We feel incredibly grateful to be part of such a warm, welcoming, and enriching school community. From the very beginning, our family has felt supported not just academically, but personally as well. The teachers and staff truly go above and beyond to create an environment where each child feels seen, valued, and encouraged to grow. We currently have three children at the school, and each of them has had such a positive and unique experience. The balance between strong academics and character development is something we deeply appreciate. It's clear that the school is focused on nurturing the whole child, building confidence, kindness, and a genuine love for learning. One of the highlights for our family has been the musical program. Our daughters have been involved in the school musical, and it has been such a meaningful experience for them. Not only have they grown in confidence and creativity, but they've also formed friendships across different grade levels, which has been so special to see. The sense of community that comes from these programs is truly something unique. We couldn't be happier with our experience and feel lucky every day to be part of this amazing school. It's a place where children are encouraged to thrive, friendships flourish, and families feel genuinely connected. read more

I have only GREAT things to say about Mt. Helix Academy!! My little 3rd grader has THRIVED at this school. Known to be very shy and often wouldn't participate in class, we were desperate. There wasn't ever any trouble, just no willingness to be part of school functions, class projects, and we were about to succumb to the idea that was just the way it was. No joy for school or even extra-curricular activities. Well... these teachers did amazing things!! My child is like a whole new kid. The small class sizes helped them focus on my child's needs, and the care the teachers showed made such a difference. Now my child loves school, can't wait to "try" math (it can still be hard) and is in the school play! I would have never thought this could happen. I was just looking for a place where a child could feel welcome and loved, and, oh yeah - learn. I am so very thankful that we took a chance on Mt. Helix Academy. I can't recommend them enough! read more

My daughter has been attending MHA middle school since 6th grade. I will say the first two years we were not that happy with a lot of the staff, the non disciplinary action of other students that would misbehave and have no consequences. Even the inside of the middle school was a disappointment because there were no walls separating the different classrooms. Fast forward to present day, my daughter is in 8th grade and I am so sad she is now leaving MHA to go off to high school. Mrs Robertson is now the director at the middle school, there have been major staff changes, they even spent all summer redoing the entire inside of the school! There are walls, student lounge areas, amazing new staff, Mrs Robertson's office is right there so she can oversee everything, and there is even a counselor that comes once a week that will meet with any student or parent that might have any issues or concerns that they want to discuss, they have monthly meetings with the entire middle school about mental health as well. My daughter is thriving and loving school! We feel so confident and comfortable with her there. We love the new/returning staff, new programs, building updates, etc. I wish they had an MHA high school!! We have a younger daughter that will be at the middle school next year and we are so happy that she will be at MHA. She has some learning disabilities and the staff has been so accommodating to her. We really appreciate all the positive changes that MHA has made for this school year. Not only are the students more happy this year, you can tell the staff are excited to be there as well. Thank you MHA!! read more

This school is great for your kindergartners to 4th grade. If you get Mrs. Robertson your lucky! She was the best teacher my son had and he would tell you that she was strict but fun and he really loved her. We just ended 6th grade and I couldn't be happier to get him out of there. The teachers in 6th grade are not experienced enough to handle the group of 17 kids (still small class) my sons grades all fell in the 3rd quarter even with me paying extra for homework club. I emailed my frustration to his teachers and not one felt the need to respond. You would think the tuition you pay would ensure that the teachers cared what the parents felt and thought but they don't. It's so unfortunate that although your paying for higher education and small class size once your child reaches the "junior high age" they couldn't care less. When your paying a certain tuition and your kid is in a class of 17 there's no reason they should be getting a D or C and never have been told that they were heading in that direction .. no communication from teachers and falling grades, I could have gotten That result from public school. read more

This was our first year at Mt. Helix Academy and we could not be more thrilled with the progress our children made this year. The curriculum challenges students and prepares them to be able to complete challenging work successfully. The staff is experienced and dedicated to making sure every child gets their individual need's met. I wish MHA went to 12th grade! read more

