Three years ago, I walked through the doors of Poetry Community Christian ("PCCS") and enrolled 7th…read moregrader who was not properly home-schooled and as a result very far behind in everything from academics, sports, communications and interactions with other children and adults. Within the 1st year, with the proper guidance and support system, he was able to catch up and, in some cases surpass others within his same grade level. This is a true testament to the dedication of administrators, staff, teachers, parents and the student body who all accepted him without judgement or bullying. Simply said PCCS is a wonderful school with an overall excellent staff and prides itself in its academic program. The school prioritizes a balance between academics and athletics allowing for each student's strengths to come to the forefront. Although it's a small school, its unlike anything I've seen before. Academically it prepares each student for college by using college prep curriculum and processes to make certain the student understands the importance of driving to achieve. The athletic department has something for everyone, examples include; karate, basketball, baseball and volleyball. Art, theater, dance, music and voice lessons are available to those who excel or expand on performing and fine arts. PCCS is Christian based however it does not center around one denomination allowing for everyone to feel at ease and not pressured. Whether you attend church or not, you are part of the school family. It is a close-knit community and fosters great student-teacher and parent relationships. If you are new to the school, you will fit in! The overall cost of tuition is carefully monitored and managed to make certain they offer the best value at minimal cost, this does include parent involvement. In my opinion the best part of PCCS are the systems in place to make sure that your child succeeds and will receive the best education possible. If you are challenged in areas like Math or English, you can request tutoring. If your child has dyslexia or another learning challenge, your student is at home here with qualified teachers who will be your child's champion and advocate. If you are an advanced student, they keep up with their needs by offering dual credits for college. The entire staff and parents at PCCS are always accessible and willing to help whenever difficult times arise. Personally, we feel blessed to have found such a wonderful school.

We have been at PCCS since our daughter was in first grade, she is now in 8th and our son is in 1st…read moregrade. We love PCCS for many reasons, but consistently is one of the main reasons we love it. They continue to pour God into our children in every way, whether it be in the curriculum, or in chapel, or just going to a teacher to talk to. We appreciate the dedication that goes into choosing the right teachers to teach our children and choosing the right admin to run the school on a daily basis. We have many choices of schools to send our children too but PCCS is the only school I can be involved on a daily basis if I choose with the parent partner positions and where my opinion is heard and not ignored. We appreciate everything that PCCS is to our children and our family

The teachers and administrators at this school are really something. At orientation tour, I…read moreinformed Ms Ross, the director at the Fulton School that our daughter is on the high functioning autism spectrum. She took one look at my child and dismissed her diagnosis with "Oh she looks fine" and offered no accommodations. They then proceeded to place my daughter in the back of the classroom. I tried to convince myself things would turn out ok and went about my busy life. One day I received a message from Ms Jackman, the kindergarten teacher, that my child had wet herself by accident (she's not done that before or since). My daughter came home and told me Ms Jackman's daughter (who is also in her class) cut in front of her in the bathroom line. No big deal, just kids, I told myself. One week passed before Ms Jackman texted me again this time saying my child threw rocks at another child. My daughter said the other kid threw rocks at her first. I scolded her and told her never to throw rocks at other children and to tell the teacher instead. The following day my daughter's right eye started looking red and swollen. I felt bad for not believing her version of events and decided to keep her home to rest and tried to book an eye appointment for her. Shortly after, the teacher informed me my child threw chicken nugget at another teacher because the room was too loud (suddenly they remembered she has autism and sensory challenges). My child told me a boy in her class made fun of her for coughing (we're Asian American) and told her to "cover your mouth". She got upset and threw chicken nugget at him, missed, and hit the teacher. Again, I scolded her and told her this is not acceptable behavior. Because my daughter's autistic and very concrete, I explained to her due to COVID and us being Asian American, kids will be cruel sometimes. Concerned, I requested a meeting with Ms Jackman and Ms Ross to clarify discrepancies in accounts and to make sure things are ok at school. I mentioned someone tried to cut in front of my child in the bathroom line (didn't mention it was the teacher's daughter, in case the teacher didn't know what happened). Ms Jackman flat out denied it and said this did not happen. I then showed them pictures of my daughter's swollen right eye and Ms Jackman became defensive and insisted my child was lying and that it was the rocks bouncing back that hit her in the eye ( Really?! ) I offered the possibility of my child being bullied as reason for her getting upset and throwing chicken nugget. They said she has autism and threw chicken nuggets because the room was too loud and that I need to teach my daughter some manners. I informed them they can't randomly assign blame then use autism as an excuse whenever it fits their narrative. The meeting ended with them trying to gaslight me telling me that I was making false assumptions / allegations and that I need mental health help. Not sure where they get the qualifications to give me mental health advice when I did not offer mine (I am a psychiatrist). Couple weeks later, at our daughter's kindergarten graduation, Ms Ross purposely dropped my child's cap and left her without a cap while moving on to other children after seeing (and verbally acknowledging) that her cap had fallen. My daughter looked confused and hurt. Ms Ross then tried to push my daughter aside to put caps on other children. This pretty much ruined graduation for us. After graduation ceremony, Ms Ross came up to us and instead of saying "Congratulations!" to my daughter, first word out of her mouth was "Please put the cap back". It's exactly the kind of thing Tracy Ross would do, displacing her displeasure toward parents at a special needs child in such mean-spirited way. Wow, what can I say?

