Sonoran Science Academy - Ahwatukee

Went to the school to consider enrolling as a walk in late May. Front desk is very competent. I had an appointment 2 months ago with the Dean/VP, he gave an excellent overview and tour. The Principal arranged to have the SLP & Special Ed teacher review his 504, reports from private pay psychologists and the public school assessment. Special Ed teacher & SLP were able to pick out discrepencies from various reports. Public school was trying not to provide services by stalling and arranging meetings months down the road. We wasted a year and accomplished nothing. We Left public school bc they were not following the 504 plan and lost our son. Also for public school they had 25-27 students the teacher had NO control of the class, no aid. I have seen some aids, they were not helpful. So far the SSAA staff have shown themselves to be very dedicated.
—Submitted by a parent

This school was great under the previous administration. Teachers and front office staff are amazing in spite of the admin changes. With the new principal, the school has taken a drastic turn for the worst. She is extremely unprofessional, yelling and berating faculty while parents and students are present. She lacks the proper leadership skills and communication skills to effectively lead/communicate with others. As a former teacher at the school, I would not bring my own child there if the current administration was still around.

I was a prospective parent, until today, when i witnessed something very unprofessional, very horrible. When i just came to this school and talked to the teacher, i was very pleased, they are very friendly and nice, very helpful front desk person, I even liked principal at first, but after she threw a fit by yelling at the secretary, at front of the teachers, parents and student, it was horrible, unprofessional, Dr. principal is very horrible person, has no manners what so ever, and as of right now i changed my mind about placing my child into this school, don't matter how much i liked the teachers, and I will change my mind only IF principal will be replaced by someone who is mature and can be a Example for staff and students, and if you love your kids and respect yourself, please don't let your kids there. And truly hope that district and corporate office will do something about it.
—Submitted by a parent

I just want to say that teachers are awesome, very advanced curriculum, very friendly front desk personal, what else you can wish for?. Principal on the other hand is very unprofessional, very selfish, no manners, no respect, I am very surprised that she has PHD diploma. She dont appreciate anything, and if she don't like you, she wont even say Hi to you, very great "Role Model".

My son attends KG at SSA Ahwtaukee and I couldn't be more happy seeing him grow academically and mature so much personally and mentally. The environment is very warm and education is individualized. As a working mom, the aftercare program and free extracurricular clubs come very handy. My son always talks about the field trips they went to this year and of course he loves school picnics and social activities which are abundant at SSA. Diversity and STEM emphasis is another reason we chose this school. Overall a very satisfied parent.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to Sonoran Science Academy-Ahwatukee for 3 years and graduated 8th grade there. I had lots of great memories and learned lots of new things that I didn't know before. I had an amazing 8th grade year and I will always miss the environment and the people I was surrounded with.

In my opinion, all Sonoran Schools are the best. I am a student that still attends to one of the many wonderful Sonoran Schools. I recommend these schools to everyone who wants a good education.

This is an A+ school.Sonoran Schools strives to provide a superior academic environment, accessible to a diverse population, both ethnically and socio-economically. We continue to challenge our teachers to grow their curriculum and to challenge themselves to become even better educators. We consistently encourage our students to explore and grow, intellectually and emotionally, by providing a myriad of extra-curricular opportunities. We surround them with an environment where a passion for art or drama can grow alongside a talent for math. We seek to instill a life-long love of learning and an understanding of each individual's responsibility to be a productive member of society. We ensure our students can compete equally with their peers around the globe. Sonoran Schools: STEM education, college preparation
—Submitted by a teacher

Excellent "A "rating school. Thank you wonderful teachers, and great administrators for your excellent education. My daughter is so happy at SSA Ahwatukee.
—Submitted by a parent

I am the Kindergarten teacher at SSA-Ahwatukee. I taught for seven years previously in the public school system, and making the move to SSA-A was a wonderful choice! Our administrators are professional, kind, and very approachable. They do whatever they possibly can to assist the teachers, other staff members, and most importantly, the students. As a teacher, I have the flexibility and freedom to do what I think is best for my students, with the 100% support of my administrators. I am so impressed with the students at our school. They are advanced, polite, and driven to succeed. I love the level of parental involvement. The parents are very helpful, and always seem to be hard at work planning fundraisers, events, and doing whatever they can to assist us. Our school has a very "family-like" atmosphere, which is the beauty of a small school. As a parent myself, I would absolutely enroll my own child at SSA. In a previous comment, I noticed someone said " The kindergarten class has 29 students." Actually, I have 26. They have room to work at their large tables, or even the floor for big projects. I have an ASU intern, and utilize parent volunteers as much as I can. I love SSA!
—Submitted by a teacher

