We just had our first class and it was a wonderful experience. The facility is spotless, the pools are heated, and the instructors are very kind! AND there are free classes under 8 months of age! Would highly recommend! read more

We love Goldfish! My son has been attending Goldfish for a couple months and we 've already seen so much progress! We started in the Junior 1 class with Joe V and my son was enthusiastic to be in the water but very unsafe. Joe was so patient with him and reinforced the rules of the water and now after going consistently my son looks forward to class every week and has gained so many new skills including holding his breath under water, floating for a couple secs on his back and swimming to the middle of the pool with little assistance. It has been a great experience so far! Highly recommend. read more

It's a big scam. They are charging you $25 for a 30 min class for 4 kids in a lane shoulder to shoulder with one instructor. Each kid will only be swimming for 10 mins by the time one kid wants his goggles adjusted and one kid need help to get in the pool, and giving turns to all 4 kids. Also I noticed they start walking the students exactly at the class start time, but they will take them out of the pool 5 mins before the class ends. And my favorite part is they want parents to social distance and you better have your mask on, but the kids are shoulder to shoulder in the pool. My final complain they won't have us make up 2 classes the we missed because we withdraw and they won't refund either. It looks to me that its a big scam by charging me something I didn't use. What a mess. I used to talk very highly of Goldfish swim school, but now I will be telling everyone go somewhere else read more

Review We are not members here but have been guests at family swim many times with our friends. Tonight I was met with the most rude customer service I've experienced in a long time. We usually check in giving the name of the family we are guests of and are on our way to get changed. Tonight, everyone behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy for saying we are guests of a member, spelled out their name, then an older female employee told me "no it's $30". I told her we have been guests many times and have never paid. She looked at me like I was stupid and said no you'll have to pay or wait. So we sat and waited for our friends to get here. There was a much more appropriate and professional way to talk to someone by saying "oh great, if you could just wait for your friends to get here we will get you checked in!" instead of embarrassing someone with other guests behind them waiting in line and being rude. Do better. read more

We've been going to Goldfish for a few months. We have been very happy with the teachers and classes. Our little guy started swimming lessons at about 5 months and has loved every moment of it. He smiles the moment we walk into Goldfish! I appreciate the small class size and friendliness of every employee. We are always welcomed when we walk in, the dressing area/restroom and kept clean. The classes are well organized and the teachers are very knowledgeable. The schedule is flexible and you can cancel or reschedule a class at any time. They offer "family swim" almost every day. We have not been to an open swim time but they would be a fun family activity. There is a small fee for this swim time. Some people say the classes are expensive but I would say it's worth every penny. Goldfish offers more than just a swim lesson. We will continue classes at Goldfish for years to come! read more

Goldfish Swim School - Ann Arbor - Pool - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

See all

My daughter attended Jump Start Clinic this week, and it could jump start her swimming skills. She was taught by the same teacher for a whole week, so she could learn effectively. Her teacher knew her strengths and weaknesses very well. She enjoyed lessons thanks to her teacher! read more

Goldfish Swim School - Ann Arbor - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Careful with the billing at this place. Once you cancel, and get approval for excused absences during the 30 day cancellation period, they still bill you! read more

We had gone to swim lessons at another place because I couldn't imagine paying the cost at goldfish. Needless to say, after one lesson elsewhere my four year said he was done with swimming lessons. He was terrified of the water after the lesson. He said he was cold, scared the teacher would drop him, and didn't ever want to swim again. I convinced him to try goldfish. At first he stood on the side and refused to get in. Within ten minutes he was all the way in the water, and waved at me and gave me a thumbs up. He floated on his back, kicked and paddled. When he got out of the pool I asked him what was better about that lesson. I kid you not, my four year old said,"I trust that teacher. He knew how to hold me so I would be safe, so then I could try things out. Oh, and he made me laugh." So, in the end, Goldfish was worth every penny! I'll update if that changes after more lessons, but watching the other teachers and kids, I think my kid is going to continue to enjoy swimming lessons! read more

My daughter loves Goldfish! The teachers are all kind! read more

Goldfish Swim School - Ann Arbor - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

DANGER! What is less than 0 stars? My 3-year-old granddaughter was taking her second swimming lesson last night at Goldfish Swim School in Ann Arbor, MI. There were 3 toddlers in this class, with two teachers in the water, one or two lifeguard(s) on duty, and more staff walking around the pool area. All 3 toddlers were sitting in a row at the edge of the pool, dangling their feet in the water. The teachers were facing each other, discussing the other two 'guppies'. My 'guppy' threw her goggles in the water and decided to go get them herself. Mom and Dad were both sitting inside the pool enclosure. Mom glanced away. No one saw our 'guppy' go in the water. When mom looked back, she saw her baby girl sinking in the water vertically with her hands above her head. Only her fingertips were above the water. No one noticed. Mom yelled. Still, no one noticed (it is so very loud there). Mom stood up and began running to the pool to jump in and pull her daughter out. STILL no one noticed. Mom screamed again; the teachers finally noticed they were missing a student. The instructor lifted my granddaughter's head above water. Mom pulled her out of the pool. None of these people apologized, although a couple looked embarrassed. Thank you, God, for making mothers hyper-vigilant! SHAME ON YOU, Goldfish Swim School. The mental image of her daughter sinking in the water to drown will be in mom's brain forever. Thankfully, the child was not harmed. read more

