how hard could be for us to decide on what is best for our kids, and from all the decisions that I have made for them, this has been so far the BEST. I want other moms to have this astounding experience, to give their kids the opportunity to know the school as they should; like a safe place to learn, and to always have the desire to keep learning, no matter the obstacles that life brings you, that you are more than a diagnosed, an IEP or even a 504, that you deserve the best and there's nothing that could ever stop you on chasing your dreams! I love my kids, I don't believe in barriers, and I want the best for them, and I finally found a place that thinks like me. read more

Center Academy in Waterford Lakes is a great school for children with special needs. They have the compassion, patience and time necessary to help each student succeed. At Center Academy the focus is truly on the individual student and how to help the student gain confidence to learn the academic and socialization skills they need to be successful in life. We love Center Academy! read more

This is my son 3rd year at Center Academy. It is the best thing that has happened for him. He has improved tremendously in Social Skills and his grades are now all A's. He has come a long way since attending C.A. I couldn't be happier that he attends this great school. read more

This is a heartfelt review to warn parents so they don't experience the difficult position in which we were placed. My son has ADD and has always been challenged while learning and trying to succeed in school. For purposes of this review, I will call him John. His self-esteem is low and feels his future is not bright because of his struggles. We decided to place him at Center Academy after reading reviews and recommendations. Their process seemed to work and John's grades began to improve...what were once C's, D's and F's had improved to B's, C's and D's...a win in our opinion. About 5 weeks into the semester we were given notice to find another school in which to place him because they did not have the time to give in order to help him advance. We were told he would have to be out in 10 days...in the middle of a semester! John is a gentle, shy boy who has NEVER had a letter sent home or a call home because of his behavior or comportment. He is respectful and kind. To receive notice such as this was shocking, heartbreaking and infuriating, to say the least. They never called us to discuss a potential problem or their inability to teach and inspire a child who has ADD. Another meeting, which we requested, with Dr. Steven Hicks revealed their lack of commitment to a case they viewed as difficult. A case which involves a child with ADD, no other issues and a lack of interest in school because it doesn't come easy to him. Isn't this the exact type of student for which the school was founded? To hear that Center Academy has students on a wait list who will perform better, and I quote, "and actually want to be here" was a slap in the face. A child who has trouble learning in school often times doesn't want to be in school...this is when learning institutions such as Center Academy are supposed to help. Their mission statement clearly states the following ..."one of the first schools in the US to focus on the needs of students with Attention Deficit Disorder and other neuropsychological processing difficulties... full-day school for students who were falling through the cracks in traditional schools." Center Academy charged $1,000 a month to fulfill their promise and mission statement yet fell quite short when confronted with a child who clearly needed help, time and encouragement. Instead he was kicked out in order to make room for an "easier case." Shame on you Center Academy. You failed your mission statement and raison d'être. read more

We moved our son with ADHD this year from the public school. His growth has been amazing! We are so please with his journey so far!

We are so grateful to have found Center Academy at Waterford a year ago. Our  daughter, now thirteen, attended several of the best private schools in Central Florida in hopes of finding one that truly understood her learning differences.  Despite early intervention, she developed so much anxiety and a hatred for school. Trying to keep up with the rigorous and fast paced curriculums, that are considered the norm now, as well as, bullying, created morning battles that led to excessive tardiness and absences.  Unfortunately, these issues were never understood by educators or even us as parents. We were a very tired and burned out family when we met with the school Principal Mike Trageser. It is clear that Mike's compassion and empathy for the students and parents, makes him a true leader.  We have so much respect and confidence in his leadership. Our daughter loves her teachers who allow her to work at her own pace on a curriculum designed just for her. She has developed friends and finally feels safe in a learning environment that is diverse and accepting. She is thriving emotionally, socially, and academically. It is that combination that makes her want to go every morning and learn! Thank you to Mike, and all the teachers and staff at Center Academy Waterford Lakes! read more