My son began at this school in fourth grade, he is now graduating this year. It's been quite the…read morejourney. We appreciate all of the input that the school takes from parents. Thanks SocPrep

As a first year teacher, I was welcomed with open arms. This community is truly like a family. The…read moreimmediate indication is how each student is viewed holistically and not as just a number. There is a true dedication to ensuring that all students are comfortable and heard whether that is academically or emotionally. Students are given a freedom to explore their own passions deeper while also receiving a well-rounded education. Teachers are given the autonomy to cultivate an environment set up for each student. This school is the future of education.

Red Bug is a great school. We have our last child there now and two that have "graduated" from…read morethere and moved on. They have rebuilt the school and it looks great. Traffic in the morning stinks for sure. I wish they would use some common sense to make the morning traffic issues go away. Oh well....

This is a great school! Most of the teachers we have are absolutely wonderful and the staff and…read moreadministrators truly care and are great too. They've done a great job of adequately challenging my kids. Some teachers are great proactive communicators, others not so much, but all have been great at responding to emails whenever I've needed anything. They also make sure the kids have adequate physical activity, though some of my friend's kids have had teachers who take away PE privileges when classes are unruly during teaching time which I disagree with strongly. The only things I'd change are I think a second language should be part of specials for all kids and I think SCPS food choice could be healthier with less junk food extras for sale. The carline could also be better and the fence around the property is rusty and in need of being replaced. PTA is also pretty active which is wonderful!

The teachers all work hard to make a difference in the students' lives. They truly love their jobs…read moreand the children.

Walden is good for a specific type of kid. A kid who needs a smaller, more personalized environment…read morefor academic success without needing a lot of emotional or medical support. One of my friends had an F in math before she went to Walden that they helped her bring up to a B. I am leaving a 3 star review because I had a very mixed experience at Walden, but I recognize that it's a great environment for some students. I went to Walden just a few weeks after being discharged from a therapeutic boarding school in Utah. It was a very rough transition for me, and Walden both helped and hurt. The other students were great, and the small size was much better for an autistic kid than a traditional public school. However, the teachers and administration were not very understanding. I know that they can only do so much to help an emotionally struggling teen, but they could have practiced more of what they taught: empathy. I had issues with showing off, but instead of talking to me about it and correcting me in the moment, administration talked to my parents about expelling me. It would have been different if they'd corrected me and I hadn't changed, but they didn't even try to give me feedback. Academics were decent. Great for kids who need a personalized curriculum. But I noticed that when I transferred to virtual public school, I was learning things that I should have learned in Algebra 1 in Algebra 2. They make it very hard to go to a school with a different curriculum, and that leads to some kids falling behind. They claimed to have extracurriculars that they didn't have. When I was there, they just had a dance class with a very unempathetic and ableist teacher. I was on a med that gave me significant side effects, including heatstroke susceptibility. Towards the end of the school year, we were doing a very physical dance outside, and I noticed symptoms of heat illness. When I asked the dance teacher to take a break, she refused because it was a partner dance and I couldn't leave my partner. She then said that she was proud of me for doing things even when I got hot, despite me saying many times that what she was making me do was a health hazard. I arrived at home that day and crashed on my bed, sleeping for about 2 hours. I now know that what I was experiencing was heat exhaustion. Easily preventable if the dance teacher had allowed me a break. All in all, this school has its pros and cons. Great social environment and personalized academics, but lack of understanding of students who struggle medically and emotionally. Some kids excel at Walden, others don't. If considering this school, make sure your kid is the type to excel there.

We wanted more for our daughter and that's why we chose Walden Community School…read more We wanted her to love learning and to be excited about going to school everyday. On top of that, we wanted her to be safe and in an environment that would give her the freedom that she needs to express herself and learn from her peers. The curriculum is extraordinary and I'm constantly blown away by the critical thinking and creative writing skills that she's been developing at Walden.

The first time you see the map on the floor of the United States I think it looks great and I love…read morehow the colors are different on the floor

Best school in the neighborhood they have everything that kids need plus more ,good teachers and…read moreprograms security law officers...in the heart Altamonte springs ,we are so lucky to have it near our home the VPK teacher is Amazing what wonderful people so patient and hard working thanks a million times .

Our children have attended this school for the last 4 years. We love everything about it, the…read moreteachers are caring and knowledgable, the campus is secure and well-maintained, and the level of education is excellent. We feel confident that our children are prepared for a successful future because of the education they receive here.

The Pre-K assessment is overkill. They make parents wait in a small library, take your student for…read morean hour-long assessment that over the phone was described by Admissions Director Megan Jones as to see how they interact with other students. Come to find out (after several emails requesting to know more about their request for a SECOND assessment), they are very critical of your child. Preschool Director Betsey Vallery states in her email to me: "[Student] was very interested in the items in our classroom and such a sweet little boy. He did have difficulty following teacher one-step instructions and redirection. For example, when the teacher called [Student] to small group to draw, he ran around the carpet area. The teacher came alongside him and told him to please use his walking feet and modeled her walking feet. This gentle redirection is usually very successful as it's 1:1 in this assessment setting, but he continued to run." [Student] had just turned four only three days prior to the assessment. He's extremely responsive with adult direction, and I find this commentary completely inappropriate. As a former teacher myself, this is not even something that should be a concern. In addition, she states that [Student] didn't know how to write name, draw a self portrait, count to 10 or identify shapes, all of which he's been able to do for more than a year. I wasn't there in the assessment, but I do wonder about the effectiveness of the teacher to inspire participation. I felt that this was not an age-appropriate Pre-K. They want students that already know what they need to know for kindergarten so they don't have to do their jobs in teaching them.

