I personally went to Heritage Academy for a couple years as a student at this location in Mesa. I…read morethink that this truly was the best school I ever went to as a kid. I learned a lot from this school that no public school would be willing to teach. They offer all different types of languages, I learned Latin in 7th grade. Also, they offer amazing electives as well as spontaneous field trips. I probably never would have seen the Grand Canyon if I did not go to this school.. I'm very grateful to have gotten the opportunity to go to this school and I'm definitely hoping my kids can do the same thing!

I came to Heritage Academy Mesa for 1 year and absolutely despised it with my entire heart. Sure…read morethere's fridays off and "hot lunches" that your parents may order for you, but I want to tell you about my and other "scholars*" experiences. Scholars is the name that the teachers call the students at Heritage Academy by. I will give you all the reasons why this year was terrible and will not use their writing style (CRED's)* Creds stands for Claim, Reason, Evidence, Discussion, and teachers will use Harvard Keyword Outlines alongside it because this is a review and I'm lazy. Remember that this is completely biased and won't be everyone's experience at this school. And also take into account that this is for the Mesa campus, as it is very tiny and squished. Also, I will not be using my real name for my own safety (this is not my direct account). I would like to talk about the staff and "scholars", both the good and the bad, and the beliefs pushed onto "scholars" by sending your child here. I would like to start with the fact that many of the staff and "scholars" are Mormon (LDS) and your child will have this influence if you send your child here. (I'm not trying to say it's bad or anything I'm just an Ex and I prefer not to hear about it) staff will not hesitate to say where they were married in one of their temples, but often doesn't go beyond it. But some do mention church on other occasions. Also, "scholars" tend to be homophobic/ transphobic and that may affect your child. Although some staff will go easy on you when in class, some are hardcore (I will not name anyone for their privacy). Overall the staff also will push patriotic beliefs on "scholars" and is a highly christian based school. For your information and child safety, teachers also can use "scholar" bathrooms. Although there have been no incidents that I have heard of, once there was a teacher watching corn (adults know what I mean) and accidently broadcasted it to that class by accident. The teacher was fired luckly, but thought I'd mention that. Also, that was not my experience for some context and happened in the previous school year. That concludes the staff/ "scholar background paragraph. There have been incidents of sexual harassment by some of the more tiresome "scholars", and then continue to say that what you said wasn't scholarly, (the experience of sexual harassment was not mine and the students that harrassed the other one were thankfully suspended). The principal*, when I said I would like this (person they were interviewing) should replace my teacher because the person being interviewed was better at teaching the subject, slapped me (gently) on the arm, which made me EXTREMELY uncomfortable (she likely did because she thought I was joking) *This Person will no longer be principal for the 2026-2027 school year* A similar experience happened when I made a dark poem and wrote it on my assignment to get myself to stop laughing during class when she wanted us to shut up. About a week later, she talked to me publicly about it (before class when everyone was talking) and touched my arm out of concern- which made me very uncomfortable, even if she was concerned about me. In general, most of the staff make me uncomfortable just by sitting in a room with them. Now, about the rules and standards of this school. That dress code is one of the most strict I have seen.(I haven't been to many schools, but I have heard of similar schools having less strict dress codes that I will not be naming). As I have almost been dress coded on a "Dollars 4 Duds"* day Dollars for Duds is a day scheduled by Heritage where you can bring cash in exchange for wearing normal clothes- with a strict dress code 'but at least its something' now continuing what I was attempting to say for a semi- cropped top that you could see some of my stomach when lifting up my arms, and it wasn't noticed towards late in the day. I also couldn't wear anything over 4 inches above the knee, which was a huge challenge for me, even if my clothes are pretty modest (other than the crop top). Which is why I kind of think its a scam to look normal at this school. Also on the "no profanity" rule, teachers either don't blink an eye (except for some) or have terrible hearing because I have never seen someone get a Log Entry for swearing. PDA is also challenging to deal with, as you can't hug, kiss, or really do anything.Now to the English program, that is tedious. The English program at this school is extremely advanced and will constantly have you on your toes with CRED's and Harvard Keyword Outlines, SO's Sentence Openers, SV's Strong Verbs, which are all DU's Dress Ups which are only stressful once it's implemented. Now these Rules and standards are incredibly challenging to deal with. Except for swearing because of reason stated - which is incredibly hilarious. Now for the random things I have complaints about. "Hot Lunches" are kind of a scam. Especially because of

