Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande Campus

My son has gone to kindergarten and first at legacy and I don't love it. I think the back to basics idea works great in the upper grades, but I don't think it should be the same in K-2. The curriculum is not very balanced. Yes, your child will be able to do multiplication in first grade, but in order to achieve that there is a LOT of drill and kill. If I had a sixth grader, I would love legacy. But when you have a kindergartener who don't want to go to school because they are nervous about tests and school work, who are devastated by an 'S' instead of an 'O', it becomes a little much (I don't put this because i have a slow kid- he gets all 'O's). Don't expect smaller classes just because it is a charter. Before it opened, they told us 20-22 kids per class. My son had 30 in his kindergarten class- more than the public school has in their kindergarten. I think if you are going to have such a rigorous curriculum, you need smaller classes. Also, they have mostly young teachers, which isn't in itself a problem, but there is a lot of teacher turnover. I swear half the teachers marry or move each year. I would like a few more seasoned teachers who are going to stick around.
--Submitted by a parent

LTS is a WONDERFUL school! We love the advanced, back-to-basics curriculum and the teachers are AWESOME! Most parents do not understand the homework policy (I did not either at first) and therefore they feel like their child/children are completely overwhelmed. If they knew the policy, they wouldn't feel this way (I completely blame this on the school not explaining it further) but I do agree that there is still too much homework. I LOVE that parents are REQUIRED to put in volunteer hours and sign off on their child's homework every night so that parents have to be involved. For Casa Grande, this is definitely the best option for education!
--Submitted by a parent

We had our child in this school for 2 years. Originally we were pleased with the school, but it became clear that the student body & parents alike are very 'clique-ish' making it difficult for children outside the predominant faith to make any friends. Although this is a public school, about 85% of the student body is of one particular belief system & it is hard for children on the outside to make friends. As for academics, the phonogram-based language arts curriculum is difficult for children who are not highly academically driven. Saxon Math is a good curriculum but the school s claim to advanced curriculum is nothing more than teaching one grade level ahead & only in Math. The classrooms are extremely structured; too much so. Teachers DO communicate very well with parents, but the school doesn t have the parent involvement or caring leadership that they boast about. Finally, there is an enormous burden of homework on students; more than what is necessary as our 2nd grader approached 60 minutes of homework per day. We gave Legacy a real chance but ultimately we felt it was not the best fit for our child.
--Submitted by a parent

Love the school. Just my children have a lot of homework. Sometimes very confusing. For them and me!
--Submitted by a parent

My son just finished Kindergarten at legacy. I loved that it required parent involvement and he had a fantastic teacher, however I felt that the curriculum was not extremely balanced. Maybe it was just that because kindergarten was half day there wasn't a lot of time, but there was almost no art, science, social studies, etc. It was all reading and math. I know that is important, but I remember kindergarten being playdough and art projects. The kindergarteners would be comparing grades and saying how they didn't get all O's and my son would get upset. I would just think, "this is kindergarten! Why in the world are we SO concerned with grades!" I am glad that there is another option out here in casa grande, but I wish there was a school with a more balanced curriculum. Art, music, and group projects do have a place in education. Don't expect a lot of that here. But I do like the environment and the emphasis on character. I just wish there was more balance!
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children who attend LTS. I have a friend who is a teacher at a differnt school in the area and he highly recomended LTS to us. This school is advanced and moves at a very fast pace. My daughter was a bit behind at her previous public school and has had a very hard time keeping up with the work here. The school does offer some after school tutoring for children who are struggling with there grades. My son on the other hand has done wonderful and thrives on the challenging work. There is very structured homework assigned each day. Phonograhm review, math worksheets reviewing what they learned in school that day, 30 spelling words to learn each week and 30 minutes of reading per night for every grade. They offer "club" sports for the k-5 grades and team sports for the 6-8 graders. They also do have a strict uniform policy. Being this is a charter school there is not bus service provided, but they do have a great parent pick up procedure. Also, parents are required to volunteer 12 hours per year. Overall all of the teachers are very friendly and do work hard to provide a great learning enviroment for the students. I do recoment this school to friends.
--Submitted by a parent

Even though my 3 rd grader says there is alot of work at this school, she loves it. There are 6 grading periods so you never go too long without knowing how your child is doing. I love that the staff takes pride in the school, teaches the kids to do the same & that the parents are required to stay involved by vlolenteering a certian number of hours each school year. My kids feel safe here & are encouraged to succeed by the staff.
--Submitted by a parent

We love Legacy! My son is enjoying his learning at Legacy. They have a great structure. All the information a parent needs to stay involved with their child, and teacher throughout the year is all available through the computer. There is never a time when we feel left out as parents. My son says this is a much better school than his old public school. He is excited about how much he has learned there.
--Submitted by a parent

I absolutely love working at Legacy. They are all about the kids and making sure that high standards are upheld for academics and behavior. Kids are safe at Legacy and they are greatly valued. The teachers are wonderful and they make parents feel welcome. It is amazing how much the students are learning each day. I am so glad that there is a school like Legacy for students in our area.
--Submitted by a teacher

LTS is the best thing that has happened to our children. Everyone in the school is so caring and willing ot go out of their way to help the children. LTS encourages parent involvement which I love. The school is challanging to the children enough so that they excell but not so much that they are overwhelmed. I am super impressed with LTS and reccomend it to all! Thank you LTS for being so awesome!
--Submitted by a parent