The Best District! Worth Every Drive Back!"…read more We moved away, but we still find ourselves driving back to this district because it's simply the best! The schools are outstanding, with dedicated teachers who go above and beyond. The community is welcoming, and you can feel the warmth and support everywhere, from local events to everyday interactions. The facilities are top-notch, and the resources provided to students and families make a huge difference. We couldn't ask for a better place, and no other district comes close to the quality and experience here. Highly recommend!

10/10 school, real good people and they treat me well. But some people are freaky and they won't…read morestop talking about skibidi toilet. Also one time I found a long strand of hair in my lunch and that kinda sucked, food tastes like any average spps meal. Bad.

Fairly good school. Kids are okay staff are friendly and helpful. I love the community here, very…read moreinclusive and fun. Many cool events to participate in.

If you are their during school hours you may risk significant problems with student behavior…read moreincluding, random fist fights and students running through the hallways banging doors. Once school hours end and students leave you should have few issues if you use the front doors by the pickup loop to get in.

Attending a swim meet here? Me too! The fans are lovely, the kids in the hall are helpful. I can't…read moretell you where to park, we ended up banging on multiple doors to get it. (this was after school hours) The pool is warm, like many. The balcony is nice sized, but only has a handful of folding chairs. As a result many people ended up standing. However, props for the extra space to throw coats or younger siblings with their entertainment supplies.

The teachers are amazing and my daughter loves it. They plan so many fun events and go out of their…read moreway to make sure each child has a good experience. I've been very pleased with my interactions with the teachers.

First the positives- the director and administrator are wonderful, talented individuals. When I…read moreexpressed my concerns to the director, she took action immediately and followed up with me. We had a terrible experience with my son's Huckleberry class and pulled out after 7 weeks. You know those parents with a lot of kids at the mall that have that look of stress yet are gritting through with a forced friendly smile? That was my son's teacher. She seemed totally overwhelmed and unresponsive to my concerns. When I asked for a written report the first week, she shortly replied that they didn't have time because there were too many diapers to change. Really? Did you not plan on changing a lot of diapers in a 2 year old class? Also know that state regulations require daily written reports (also know as of 9/2013 the school is NOT accredited). She also said they provide them occasionally (after speaking to the director we got them every day thereafter). I could go on and on with other red flags, but I'll be short: class size too big (14 for 2 year olds which is ridiculous when you're paying a premium), unresponsive e-mails to the teacher, unwillingness to work through my son's adjustment., walking pneumonia in the second week (in fairness that could happen anywhere). My son was miserable and it was so frustrating as I didn't know why; his teacher had such poor communication and lacked warmness that you would expect from a preschool teacher. My biggest regret is that I didn't withdraw my son earlier as he still remembers his experience 6 months later and says "I don't like my old school." I'm happy to say we're at a different preschool now and my son loves it. His teacher is warm, caring, and patient. It's been a completely different experience. Also know that I know of another parent who withdrew her child due to concerns about his teacher. I also want to add that I have friends who have kids at Berry Patch with different teachers and love it. Their teachers have been wonderful and loving. Thus, it seems that it really depends on which teacher your child gets. Based on their reputation, it seems like the majority of teachers are wonderful. Just beware they have a few bad ones...

I'm so happy the school shut down because the school sucked! One particular teacher I had for…read morechemistry sucked because she was very dry and got pretty impatient! And the teachers here were annoying and most of the students here were bad influences on me.

I would give Brightmont Academy 6 stars if I could! My daughter has gone from near failing grades…read moreto all A's and a couple B's! They have taken the time to figure out how she learns best, and that has made all the difference. Their teachers' credentials are extraordinary, and they set high expectations for the kids, but they also make sure the kids are reaching them. Very caring and personable staff. My daughter no longer thinks she's dumb, and she cannot wait to get to school every day!!!

Lionsgate Academy is a great school for special needs children. My son is at Lynx, which is their…read moreLevel 4 programming. My son had a hard time adjusting to his new school setting. They were patient and continue working with him. He has been here 4 months now and is excelling. Grateful for the excellent staff!!!

Granted, COVID has brought challenges to us all. However, for a school that is supposedly working…read morewith students with special needs of all kinds, greater creativity and flexibility is expected. Lionsgate has chosen a distance-learning model only, at a time when districts have been given a choice to offer more. This excludes children like our son, who needs in-person services. We have had to pull him out of Lionsgate for this reason. Top Administration at Lionsgate are not willing to be collaborative with parents nor accept our advocacy. They are defensive and evasive, lacking flexibility.

I play volleyball here, and the courts are pretty small. Other than that, it seems like a decent…read moreschool.

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.