It the spirit of full disclosure I will share that my children are no longer enrolled in Fulton due…read moreto a severe discretion of my daughter, she was caught with marijuana on campus. I have 3 children that attended Fulton for 4 years. Over 4 years my children maintained excellent grades, participated in sports, were members of the honor society and won many merrit based awards. We always had a cordial relationship with all the faculty and contributed to the school as often as we could above what was financially required by way of time donated and meals for things such as teacher appreciation and sports banquets. The board of directors seem to be a good hearted lot, they awarded my children partial scholarships every year that they were there, if it weren't for the scholarships we couldn't have afforded the tuition. The problem lies in the head of school Letha Hopkins. Dr Hopkins took the one time any of my children made a bad decision and turned it into an execution for all 3. She looked down from her moral high ground and decided that all 3 of these bright, promising students should be expelled over the indiscretions of one. Letha seems to have a problem with diplomacy. There are many very good teachers that have decided that they would rather not work under her oppressive dictatorship and have taken on jobs with other school districts, ultmately leaving Fulton a talent depleted shell of its former self. Her leadership style leaves only "yes men" in its wake, to be a dynamic charismatic educator is a death sentence. I am assuming that is why enrollment in the upper school is down to a dismal half dozen students. I realize my child made a reprehensible decision and I acknowledge that there must be reprocutions for bad behavior but to think that an individual that wields the power over so many lives would chose to decimate their future so dismissively is very disheartening. In fairness to Dr Hopkins I think this decision was probably made with council from the board members which is a shame since the schools moto is do what's best for the child. What happened to my children was definitely not what was best for them. Humans make mistakes, it is our responsibility as adults to nudge our children back to center when they mess up not to decimate their lives and take collateral damage in the process.

LELA has been a life-saver for me and my kids. I don't know how I would have got them through…read moreschool without LELA as they both had problems in public school. The teachers are patient but firm. LELA is relatively inexpensive compared to other private schools. This curriculum is flexible and tailored to each kid's needs.

Before earning my high school diploma, Mrs. Lilly, the owner and primary educator at LELA Academy,…read moretook me under her wing on my first day of 6th grade. She helped me succeed in any way she could over the years I was under her care. Mrs. Lilly has always been kind, reasonable, and helpful. She provides excellent guidance as both a teacher and mentor. She has a gift in helping others truly understand what they are learning. I highly recommend LELA Academy to anyone who doesn't do well in the public school system. Students can learn at their own pace at LELA which is helpful for the many people who struggle with the pacing in other environments. If for any reason your child is not happy or excelling in a traditional school system, LELA Academy is the way to go. I am still in touch with Mrs. Lilly today despite being 22 and on my own. I boundlessly respect her efforts to help me as both a student and a human being. I recommend her as well as LELA Academy to everyone.