When my children went to school here and Mr. martinez was the principle they were so racist so if…read moreyou're a minority don't go here. He kept harassing me about pulling my children out. They were children and needed school until I finally took them out. I hope he is no longer a principal there or anywhere else for that matter!! I was going to sue them but they had removed my children transcripts and stayed they never attended there. Pathetic !!

Great school. I have never seen staff that care about students as much as they do! Students are…read moreable to work ahead and graduate early. If students are behind, East Valley High School works with them to get them caught up. They put a plan in place that works.

4 of my 5 kids go to Self Development Academy (1 is currently in Preschool and 3 in higher grade…read morelevels). We've had positive experiences since our kids started here in the 2's and 3's on the preschool side. My 6 other nieces and nephews also attend this school and we've all had a great experience with SDP and SDA. This school has high rankings in academics but also has a wonderful team who all have your children's best interest at heart. Dr. Majeed, Miss Vernetta, all the teachers Miss Mickey, Miss Amber, Miss Haschke, Miss Oliver, Miss Jenn C., even all the front desk staff (Lonnie, Deena, Brittni), and especially the principal Jenn Salvatori have all been wonderful and helpful with our kids! There was recently an issue with another child was being very rude/disrespectful a couple of times and I reported it right away since my child was upset and crying. I'm happy to report that the resolution was swift. I was also kept updated about how it was being addressed both with the students and internally among their staff/teachers. SDA stresses the importance of the 4 R's Respect, Responsibility, Readiness, and Resiliency as well as academics with opportunities to advance. SDA was also very accommodating when we had to go to online school during COVID and truly care about your child's well being. My kids feel safe here, trust their teachers and administration, and have honestly thrived at this school since being here. I feel blessed to have this school so close to home and to trust my kids with a school that provides such solid support.

I have chosen to not post a review about SDA to stay positive and let that horrible time in my…read morefamily's life go, but seeing this article in our local paper is too much. This school is focused so solely on high achievement that they will do everything possible to push out children who do not perform. My daughter went here with minimal issue, other than adjusting to the old school dictation-style teaching and an isolated situation where a stessed teacher used questionable methods to discipline the entire class for being disruptive. My son has ADHD and was put into detentions and in-school suspension over the allowable number of times per year by state law while he was in grades K-4. He was excluded from activities and field trips, put last in his kindergarten graduation despite it being alphabetical (his name should've been read 3rd - he was th only child not listed in order) and I was constantly told how I should consider medication (again - at 5 years old). They were oblivious to handling a 504 plan. My son was so deflated by his first 5 years of school that he dreaded every day. I have spoken with numerous parents who went through similar situations at this school. The goal is obviously to overwhelm the student and their parents into removal so they don't have to deal with the situation. My son is thriving now in the great public schools in NE Mesa, but still looks back on his time at SDA with trauma. On the positive side, telling his painful experience at SDA did help with legislation to prevent schools from issuing unnecessary suspension to elementary age children. This school may be wonderful for some children, but they do not "give unconditional love" for children with ADHD. If your child is trying to find their way through this complicated journey, this is NOT the school for you.

