Rancho Solano Private Schools - Gilbert Campus

Our kids attended this school for years. We have finally decided to leave after much debate. We felt the school lacked a lot in many areas.
—Submitted by a parent

After trying 3 public schools (in Gilbert and Chandler) in 3 years, we decided to try Rancho Solano. My two children are doing very well academically and feel happy there. My son's reading ability has increased tremendously after one year at the school and he is now an avid reader. The school needs a school nurse, but overall, my kids and I are happy with this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Rancho Gilbert for 3 years and we are very pleased and happy with her academic progress and personal growth. The new middle school building is wonderful and we are greatful Rancho will be having their own high school. The teachers and staff only want the best for the students and it shows. Overall, Rancho Solano strives for academic excellence and it is obvious with my daughter's test scores and his love for learning.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved our child from a Montessori school to this school and are not happy at all. Academically they are only adequate and far below our expectations. Our child receives one to two hours of homework a night but the Math material is still behind what our child learned last year. At the Montessori school all work was performed during the school day. Unfortunately the Montessori philosophy is only for three to six year olds. Additionally, none of the after school activities one associates with a school are included in the extended day fee. Sports, chess, and art activities cost extra. We will not be sending our child to this school next year.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been at the Gilbert Campus for three years and have no plans of moving them. The campus has certainly had some growing pains during this time, but it finally headed in a good direction. The principal really cares about the children and staff, and is always willing to take the time to talk to parents. He also seems very supportive of the teachers, which are absolutely amazing. It's unfortunate that some disgruntled parents feel the need to paint a distorted picture here. If it were truly that bad, the campus would have families leaving left and right. Yes, the tuition does increase from year to year - but you need to expect that. Rancho needs to give their teachers a raise each year in order to keep them, right? If you are committed to the best possible school for your kids, then RSPS is it!
—Submitted by a parent

My two children are going to finish their 2nd years at RSPS Gilbert this year. We will be back next year. I am proud of both kids and their progress. Do I think some things could be better? Yes I do. I do not think there is a better option though. I have almost all positive to say about Rancho. My biggest complaint about the school would be directed towards a few parents. Most of the parents are great and share a common interest in their children excelling accademically. We have established relationships with many like minded people. But there seem to be a lot of crying from a couple of parents as reflected in some of the comments here. They can be disruptive in many ways and I think they enjoy it. As I said before we will be returning next year and plan to continue through 8th grade.
—Submitted by a parent

We have two children that have attended this Rancho Campus for the past two years. We absolutely love Rancho and the teachers Our children are excelling in every way. We have tried both public and Montessori schools and Rancho is the best by far. Our only complaint is the lunch program, the vendor they use does not offer enough kid friendly food.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's third year at this campus. She has truly grown academically and personally with her outstanding 3rd grade teacher. Her dedication, passion and commitment to her students is wonderful. She is promptly responsive to your questions and concerns. This teacher keeps the parents informed by distributings frequent communication to the parents via email as well as weekly information on classroom activities. This 3rd grade teacher reinforces the school's mission for the students to be respectful, responsible, polite and successful. After school, my daughter is able to continue her personal growth to be a well rounded child in religion, music and sports. Well worth the money, for small class size and to keep your child at the same grade level with same age children, but a grade ahead academically.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attends this campus. I actually like the administration more at Gilbert than Greenway where I originally was going to go. I found them friendlier and more professionally qualified. However, you get a lot more for your money at their other campuses than you do at the Gilbert campus. I feel they are grossly overpriced for what you get and more than likely the tuition is consistently raised to pay for some of the over the top decor. I agree that it is also disturbing that teachers are not held more accountable however, we have loved the teachers my son has had. I also feel that although things are beautiful, it is not very clean. We will not be returning next year.
—Submitted by a parent

For the high tuition, it was not I expected for academy and administration. Some other schools use the same program, but they are free.
—Submitted by a parent

We are very unhappy with this scool because of unfriendly administrative staff and fact that they keep increasing tuition. We think that compare to what we are paying, the school curriculum is not meeting our expectations. They have external vendors for after-school activities who are are not very organized and prices are really high. School is providing lunches from outside vendor which is also another disappointment.
—Submitted by a parent

I an very disappointed with the quality of the staff and administration at this school. They do not communicate well with the parents nor do they listen to concerns. They make decisions based on what is best for the school rather than what is best for their students. It has been a huge disappointment considering the amount of money that we pay for tuition.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been very pleased with our son's academic progress and personal growth at Rancho Solano in Gilbert. He started in the 3 year old preschool program and is now in Kindergarten. Although the administration has had its ups and downs, it's so nice to be able to drop your child off for the day and feel comfortable that he is going to be well taken care of. Overall, Rancho Solano strives for academic excellence and it is obvious with my son's test scores and his love for learning. We don't feel that any other school in our area measures up with Rancho; not only in academics, but in all the after school activities, parent involvement, and sports programs.
—Submitted by a parent

We have made the decision to leave Rancho Solano in Gilbert after 3 years. Both of my kids started in the 3 year old preschool classrooms, and my son is now in Kindergarten, and my daughter in PK-4. Unfortunately we were happy up until this year. There have been so many things that have gone wrong in both of classrooms and I just can't take it any longer. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to listing my complaints...but I do not recommend this school. Please do your research before you decide on this school b/c it is not at all what it seems. Especially considering the cost of tuition...that has continuously gone up each year that we have attended! Check out CTA first b/c there have been numerous Rancho families that have moved to this school. They have the same exact academic curriculum...and it's free.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been with Rancho Gilbert for 2 years now and I am not impressed with the administration. They are not very organized. The drop off and pick up process improvements have been promised since the beginning of the school year (August) and it is the end of October and they are still not in place. They keep making promises but don't deliver. For the amount of money we pay it should be better than this. Very disappointing.
—Submitted by a parent

My husband and I are very pleased with my daughters academic progress. She attended Kindergarten last year and is in 1st grade this year. She has had 2 very loving teachers that have made her school experience nothing but positive! We hope to keep her at Rancho through 8th grade and to find a high school that is just as great!
—Submitted by a parent

I am extremely disappointed with everything about this private school. There is no standards-based curriculum (which means the teachers are free to do whatever they want). Please save your money if you are considering this school for your child and look around for a real academic institution.
—Submitted by a parent

I am extremely impressed with the academic program at Rancho; at first I was concerned that the program would be too stringent for my three year old, but my child has excelled on many levels and has a genuine love for learning. The teachers at the Gilbert Campus are experienced and have a passion for education and the children that they serve. There is also plenty of opportunity for parent involvement. However, I find certain members of the administrative staff at the Gilbert campus to be well below my expectations (disengaged, disorganized, aloof, not a constant presence on the campus, and does not execute with a sense of urgency).
—Submitted by a parent

This campus is far below my expectations for a Rancho Solano School. The administration is subpar compared to other campuses. I give more credit to the students and not the staff for any of their successes. When you pay the money they require I don't want to have to manage my childs progress as well as the administration and the staff.
—Submitted by a teacher

Rancho is an academic school and is generally one year ahead in their curriculum. Our pre-K (4's class) exited with
—Submitted by a parent