CCA has been a blessing for our family. Our daughter, Deva, has learned so much in so little time…read more Teachers are great! Ms. Campbell is a great mentor for both the students and parents. The Pure Phonics curriculum truly works!

Our daughter Sophie is currently enrolled in CCA & when she started at the age of 3 1/2 she…read morecouldn't read (typical I'm sure) but by her fourth birthday in December she was fully comfortable tackling small books and math. June Campbell has developed an awesome "Pure Phonics" curriculum that is geared towards younger children and it was remarkable to see our little 3 1/2yr old grasp the concepts laid out so quickly. Wonderful, thoughtful and challenging teachers work here and we have never been more grateful for a friend's recommendation to check this school out. June and her staff have mastered the art of training and educating kids through Biblical principles and their influence on not only our daughter's education but also her love of learning is so very greatly appreciated.

My daughter has attended Winston since Kindergarten. She is now in 7th grade. We - and my…read moredaughter especially - love this school. Everyone at Winston, from staff to teachers to coaches, cares for my daughter as if she were their own. A lot of love in that place.

School employed a 1st grade teacher with no SPED background. They also refused to work with our…read moreson, despite knowing he had behavior and admitting him despite the behavior. My understanding from other parents is that the quality at the school changes depending on leadership (as is the case at many schools), and with all the turnover in recent years, sounds like that may be the case now.

Imagine Pre-K in Rockwall is the absolute best. My daughter was in the 4's pre-k class and she…read moreloved it. She had Mrs. Lloyd as her Teacher and I have nothing but fantastic things to say about her. The Director, Mrs. De Haro is also amazing. Everyone is so friendly and warm and they really do love their kiddos. They communicate with the parents very well. You can always reach out to Mrs. Lloyd or De Haro and they always get back to you pretty quickly. They have a few events during the school year like field trips and parties. The only downside are their hours and that is only because I work full time. BUT, from what I understand, they will be extending their hours before and after school if you want to pay the additional fee. Honestly, they are the best school I have ever experienced and we are so sad to be leaving.

From the owner: We opened in the Fall of 2018 and we're rapidly growing and adding new families!read more

I have to share my experience and love for PTAA! We've been taking our kids here for almost 2 years…read morenow and absolutely love it. The teachers have been wonderful and always keep us informed of progress with their school app. I particularly love the fact that it is a smaller class size, and more attention can be given to our children than what would be expected from a larger public school.

This school is horrible. The principal is unethical and lies. There is no communication with…read moreparents. The facility is below adequate. There are no extra-curricular activities. They do not follow the STEM program like they advocate. They have not had appropriate teachers for months. The principal does not take responsibility for any of the issues that occur. The children have multiple hours of homework and the school takes no accountability to make them complete their work in class. They have no substitutes or viable plans when teachers quit due to the unethical practices that occur there. DO NOT send your child here!!!

My two children are thriving at Lakehill. They have been enrolled six years now. My junior in high…read moreschool son and ninth grade daughter have learned many valuable social, emotional, athletic, and certainly educational lessons. Moving them from Lamplighter was very timely as they were craving structured environments that had rigorous academics. I am thrilled that they have been able to pursue their passions - including theater, sports, volunteerism, so many clubs, and leadership opportunities. Don't let the small class size fool you, it is a blessing! There are tons of opportunities for growth and they encourage the students to shine based on their own merits. Contrary to that negative yelp post from way too many years ago (P.S. You can't blame a child's drug habit on the school. That's called observant & disciplined parenting), the administration keeps a close eye on the students and alerts the parents quickly to concerns or behavior shifts. I can confidently say that we have parented in partnership with the school to raise smart, respectful, creative, athletic, well-balanced students. And Lakehill's focus on college prep is indeed a strength. The college counselor Ms. Dondis is a highly acclaimed professional - even a sought after expert speaker in her field. We specifically looked at Lakehill because it offered nondenominational education with so many opportunities in a nurturing, structured environment with a solid academic track record. 5 Stars for great academics, sports, a great community of involved parents,and a caring administration!

