We have had a great experience at GAC. We have four students with various interest and ways of…read morelearning. I have two that have dyslexia that came in remediated, but they do have a remediation program. There is academic support. Those teachers are amazing and push into the classroom in elementary school. the teachers are supportive, communicative, and available accessible and connected with our kids. My kids are involved in sports music, dance, arts , theater. There are a lot of opportunities to be outward facing service projects, mission trips. While I appreciate that, my kids are taught the Bible and a relationship with Jesus and the teachers reflect that my kids also have a diverse group of friends that come from different religious backgrounds, economic, backgrounds, and political backgrounds, which aren't emphasized, but there is a variety of demographic. My son instance has friends that are Hindi, Punjabi, agnostic. My kids are taught not just about Christian world views, but different religious world views, different scientific views like evolution in biology (which someone for some reason said they aren't taught) and they're taught from a scientific standpoint not trying to dispute the scientific theory. As rhe get older, they have opportunities to question, debate, express their opinions in different classes and that's encouraged because they don't want the kids to be programmed robots. As I stated earlier, their families of different economic backgrounds, but that is not something that is known or something that at least for my kids they don't care if they have a lot of money or don't have a lot of money. It's just not important in the grand scheme of things. They have a diverse group of friends and I find that a lot of my friends kids find their niche. They find their people because there's so much variety and diversity. Well, they do a annual fun fundraiser. You could donate a dollar and still participate with zero judgment or not at all. There is a level of understanding from learning disabilities to economic to religious backgrounds that is accepted without judgment. Of course there's gonna be jerk kids at every school, but that's the minority and not the majority.

No school is perfect and everyone has their flaws. There is always something going on that we as…read moreparents and teachers can't figure out. My daughter has been there for 3 years and enjoys it. Her principal is awesome along with her supporting staff. GAC reminds me of DODDEA schools because often times the teachers children attend school there as well. Therefore they get the skinny on somethings going on due to their kids. My son loved his teachers and administrators to include the Principal. He stated there are things that happen that he was not happy with and did not want to go back. Had nothing to do w the teachers or administration. We are minorities and I have always been treated with the outmost respect from each principal on all 3 levels. I am disappointed some May feel this way but me and my family bleed GAC all day. GAC 4 life. Happy holidays

My kids are in both the elementary and the day care here. The teachers are fantastic, and I feel…read moregood about having my kids here. They are learning so much and enjoying it, too. You want to feel like you can trust the people around your kids since they spend so much time with them, and that's certainly the feeling I get here.

I just dropped my child off at NDA this morning where I saw the principal standing outside in…read morefreezing temperatures to greet incoming students. She helped a black child who was struggling with a backpack over his winter coat. Then, she did the laughing "chilly" dance with another much younger black child, perhaps a kindergartener or first grader, who was racing inside to escape the cold. Mrs. Deruki greeted two Asian sisters on their way in the front door and waved at a group of Hispanic siblings trekking down the sidewalk. Everyone was smiling, children and adults alike. As I witnessed all this from my car, I couldn't help but think about the review complaining about NDA's lack of diversity. This is not an all white school like so many other private schools in Georgia. In my child's class alone, there are Hispanic families, Asian families, mixed race families, and black families. I want my child in a school that welcomes all races and ethnicities, and honestly, that has been my experience at NDA. I cannot speak for other parents who may feel differently, and I feel sad for the mom who felt like her daughter's needs were not met. But, there must be more to that story that was not shared here on Yelp. My fear is that negative reviews calling NDA racist will scare away the very families that NDA wants to welcome to its community. Please don't be afraid. My daughter's experience at NDA has been wonderful. The academics are rigorous and the expectations are high. She has not loved every single teacher, but some teachers are adored, deeply. And that's life, isn't it? Persevere, learn, grow. Notre Dame Academy is not a perfect fit for every student, but my Colombian American daughter loves it, and she is thriving.

Our experience at Notre Dame Academy was deeply painful and rooted in racism and bias. From the…read morevery beginning, exactly our third month at the school, we received warnings from former parents about the school's issues with racism. Sadly, those warnings proved to be true. My daughter, who was in second grade, experienced repeated instances of discrimination--not just from peers, but from teachers and the administration. In Kindergarten, she was told by another child that her "skin was not good" and was excluded from playing with other girls because of her skin color. In 2nd grade, she developed anxiety around lunchtime and was yelled at by her teacher in the cafeteria instead of being supported. When I emailed the teacher to explain her anxiety and ask for patience, I received a dismissive response claiming that my daughter's "behaviors are becoming intentional." Despite never having a history of behavioral issues, her anxiety was labeled as intentional misbehavior--something I firmly believe would not have happened if my daughter were white. A white child would have simply "had anxiety." My daughter was criminalized for hers. Our pediatrician even wrote a letter urging the school to support her with more understanding. Still, no empathy was shown. After I addressed her anxiety and asked to be updated with any further issues during our teacher conference and offered support--as both a parent and an education professional--I was met with defensiveness. During our Zoom teacher conference, I professionally and calmly provided suggestions on how to create a more inclusive environment for all students. I was a former instructional coach and thought it would have been helpful for the teacher if I shared some strategies. Rather than take this in good faith, the teacher immediately made herself the victim--a pattern we've seen throughout Black history, where people of color advocating for themselves are painted as threats. The teacher then went to the principal, Julie Derucki, cried, and claimed she felt "attacked." The principal sent an email to me requesting a meeting and expressed her concern that her teacher "felt attacked" by me in our conference. That word--"attacked"--is heavy, loaded, and racially coded, especially when used to describe a person of color. It was incredibly offensive and dehumanizing. I raised my concerns about this language, how it was offensive, and the dangerous implications it carries, but I received no apology or acknowledgment. I requested a meeting with the teacher and principal to understand how the teacher "felt attacked" in our Zoom call. Instead, I was asked if I needed help "finding another school." The remaining few weeks of the school year became unbearable and extremely uncomfortable. The principal greeted us with sarcastic tones, rolled her eyes at me during mass when I asked where to sit, and the teacher who once greeted every car at pickup pointedly ignored ours. What little support was offered for my daughter's mental health turned out to be performative and disorganized, with no follow-through. Before departing the school, I did speak to a board member and the president of the school to express my concerns with racism. The president was very aware of this ongoing issue at the school that has caused a turnover of both staff and families throughout the years. In my opinion, Notre Dame Academy is not a safe or supportive environment for students of color. The school is not inclusive (although it is promoted on the website), does not put all students first, and does not hold its staff accountable when clear bias and harm are at play. If I could give zero stars, I would. I share this review in hopes that no other child or family experiences what we did, especially those of color.

