Stepping Stones Academy

My children are now struggling to catch up in their new school this year. They are now struggling in subjects they passed with flying colors while in SSA.
—Submitted by a parent

Our children do not grow without art, music, physical education, foreign lanuage nor the change of classes. It's a lil compound that has more rules than a curriculm
—Submitted by a parent

The school is divided. Parents and teachers seem at odds with the principals. Ssa is clearly a school in turmoil. It is not a healthy learning environment. I belive the school board needs to get involved and and make some tough decisions in order to get this school up to standards.
—Submitted by a parent

The quality of academic programs at SSA are well below an acceptable level. Parents are involved and have tried to encourage SSA leadership to upgrade it's programs. The principals continue to resist. As a result, the school lacks in comparison to others in the area.
—Submitted by a parent

I think that SSA, like every school, has its pros and cons. The pros are the principles do a great job keeping the kids under control. Students who misbehave are punished unlike public schools. This makes for a very nice and friendly campus for your child to grow up. That said, we did take are child out of the school for a couple reasons. Our child went their for a short time but in my opinion had two low quality teachers. I was willing to put up with this and help out at home since I loved the way the children were taught to behave and respect each other. For us, the cell phone tower was too much we just could not find enough evidence that could conclusively say it was safe or unsafe. I isn't worth the risk to find out in ten years that it was unsafe.
—Submitted by a parent

SSA and the principals are getting a bad rap due to the unhappiness of a handful of parents. SSA is an awesome school and these parents were very happy until the principals didn't do what they wanted in the way that they wanted. When looking for a school take time to visit the campus, because the school speaks for itself! When visiting campus take time to talk with the principals. You will see for yourself their genuine passion for the school and children! Tour the classrooms and look at the curriculum. These students are not behind other schools if they are truly earning passing grades at SSA. This is one of the best schools in Arizona! I admire the principals and teachers for weathering the storm caused by this small group of bitter parents.
—Submitted by a parent

The administration has an open door policy and addresses concerns with honesty and compassion. The rapport between teachers and administration is exceptional! In fact, several teachers who left keep in contact with the principals and return for campus events. The test scores rate above many other schools and I have absolutely no concerns about my child's safety! My experience at SSA has been only wonderful!
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent it's my responsibility to protect my children. Placing my children in SSA for their education I thought was the right choice! I became invloved with MVP and classroom parent. They jeopardized my childrens safety. With disgust I removed my children to find out in the DVSD my children tested behind one year! SSA did me a disservice for a year of my childs education! I excepted no extracurricular activities for a better education and was fooled!
—Submitted by a parent

This school has been a total disappointment. I've been affiliated with a number of schools over the years. This is by far the worst run school I have ever seen. The school board needs to come in and take a close look at what's going on here. Unfortunately, the children are the ones suffering.
—Submitted by a parent

Please research carefully. Students have left Stepping Stones in the past school year due to a multitude of issues. From no extra-curricular activities, high teacher turn over to issues with the principals. I would highly recommend that parents look for another school
—Submitted by a parent

We removed our children from Stepping Stones. When my children were tested for enrollment at their new school, we found both to be a grade level behind. This came as a surprise since my children passed Stepping Stones with flying colors. Needless to say, we are very dissapointed with our experience with Stepping Stones Academy.
—Submitted by a parent

Our time with Stepping Stones has been the worst educational experience of our lives. The principals are confrontational. Suggestions and recommendations from the parents are met with a closed mind. There continues to be significant teacher turnover as ongoing conflict between principals and teachers is clearly evident. This environment is not conducive to building bright, healthy young minds.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm not sure where to begin to tell all of the great things about this school. Unfortunately the new flag pole with the cell tower in it upset some parents who then overreacted. The principals and teachers have done a great job of not letting that affect the school spirit. We went to Meet the Teacher Night and it was fabulous! I'm sorry for the families who became so upset because their kids are going to miss out on a great school year. One thing I know is that I have not met more caring and honest principals or group of teachers. My experience has been that whenever I've had questions all I had to do was ask. What parents need to understand is that they are not always going to get the answers they want, but this doesn't mean they should retaliate against the school.
—Submitted by a parent

We have watched SSA since it opened and we were very happy when our children were old enough to begin school. Sending our children to SSA was an easy decision and has proven to be an excellent decision for us. We are so thankful to have our children in such a safe and caring environment. Plus our children love learning and many days do not want to go home. We love the high standards and how the teachers and principals take time to talk with the children and parents when there is a problem. One thing is for sure. The people who started this school love what they are doing and this rubs off onto the teachers, children, and parents. Thanks SSA!
—Submitted by a parent

I bring my children to Stepping Stones Academy for the excellent academic curriculum, safe environment and high parental involvement. The school is very up front with parents letting them know that after school sports and other programs are not offered. The school focuses on academics. (Isn't that what is most important in our children's lives?) At this school, parents are heard. I am tired of hearing parents complain when things don't go their way--grow up! My children have attended a district school before and this school is 100 times better. My children are safe, they are getting a great education, they love going to school, all the teachers and the two principals really care about each child on campus--what more can parents ask for? I would highly recommend this school to parents. And parents who complain about it probably have never experienced a district school before!
—Submitted by a parent

If you are looking for any type of after school programs you sre out of luck. There are no sports, P.E., Art classes,music or spanish. In my opion the school is lacking what a lot of children need.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is known as a back to basics school and places a strong emphasis on academics. From what I've seen, a lot of time is spent on worksheets rather than hands on projects-- even in kindergarten. A few extracurricular activities are available but they are very limited. Parent involvement is high and parents are encouraged to participate at higher grade levels. It seems very little participation is encouraged in lower grades.
—Submitted by a parent

I think the teachers are great, but the principals are very strict and only see things there way. The small classroom size is excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

We love this school! My kids have been attending Stepping Stones for three years. We do not have to worry about them being bullied, made fun of, or called mean names. The small school is like its own community. If we have any concerns, the teachers and principals are always willing to listen and help out. We know our son and daughter are getting the best education. And we are having fun watching our kids learn so much!
—Submitted by a parent

Solid academic program. Good intentioned administration. Some turnover among teachers that is atypical and can be viewed as disruptive when it comes in the last 6 weeks of school. Stringent rules - that some children need and other will find very constrictive. Not all the rules are aligned with what a parents home practices may be. Keep this in mind as they are not 'bad' just restrictive. Limited resources - no extracurricular activities. Interesting academics - such as micro society.
—Submitted by a parent