I'm a former student writing this review, so this is probably the most accurate rating anyone could give this school. This is going to be a pretty long review, so there's a TLDR at the bottom. Academically, Challenger is great. The curriculum puts students on the same courses as TAG kids in public school, but there is even more homework, which teaches kids discipline, responsibility, and time management at an early age. However, it's important to point out that the homework is not too much, and I found that I was always able to complete it and earn good grades without too much stress. From kindergarten through fifth grade, I really enjoyed the school since I maintained good marks, and the small class sizes made it easier to make friends. I was also a really well-behaved student, and always found my good behavior rewarded. However, in sixth grade, my parents decided to send me to public school so I would be ready for high school. Despite being in TAG all subjects, my learning pace was slower than it had been in Challenger, so I re-enrolled to Challenger for seventh grade, and this is when everything changed. There were a lot of new students, and let's just say they didn't find my good behavior too cool. There was a new hierarchy that I soon became aware of, and I was around the bottom of it. That year, my friend group was bullied quite a lot, but what amazed me is that the teachers did literally nothing about it. I also noticed that the front office was very close to the popular kids and basically didn't pay attention to anyone else, so it felt very isolating. I couldn't report the bullying even if I wanted to. In eighth grade, I wasn't ready to go through that again, so I changed my entire personality. I guess I was now more easy to talk to and funny, so my bullies became some of my closest friends. I even dated one of them. But even though I won the students over, the front office, who didn't see our class every day, thought I was still unpopular, and this would become important later. Since changing my personality, I was more flexible with following the rules, and one of them was that you can't share food. Basically no one in middle school cared about this, and sharing food was so common that many teachers saw it and didn't make a scene since they knew we could handle our allergies by ourselves at that age. However, at some point, a front office member caught me with the same food as someone else, who was a kid who had always been popular. When he was asked whether the class had been sharing food, he immediately told the truth, but when I was asked, I lied to protect my friend. In hindsight, lying is always wrong, and I shouldn't have done it; instead, I should have admitted it but not said anything about the person who gave me the food. However, since I lied, I had a failing comportment grade, which prevented me from getting the Academic Excellence award even though my grades were literally 96 and above for every subject. I also got lunch detention for two months, which was really severe. The other kid, in contrast, got away absolutely scot-free. This really irked me because previously, there was another problem with sharing food, and the offenders received lunch detention for 2 weeks, so that should have been the punishment for the other kid. However, the front office members, in my opinion, tend to act like teenagers in this regard, since they show so much favoritism that it is blatantly obvious. They basically try to suck up to the popular kids, which is the opposite of how it should be, and I think it's really messed up. Another consequence for this one negative choice that I made was that I didn't get a scholarship despite my extremely high testing. Just because of my comportment grade, which was affected by one mistake, I missed out on a lot of money. I think they were too harsh with the punishment for sharing food because in all the years except eighth grade, I tried my hardest to be the best-behaved student in the class. I had to change because otherwise, I would be suffocating in bullying for the rest of my Challenger career. And even in eighth grade, I was still one of the better-behaved kids in the class, but I guess my history and everything I put into that school didn't matter to the management. I know I've claimed that teachers were bystanders to bullying, and the front office was just fueling the flames, but this isn't true for every single individual. Some teachers were terrific, and the same goes with some of the front office staff, but the damage that school gave me is still done. What you should take away from my story is this: Challenger will be great to put your kid ahead of the competition and prepare them for high school. However, unless your kid has a gift for sucking up, they may not have the most positive experience there. (The above paragraph is the TLDR btw). read more

We absolutely loved Challenger! The administrators and teachers are kind and personable. They make a point of knowing every student's name and greet them warmly every day. The school also has safety measures in place, including security personnel, which gives us peace of mind. That said, Challenger may not be the right fit for every child--it's not a school that focuses heavily on emotional expression or creativity. However, if you're looking for a place that emphasizes traditional values, discipline, and a strong academic foundation, Challenger is the perfect choice. The curriculum is advanced, covering everything from good penmanship at a young age to public speaking. It's wonderful for gifted learners. What sets Challenger apart is how it teaches children accountability, discipline, and excellence while still offering fun activities like cooking classes, Spanish lessons, and chess club. My daughter attended Challenger from kindergarten through the first half of second grade (we've since moved out of state and haven't been able to find anything comparable). The academic foundation she received there is evident--she's ahead of her grade level and carries herself with a maturity that reflects the school's influence. We are so grateful for the experience and feel Challenger has truly set her up for success. read more

