We enrolled at North Valley Christian Academy expecting a Christ-centered environment built on…read moretrust, transparency, and partnership with parents. Our experience was the complete opposite. Our primary concern is student privacy and administrative overreach. During our time at NVCA, we witnessed: * Private student conversations being overheard and later referenced by administrators * A lack of respect for parent involvement when our child was emotionally distressed * A troubling culture of surveillance and control rather than trust and care In addition to these issues, we raised multiple safeguarding and conduct concerns to administration that were never meaningfully addressed, including: * Coaches speaking to teenage girls in demeaning and derogatory ways * Inappropriate one-on-one conversations during athletic evaluations unrelated to performance * A coach refused to let our daugher leave a room for 10 minutes against her will and pleas for her parents * Requests for written policies governing athletics, discipline, and parental communication that were never provided The most alarming incident occurred after our daughter resigned from cheer due to how she was being treated. Principal Jason Mitchell hired someone to locate and secretly video record our minor child at a weekend club volleyball tournament -- off campus, outside of school hours, without our knowledge or consent. (Chris Schoenleb, Head of School denies this despite the email from Jason Mitchell being attached to this review and he was cc'd on the original email). This had nothing to do with safety, academics, or behavior. It was clearly used to justify a decision that had already been made. Our daughter had no disciplinary record, no probation, and was never warned her enrollment was at risk. Despite this, the school later discussed our family via email to all 800+ NVCA Families while refusing to identify any written policy we allegedly violated or responding to us. Since then, NVCA has implemented policies locking students' phones in Yondr bags throughout the school day, preventing private parent-child communication. Given our experience, this raises serious concerns about control versus care. Also, random drug testing is common and done without parental notification and consent by Jason Mitchell. We are sharing this so other parents -- especially those expecting integrity from a Christian school -- will ask questions, request written policies, and fully understand the culture they are placing their children into. Our family did not leave quietly because what happened should never happen to another child.

Love the community! The teachers and staff genuinely care about the students. My two children are…read morethriving spiritually, academically, emotionally, & socially here. I highly recommend NVCA.

It is the best K -8 school in the valley, and I am pleased that my kids are the products of Valley…read moreAcademy! The teachers are great and very attentive. They provide a nurturing environment for the kids. The curriculum is strong, and they are pretty much rounded with other extracurricular activities, too, unlike other schools, which do not entertain that. My only complaint is I wish they had a high school. When my son moved to high school, even though he had completed the basic levels of certain subjects in Valley Academy, he couldn't take the advanced level because the new high school didn't recognize the levels at Valley Academy since they don't have a high school. That's a huge bummer

I am in second grade my teacher is Mrs.Carpenter.She's very nice.Their is annoying boys in my…read moreclassroom. The others are tattletales.Valley Academy is a good school.Literally every day I come home from school l have something to tell my parents that I learned.Once my friend had trouble breathing and we went to the nurse. She was very helpful and she sent my friend home.

Absolutely amazing school! My child has learned so much and loves her school. I love that they…read moreteach not only school based things but also real life things.

Do not send your kids here!! Mrs. Alligator is a big tim . Your child will be called out for…read moreabsolutely no reason whatsoever. If you want your child to have records that are inaccurate and absurd, totally recommend! "Mommy, this school was so bad I'll never forget about it." My boy said. He is scarred, save your child of it!

We feel incredibly lucky to have found this school. It's AMI-approved Montessori with a beautiful…read morecampus, and you can truly feel the care and intention that has gone into building this community for over 28 years. We currently have one child in Primary and one in Elementary, and both are thriving beyond what we ever expected. Our extended family has even commented on how much our kids have grown -- not just academically, but in their confidence, curiosity, and love of learning. What stands out most is how personal the experience feels. The teachers are genuinely caring, and we love that there are bilingual educators and an environment that supports the whole child. It's so refreshing to see our kids learning in a way that goes far beyond "sitting at a desk and memorizing." The school offers an abundance of enrichment and extracurricular opportunities, and it's clear they're focused on supporting each child as an individual. We are truly grateful to have our children grow up in such a safe, nurturing, and inspiring environment... even if part of us wants to keep it our little secret!

Last August 25th, after reflecting on the challenges my son faced at DMA in September and October…read moreof last year, I felt ready and shared a down-to-earth personal review.   Instead of receiving public feedback, I received a certified letter from a law firm, demanding for my review to be removed immediately, otherwise "we will sue you to obtain an order requiring you to remove it, and to recover significant monetary damages against you, including, but not limited to, punitive damages, and the attorneys' fees and costs Dynamite Montessori incurs in the case under A.R.S. 12-341.01 and A.R.S. 12-341". They reminded me of a contract clause that restricts what families may share publicly about the school without prior written consent. This clause is part of the agreement that parents must sign when enrolling their children. So, in the interest of focusing on providing for my son instead of defending myself against what I feel are insubstantial accusations, I am removing my previous review. We were part of the DMA family for almost three years. 100% involved and devoted to all the school activities. Our son attended from June 21, 2022, until November 1, 2024. In my personal opinion, DMA can be a good choice for any "non-Montessori" child to gain some exposure to a Montessori environment in their early years. The place looks pristine, with the right materials, strong infrastructure, and opportunities for children to learn--especially if they happen to be among the more "gifted" ones and can learn by themselves. I have been a Montessori mom since our son was born, and we initially thought this was the perfect place for him. Last year, however, in his third year of primary, my son developed a behavior we felt unrecognizable to us and was told "not to be kindergarten ready" and "maybe not a good fit for a classroom at all". My family, especially my son (5 years old at the time), went through a nightmare that took almost a year to recover from. Fortunately, today he attends a large Montessori school where he has adapted beautifully and is thriving as the amazing child he has always been. In his new school he is considered a bright kid and so far, there is not a single incident regarding his behavior. Looking back, we feel that his experience at DMA was heavily affected by a classroom dynamic that was challenging for his naturally calm demeanor. Today, we are sharing our feelings, in case it helps other families who may be uncertain--whether you already have a child enrolled or are considering enrollment.

