Very concerning experience attempting to tour Challenger School in Sandy for preschool…read more We arrived on time for our scheduled tour and were handed a values-based questionnaire that no one had previously explained was mandatory. 10+ min later, the director informed us we couldn't even tour unless it was completed first. When I calmly asked whether we could simply tour before filling out a philosophical questionnaire for a school we knew very little about, I was met with repeated pushback from both the director & headmaster and repeatedly told it was "school policy," despite my inability to locate such a policy online. The director later stated she only had 15-20 minutes before the next tour while simultaneously expecting us to complete the unexpected questionnaire after the school itself had already run late. Neither my spouse nor I, both doctors, have encountered anything remotely similar in educational or professional settings. The interaction ultimately ended with the headmaster abruptly stating, "This is not going to be a good fit," and walked off. Overall, the interaction felt rude, dismissive, and heavily compliance-focused for what should have been a simple preschool tour inquiry.

Challenger has probably been one of the worst schools I've ever gone to. Not only are the teachers…read moretrained poorly, but the blatant favoritism. Firstly, many of the teachers are unqualified for their position. For instance, one of the extended teachers will purposely select students to move seats for no given reason. When someone asks why the student is getting moved, the teacher will just laugh and then tell them to move. She's also highly impatient and has been arrested, which, in my opinion, seems like a valid reason to not hire someone. Next, Mrs, Gourgeon is very fake to parents and puts on a facade to everyone. When someone gets sent to the office, she doesn't let the person explain their side of the story and will get mad at people if they don't answer exactly what she asked. A few teachers very noticeably favor some students over others, asking some students questions more questions than others or only listening to students they like. Overall, Challenger has a lot of discrimination towards to different students - whether it's between actual teaching or after school, there's a lot of prejudice.

I have four children who attend this school. All are in the Lower School, currently, so I can't…read morewrite about personal experience with the Middle or Upper School. We started at Waterford when my 11-year-old started preschool there, after touring and sitting in on classes at many schools around the Salt Lake Valley. After considering the cost in relation to the education offered, there was really nothing that compared to Waterford. I disagree with the previous reviewer about there not being an accelerated program in the Lower School. Where Waterford really shines is in their ability to meet the educational needs of a wide variety of students. They use software from the Waterford Institute for the students' computer time and they move at their own pace. Additionally, I have had some of my children move at an extremely accelerated pace and others who needed real support. One of my sons was allowed to advance individually in math and receive extra support because he was so much more advanced than the rest of the class. Another struggled in reading and was able to take advantage of Waterford's impressive reading tutoring program. In both math and reading, the students are grouped according to level and work with the teacher or a specialist at their level. The facilities are fantastic; instructors and specialists are invested far beyond the average teacher; and problems are resolved quickly by the administration when their involvement is needed. The thing I love the most about Waterford is that there is a huge effort to foster both the love of learning and respect for self and others. The learning environment is ideal because of this.

Waterford was great for us in one way. My daughter became mysteriously ill pretty much for an…read moreamount of time in junior/senior year. It affected her cognitive abilities and she was forced to miss a good amount of school as well as special events of senior year. The kind, discreet response of the teachers and administrative staff blew us all away. They were fiercely protective of her. My daughter is pretty private but the students and their parents who knew were equally as amazing! Character was high with the kids (they didn't gossip much like you might find at another school, held her confidences and, as a result, feel like the school will forever be in my heart. The only issue that holds me back is that I feel it can be very rules heavy, a bit punitive (kids were expelled and punished for little). It lacks a vibrant social scene, can be a bit provincial in its academic and enriching offerings and can tend to mute students from sharing thoughts and expressing themselves. The last thing is that students don't really head committees or initiatives in junior or senior year... they really should and parents should be nowhere to be found. High school is the time to try new things and fail. Prom committee, the school store, a real school newspaper...They really aren't encouraged to as the parent body leads all. This proved tougher when my daughter went off to high school. Other than that, great school with great classes and teachers, special kids and- for the most part- a wonderful, warm parent body. Thank you Waterford!

Very disappointing experience. Instead of communicating with a parent to clarify a misunderstanding…read moreinvolving a 4-year-old child, the school immediately escalated the situation to DCFS. Parents deserve communication and transparency before assumptions are made. I expected better judgment and professionalism from an elementary school.

Some of the teachers show favoritism and give special treatment to others. Some of the kids will…read morepurposely lie and get others in trouble for fun.