We switched my son to MHA part way through his first grade year, when he was struggling at his public school. It is a very good public school, and I know lots of kids there who are doing very well; but my son was having behavior issues that were just getting worse. Even a good school will have a hard time when there are more than 25 kids with a broad range of capabilities at different levels. Switching to MHA has been fantastic for many different reasons, but the key reasons are (a.) small class size - this year's class is about 14 - and (b.) the individualized groups that they place the children into based on their abilities. About six weeks or so after my son started at MHA, I was meeting with one of the teachers to explain some of the challenges we had had at the public school, and she said, "well, we are not having any problems with him." I almost cried to hear that! Such a change from the constant "red mark" slips and behavior notes that were coming home from the previous school! read more

I remember the first time I saw Mt Helix Academy, I was pregnant with our son and had just moved to the neighborhood. I thought to myself, "I wonder if he will go to school there one day." Well he does, and we are so glad! We have never once doubted our decision to send our son to MHA. Every time you think things can't get better...they do! The class sizes are small and the teachers are focused on individual attention and developing and tailoring a learning environment that helps each child succeed. That is one of the things that impressed us most about this school. The passion for the craft of education is more than obvious at MHA. And for involvement? Wow. I have never encountered a school environment that from the top of the administration down, there is not one person that doesn't have an interest and involvement in bettering your child's day. The personal attention to each child is astounding, and one of the reasons why we will continue to send our son there as long as they will have us! . read more

i have had my children at both public and then private school in their careers so far. i have to say, Mt. Helix academy has taught my two boys how to be productive members of society at such young ages. Mt. Helix Academy really cares about my boys and all their students. My boys both have nicknames from all staff members. Pretty cute. also, the staff have a high standard of teaching my boys to which has groomed them for success as they grow up. I love what my two boys are getting out of this private environment schooling and would never change our decision for them to attend ! read more

My sister and cousins attend here. We are so proud of the teachers and staff. The ceremony was beautiful my sister cried. We all cried. This will be our last year. And with a heavy heart we are sad to leave a wonderful school. Well prepared for High School. Hope all you enjoy this place just as our family has. Good luck in High School read more

My daughter and I love this school. They have small class sizes and really have a educational program that helps each child advance, no matter what level they are at. read more

I feel so fortunate to have found Mount Helix Academy (MHA). It is a very special place. My child has been attending MHA for a year and half and is now in Kindergarten class with Mr. Hanlon and Mrs. Ziegler. (They have been team teaching Kindergarten at MHA for twenty years!) They're such an incredible team. They both possess remarkable skillfulness at teaching academics (thanks to them my kid reads 90 words per minute and completes double digit math problems). They are also wonderful at teaching social skills through positive discipline. They know how to help kids feel successful and it is because of their work in the class, my daughter LIKES to go to school. In fact, she gets upset if for some reason she has to miss a day. Truly this is a quality problem as she has never felt that way about any of the other schools in which she has attended. At former schools she has dreaded attendance, and now she looks forward to school, to the learning activities, to seeing her friends, and being with the teachers and administrators. I wish everyone could experience this type of learning environment. It is truly a wonderful school! read more

I am giving Mt. Helix 2 stars instead of 5 solely because of the middle school. My son was enrolled in 4th and 5th grade and, despite having many learning challenges, the brilliant teachers at Mt. Helix helped him learn. He finished the year with all As and B. Fast forward to 6th grade. Five classes, two rooms, no walls. My ADHD kid had no chance of being able to concentrate. I felt that the middle school program was unsupportive and was not a great place for any student, even though the elementary program was excellent. I know several other parents took their kids out too, for similar reasons. It's a shame, because we loved that school. I've cried more than once about leaving. read more

This review concerns the Aim High program, which turns out to be a sham. The school was aware of my child's IEP and so forth and offered Aim High as an answer. However, the program did more damage than good because all it involved was an iron fist: as one teacher said proudly, "I hold their feet to the fire." (Another teacher told children in his class, when they had problems, "it sucks to be you.") Experts know that this is NOT the way to teach learning challenged children. They will not respond to normal teaching techniques simply because you hit them with these techniques harder. That is like yelling to communicate with a person who is deaf. Needless to say, we relocated our child when we discovered that the program had no substance. read more

