I believe that when students feel loved, respected and appreciated they learn how to provide those…read moreexperiences for others later in life. My kids spent four years at WBLA/ATHLOS. They made good grades and learned many skills that will help them continue to be motivated learners and good human beings. Since we opened our doors I have been a founder, a parent, a volunteer, a donor and now an employee of the school. I've learned that growing and improving year-by-year is what we do. Many changes have taken place over the years but they all are part of growing a charter school community to be the best that it can be. I invite you to read about Jubilee academic centers San Antonio and come be a part of the AUSTIN campuses.

WBLA is going through a lot of change right now. I think in a few years the school can be great but…read moreright now they seem to be working out the kinks. The class size is not small and meets the standard maximum size. My son is currently attending WBLA and his class has the standard max size of 22 students (according to TEA). If you have a child with special requirements I would highly suggest looking elsewhere. I wanted my son to be tested for dyslexia and all I received was push back. A lot of things got ignored. I spoke with the local public school and had zero issues. For this reason I am pulling my son out of WBLA and into a Round Rock Public ISD school. We also had a lot of issues with bully's but the school handled the situation. They moved my son to a different classroom because there was a child in his current class with high auditory behavior issues. They felt it would be easier to move my child to a brand new classroom during the middle of school year cause my son would adjust better they said. Not even a month later they ended up expelling the child that was having problems. Go figure. Overall it is an ok school if your child doesn't require anything special such as gifted program, dyslexia, etc etc Update: I have since moved my child to Round Rock ISD and wow what a difference. I feel Athos standards were too harsh for young children. My son was coming home with massive amounts of homework in kindergarten. He was beginning to hate education. He dreaded going to school. They kept telling me my son was a tier 3 but refused to test him for dyslexia. Also, they were suppose to assign him a tutor but that wasn't consistent at the school so I had to hire my own private tutor. Now compare that to Round Rock ISD. My son loves going to school. Bully situations are properly handled. Within first month of school I am getting specialized testing. And my son WANTS to read. He loves school again and he isn't bombarded with homework. He wakes up excited. I hope my experience will help you along your educational path for your child. For us, going back to Public was better.

I'm putting a one-star for numerous reasons. This might be the only review, but there might be…read moremore. I did enjoy the part about starting to live independently. However, CLE is a joke. They are trying to scam you into several thousand dollars to get all the independence you need, but keep reading. You will regret paying an outrageous amount of money. Don't stop reading this review because this will "rethink" your decision to apply to College Living Experience. Their staff is so disrespectful, dishonest, and rude. Like, I'm NOT kidding. They don't have the proper certification to take with individuals that have intellectual disabilities, and their budgeting class that Chris Sheppard is teaching is a joke. His LinkedIn specifies that he's not a major in budgeting, and his major is sociology. Look at the pictures. It says right on there that he's a sociology major. He should be a social coach, NOT budgeting. Chris was so mean and disrespectful when I had him for budgeting class. Every time I saw him, I wanted to run away from him. He said when I forgot my mask, I asked him, "should I wear a mask since I forgot?" He said, "I can't make you wear a mask like you are lying." Like, why would I lie about this?! Does he think I'm not adequately educated?! Also, Jennifer Golden is not a good social coach at all. I'm super disappointed that I didn't NOT get the help that I needed. She cursed at me when we had sessions together and felt very violated and disrespected. This is not how they should do business, which is NOT okay. In all honesty, go to Austin Community College and see Samantha Thomson, the Success Coach. She is way better than the people at CLE. They are honestly ripping you off. Samantha Thomson is a better success coach and is CERTIFIED with individuals with intellectual disabilities. She has a master which proves that she wants to work in the field. The company must be strict about getting certified to work since they are all intern practicum students. STAY AWAY FROM COLLEGE LIVING EXPERIENCE and find some resources at Austin Community College. They are a lot better and hands-on. DON'T SIGN UP at CLE; you will regret your decision.

Listen. I feel terrible for doing this. I've never left a bad review. But I feel like it needs to…read morebe said. Good concept. (Some) absolutely incompetent staff. The way I was treated here gave me emotional damage that took me upwards of a year to recover from. I really do believe in the good of human beings so I don't think it was done with ill intent but what poor handling. If you really want this experience for your kid, go to Denver or something. I'm sure it's better there.

Ryan is jovial and fun in conversations. He will tell you that he knows the right things to say to…read morecolleges to get them to assist you with financial assistance. He knows the buzz words, he says. He's a great salesman. So, you might be tempted to pay the $1700 up front fee and the $40/month to receive a generalized newsletter in an email. You may do this thinking that it will all be worth it when he helps you negotiate the college costs in the end, because that is ultimately why you have hired him, right? But, in truth what you will receive for over $2500 in total is a plastic file folder box with files in it where you can keep the information from colleges. (This should cost around $20 if you purchase it yourself at Staples.) You will also receive monthly newsletters. If you want, you will be able to pay extra to receive a Myers Briggs test from a woman in his office. She is very nice and will talk to your kid about possible school choices. (The Myers Briggs test is available online for free, by the way.) Then, he will file your FAFSA for you, but might be a few days (or weeks) late in doing so. He will use generic passwords, the same ones he uses for his other clients. He will ask you not to change the passwords because it's easier for him if your password is the same as all of his clients. Finally, if your kid gets into their dream college (ranked in the top 15 universities in the nation), and are ready to make a decision, you might reach out to Ryan to ask for all of the negotiation help that he promised to deliver. Unfortunately, you will receive a very generic form letter with no school information or details. The letter starts out with something like, "While we appreciate the offer you gave to us, we would like for more aid in scholarships or grants..." There are no buzz words or inside knowledge. In the form letter you will find brackets that will say [insert details here] and you will find yourself doing much of the work that you have been paying for an expert to do. The generic letter might not help one bit and the esteemed university might tell you that you do not qualify for financial aid or assistance, despite a significant cut in income. When you ask Ryan for help with this, you will probably receive a response email that states something like, "Wow. This is great information for me to know. I had no idea this university wouldn't help out first year students. I have other clients interested in this university as well." Then the email will end with something like, "So thanks for this information. Wish it all worked out better for you." And, after all is said and done, you might feel very, very stupid for paying this nice salesman over $2500 for promises he did not deliver. But hey, you will still have a file box, a bunch of electronic newsletters, and he got to learn something from you about a university. And no, he will not refund you for the items he promised but did not deliver.

I attended one of the free workshops and was surprised by how little I knew about college aid,…read morealthough we already had 3 children in college! The workshop was recommended by a friend who used Mr. Thomson to help his daughter with securing a leading private school for a fraction of the cost of a state school. The information given at the workshop was helpful and if you have kids in high school you are sure to learn something new that will be helpful with the college application process. We found this company a little too late.

Anne Whaley and her staff are excellent. I rarely write reviews but the help our middle-school…read moregranddaughter received from Whaley Educational Services really made a difference. She needed Math tutoring and not only improved her grades but also gained confidence. Anne and her other tutors don't just rush through lessons and get kids in/out of the door. They spend quality time making sure the content is sinking in. Highly recommend them.

From the owner: We are a network of certified teachers dedicated to meeting the individual needs of the whole…read morechild. We provide extensive academic diagnostic testing and tutoring to provide the most comprehensive programs possible for your child to successfully reach their academic goals.