Sonoran Science Academy Ahwatukee is a small but very dedicated school. The staff is first rate and very approachable. The atmosphere at the school is easy going yet positive and dynamic. I have never seen so many happy students. The school has many extra-curricular activities (field trips, competitions, awards, projects, etc), especially in the Math and Sciences. The vibe at this school is always good and the students always seem excel or improve at the AIMS and MAP tests.
—Submitted by a parent

Sonoran Science Academy- Ahwatukee. UNTRUE REPRESENTATION OF SCHOOL. I'm a parent who visited this school during their 2013 open house. I'm writing in response to the prior post from a 7th/8th grade teacher who said, "Classrooms are not crowded which provides to the teacher and students use their time more efficiently one on one." This may be an accurate statement for this grade level. However, when I visited the campus I saw otherwise. The rooms were jam packed with desks and they were all needed. I counted 28 desks in the third grade classroom (my son's grade). The kind third grade teacher confirmed that he currently had 27 students in his class and he did not have an aide to support him. I would not enroll my son in this class because it is clearly overcrowded. I visited other classrooms as well. Every single class, besides the middle school level, was overcrowded. The kindergarten room offered no "wiggle room" for kids. The kindergarten class had 29 kids, again, without an aide for support. The rest of the elementary level classrooms were ALL overcrowded. The middle school teacher's comment did not represent the truth for all grades. Most classes way too overcrowded.

I teach Science & Math at Sonoran Science Academy - Ahwatukee which is the best school in this neighborhood. Although, this is my first year of teaching in the USA, I have a rigorous curriculum, I teach Algebra to 8th Grades. Classrooms are not crowded which provides to the teacher and students use their time more efficiently one on one. We just had a School Science Fair in February and we are going to attend State Science Fair in April. We are providing Laboratory Experiment every week that helps students learn subjects by performing. I am so happy to have my little Scientists in my Science Lab. It makes me really happy more than anything to see my students joy of learning science in stead of hating it. I am so lucky to have a chance to teach in SSA-A. I 'd like to thank to the SSA-A giving me opportunity to be a teacher at this wonderful school. Go SSA-Ahwatukee !!!
—Submitted by a teacher

My child went to SSA for the first three years of its existence, graduated 8th grade, and is now excelling in high school thanks to the academic rigor experienced in middle school. We found this to be a friendly, small, very academic school with the ability to work individually with my child. Lots of extracurricular clubs provide fun and time to socialize with friends. I'm very glad we found this school!
—Submitted by a parent

SSA - A is a relatively young school, 2012 is its fourth year. Accessible admin, teachers and welcoming environment are important values of this school. Challenging academic program has daily science and social studies classes in addition to math and language arts. SSA-A has been awarded as Title 1 Reward School in 2012 after receiving "A label" two years in a row. Library grew over the years to hold 10,000 books. Daily schedule offers Sustained Silent Reading period every day to improve students' reading skill. Math and Language Arts classes are offered based on skill based placement. A+ club offers advanced math program, and have students compete at regional and national level competitions. The school offers many free after school clubs in addition to the fee-based clubs. The school offers a gorgeous gym facility in addition to the outdoor play ground. School tour can be scheduled any time by calling the front office. You won't regret checking this school out by yourself.
—Submitted by a teacher

My child has been at SSA since the school opened. She is excelling inevery aspect. This school far exceeds any other school. The classes are small and each child is given the attention they need. They are learning subjects that I did not learn until a much higher grade. I like the security. You never have to worry about your child while they are there. The staff is excellent. You can talk to them any time you want to. They offer many different activities and field trips. This is a A+ school.
—Submitted by a parent

Three years ago I was looking for a great school for my children, one that would advance their appitite for learning. This is when we found Sornoran Science Academy-Ahwatukee. We and our children are very excited to share with anyone and everyone about the academic here the STEM education that is taught. This is a high level of education, no bullies and decidated teachers. The principal of this school is very approachable, easy to talk to and encourgages high excellence in the school by all her facaility. Please read my review and come join us as we raise a high level of leaders in the future.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child has attended this school for three years. We tried to go back to a public school and found that SSA Ahwatukee is much more advanced in science and math. Our child is challenged by the work here and is excelling. This school offers more than academics, it gives students an opportunity to learn about other cultures. The principal and vice principal are very approachable, which is great for parents and students. They are willing to work to do what is best for the students. For our child, SSA Ahwatukee has become somewhat of a second home. As parents, that is very comforting. Our family will miss SSA when it is time to move on next year.
—Submitted by a parent