I cannot say enough good about First Impressions Academy and this awesome staff. My stepson has attended FIA for seven years, starting in preschool and is not in the 5th grade. I am fortunate enough to have transitioned my career and I now work with the most awesome people. Everyone cares for each other and it can be felt! My students are incredible, they are very smart and super kind. You will never find any bullying or any type of things that you may find at other schools. I highly recommend this school for your children. Ms. Christy, Ms. Teresa and Ms. Kelly are ALWAYS available for everything, I am very fortunate to be colleagues with them! read more

Incredible program. Works hard to ensure a first class education for the students. I have seen this school since the beginning. They were outstanding on day one and they get better and better every year. Thank you for all that you do for our community! read more

I am going to do my best to keep this review as short as possible. My husband and I looked into this school for our 4year old daughter (at the time we toured she was 3). After touring the school we were extremely impressed with the class size, the curriculum and the structure we saw. We visited in March or April of 2015. Because we were impressed we immediately wanted to get her enrolled for the upcoming school year which began in September. At the time of our tour their 4yrold class was full and we would have to be placed on wait list. We were told our daughter was next on the list. There was a parent who was having a difficult time she had two kids enrolled but struggling to find work and didn't know if she would be able to afford the tuition for the up upcoming year. Basically the picture painted was that our daughter had an extremely good chance to make the full time list. We paid the registration fee and gave them a check to hold for first months tuition as there was an opening for part time Tues/Thurs. We then placed our daughter in daycare. Our intent was to pull her from daycare once the school year started. Remember all of this was in March/April. My husband and I called several times over the course of the summer to check the status of the wait list. The first time I called I was told that our daughter went from being next on the list to now having 2 people ahead of her. I was immediately taken aback and upset. Because this was a verbal conversation it was my word against theirs. I should have used my better judgment at that point and just asked for a refund of tuition. But I was told to just hang tight. Something could still open up. Part of their "policy" is in order to receive a refund of tuition you must call and ask that they shred your check by July 15. The school year doesn't begin until the Monday following Labor Day. So as I'm calling BEFORE July 15 they still have me hanging on to hopes that our child will get a spot. My issue is the time frames they place before you...the lack of contact on their part during this "waiting period". Existing parents are to give 2weeks notice regarding their re-enrollment for the school year. See the disparity? At the very least when the July 15 deadline approaches they should contact parents on their waiting list to discuss the status and objectives. The only time they reached out to me is via mail a week before open house which took place on Sept 2 or 3rd. When I got the letter I tried calling the school but no one was available to take my call so I emailed them to let them know my daughter wouldn't be attending the school part time. I wanted to include the email exchange, however Yelp advised me that I could not because is includes personal information. The owner (who this exchange took place with) provides her photo, name and email address all over their website. The email exchange is what prompted me to even write the review. The tone, the dismissiveness, the lack of professionalism, the fact that a spot mysteriously opens up once I complain and ask for a refund is all suspect. I want people to see for themselves the kind of administration that runs this school BEFORE you think of enrolling your child. Here's the thing no matter what I feel or complain about the administration should remain professional. The owner would have you believe this is about my child not getting a spot, but this is about a lack of professionalism. After scrambling and by the grace of God, we were able to pull my daughter from daycare and enroll her full time at another private school. She started late but nonetheless she's in. The owner would also have you think that this review is being posted from a place of maliciousness and truly it's not. It's not even about the refund. I asked for one they declined and that for me could have and would have been the end of it. However when I shared my disappointment with the process and the owner took it upon herself to dangle a spot that magically opened up (AFTER MY COMPLAINT) in front of me and then goes on to insinuate that my child doesn't belong at her school BECAUSE she felt some type of way about my email and complaints...this is why I'm posting this review. It's beyond unprofessional, in fact it's down right insulting. **UPDATE The owner decided to comment on my review, you can see just how "professional" she is. She's calling me a liar, did I once call her names?! No I only stated my opinion regarding her tone and lack of professionalism. She begins calling me a liar about an email. If she had READ my review I said MAIL not email. Not once did I say anything about open house and email, so I'm not lying. Anyone interested in the email exchange that Yelp refused to allow me to post I will be more than happy to forward along. I'm actually happy that she responded you can see for yourself just how less than professional she is. Notice how she comments on reviews. People are entitled to share THEIR experience!! BEWARE* read more