I am blown away by how far my daughter has come in the past few years! She went from having a phobia of the water (even baths) to swimming the length of the pool on her own! It's one of the most important skills to have, and I'm thankful for the great instructors who have guided her and helped her conquer her fear. She's a mermaid without a tail now. read more

We enrolled our young kid in the beginning classes and the instructor was mid pool paying no attention. My child was on the ledge in pool waiting turn. Another child bumped him and he very quickly went underwater. We were in the class because he can't swim so there he was a bottom of pool, instructor was mid pool and talking to coworkers in other lanes. We helped him out of water still struggling and teacher had swam over to help too. We left and decided this was not what we were looking for. I feel this is not a good place to teach kids to swim. It's also very busy facility and classes are crowded so lots of waiting time less actual swimming. read more

My 4 year old and 2 year old have taken lessons here and we have participated in many Family Swim's, as well as special events - always a ton of fun! I am very impressed with the staff - they are super friendly and extremely knowledgeable. My daughter loves her class and has told me she wants to go everyday! I have a full review on my blog if you're interested in more specific details... http://dexterkids.blogspot.com/2013/01/our-first-goldfish-swim-school-lesson.html read more

We love Goldfish Swim School! My boys have improved so much in just five months. Staff is very friendly, knowledgeable, and great with the kids. They are also very flexible and accommodating when we need to reschedule. We LOVE that there is a max 4 kids per class. The water is warm and the facility is clean. I highly recommend swim lessons at Goldfish! read more

Excellent well run facility, super friendly and efficient staff, high quality instruction, very flexible with schedules. Nice atmosphere, no loud TV's or games, wifi, clean! Only negative I see if that on the week days that they have Family swim there is no lifeguard present on the pool deck. I have seen one parent observe her young child swimming alone during Family Swim from the viewing area and I think that practice should be disallowed as it is unsafe. read more

My child took lessons pre-COVID at the Goldfish Ann Arbor school for a few years, with many good experiences. Unfortunately there was a change in staff and floor managers when I began to witness disturbing trends in how they approached getting a child's attention and redirecting -- There were monitors outside of the pool who instead of bending down near the child or touching them lightly on the shoulder, were literally yelling at them and hitting them on the head. I always watched lessons and could see nothing alarming related to safety that any child was doing--no splashing, nor talking, but maybe at times looking around while waiting for their turn to swim--which is what I assumed needed some light redirection. I was mortified and brought it up to the supervisor. Instead of gathering information, the supervisor made assumptions that the children were being disciplined for getting up from the pool or unsafe or unruly behaviors--although she had not been observing any of them because when I asked for her she had to be brought from back room where she had been working. When I tired to explain that I did not see any of them doing this, and why it was not a healthy approach for any child to hit them on the head regardless, she got angry and walked away. Later, she returned with an adult who said they did not work at the facility but somehow they were connected to the owners? Made no sense, but at that point instead of getting information on my concerns, they both seemed to want to justify the head hitting and yelling approaches. I will never take my child back to any Goldfish facility--there is a looming need for better training of all staff, especially those they put into 'supervisory' roles, as well as a clear unmet need to review what is and what is not ok in the sequence of redirecting children of all ages to support a safe, structured and compassionate environment. read more

Great staff, patient teachers (Ms. Jeanne even got my two year old to wear goggles!), and they are very forgiving with rescheduling. 4 stars because it feels a little pricey, but the kids love it. read more

Many are enthusiastic for Goldfish Swim School, I am not. Far from it. My 5 year old daughter is enthusiasic around water, and she refused going to Goldfish after a few lessons. The place is a factory. It is far too busy, rushing kids in and out for short lessons. There is no celebration of fun, no chance for the kids to bond. She still loves water and swimming, just not Goldfish. Plus, the 30-day, in-person cancellation policy is ridiculous. read more

My 3 year old was very enthusiastic about learning to swim and enjoyed his first 3 lessons. Then, something happened during his third lesson that SCARED him. He wouldn't get in the water for subsequent lessons and is worse around water than he was before we started lessons. Because of the 30 day cancellation policy, we still had to pay $$ for lessons we couldn't use (because they made him too afraid). It clearly must work for other kids - they have a thriving business. it just really didn't work for our boy!! I wish we never signed up. read more

The instructors are AMAZING at Swim Goldfish in Ann Arbor, MI. My son had progressed very quickly. The facility is very nice, comfortable, and clean. A Great Place !! read more