For the safety of families and students, RMHS needs to seriously reconsider how graduation seating…read moreand crowd management are handled moving forward. It is unfortunate to have to leave this review because graduation should be a positive and memorable experience for families. However, after attending our son's graduation last night, we left extremely concerned about the environment and overall organization of the event. When we arrived, we attempted to find seating in the bleachers as two parents simply hoping to watch our last child graduate from high school. Despite arriving hours before, we could not find even 2 seats together because large sections were being "saved" by individuals holding dozens of seats for extended family members who had not yet arrived and many never did. Leaving empty seats. Such a shame. This created unnecessary tension throughout the stands and contributed to an environment that grew increasingly hostile as the event approached. We personally witnessed, and were victims of, verbal confrontations, aggressive behavior, and foul language exchanged between attendees over seating disputes. What should have been a meaningful celebration instead became stressful and uncomfortable for many families. The poor behavior of these "adults" is on them, but the root cause is on RMHS. The presence of significant security and police staffing made it clear that the school anticipated potential problems. That alone should signal the need for a better preventative approach rather than relying primarily on security to respond "after" tensions escalate. Most of the other large schools have implemented systems that reduce conflict and improve safety, and RMHS should strongly consider similar measures. Possible solutions could include: * Reserved or ticketed seating for "immediate" family * Clearly designated overflow seating for extended family and guests * Policies limiting or eliminating large-scale seat saving No parent should struggle to find 2 seats to watch their child graduate because of avoidable crowd management issues. The good news is there is time to improve this before the class of 2027 takes the field. I sincerely hope RMHS takes the concerns raised by multiple families seriously and works proactively to create a safer, more organized, and more positive experience moving forward. You do not have the luxury to bury your head in the sand now. Change your mindset and be proactive instead of reactive. You, the administration, tout that safety of your RMHS community is a top priority, it's time to walk the walk.

This school is horrible please for the mental heath of your child do not send them here they do not…read morecare for your children's well being pay attention how fast your child changes from happy to depressed. Teachers don't care if your child needs help with an assignment they basically make your child figure it out on their own because they don't have time. If your child has an illness and has to be stay home for a week be careful your child will be flunked even if they started off with a B in that class. Too many issues with this school just read the other reviews. Pay attention to your children's attitude while attending this school.

The cost of the electives are ridiculous especially with one of the classes being 200+ it's like…read morethe students are having to pay for college courses except it's high school not college.

Goood school but not good counselor. Speaking from experience I am a student and they don't help…read morethe ways I think they should

So im not a parent of high school students i was actually here all Summer for some volunteer work…read morewith the local police department. The school campus is fairly nice and the office staff is polite and helpful. I can't rate the teachers since I only realistically interacted with two who came out to help buy they were friendly and kind. Where this school lacks is in the janitorial area there's bugs and the bathrooms in some of the buildings are dirty but hopefully that'll be straightened out by the time the kids go back to school. All In all this isn't a bad school to send your child to.

Wrestling Freshman state championship being held here today. This venue can't house this type of…read moreevent. There is no space for the amount of people. The max capacity in the small gym is 472 and there are atleast 600++ people and no place to watch or sit. This type of event should be held at a school that has capacity and a better set up.

Literally they care abt nothing but grades and don't care about people's mental health and the only…read morereason I give it 1 star because some of the teachers are good

All sports at Schools , should encourage players , motivate each player , respect and do not play…read morefavoritism . Mostly of the schools coaches think they are Mark Jackson or Gregg Popovich , Schools always concern about prevention of suicide , depression , drugs etc and sports are the best option . But bad behaviors from coaches can destroy a kid , teen moral and self confidence .

We've had a great experience at BASIS Mesa. The academics are strong and challenging, and the…read moreteachers are kind and genuinely care about the kids. The front office staff is always helpful and responsive, which makes a big difference. There's a strong sense of community here, the booster club is amazing, and there are fun activities and events that bring families together. My child comes home excited about what they're learning, which says a lot. Overall, a great school with a good balance of rigor and support.

This school is complete garbage i hate BASIS so much my son went there when it open and it ruin him…read morebad. Administration and teachers always quitting left and right they dont care about nothing. They belittle the kids like they in the army or something treating students like trash. Homework is horrible and test every class same day its crazy. Kids have no life no friends no fun just stress all the time. I know so many family kids had nervous breakdown cuz they push so hard for good grades to make school look good. They only care about grades not the students at all these people are heartless monsters and terrible human beings. Not a good school at all its a kid destroyer stay far away dont send your child here unless you want them to suffer!!!