I attended Perimeter Christian School from 4th through 8th grade, and I believe prospective parents…read moredeserve to hear about my experience before making a decision about whether to enroll their children. One incident that has stayed with me occurred when I was in 7th grade. During a class taught by Ken DeMaris, I referred to then-President Barack Obama simply as "Obama." Mr. DeMaris became very upset and told me I was being disrespectful by not calling him "President Obama." He instructed me to leave the classroom for the remainder of the period. As I was preparing to leave, I asked whether I should take my binder with me. Mr. DeMaris responded by throwing the binder directly at me. As I was not expecting violence from a teacher, and he was within arms length of me, i was caught off guard and the binder struck me in the face, causing my mouth to bleed. I immediately went to the office of Principal Mary Hubbard. Instead of expressing concern about what had happened, her response was immediately, "I'm sure he had a reason.". I think it is important to highlight that this was not a playful toss, it was a forceful throw with visible anger behind it. As an 11 year old student standing in the office with blood dripping down my chin from my mouth, that response left a lasting impression on me. What troubled me most was not only the incident itself, but the apparent willingness and haste of school leadership to excuse it. A second incident involved the school's PE teacher, Patrick Mullrennan. After I and two other students sang the national anthem before a school volleyball game, Mr. Mullrennan concluded that our performance was disrespectful to the United States, claiming , "during the performance the boys were sticking their fingers in each others rear ends", despite not a single witness/attendee corroborating his story. Within moments of finishing, he pulled us aside, grabbed me by the neck, physically restrained us, and began yelling at us (I am proud to say I truly gave the best performance I could and have never and will never directly disrespect the United States in that way, but there was absolutely no way of reasoning with Patrick). Another experience that I believe parents should know about was an event the school called "Slave Day" when I was in 5th grade. The stated purpose was to teach students what slavery was like before emancipation. Parents volunteered to act as "slave masters" alongside teachers, and students were subjected to verbal and physical abuse throughout the day. During the event, Mr. Mullrennan pushed me to the ground while shouting, "What are you looking at, slave?" Looking back, I find the entire concept deeply inappropriate and disturbing, especially coming from people who are supposed to be examples of Godly leaders. I am sharing these experiences because they had a profound impact on me. Rather than seeing Christian values modeled through humility, compassion, accountability, and grace, I often felt I was witnessing authoritarianism exercised through intimidation and humiliation. Those experiences played a significant role in causing me to question both the institution and the faith it claimed to represent. At the same time, I want to acknowledge one individual who left a positive and lasting impression on me: Clint Fisher. To this day, he remains one of the best examples of humility, integrity, and genuine Christian character that I have encountered. He consistently treated students with respect and kindness and demonstrated the values that I believe a Christian school should strive to embody. In many ways, he stood as a bright light in stark contrast to the darkness embodied by so many of the teachers and leaders, and I remain grateful for his influence. This review reflects my personal experience as a student. I encourage parents to conduct their own research, speak with former students, and ask detailed questions about school culture, accountability, and how student concerns are handled before making a decision.

We have two children that started going to PCS in first grade and graduated after the eighth grade…read more I cannot even begin to describe the positive impact this school has had on our family. My daughter had to get up in front of a large class at UGA this week and was totally at ease because of all the poetry recitals they had at Perimeter. She also talked about how comfortable she is speaking to and interacting with adults because of the large presence of the parents at PCS. As parents, the school helped us focus on the hearts of our children. We got to be part of a community where we all looked out for each other's kids. Being part of a covenant community was a wonderful part of raising our kids. Our children received a wonderful foundation and were taught by teachers that love the Lord and shared this love with our kids. Our kids learned scripture and can defend their faith. They were also challenged academically and have continued to thrive academically since graduating from PCS. I'm so thankful we decided to send our kids to PCS.

I am strictly giving this school 3 stars because of the teachers. This school has some awesome &…read morededicated teachers. They really care about the education and life experiences your child is receiving. Now the principal... While I do not have any current issues with her I simply do not believe she is working for the benefit of the school. I never feel welcome when I am there unless I am doing something in regards to parent/teacher conferences, honors programs, etc. The morale of the the teachers is low. I continue to enroll my children at Allgood in hopes that this becomes the place that the parents, teachers & students all can grow and learn. OR... I have enough money to send my kids to private school.