I love this swim school. My son has been here for over a year, and I could not be happier with the lessons and service that I have received here. He has had 5 different instructors (Three different from changing class levels, and two from staffing changes) and while some I would consider extremely dedicated, they have all been very good with my son. My only wish is that I had started the lessons sooner! I was honestly a bit hesitant for a couple of years due to the price and the continuous lessons, but I now know that it is 100% worth it. The year round lessons have been very helpful and it has just become part of our weekly routine. They have many events that are included in the "membership" and even Kids night out events where you can bring your child to have fun while you have a "night out." The staff is so patient with the fussiest of kids, and the teacher/student ratio of four is just the right amount for kids to really get personal attention. I would highly recommend this location. read more

Instruction program the absolute best. Better than the Y I think and I always swore by them. Fabulous instructors. Very involved with the kids. I highly recommend. read more

We LOVE Goldfish Swim school. We have tried many other lessons for our 5 year old, but the pools were always too cold. Even with a wetsuit he was still crying by the end of the lesson. The classes were also large and individual attention lacking. You absolutely will NOT find this at Goldfish. Most of the time there are 2-3 students per instructor. They make the lessons fun and my son loves it! It is expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion. read more

My daughter went from being terrified of the pool to wanting to go swimming every day! The instructors at Goldfish are so great and make learning to swim fun. read more

My 8 year old son is VERY afraid of getting his head under the water, and has some tactile sensitivities, which makes it a challenge to teach him swimming. We chose Goldfish after Ann Arbor Community Rec and Ed abruptly closed their swim lesson program. I could not be more pleased with Goldfish! Patrick, his swimming teacher, is incredibly patient with him, earning his trust and slowly acclimating him to the water. He works with each of the students (there are just 3 of them), adjusting his approach to their ability levels. We are doing the 'jump start' program, where the students go to swim school every day for 5 days. This format seems to work well with our 'reluctant' swimmer. He seems more comfortable every day. This school is worth every penny! read more

Teachers like Conner shift Goldfish from a swim school to an award winning program. Conner is positive, familiar with expert teaching strategies (or just a natural) and consistent. I have told him many times that his attitude is spectacular and my children adore him. We are very lucky to be part of Goldfish and to have Conner as an instructor. read more

The best place, honestly. We have been going for about a year with our children, ages five and three. Our youngest started in the baby class (plus an adult) and LOVED it; now she is nearly swimming independently in her group class. My son is five and is autistic and was very scared of everything for several months. The instructors were AMAZING with him -- always kind and patient and really just fantastic with him. He was very scared of the drains on the bottom of the pool and the instructor noticed and she made sure that he was changed to a new lane, which I found to be very proactive. He is not making as much progress with swimming technique, but he is no longer anxious or scared and LOVES his teacher with all his heart. He loves going and we are going to have his birthday party there this year. I feel like not only has he learned water skills, but he has learned to handle anxiety, wait his turn, communicate verbally with teachers and so many other subtle skills. He is a champ and I really credit Goldfish with being his secondary Occupational Therapy stop each week :) Thanks for being so wonderful to all children, especially special needs children! read more

I have recently had some great customer service here and want to update my review to 5 stars for the great service. The staff at the reception desk is wonderful and is very understanding and accommodating. read more

Dear Parents, My child (age 5) has been enrolled at Goldfish Swim School in Ann Arbor for about six months. My child has made amazing progress in the water with the goldfish program and it's mostly wonderful teachers; however, it was not these things that prompted me to write a review of this very popular school. I want parents to know that I have personally witnessed some horrifying safety concerns. Last fall, a child slipped under the water and the teacher did not see it happen. The parents yelled for the teacher to grab the child (he was ok). A month ago I had to pull a child out who slipped off the bench on the side of the pool because no teacher was there to help and the lifeguard was not paying attention (my sweater wet up to my armpit). Again, this child was ok but coughed for quite a while and was shook up a bit. This week another parent and I saw his child slip under the water for way to long and the instructor never looked back (they are trained to look back at the group every 5 minutes) and the lifeguard didn't see it and the deck supervisor and an off-duty instructor who were chatting at the end of the pool didn't see it either. The other parent and I pounded on the glass wall and yelled to get their attention. No one jumped up! The two girls at the end and the lifeguard leisurely strolled over to see what the commotion was. It seems to me that seeing parents yelling/screaming and pointing would be reason to move quickly and see what the problem was. My child (who can not yet swim well enough to come up for air) ended up pulling the boy out before the instructor ever turned around! This boy is ok, albeit, probably traumatized to some extent. I am writing this because I feel strongly that all children should learn to swim because it is a safety issue; but, if you take your child there, don't plan on bringing your laptop to work a little, don't read a book and by all means, don't take your eyes off your child! There can never be enough eyes on these kids and safety is the most important thing. I have been told that they will be requiring additional training for the teacher who didn't turn around to check on the kids. I want parents to know that yes, the program at goldfish swim school is working for my child but don't leave it up to the staff there to keep your little one safe. It will be your job too. read more