Mesa Arts Academy

My daughter has gone to this school going on four years. When we first started there, we loved it. She is an advanced student, and i felt like they made sure she was challenged enough. Most of the teachers are amazing, communicate very well, and address issues right away. The principal and teachers have such big hearts for these kids. There have been issues that have been increasingly evident as my daughter has gotten into the higher grades, such as attitudes/actions of the kids. There is also supposed to be alot of parental involvement, but i don't feel like they have enough opportunities for us to be involved very often. It also is a pretty poor school, and one year, they ran out of food and my daughter was given crackers for breakfast, which appalled me! This year seems to be going much smoother and they are getting a better system down with the food, although i have also decided on my kids bringing their own lunches instead do to nutritional needs. Anyways,all in all, my husband and i and our kids are all very happy with this school and how it proves you can't judge a book by its cover. It is a small school with big goals for these kids!
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school! Teachers and staff have been great and help out so much.
—Submitted by a parent

the school has help my kids see how much can be fun.in daily learning
—Submitted by a parent

Amazing school! I keep seeing the school on the local news stations, my daughter has been with the school for 3 years now and I am very proud of what she has been able to accomplish. Google "mesa arts academy news" and you'll be able to see first hand what this school has to offer.
—Submitted by a parent

The principle in this school has a great love for the children. The teachers genuinely care and teach these kids whole heartedly...the student base is atrocious. I could not believe the childrens behavior, foul language and bad attitudes... I chose this school because it was supposed to be one of the best and my children came home constantly telling me about someone hitting, bad mouthing the teachers, fighting, having foul mouths, etc... They dont have uniforms so the children wear crazy clothing, Mohawks, crazy colors ion their hair and the focus of these kids is more on fashion than academics. If you want your kids to be able to focus on learning with very little peer pressure, this is not the place for them.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the best school in Arizona also adding that the school is right next to the boys and girls club so we can go straight to there without any trouble and see friends and family there.
—Submitted by a student

Its challenging but then again most students here are capable of doing what they are given to do. This school also gives my child come home with a great smile on his face from all the education and performing that this school has provided .
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended this school for a couple of years. It is a joke ! The children are not taught enough spelling words in any of the charter schools in Mesa that I see. Yes, they try however, when your child gets older she/he will struggle and not be able to make it into college. The staff all cover for each other. Please, make sure the children get a good education while they are young or else you too, may be facing what we are facing and it isn't pretty.
—Submitted by a parent

my son comes to this school and he is mr.cafros class and cameron thinks this school is great and so do i.
—Submitted by a parent

My child lears far more at Mesa Arts than mere curriculum
—Submitted by a parent

This school is amazingly amazing. It is perfect for children to work on their career in show-biz. I reccomend this school to other parents like me, who's children want to grow up to be superstars!

The dedication of the principal to encourage the students to high learning is incredible. All of the teacher are certified and dedicated they teach arts as theater, musical theater, photography, drawing and painting; plus academics. They have multicultural curriculum and also traditional one which integrate into a main course of study. As a parent i preferred to drive from Apache Junction every day because my daughter education is more important that any thing.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 3 boys that attend Mesa Arts. I have noticed them exceed and challenged in all aspects of their school work. I was also able to compare what they learn at Mesa Arts and other Mesa & Tempe public schools which in some way gives them a disadvantage because of all the classes they are graded on. They just have to work much harder to maintain a perfect grade score level in order to qualify for Little Scholars. The only thing I do see the school lacking in is being able to handle conflict amongst the kids. I have noticed a lot of he say/she say stuff as well as not getting the full story from all parties involved and just making assumptions and this is to all staff. To much gossip & personal situations that need to be kept at home.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 3 children who go to attend the Mesa Arts Academy. My childern have attended since kindergarten. I have seen the ups and downs of the school and have see hugh strides in my childern. They are exposed to the arts as well as great academics. The teachers are very caring and listen to opinions and suggestions. I love that fact that the program is adapted to my childs needs, unlike most other schools the child is excepted to adapt to the teachers ways. On the Negative, I am concerned about the facility they use. The boys and girls club allows them to use there building during the day. The facility is very run down. The bathrooms need to be renovated.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved here to AZ 4 years ago, and I haven't found a school I was impressed with until now. MAA was the best thing for my boys. My 6th grader up until now didnt care about school and barely passed. Now he is getting the help he needs & has show the improvements for the hard effort of all the teaching staff involved. If you have never attended on of their REACH assemblies, you have to (your first time will make you cry). When the kids are asked 'Where are you going to go?' You hear every kid scream 'college'. I am truely impressed with the school as a whole and would tell everyone to send their kids there. The only thing the school is lacking is parental involvement. Not only is the school your child attend the key to their success, so is the parent.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has taken the extra effort to ensure my child's success. Along with the options for band/choir/drama which all teach discipline and self control, they also go the extra mile academically. I have seen my child's grades improve dramatically in two subjects that she has always had difficulty in. Additionally, they go beyond what is deemed necessary when involving personality conflicts among the children. They actively participate with the parents in correcting behaviors that otherwise would result in truly negative consequences. I look forward to my second child enrolling this fall.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been very pleased with the school so far. We've had a rough start, but I was very impressed with how the principle handled it. I think her discipline approach is fantastic. It's a little exhausting for the parent because she calls and keeps the parent informed every step of the way, but it is refreshing to have someone willing to take so much time out of her day in order to keep the parent involved and eliminate the problem. One area that I have been a little frusterated with is that we were told there would be a classroom a few weeks after school started. We are still in a temp room, and it's the end of October. Overall though I would say that I am very happy with the choice to take my child to Mesa Arts Academy. I would recommend the school.
—Submitted by Tiffany, a parent

At one time, there were some very good teachers here, now most of them have left. There still are some good teachers, but I doubt they will stay much longer. Discipline is based on dress code violations and never behavioral issues. The principal is very good at giving lip service, but little results.
—Submitted by a parent

I would recommend this school to anyone who has a K-8th grader. My daughter has build up so much confidence in herself b/c of the interaction between teacher and student along with the small class size. The academic programs are targeted to specific grade level which is good. The only improvement that is needed would be the addition or modification of the restrooms which probably can be done with a state or city grant.
—Submitted by a parent

Undeniably an excellent school. I especially appreciate the smaller teacher/student ratio, so that no one gets overlooked. As stated from another post, I do also wish that the state would pitch in and help fund some bathroom improvements in the Boys & Girls Club. But other than that, my daughter's grades went from C's & D to all A's & B's and that is telling me a lot. The curriculum and the staff are fantastic and the discipline alternatives are very constructive. A great choice for any parent who wants their child to have more opportunities for individualized attention, and yet able to build lifelong peer-to-peer relationships with other students in the same environment. I love it! Great Job, staff.
—Submitted by Ty H., a parent