Toxic environment This school is not disciplining kids, no respect for parents or children just the children have to perform up to their high expectations. Teachers keep changing and some don't teach properly... Totally disappointing... zero recommendation for this school .. no worth for money... too much pressure on the students.... :( read more

we are so disappointed with this school . made a bad choice for our children. too much pressure on the students , constantly judged and criticized and teachers keep on resigning because of the pressure on them. No respect for parents either.the teachers at school are not so great they seem to brainwash the kids like challenger is the best..the kids seems so obsessed and attached to this school.... Teaching is not up to what we expect.not worth the money. total regret! read more

My son attended preschool at Challenger School - Avery Ranch for almost two years. The experience was largely positive for him, and he thrived academically and developmentally in the Challenger curriculum. The curriculum/preschool program is rigorous, well-defined, and extensive. My son did a ton of artwork, a tremendous amount of phonics reading and writing, and a good amount of natural science learning. He can read and write already, and he has not yet started kindergarten. The program has a traditional, old-school flair. Expectations are high for the children. I appreciate this approach. On the negative side, Challenger does not offer extremely open parental access. Parents are not really welcomed to observe in the classroom. Communication about your child's progress can be scant. Boilerplate progress reports came every few months, but there was rarely detail aside from "always, sometimes, with help." This program probably would not work as well for children that are more sensitive or have developmental/behavior issues. Like any school, the quality of the teacher can vary greatly. We had an amazing teacher one year, and we had some challenges in the second year. My son did not mesh as well with the teacher, and we started to see some odd behavior issues in the classroom I can't really argue with the results. The curriculum works, and the Avery Ranch campus was well-run and safe. The tuition seemed reasonable and in line with other preschool options. I recommend for the right type of child. Do your research and see if Challenger is a good fit. read more

I rarely write negative reviews but feel compelled on this one. This school is not for everyone and i urge every parent to do their research. Its in essence a prep school that starts the rigid curriculum at age 3. There is ZERO accommodation for children who are outside of the challenger mould in terms of behavior, culture, learning interests, aptitude etc. My son, who is a little high energy 4 year old coming from covid nanny care at home at 6 months day care was essentially given 2 weeks to "change his behaviors" and was called disruptive for talking out of turn once and because he jumped up when he saw his favorite book been read. He was not also allowed to "slouch" as all kids were told to sit straight cross legged for multiple sessions and teachers would walk around constantly correcting their poses. I mean these are 4 year old kids, just stop and think about that for a minute. There is also literally ZERO diversity in the school. just pay a visit to the classroom and you will understand. While it has proven academic results, one has to question at what cost and loss it comes at for these young kids. pls do your research before you subject your kids to this experience read more

We enrolled and then have to withdraw with too many covid cases happening at the school. No mask required, no vaccination required, no good policy to prevent covid spreading around the school. I wouldn't send my kids to a private school that doesn't care about the safety of their teachers and studnets. read more

My daughters have attended Challenger School for the past four years starting with the preschool program. The preschool program was excellent and they were reading and writing at age three as were their peers. The teachers have high expectations for behavior and participation in class. Today my husband and I had a conference with my 3rd grader's teacher because although she's getting low As on average, she's not doing her best work. I think most teachers/schools would not take time out of their busy schedule to conference with parents about a kid getting As. That is one example of why we are at Challenger School. The curriculum is amazing. The grammar, literature, computer programming, geography, and history are outstanding. The math and science are above average but could be stronger in my opinion. Challenger is not for everyone as I have seen kids and parents stressed out about performing at the level necessary to stay in the program. It is also not a school that seeks out parental input or involvement unless your child is having some sort of problem. Overall we are very pleased with what our children are learning and the environment that they're in. read more