PARENTS BEWARE: At…read morefirst glance this seems like a great center. The center is clean and organized. They have experienced and qualified teachers, as well as a very detailed curriculum. However, After a couple months, I was wishing I would rather not have enrolled my child for VPK. My son began VPK at the center and the issues began. After observing the pre-school "circle time" owner was very rude and "short" speaking to kids and her tone that she used with them. After couple weeks in,she told me I needed to medicate my son. Even said she had made recommendations to other parents who took her advice and the kids acted better medicated. After speaking to his pediatrician, that WAS NOT want they recommended. She got nasty with me and said that there was more wrong with my child. After 2 weeks of her not allowing my child at the center without being medicated, I made other arrangements with the VPK. She was not helpful in any way!!!!!!!! When I went to pick up transfer paperwork and she asked for payment for the 2 weeks that he was not there. I refused to pay because she would not allow me to bring him. Plus the days he did attend, he was only there for VPK, which is FREE!!! Obviously, its all about the money not the children. I do not recommend this center or the other affiliated centers.

I'm having the same problem as the first reviewer. My son was absent for 2 weeks because he and I…read morewere sick. The owner Cindy, has been the worst. She is definitely more concerned about money. My 1 year old son comes home with bumps and scrapes every week. I made an agreement with her about payments and she has called me every day to see if I'm paying that day. She is unbelievably rude if there's any money problems. Her and my husband have had a few words about payment. For the 2 weeks he wasn't there she is demanding full price. At first she said only pay half a week. Still at 175 a week and then missing two weeks of work. I dont make a lot of money. I dont get government help for anything. For this week and the 6 hours he was there before being sick, my bill is over 500. This is a bully business. And on top of all this ridiculousness. This place isn't clean. I know there's kids and kids aren't clean. But it seems like it's just a place to leave your cash at and they might watch your kid too.

Orange County Preparatory Academy opened last fall in the old Page Private School facility. I…read moredecided to transfer my youngest child from the public school she was attending after a few bad years. Getting the postcard in the mail telling me that OCPA was opening was honestly one of the best things that could have happened. Before I switched my daughter I did my research about charter schools and the company that manages OCPA, Charter School Associates. I'd recommend any parents that are considering it do the same research. I found that they had several good schools, and I was hopeful that this new one would follow in those same footsteps. So, as for my review of the school... the beginning of the school year was rough, with the expected growing pains and some unexpected ones. Traffic was a nightmare, the principal left, and loads of other little things. Now, at the half way point in the year it appears that most things have been smoothed out. And I am very happy we switched. I love that this school is a K-8 school (currently to 7th, but 8th is supposed to be added next year). The school is supposed to focus on STEM, and in the fall all grades participated in a school-wide science fair. For a new school they have really hit the ground running with awesome events for the kids. At Halloween they had a trunk-or-treat, which was loads of fun. They also did a storybook day and had a school-wide fairy tale bowl with questions about the stories. The school provides after school tutoring and several clubs. The addition of clubs came later in the year than I would have liked, but we are really happy about the options. My daughter is in the after care program. One huge perk over the public school she was at is that they only charge you for days the child attends. Since my daughter only has to go to after care a few days a week I save money by not having to pay for the whole week like I used to. Since this is a charter school they wear uniforms. They had a few sales events at the school where we could purchase them and I had no problems with the uniform company. So far my daughter really likes wearing the uniform, and it makes getting ready in the morning super easy. That's all I can think of. I'm assuming if you are reading this review you may be thinking about switching to the school, so feel free to send me a note and I'll answer questions.

My children and I have been a member of the OCPA community since its beginning. As such, we've seen…read morethe school make some great strides, especially over this last year in particular. Yes, OCPA does have its positives and negatives, like any other school might. But OCPA's very accessible administration and small classroom sizes lend a very personal touch to each child's learning experience. The principal, Mr Higgins, and fellow administrator, Mr Austin, have been consistent and dedicated contributions to OCPA's improvement this year. Under this new leadership, I have seen more new programming such as organized athletic teams with winning records, various educational/STEM nights, and fun field days, just to name a few that I've personally participated in. I believe the structure and culture that Higgins and Austin have instilled have grown the school's support staff and allowed for some great momentum this year. For that, I give OCPA 4 stars. With only more improvement in OCPA's future, I am sure that it will earn the 5th star sooner than later!

Very happy with this school. Have there been some issues? Yep but every school has issues from time…read moreto time. What I do know is their curriculum and teaching is great. Evidence of this My Daughter started Middle School this year and because of her 5 years at Choices was automatically put in the Advanced classes to include GEMS Math and again she is excelling. Let's talk something else that shows how well they educate. My daughter also has been selected and is not part of the Duke TIP program. My youngest went there last year for VPK and is now in Kindergarten. And in little more than a month he is reading books at home already at a higher level than kids his age typically read without help. Do they teach to the test (FSA) yep they do. But So doesn't all schools that receive County Funding. Currently a Nationwide Blue Ribbon School. Strongly recommend the school.

Very good school. My son is in second grade and we still like it. Great, loving and understanding…read moreteachers. I would highly recommend this school