Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center - Red Mountain

This school administration is more concerned with themselves than students education. The school adminstrators will stand you up for meetings. The math teacher belittles the students in class. An english teacher texts during class and tells student about her life story. The history teachr thinks... showing movies is teaching. The schools idea of community service is to have the students clean up the school grounds.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is has been the worst decision we have ever made. The new principal and vice principal are the reason why this school is so bad. The principal refuses to do her job. The principal refuses to help students achieve their goals. She refuses to speak with parents. She throws temper tantrums and is very rude to students and parents. This school is a great idea it just needs to get rid of the principal and the vice principal. I am contacting the school board about the principal. I am highly disappointed with our experience at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

I believe the staff and teachers at this school are top notch in that they are highly qualified, competent, dedicated and REALLY care about providing a quality education to my child. They are always available to listen and talk about any concerns I have as a parent and that communication is very important to me. However, one huge concern I have with this school is the amount of teacher turnover within the campus. I was shocked to find out how many teachers have come and gone since the campus opened a few years ago. I'm not sure if it is as significant at any of the other AAEC campuses but from what I have experienced a new teacher will be hired who, in my opinion, does a wonderful job and the kids really like but they rarely stay more than a year? Why is this?? This leads me to believe that there may be some underlying internal issues with the way the schools are managed and that the teachers are not happy with working for the company, but that is just my opinion. Either way, I feel it's detrimental to the students to have teachers come and go on a regular basis. That would be my only major dislike about the campus.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids that attend this school they both love the school. The teachers as well as the students. the class sizes are small they get more one on one. The teachers care about the students. My son was having a hard time in a few of his classes and every one of his teachers helped him through it We love this school
--Submitted by a parent

I have been very pleased with the quality of education at AAEC. I've already had one child graduate and now have a second one well on his way. The teachers are fantastic to work with, have excellent communication with parents, and I just love the college option. With the size of the school my children have been able to get a lot of attention during their years in high school and are known by name and not by a number. Looking forward to sending my remaining 3 children here. What a great alternative!
--Submitted by a parent

LOVE IT! My daughter is finishing her first semester of her second year, at AAEC. She is doing so well. I can't believe any child could fail at this school. The teachers are so helpful, offer tutoring, and full support to the students. And what could be better than earning free college credits in this economy?!!! I also love the fact that she never comes home with stories of bullying, like you hear in the news, at other schools. She's thriving and developing into a smart and confident young lady.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is amazing. If it were not for the dedication and support of the teachers at AAEC Red Mountain, my son would have dropped out two years ago. They invested in my son, and as a result he will graduate on May 10!!!
--Submitted by a parent

After finishing my fourth year here, I can only say how grateful I am to the teachers and principal for the opportunity they gave me at AAEC. I struggled at times, but they never gave up, always giving me the benefit of their time and experience. allowing me the opportunity to work hard and move on. I finally realized what I had and made the most of it after a year and a half, and was able to almost earn an associates degree, and will move on to the university next year confident that I will be successful. If you are looking for a place that will challenge your student, but also help them be successful, this is the place. It is not perfect, but what high school is? Definitely not a 3000 student traditional high school.
--Submitted by a student

As a parent of a freshman I was excited to have school that challenged my child, but did not overwhelm them in their freshman year. I am looking forward to what next year will bring, with them being able to take two college classes next year and getting stronger math teachers, the only area that I thought was lacking this year. My daughter loved every moment of this, and is looking forward to being part of NHS and FFA next year, and being able to take more classes each year through the college. I believe so much in this school that I am bringing my son here next year, and have also brought other friends here from other schools. The principal is an amazing person who gets to know each student, and goes out of his way to see what they need and make sure the students are successful, as do the teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

An AAEC student absolutely must be prepared for a non-traditional high school experience. A student who is an equestrian or one who is determined to earn 2 years of college credit while still in high school can be very successful. The student who wants Friday night football games, pep rallies, & drama club will be disappointed. One who needs a lot of hand holding generally will not find it. One who is not self-motivated & driven will be frustrated. Yet a high percentage of students who really don't want anything AAEC uniquely offers seem to gravitate toward it. It seems as though most kids who think it s a short cut to an AA are not only sorely disappointed, but create a negative on-campus culture. The school gets 4 stars because of the opportunities it offers. But it should actively market itself more toward students who truly want to take advantage of those unique opportunities. It also needs to implement much more stringent enforceable guidelines to create a more positive proactive culture so those students are supported rather than frustrated. And the students who really aren't interested in being there should be encouraged to make other choices that suit them better.
--Submitted by a parent