We enrolled our 4-year old son into Challenger School for the summer. Since we knew he was going back to his former (Spanish immersion) pre-school in the fall, we called it "Summer Camp" to ease the transition and make it fun for him. At first, we were a little nervous about enrolling our son into Challenger because we had read some less-than-favorable reviews about the school online. But the location was very convenient for us and we had heard amazing things about the curriculum (and the results of the program for the students) so we decided to check it out further. To that end, prior to enrolling our son for the summer, my husband and I spoke extensively with several people at the school -- including the Headmaster and several of the teachers/staff -- and our fears were calmed. We found the staff to be very professional, caring, and committed to the children. We took time to observe the classrooms and found the children to be happy, engaged, and well-behaved. We also had our son come by for a few "playground visits" which helped him easily transition into the school. Even given all of that, we were still a little nervous about his first day since his pre-school and his "summer camp" were so different. At the end of his first day he came home and said, "Daddy, I did not think that summer camp would be awesome... but it WAS AWESOME!!!" Every day for 9 weeks, our son came home with his work for the day -- math projects, reading/writing projects, and art projects -- and every day he PROUDLY presented his accomplishments to us. We watch not only his skills grow, but his confidence and self-esteem grow. I was almost brought to tears when one day this summer while we were at the pool, he spontaneously put his right hand over his heart and recited the "Pledge of Allegiance" -- at the end, he said, "I was born with the right to choose my own destiny. I learn to think for myself, speak for myself, and be responsible for myself." I was so touched by the moment -- and so proud -- that I asked him to do it again for me so I that I could videotape him. He agreed. I videotaped it and shared it with family and friends. I think the thing that touched me the most moment was how proud HE was of HIMSELF. =) At the end of the day, here's what I'd tell you about Challenger: The school is academically excellent. The children are smart, happy, well-behaved, and proud of themselves. The teachers are caring, committed, and make the classroom FUN. The headmaster is accessible and will work with you to discover whether or not Challenger is right for your child. I have only good things now to say about Challenger and encourage you to investigate the school for yourself. When the summer session ended, our son told us, "I don't want summer camp to be over. I love Ms. Katie -- she is so funny!" I started to feel bad for pulling him out of Challenger in order for him to go back to his "regular" preschool (which he absolutely LOVES, too, by the way) but we were committed to him being in a Spanish-immersion pre-school so we left Challenger for the fall/spring. He will go back again next summer. Most importantly, after his first 3 days back at his Spanish immersion pre-school, his teacher pulled my husband aside and said, "We are so impressed by your son! His skills and his behaviors have improved so dramatically since we last saw him! He's almost like a different child -- so much more mature!" We are fans of Challenger and grateful for the role the school has played in our young son's life. read more

Most unprofessional ,Worst management and staff , all they worry about is filling their seats. They'll tell you we are putting you on a waitlist, which is their biggest lie They put my child on a waitlist and call me for admission from two different locations without telling me that I have to refill the application asap because there's rat race for getting admission into challenger school. And then when it comes to admitting my child they say we are full. This clearly shows they have no integrity , dont care who was on waitlist but fill their seats and get the money. I would rate it minus for being dishonest and wasting children's and parents time read more

Years ago, when it came time to select a school for our young children, my wife and I knew that we wanted them to thrive academically. We visited a few schools, and we looked up performance statistics for the local public school. After doing this homework, we concluded that Challenger School appeared to be the best learning environment for our kids. It was a big decision to make. In hindsight, we are very happy with how things have turned out. Unlike most other schools these days, Challenger still teaches kids sentence structure and sentence diagramming, cursive writing, and math skills that help these kids score at the highest levels on national standardized tests. Not only that, but Challenger teaches pride in our country, and an understanding of the principles upon which our country was founded. We have been very pleased with how our children have progressed in reading and comprehension, speaking effectively, and using logic to solve problems. I am very satisfied regarding my interactions with teachers and administrators at Challenger. I noticed other online reviews from people who said otherwise. That puzzles me. The only perspective I can speak from is my own. When I have had a request that was actionable and reasonable for the school to consider, they have been very open to listening. And whenever they felt the need to provide feedback on something one of our kids was not understanding in school, I viewed this not as a conflict, but rather as an opportunity to discuss constructive solutions. I have never come out of one of those meetings frustrated. One last benefit for which we are grateful. We were seeking a strong peer group for our children. We found this at Challenger, and perhaps not surprisingly, their parents are wonderful too. If you value education, and if you think a superior education will give your children broader opportunities when they grow up, then Challenger School is a good school to consider. read more

