Very mid... This…read moreschool is very meh. The education is good but but all of the people there seem wacky. Not a huge fan of the crowd at CDH. They are very loud and cliquey. A lot of gossip and drama happens and it's a lot. But that's with any high school you go to.

We came here to help deliver meals on wheels on thanksgiving day…read more I think I would have loved being a HS student here. All stone and old unlike my mid 60's faux ranch style HS...

My daughter absolutely loves Laura Jeffrey Academy, and has thrived there. The staff is dedicated…read moreand is willing to go above and beyond to make sure that every girl is challenged and succeeds. The school has had a few bumps along the way, which happens at every school that is just starting out, but the dedication of the administration and staff cannot be matched. My daughter is receiving an unparalleled education and would not consider going to any other school. I highly recommend Laura Jeffrey Academy to any family that is interested in a girl focused urban education.

I'm a former staff member. I was sexually harassed by another staff member of LJA, and when I…read morereported the harassment to a member of Leadership, they responded "well his name is always in your mouth so". Leadership did not take my report seriously at all. According to the handbook, there is "zero tolerance for sexual harassment", but apparently there is if the harasser is popular. The Leadership Team is good in theory, but not in practice because they have clear favorites, and aren't afraid to show it. They operate more like a high school clique, rather than a Leadership team. I brought my concern to the board, but I am still waiting to hear back. This is incredibly disappointing coming from a school that preaches inclusivity and safety. Academically, the school has amazingly talented teachers, staff and scholars, but the way they operate is a complete mess. (My Google review was deleted, but I will not be silenced!!)

Minnehaha Academy is a traditional college preparatory school that offers pre-K to grade 12…read moreeducation. MA has two beautiful campuses on the bluffs of the Mississippi River with spacious grounds, with about 12 acres each. MA, like many east coast prep schools, was founded by Protestants from Europe. Opening in 1913, the school is affiliated with the Covenant Church (a historic branch the Lutheran Church that is now a separate denomination). MA has a strong commitment to faith with weekly chapel services and taking a traditional approach to teaching religion by having specific religious classes and bringing the topic of religion into other classes as well. This is done with other subjects as well, since many of the humanities and sciences overlap--for example you could have a discussion in history class about science or literature; in this way the student is able to understand the whole story from multiple angles and gain a deeper understanding of the world. The schools commitment to academics is extraordinary, boasting one of the best AP programs in the state, and if the class doesn't have an AP test then the school offers alternatives such as the College in the Schools program where students take a class from the University of Minnesota from one of their teachers and earn college credit. The school has also partnered with various scientific institutions to send a project to the International Space Station each year, joining only two other high schools in the nation that have this honor. The language department is also very excellent offering French, Latin, Spanish and Chinese; all of which start out at high school levels (open to middle school students) and go through college levels. The teachers are highly educated and care very deeply about the students and for many, remain mentors throughout their time at the Academy and their future. Most of the teachers hold masters or doctorate degrees in their area of study. The community of students is kind and caring for each other, and many long lasting friendships are formed. The school also has excellent food and offers breakfast and lunch. MA has a head and sous chef who create healthy and delicious meals and snacks for the students. Breakfast generally has cereal, scones, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, bacon, et cetera. Lunch offers a salad bar, made to order options, homemade soups and various options including fresh carved pork, turkey, pastas and chicken. The chefs are friendly and take student suggestions seriously and work hard to make the best food possible. The school is also very devoted to the arts and has a entire fine arts center that includes a woodshop, dark room, art room, pottery studio, band room, orchestra room, private practice rooms, art gallery, scene shop, costume shop, concert hall/theater. The school features several performance ensembles including a Concert Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Men's Choir, Women's Chorale, Concert Choir and Madrigal singers. Each ensemble has earned top marks at state. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Choir go on tour, alternating year to year. The tour locations have included: Prague, Slovakia, Salzburg, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Washington D.C., Chicago among other locations. In the year the ensembles are on break from the tour, they put on variety shows: the bands perform the pops concert and the choirs perform a medieval dinner. The school puts on three plays: musical, play and student run show; each has one various state and sometimes national awards. The school also has top notch athletic facilities including separate soccer and football fields, a full size ice arena, two full size gyms, wrestling room and a weight room. MA's athletic teams have won a combined 4 state championships in the past decade alone and provide very supportive C, JV, and Varsity teams. The school also has many organizations and academic teams. The Debate team, which I captained during my time is one of the state's best, being the only school to have a pair of debaters go to the varsity finals back to back (my partner and I), bringing home a state championship and a 2nd place trophy. The school also offers clubs centering around the environment, music, literature, journalism and writing. The school newspaper and yearbook have won various national awards for journalism, photography, layout, overall achievement, etc. MA really helps students achieve and builds a strong foundation for college through curriculum, advanced academics, supportive staff, and graduation requirements that are similar to most colleges. Many of the students attend private 4 year institutions including St. Olaf, Carlton, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Boston College, Vanderbilt, University of Chicago, Northwestern and more. Minnehaha Academy has nurtured the minds of some of Minnesota's best students. MA goes farther than the other prep schools in Minnesota: it truly is the place where youth meet truth.