Our experience at Mt. Helix Academy for elementary, 1st-5th grades, was exceptional. We moved our child who was struggling in kindergarten, mostly with social skills though not severe enough to be admitted into the neighborhood SDUnified school's support program. Our child is now in a public middle school elsewhere. And now I see just how much this student learned while at Mt. Helix Academy. Reading fluency, spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and inflection are wonderful and exceed many of those students in the (larger!) public school classroom. Similarly, the ability to complete math calculations and apply math skills is also much above those of the other students in class. Further, a general test given this past summer that is used by San Diego Unified to asses incoming students identified our child's skills comparable to SDUnified students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade levels, depending on the skill assessed--all applied to our incoming 6th grader! Essential to our young, quiet child was the development of and practice using social skills to function well at school. The small class size, dedicated teachers, and social skills curriculum interwoven among the academics, art, music, and Spanish classes helped our daughter to be ready to learn, to listen attentively, to negotiate issues on the playground and begin to anticipate appropriate social responses to playground situations. Were there hiccups along the way--of course! No school is perfect, that's true. We left because we wanted a larger environment to prepare for high school. Though it has been only six months, we miss the consistent structure, caring staff, and stimulating learning environment Tour the campus, talk with the staff and other parents, and know that the financial commitment is well worth the return for your child. I give one star less than 5 because our student didn't continue on at the middle school, so I can't assess it. read more

This school has an exceptional academic program. All academic areas are individualized and students are in small groups according to their ability. They also focus on behavior in a positive way and "catch" students doing a good job. As a former teacher, I was looking for the school that best met my son's needs and challenged him to do his best. This school had all of the "ingredients" needed to have a my son reach his full potential. It is a great school! read more

Our kids have attended Mt. Helix Academy since Kindergarten. Our daughter has graduated and is currently in 10th grade at a public high school and our son still attends as a 7th grader. Because they've received individualized instruction with positive interactions from staff members, they love learning and continue to excel. Our daughter has transitioned successfully to high school and has over a 4.0 GPA in Honors courses. Both kids have loved being a part of the "Mt. Helix Academy Family." We highly recommend this school! read more

this school has been a blessing for my daughter and our family. Incredible teachers helped my daughter from barely passing 4th grade at a public school to straight A's in just 3 quarters at MHA. read more

We moved my son from another private school mid year during 3rd grade and it was the BEST decision EVER!!! My son is really bright, and his old school was not challenging him, so he was bored, and his behavoir was poor because of it. He complained about going to school every day... he was miserable. At Mount Helix Academy, we no longer have these problems. He is challenged every day, as they make sure the kids are in the right level for reading, math and spelling. The school environment is incredibly POSITIVE... they do an amazing job with consistency and positive discipline... my son likes to test limits... he quickly learned that EVERY teacher, aide, admin staff, etc will respond the same way. The positive atmosphere is AMAZING, he kids help each other to remain positive and help to correct each other's behavoirs. The teacher teach manners (doesn't it seem like our society has forgotten these important skills!), to look each other in the eye when talking, and to be kind to one another. I cannot get over what changed child my son is! read more

There is nothing, for me, that matches the feeling of sending our kids to school every day and knowing that they are receiving a top-notch education in an incredible environment. Class sizes are small and very caring teachers are able to work closely with students and to assess them and place them in very small groups where they work above grade level if that best serves their needs or with extra help if they are struggling in certain areas. Add to this an administration that is also very caring and listens and works hard to meet the needs of each and every student. The topper is that the parents are very involved and the sense of community and friendship is something that makes families that are new to the school shake their heads in amazement. We originally checked the school out with no real intention of sending our kids there. A little time spent there and we quickly changed our minds. Great place! read more