Our daughter has been in the Challenger 4's pre k program. She has learned an incredible amount during this one year. I'm not an educator but I believe she is already reading at a kindergarten level. Don't be fooled, if you expect pure rainbows and sunshine, this may not be the place for you. Expectations are high for the kiddos and the parents as well. However, I wouldn't change a thing. Love the school, love the results. read more

I was initially a fan of this school because they have a great academic program and understand that children are capable of so much more than many adults realize. Which is why I'm giving two stars instead of one. The staff at this school isn't the most friendly, but after talking to them about it, they've made some changes or at least they began to acknowledge us when we would drop off our kids. Before, they wouldn't say anything to us. It appears that some of the teachers do not have a background in child development, which is very concerning. I witnessed one of the teachers getting angry with my 3yr old because he didn't have a good nap, was a bit cranky and didn't want to participate in the dancing portion of the class at that time. He wanted to be by himself. She was quite flustered and told me, "..and that is just not what we're going to do here!" He apologized to her (not that it's a big deal that he didn't want to dance. sheesh!) but she was very snotty about it, "do you have something to say to me?" Then, when he tried to say bye to her, she barely even acknowledged him. Another teacher grabbing paints out of his hands (tug-of-war with a 3yr old), as I watched through the window. He started crying. I spoke to the headmaster about it and her response was very stern and told me, "Well, he knows that his hands are supposed to be in his lap before art begins." ooookkkaaay?! How about we use our words before snatching things from a kid. Plus he's 3 and they put the paints right in front of the kids on the tables while they were already coloring. None of their hands were in the laps. Then on another occasion, my husband picked him up before taking him to his class; she walked by and said to him, "what, are his legs broken?" We talked to her about how rude it was. We received an apology, but this type of behavior wasn't out of the ordinary. A friend of ours had a similar experience when she picked up her 3yr old. The comment was, "if he can't walk, then he can't go here." There were many other issues with the school, like not calling us when my son was coughing so badly that the teacher was worried, even though it's noted in his files and I told them directly that he has asthma. Also, I had no idea that my son was having tantrums for weeks, which was completely out of his character. There was no mention of it until I told them about how the teacher was getting angry with him. The general feeling that we get from this school is that we're lucky to be able to have our kids there and any wrong move and you're out. Which brings me to my final issue. We sent a letter to their corporate office with our concerns. After that, they scheduled a meeting with us to terminate our contract. It wasn't a big deal, as we were already looking for other schools, but I find it alarming that instead of addressing the issues, that they would just cancel our contract. We received a story about how "kids are too precious" and "that we need to feel safe" when our kids are there. Which is true, but I did mention to them that I'm a bit concerned that they're not actually addressing the issues at this particular location. We tried out the Round Rock location first and had a great experience, so I'm disappointed that Avery Ranch didn't have the same quality and that neither one of our kids are at this school anymore. I spoke to another parent that also went from Round Rock to Avery Ranch and she noticed the same issues. When I went back to pick up the rest of our paperwork, the headmaster saw me and didn't even look at me. Then she said hi to my son and not to me. She continued to talk to him as if I wasn't there and then finally said hi to me. A bit petty I think, but oh well. I guess she didn't like that corporate was notified of her behavior, even though they didn't do anything about it. When my kindergartner was there, she was so stressed that we realized that it just wasn't worth it. She was a home and was writing and got so angry and said that her "handwriting was just ugly!" Instead of encouraging the children, they are very critical of their work. If you're considering Challenger school, I would suggest checking out the other locations or a different school entirely. They are not the only school with a great academic program. read more

I'm hoping this goes to the challenger school headquarters and does not get lost. I took my 3 year old for a class visit to a challenger school in Avery Ranch. My child cried during his class visit so he was denied admission. The reason is - a child is expected to calm down and participate in the first 30 mins of his very first day at a new school in a new state. What school is this? You guys said it is not a good fit for my child. Forget it...your school is not a good fit for us. read more

We were planning to register our kid with Challenger School. They have an odd requirement about a school uniform, for Pre-K kids too, and that you must buy the uniform @ scholarwear.com. Why? I asked them and there is no reason or logic, it is just their policy. Skirt+Shirt costs ~$70. The same at childrens place costs $9+$7! They could just ask for extra fee and get the money, I don't like their intentions! read more