I got bullied for having a disability and they wouldn't do anything the principal, Mr. Traud and…read moremiss Kathy were very disrespectful and and the food was not very good even at the end of the year they wouldn't give the children food. They said that we have a food shortage and they wouldn't provide any food. This is their job to provide food. why won't they do it? It is a failure school and if they don't like a child, they will stay hating him for the whole year and if they do hate a child, they don't post any pictures of that specific child. They don't do anything even if you wanna like request something they do not do it they don't provide anything so disrespectful and don't come to the school. I will move my child from this school...

We absolutely love this school! The teachers are supportive and caring, and we are so happy we…read morefound this place!

The principal, vice principal, teachers, and PE coach are all there for nothing more than a…read morepaycheck. They don't care about your child, their learning, or their safety and comfirtability at school. They allow children to be bullied and essentially place blame on the victimized students as if they are to handle these situations alone. They will persistently call students liars and plainly don't care. Do not do your child a disservice by enrolling them in this school. You will regret it. The gross negligence by the staff and faculty is immeasurable

I agree with the other reviewer about not sending your child here if they are a bit challenging or…read morehave special needs. My son attended this school his kindergarten year 2016-2017 and did great! No problems at all. 1st grade, however, was a different story. He started having problems focusing, following directions, and finishing his work. He was being sent home early (sometimes within 30 mins of being dropped off in the morning) multiple times a week because according to the Ms. Weinman, the principal, "We run a school. Not a daycare." At the advice of his teacher we took him to his Dr. to see what could be going on and after having his teacher and I fill out Vanderbilt Assessments (an assessment tool that reviews possible symptoms of ADHD and other conditions), his Dr. diagnosed him with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. We thought having a diagnosis would help us start the process of getting him help or accommodations through the school such as an IEP or tailored behavior plan. Boy were we wrong. Even after multiple meetings with the principle and assistant principle it was clear they were going to keep doing everything they could to keep from having to work with him, while also making us jump through hoops. We tried to establish an IEP and as the previous reviewer also stated it took MULTIPLE meetings to even get the ball rolling. The principle was fairly rude and condescending at every meeting. Basically stating every time we saw her that she didn't have time to deal with any of this or our son. We finally got the date set for his IEP assessment and the school has up to 60 days to schedule the assessment. They scheduled it for EXACTLY 60 days out. Then a week or 2 later they sent paperwork home saying that they were revoking his open enrollment status and we had 2 weeks to find another school for him. We lived practically across the street from the Village Meadows but it wasn't technically his "home school" because of zoning so we had enrolled him there through DVUSD open enrollment. After that the assistant principal called me daily to ask if I'd enrolled him in his home school yet or found another non-DVUSD school for him. Because they had revoked his DVUSD open enrollment our only options were to enroll him in his home school per zoning of Constitution Elementary or choose a school in a different district than DVUSD. We ended up enrolling him in Constitution Elementary and it's turned out to be the best decision we could have made. He is thriving and doing amazingly minus a few hiccups when he first started halfway through 1st grade. He is also excited and looks forward to school every day now vs. crying and begging to stay home while he was at Village Meadows. The teachers at Constitution all work with him and we had a behavior plan established almost immediately when he started. The principal there, Ms. Leyva said their goal is to do whatever is necessary to keep students in the classroom and learning and that's exactly what they've done. My son is now in 3rd grade and still doing great. He is even in gifted classes because he tested above his age group in reading and math. This school (Constitution) and these teachers and administrators took the time to work with us and figure out a plan that worked for him. Something apparently Village Meadows can't do. It turns out he is extremely intelligent and was getting bored too quickly with the regular classwork which was part of the reason he was getting into trouble by not doing his work and being distracting. So they found a way to keep challenging him and he's been doing great ever since. We also have great communication with his teachers and principal at this school. The funny thing is we were in the process of moving when he was kicked out of Village Meadows and our current address would legally make Village Meadows his new home school but there is no way I would ever send him or my other son back to that place. They clearly lack the skills, competence, and patience (as Ms. Weinman stated multiple times), to work with kids that are even the littlest bit challenging.

this school has a lot of issues but one of the horrible things I see is the High School kids…read morerunning through the CAR LINE - what sense does this make and were is the LEADERSHIP from someone to speak up and tell them to STOP. Do we need to see their nakedness so early on the elementary students and also do we need a young child bumped into or ran over by a big child from high schoo? where is the order? where is the separation so elementary kids can be kids but Nooooooo, they have to see half naked girls with panties on and boys with theor shirts off RUNNING through the CAR LINE. Super inappropriate and makes me sick to my stomach each day to see this.

Wonderful school with wonderful staff and administrators. My two sons attended this school and they…read morewere so happy. In my opinion, this is the best elementary school in CCUSD.

The teachers should care more about their students the teachers only care when a parent gets…read moreinvolved

My son got yelled at today for no reason and started crying because his teacher ms garcia told him…read morehe was gonna get sent to the office because he told another kid to be quiet