The administration acts like the school is beautifully perfect. But it actually has a lot to improve. The biggest problem is that they don't want to listen to parents. If you make any suggestions for very basic needs for school, or bring up any concerns about things related to school or teacher, they immediately shift to a defensive mode. They tell you that their door is always open. Yes, it's open to hear compliments only. And teacher's turnover is high every year. Most of the teachers are young and not experienced enough to handle challenging situations. The strangest thing this school does is to have all the parents who enroll their kids signed a contract to agree not to leave bad reviews on website or not to talk negative things to other people. Since parents sign a lot of paper, most of them are not aware of this. read more

First Impression Academy doesn't feel like a school, it feels like a family. My 6th grader is thriving in middle school the STEM program is one you will not find anywhere in this town or surrounding cities. The hands-on projects, real-world experiences, and level of academics is second-to-none. We completed in regional Science Olympiad and our small school is going to state. I can't count the number of times we were asked; "What school are you guys from!" The children are so close and have created a culture amongst themselves of support, encouragement, love, and respect. Our kids are different, and everyone who encounters them can see it. FIA is committed to character building, self-reliance, respect, and accountability. I trust my teachers; I trust our staff, they will leave no stone unturned. I know my child is important to them and when in school I know, she is in a safe, secure and nurturing environment. First Impressions Academy is truly Fayetteville's little GEM; we are so blessed to be here. read more

The preschool here has brought my daughter leaps and bounds from where she was before starting. I'll always recommend them to anyone asking. It's the perfect mix of academics and kindness. read more

I really like this school because you learn a ton of stuff and the children are nice.

When I was searching for a school that would be a good fit for all my children, First Impressions Academy was the only one that promised student differentiation across the board. With one academic year under our belt, we couldn't be happier. I have three children enrolled and all three love the school. More importantly, their growth academically and socially has been amazing. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a private school option. read more

I visited this place to do a walk through because I had heard great things. I wasn't impressed with the staff as a first time visitor. It wasn't a warm and welcoming feel. For the prices and hours of availability I would expect a more professional greeting and intro to and about the school. read more

I can't say enough good things about this school. FIA considers itself an institution that puts academics above all else...but the staff does it the right way. They are obsessed with getting the best performance possible from the kids, with "best performance possible" being something different for each child, not an abstract goal on a spreadsheet or a twinkle in the eye of some absentee curriculum designer who has never tied a shoelace or kissed a scraped knee. Teachers, parents, and administrators work very closely to meet the needs of all the kids. FIA is small on purpose. Ms. Petit, the principal and founder, has managed the growth of the school very carefully so that it can retain its high standards and caring atmosphere. It says something about a person's character when she has her entire life invested in something and refuses to take on additional students simply because it would threaten academic quality all while keeping tuition comparable to other schools in the area and working toward getting a new facility. The sense of community helps provide the flexibility the staff needs to provide for the kids' individual learning progress. This model works for this tight-knit school. The kids perform consistently above grade level, and they are happy to boot. My five-year-old daughter goes to after care and gets mad at me if I pick her up too early because she's having fun doing her homework and playing with her friends. When the staff and parent volunteers hold their occasional "parents' night out" fundraiser/lock-in, my kid (and her little brother) is anxious to get back to the school on a Saturday so she can lay around in the lobby in her PJs watching movies and eating pizza. These kids want to go to school. They are treated with respect while getting the loving but firm guidance they still need. It shows in their little kiddie community. The student body seems pretty diverse (race, religion, socioeconomic background, and even country of origin), but I never see kids being alienated or picked on by other kids here. As a product of Cumberland County Public Schools myself, I insisted that my wife and I buy our house in an area that has historically been known for good schools. As such, we paid a higher price for an older house in a great established neighborhood. Still, when it came time to choose whether to send our daughter to one of the highest-rated public kindergartens in the district (and thus saving hundreds of dollars each month), we just could not bring ourselves to leave FIA. And now we're getting ready to send our son as well. read more