My 7th grade nephew currently attends this school, and he has since he started kindergarten. He is…read morevery happy to go to school, participate in sports and service projects, and make and keep what are sure to be long time friendships, all of which are long term benefits of a smaller, private school education. I feel as though he is a mature, respectful, well-prepared middler who I expect to achieve a very sold, college readiness experience. In terms of technology, the school does use lots - iPads, laptops, labs..... fairly typical of what I expect from a school such as this. The most important part of my observation is that he is happy and likes to go to school. I'm impressed. When I lived and taught in Dallas, I had no idea what this school was until a colleague left my school to teach there. That was 1997 - and he is STILL THERE! Since then another friend left his school to teach there. At this point it got my attention. Then they hired a marketing director, and the school started appearing more and more in the paper - like a LOT. Service projects became popular and a mainstay, and it was clear there was a strategic plan executed that included some serious "play," which has paid off; all of these things, my nephew participated in. It's a best kept secret for sure. From a community member perspective, living in the Lakewood area was a good experience, and I was able to participate in their fund raisers (Trek For Tech, among others), even though I didn't have kids in the school. Overall, if you are looking for a private school, you may be immediately enamored with the "big 5 (St. Marks, Cistercian, ESD, Hockaday, and Ursuline), and there are HUGE merits to each of them, but Lakehill prep is not to be missed.

Dallas Christian School presents itself as a beacon of faith-based education, but beneath the…read moresurface is a culture built on exclusion, favoritism, and quiet discrimination. Unless your family has the resources to donate large sums of money, the "right" race, or gain favor through employment at the school, you are just a number--tolerated, but never truly included. The school's values are less about Christ and more about class and elitism. A tight-knit inner circle of donors, board members, and influential families call the shots. Everyone else is kept in their place. Diversity at Dallas Christian is performative at best. Minority students are rarely visible outside of athletic teams, and there is a pattern of recruitment that raises serious ethical questions. These students are valued for what they can do on the field or court--not who they are. And yes, there have been documented and disturbing instances where students of color have been called racial slurs, including the N-word, by both peers and staff. Consequences for these actions have been minimal, and accountability is nonexistent. The emotional toll is real. Kids who start off confident and engaged quickly become withdrawn, questioning their worth in an environment that measures value by status. The self-esteem damage lingers long after. Many of the glowing reviews online are not from impartial voices--they are parents on the board, major donors, or paid reviewers. Don't be misled by the marketing or manufactured praise. The reality inside is far different. Meanwhile, families who experience harm are pushed out quietly, without support, and without acknowledgment. Even staff members who happen to be minorities are part of the same exclusionary system--and they know it. There is no safe space here, only a well-oiled machine that rewards compliance and marginalizes difference. If your family doesn't "fit" their mold--racially, politically, or socially--you will be pushed out, one way or another. The environment is not just biased, it is hostile. And they'll use your tuition to do it. With the rise of school vouchers, this kind of systemic discrimination is only going to get easier to hide. If you are a minority family, a values-driven family, or seeking real faith-based education--run. Don't be fooled by the brochures. The truth is much uglier.

Christ centered with diversity. Access to almost any resource or activity academic or athletic…read more We've had 3 kids there for the past 8 years and couldn't be happier! Financial aid and assistance is available.

This is actually springer elementary!!! I love it my child goes here and the whole staff is so…read morevery nice and helpful.. They know me by name and my child also...... The teachers are great also.......LOVE THEM ALL!!!!!!!!!!