My child has attended KCDS for a year now (middle school) and we are thrilled! Personalized…read morelearning, caring teachers, safe environment, leadership opportunities and cross age learning all make KCDS a wonderful school. They have preschool through 8th grade and are welcoming to all students including LGBTQ, new students transferring at any grade, various cultures, etc. Highly recommend KCDS!

This school is simply amazing. Our son just started kindergarten there and it's impressive to see…read morehow he is learning. He loves his teachers and we love them for everything that they are doing. He has Spanish 4x a week, Gym 3x a week, Computers/Tech, Library, and Art. It's a STEM school that truly teaches critical thinking at every level. They also teach to the level of each child....something that most public schools cannot do. We are always greeted with a smile and staff in the school knows our child's name. They have morning care and aftercare available on the premise if you need it.

Best school ever but doesn't do things with highschool and doesn't take suggestions. So that's…read morewhy I rate it a two but still amazed by how good with children it is.

When we were looking for a school before we moved into this area, we did our search with most of…read morePortage and Kalamazoo schools. When we visited Mattawan, we not only felt welcomed but also interested in having our sons being part of their school family. So far my older daughter is graduating this year, and she got several recognitions from the school. Very delighted and happy!

Very well taught students, amazing staff, great principal. Everything you need for an amazing…read moreMiddle School and High School. They have pep rally's/assembly's which are important, everyone is involved with hands on learning and also they have many options for career paths! Their student leadership is great and also is good with events such as girls on the run, bake sales, credit union, big brother big sister, etc. Lastly, I highly recommended Marshall schools if your looking for a school in the area because Marshall's community is just flat out great.

Came here for a track meet. Nice stadium. Noce people.read more

My three children have been at Paragon for the majority of their school careers. I respect and…read moreappreciate the teachers, staff, and administration. We have had a great experience with Paragon overall. I read the previous review of Paragon and I have some thoughts. I agree their high academic standards do not necessarily make for a perfect classroom setting for hyperactive children. Or even active children. Honestly, if I had my way, Paragon would follow more of a Montessori-style structure and would allow for kids to have more hands-on learning and less time in their seats. However, most of the teachers my kids have had have been fairly creative in their approaches to dealing with students' needs. For example, many teachers incorporate dance breaks or allow students non-traditional seating, like a big exercise ball so they can bounce their wiggles out. Many of the teachers offset the boring (but necessary) lessons with learning games and engaging activities. One of my favorite things about Paragon is the people. Along with having caring, patient teachers and administration, the other parents and students are overall respectful, kind, and helpful. Prior to Covid, Paragon held frequent school-wide events, which were usually very well-attended, indicating an unusually high level of parent involvement. There is also a high emphasis on moral character. Each month (or maybe trimester?) has a different moral focus emphasizing that month's virtue (perseverance, encouragement, kindness, integrity, responsibility, etc.). I love this so much! More than being successful academically or professionally, I believe today's kids need to learn these moral virtues. What good is it if your child is the highest paid, most awarded pigglegiggologist if he's also a selfish butthole who cheated on his wife and left his kids for the nanny and yells and humiliates waiters because they get his order wrong? Also, I have to say just a random snippet about the principal, Mr. Kriesch. I happened to be in the office one day last year when I heard Mr. Kriesch's voice from his office. Clearly, a kid had been acting out in his class and had to go see the principal. I didn't see or hear the kid but overheard Mr. Kriesch explaining to the student the importance of allowing the teacher to teach and the other students to learn. It wasn't necessarily the words he was saying, but the respectful way he addressed the student. It was as if he fully expected the student to rise to the level of maturity with which he was being treated. I have no idea if the kid actually started right, but I know he probably left feeling heard and like Mr. Kriesch believed the best of him. Also, during the virtual learning this past year, I have appreciated the lengths the teachers have gone to to make things as clear and as smooth as possible in a less-than-ideal scenario. I have also appreciated their grace. As a parent of three, it was pretty overwhelming trying to keep up with all the emails and assignments and so I didn't. Not well, anyway. There were dozens of announcements and emails I didn't read, phone calls I didn't listen to and I know my kids missed assignments and missed out on quite a few other things because of this. I dreaded parent/teacher conferences because I figured I would be parent-shamed for my parental laziness. On the contrary, I felt encouraged by each teacher and each seemed to focus on positive attributes, while still addressing my kids' personal challenges. I was pretty grateful for their seemingly non-judgmental feedback.

My child started at Paragon as a kindergartener in Fall 2020. The rules about in-person, hybrid,…read moreand online schooling were rapidly changing and I was beyond stressed. I cannot tell you how happy I am with the way Paragon stepped up for the plate during this time. The staff did a wonderful job of keeping my kiddo safe while also giving him a great education. The principal is very hands-on and present. Shoutout to Mr. Reigle for being my sons favorite teacher and for getting him excited about computers. We toured 6 elementary schools in and Jackson before deciding on Paragon. I can say with confidence that this school is the best choice for families living in the Jackson Public District.

Harper Creek High School has to be the worst school of choice there is. Principals and teachers are…read morenot good people and dont actually care about student education. My kid has come home most days of this school year (2022-2023) crying saying how their principals and teachers harass them nonstop, from following them around/ standing around where ever my kid goes, stalking my kid IN THE BATHROOM??, being stared at from all angles, stopping them in the halls accusing them of doing things my kid doesnt do for what seems to be every passing time, etc. ITS WEIRD AND MAKES MY KID UNCOMFORTABLE, which makes me and my family uncomfortable with sending my child here everyday. Apparently, this only happens to my kid and no one else??? It seems like targeting! Id understand if my kid had a record of doing things they shouldn't be doing, but with a clean record it's weird and pervertic. If you can put this much effort into hawking my kid, you can put the effort into improving the school and the education system. I strongly advise you to not (nor ever) enroll your children in this school system. 1/10 DISGUSTING!