I am a proud parent to a wonderful student at this school and I couldn't be happier. The staff is amazing and the environment for my daughter is welcoming. My daughter loves going to school and absolutely loves the STEM program. She loves that she can do actual experiments in science almost daily. I have read other reviews and I noticed one said that they make you sign a contract stating not to share bad reviews, THIS IS FALSE!!! They have a standard contract for payment, school uniform policy, attendance and discipline. If your looking for a school for your child to excel and learn, then this is the place for you. If you are the type of parent that has issues with having your children miss school then this school is not for you! They follow the state attendance policy and there are to many parents that get angry when their kids get more than 10 unexcused and the school has to legally take action. The school uniforms are Mandatory and have to be purchased from a specific company. This school is about having a structured school setting. This school is not for you if your not devoted to your child's education and not planning to abide school policy. This school is for devoted parents dedicated to wanting the best education possible and being responsible enough to take their kids to school like they are supposed to. read more

My daughter attended preschool at FIA in 2015 and she absolutely loved it. Her teacher, Mrs. Isabel, still keeps in contact with her former students. The class sizes are great and allows for more one on one interaction. The environment is very positive and fosters a love of learning. read more

Awesome school! All of the topics that a parent looks for when choosing a school for their child. Great teachers, great curriculum, great resources! Strongly recommended! read more

On August 15, 2015, I posted the following entry onto greatschools.org. It was my personal opinion, as per my first amendment rights: My sons attended FIA for the last 2 years, one in pre-K and then kindergarten and the other in preschool. We really liked the concept of the school, yet the school itself did not meet our expectations for many reasons, including the following: 1- Lack of STEM education. We are a physician-engineer family and this is extremely important to us. There was little science curriculum or education; despite the presence of a "computer lab", neither of my children EVER used it; laptops/iPADs in the classrooms were brought in by the teachers themselves if they wanted to use them and there was no standard curriculum for use of technology. 2- Differentiated learning was not readily/effectively used. My preschooler was bored throughout the year and was not moved up even after he was assessed and determined to be ready. I was told that he would not be considered for kindergarten early even if he did move up to pre-k early; he is currently enrolled elsewhere in kindergarten and is thriving. 3- Teacher turnover - my preschooler had 5 different teachers/aides in his classroom last year (none of them left for PCS moves). My grade schooler had 3 different aftercare teachers (none of these left for PCS reasons, either). 4- Inconsistent teaching efforts/methods. The teachers are referred to as "independent contractors" and there is no standardized curriculum. My kindergartener got sent home with the same (boring) book daily "until he mastered it"; in his new first grade, he receives a different book to read every day and is required to log this experience, and this is far more effective in teaching him to read. These are only some of the examples of why we decided to leave FIA this year. It was definitely not worth the cost (financial, academic, and stress) for our family. I recently received a letter from an attorney representing FIA. The letter accused me of making false and defamatory statements about the school based on the above review and requested that I cease and desist making such statements. In my opinion, this was an attempt to intimidate me into removing my post. Since greatschools rules won't allow me to post the letter, I wanted to instead make potential parents aware of this behavior by adding this addendum and also posting it to Yelp. read more

FIA is a phenomenal school. I chose to post my review on here to give it the praise it deserves. This school has helped my children to become confident and happy learners. The small class size and curriculum is amazing--the teachers and staff treat every family that attends as members of the community. The school is always trying to make a better experience for the kids and to engage them in new ways. There is so much that is hands on, innovative, and impressive about the way learning is adapted to each child day by day. I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate this option in Fayetteville. My children have blossomed. read more