I'm very happy with my son's experience at Beehive Science & Technology Academy. The teachers are…read morededicated and genuinely care about each student's growth. My son has become more confident, responsible, and curious about learning--especially in science and technology. The school provides a safe, supportive, and engaging environment that helps students reach their full potential. I appreciate the strong communication between teachers and parents, as well as the many opportunities for enrichment through clubs, field trips, and STEM activities. BSTA has been a wonderful place for my son to learn and thrive!

This school is pretty good the teachers are all pretty nice and the students too. The only downside…read moreis the school lunch which is absolutely terrible. It is also a very strict dress code for students

Mrs. Natalee is truly the most incredible teacher. My son has excelled at writing, number, and…read morealphabet recognition. She has taught him a love for art and comes home with the cutest projects. Mrs. Natalee has the perfect balance of learning and play, I'm truly so grateful I found her this year!

Mrs. Natalee is the most awesome preschool teacher every. I'm so sad that my child only had her for…read moreone year, If I only know that she was going to be so great I would have had my child with her much longer. But with in this year my son has learned so much and his so beyond kindergarten ready. I love the caring and compassion she has for these children and the enthusiasm she gets this kids about learning. It is so great we all need a Mrs. Natalee in our lifes!

I have worked at numerous child care centers and so when looking for a center for my own child I…read morewas quite picky! From the moment I entered this center, I felt welcomed and right at home! My son has been there for over a year now and I honestly cannot say enough! It is so nice being able to drop off my little guy for the day and know he is being well cared for and is receiving so much love! He is so happy and absolutely LOVES going to school. I am so thankful we found Willowcreek and I highly recommend if you're looking for a center that feels like home away from home!

We absolutely loved sending our 8 month old daughter to Wilowcreek Children's Center for daycare…read more The staff was warm, welcoming, and great with all of the children. Our daughter loved going to daycare everyday and enjoyed spending time with her caregivers and other babies. I would highly recommend - Celeste and Heather who we worked with were fantastic!

They do not handle bullying at all besides a whole class lecture yearly about how "Bullying is bad…read morefor the water inside of you," (We did actually get that lecture.) except for thee few times they do by suspending the kids and doing nothing else about it unless it's a rare case. They managed to make pop-tarts rock hard. They have very few things going for them (Mr. Morris, Ms. Bolman, Ms. Cody, Crime Lab, Ms. Rugino, Mr. J, Ms. Cardon, Ms. Lund, and the fifth grade teachers), but the goods are only worth one star. Otherwise, it would be a zero star review. Beware Mr. Ellsworth's assignments. I would not wish attending ascent on my worst enemy. My brother has many friends, most of whom left the school, and those who left ascent say their new school is better. I am incredibly excited for ninth grade, because then I can leave. This school nearly made me do something I cannot say in this review. I would literally rather eat rotten for ten years than attend this school. Granted, that is because rotten food is pretty much something that I already get from Ascent (Visibly rotten apple, anyone?). And they have run out of food and made me lose recess (Yes, they have recess in Jr. High) on three seperate occasions this semester. Also, Mr. Ellsworth states conspiracies daily. And the Jr High PE teacher has incredibly sexist grading standards: about 100 laps on the pacer for guys and like 20 for girls, as well as about 20 pull ups for guys and seven seconds of holding onto the bar for girls. I could keep going all day, but I don't remember all of it. (Edit: I was sent to the principal's office today because of this. So, this school cares more about its precious little ego than it does bullying to the point where its students consider something that is often a byproduct of depression.)

My two children have been going to Challenger for almost a year, and I thought it would improve…read more First, my children have ADHD, and it seems no one in this facility is trained to teach or handle children with learning disabilities. Not only are they not trained, they are not tolerant. If you have a child with ADD or ADHD, you should go somewhere else. I have been called into the office many times for the same issues when they could easily make the situations better by learning more about how children with ADHD function. When contacting me when my child is physically hurt or having an emotionally challenging day, I do not get any phone calls. The headmistress has even made me, as a parent, feel shame and guilt. My daughter repeatedly is reprimanded for not tucking in her shirt and other silly things for a 6-year-old to comply with. She cries almost daily because of these comments, and I have asked the school to talk to ME about them and not her. I understand the standards at Challenger are higher than most, but we also have to remember that they are still children at the end of the day.