From the owner: The original incorporation from 1905 stated: "The purpose of this institution shall be to furnish…read moreyoung men and women with the essential elements of a liberal education, and to foster the development of character under the personal influence of Christian teachers." On Monday, Sept. 15, 1913, Minnehaha Academy welcomed its first class of high school students. Grades 7 and 8 were added in 1972. In 1981, the land for the South Campus was purchased and a chapel was erected. By 1982, the Lower School served students in Grades 1 through 5. Kindergarten was added in 1985 and preschool in 1995. Students graduate from Minnehaha Academy prepared to excel in any number of fields. Some of our alumni include inventors, a Supreme Court Justice, Authors, War Veterans, an Olympian, Musicians, and many others in notable careers.

I love Friends School. The atmosphere feels loving and genuine and I think they really have things…read moreright when it comes to developing the WHOLE child. I am so glad they exist!

This School has been the worst 3 Years experience, at a School in my life…read more Schools are supposed to take bullying and harassment seriously, and I feel like this school only makes excuses for those bad behavior rather than addressing it. Then we have the Dean that I cannot believe, has been there as long as he has. Josh is the absolute worst, he is very immature. He bullies, harasses and makes it insufferable at school. Im being told other children are being called names by the Dean (Josh), I don't think an adult presented in the school, should ever be speaking badly of a Middle School student at Sanford. I find the behavior of the staff, specifically the Dean (Josh), as well of students, who are not being punished while other students are unprofessional. Not only is it unprofessional, it also makes me worry to send my child every day. The amount of disrespect from staff is absurd, and after speaking with other parents and finding out, that we are not the only family dealing with so much, I would have assumed the school would take time to fix what they are failing at.

Even if I gave you a 1 in reality you deserve a zero. Never in my life have I seen a school that…read moredoesn't care about their students. I was a student and I've witnessed the stuff that happens here like bullying, weapons brought to school, and students life in danger because the staff don't care enough to take the time to listen to their students and have a dialogue to support them. I really hope that this school gets shutdown fast because instead of progressing you are going downhill.

This is a good place for a kid to get an education. The school will be an E-STEM magnet school…read morestarting in the year 2010. There are some rock solid teachers here who care about your children. With the partnership of students, parents, and teachers, they work together to get the student ready for the future.

My kids attend this school. The fence is for security and we don't allow dogs on the campus because…read moreof pee and feces. Humans are welcome on campus through certain gates when school is not in session. Academically the school is very strong and most teachers are great. Kids are driven and interested in a wide range of activities. It's ridiculously expensive and that is a definite turn off, so for that reason I'm glad they're almost done. But as an alum, the school is strong and stronger than it used to be. We also live very close to the school so I appreciate that my kids can bike there. Both my kids are going to very good colleges and while not perfect, I'm glad I went there, my kids went there and I am glad to know so many parents who volunteer.

I attended SPA from 7th grade through high school graduation, and I would not recommend this school…read moreto anyone. Yes, the academics are strong, but they are nowhere near enough to outweigh the serious problems with the administration and the school's priorities. Throughout my time there, I watched the administration repeatedly fail to live up to the values it constantly preached. One of the most chilling examples of this was when a group of boys made a list of girls they wanted to roofie. The school's response was simply detention for one boy. The administration also implemented a new re-enrollment policy that was incredibly money-driven and extremely draconian. When a parent publicly criticized the school and this policy, the family's youngest son was expelled was punishment. The older son was told that if he spoke publicly about the situation, he would not be allowed to graduate. Whether you agree with the parent's criticism or not, that kind of response sends a chilling message to families who dare to question the administration. Even on a basic operational level, SPA consistently fell short despite charging enormous tuition. Students pay tens of thousands of dollars to attend this school, yet the technology support is shockingly poor. Near graduation, I brought my fully functional school-issued laptop to the tech office for what should have been a simple repair of replacing a few missing screws. When I got it back, the trackpad no longer worked properly, the stylus was missing, and the battery could barely hold a charge. I returned it so they could fix the problems they had created. Instead, they returned my laptop completely wiped and still having major issues with the trackpad. SPA knew I was a graduating senior. They knew that seniors are instructed to download everything from their school Google accounts (emails, documents, photos, bookmarks, Google Classroom files, etc.) before those accounts are permanently deleted after graduation. I had done exactly that, and all of my downloaded files were saved on the laptop. Without asking me, warning me, or obtaining my permission, they erased the entire computer. In one careless decision, I lost six years of work. Poems and essays I intended to submit to competitions were gone. School projects were gone. Important emails were gone. My only copies of my senior photos were gone. Everything I had painstakingly downloaded before graduation disappeared because of a repair that should have involved replacing a few screws. I sent in a working computer with a minor hardware issue. I got back a laptop that still had a faulty trackpad, had been completely erased, and had caused me to lose six years of irreplaceable work. What makes this even more frustrating is that I am far from the only student who has had experiences like this. I know many others who have had similarly disappointing interactions with the school's technology department and administration. SPA has built an impressive public image, and it certainly excels academically. But image is not the same as integrity. In my experience, the administration often failed to practice the values it demanded from students. The school is overpriced, overhyped, and far more concerned with protecting its reputation than taking accountability when it fails its students. There is a reason SPA has begun receiving increased public scrutiny, including reporting by the Star Tribune. In my experience, the issues people are beginning to discuss are not isolated incidents, they reflect deeper problems with the culture and leadership of the school. If I could go back, I would not choose SPA again. Please, I beg of you, do yourself a favor and do not attend this school yourself or send your children here.