Rancho Solano Preparatory Schools - Greenway Campus

I can't say enough about this school and am happy my children go here. I don't think that I need to know everything that happens behind the scenes and feel that I get adequate information from the administration regarding what I NEED to be informed on. I've found the staff friendly and willing to help when I've had a need. I have found the quality of the teachers is good although I can only comment up to the 1st grade currently. I will say that some of the work seems to be more geared towards the parent than the child, which can be frustrating.
—Submitted by a parent

We are giving up after 3 years. The administration is just bad as bad can be. Its all about money now and push kids to crazy limits. The problem is that the parents are being pushed as much as the kids. If you have to work and make money to pay for this school, you wont have time to do anything else with your kids as you will be required to do all kinds of projects that are project for parents, not the children as they are too young to do them themselves. Tuition keeps rising, the enrollment fees are just a huge nonsense. I am not signing up contract this year for sure. Run and Run don't get sucked in. Once you sing the contract they will go after you last penny. A lot of parents are leaving this year. I hope the school will get the message.
—Submitted by a parent

Rancho Solano has greatly declined in the past four years. The family atmosphere that teachers, students, and parents loved about the school is gone. The company that bought Rancho imposes very strict guidelines for teachers to follow which has dummied down the curriculum drastically. The teachers are not given the freedom to push and accelerate students anymore. It is true, the company does look at the bottom line...money. Any person who can pay is now admitted. I used to be proud to say I was part of the Rancho Solano family, but no more. I definitely agree that Rancho is in a downward spiral and the level of education has significantly lowered!
—Submitted by a teacher

I disagree with the person who said all the good teachers have left and the kids are miserable. 9 out of our 10 teachers here are fabulous; very supportive, challenging and caring, and everytime I'm there, the kids seem to be having a great time. My kid and her friends love it here and everytime I playfully suggest different options for Middle School, they all say "No way. We love it here and we're staying forever!" People who comment negatively seem to be old-timers who are used to the past. They should probably actually attend other schools before criticizing the new administration. We HAVE tried other schools and believe me, this one is special - yes, even with recent changes. It is such a disservice to the genuinely kind and caring teachers we have to say the comments below. If you truly desire a challenging and progressive curriculum that includes critical thinking and all kinds of other offerings such as the arts and sports, this is a great choice. After attending other private and charter schools in the Valley, we HIGHLY recommend Rancho - best academics and best all-around school.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids have attended rancho since preschool and love it. Academics are promoted and the kids have fun with abundant music, art, spanish, and science. The kids are well behaved and the parents are encouraged to play a role on the campus. We are lucky to be here.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is dry and lacks a true sense of self. There is no clear mission of the school and it's claim to college prep is more of a "nod". I attended a true College Prep school my whole life. Unfortunately most parents do not have the experience to tell the difference.

My daughter has attended Rancho Solano, Greenway Campus since Kindergarten (she is now entering 3rd grade). Teacher/student ratio is excellent. Her math and reading skills are both at sixth grade level. I attribute much of her success to the quality of the education that she is getting at Rancho. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in their child's education.
—Submitted by a parent

Although the teachers are outstanding, the administration couldn't be worse. My friends and I didn't know who are principal was until we took the annual survey. Our principal doesn't communicate with us and doesn't know my name. There are 50 students in the grade. The administration is afraid of some parents and won't confront them about bullying situation involving their daughter, but they don't think twice about giving us infractions on our last day of 8th grade for wearing free dress, a Rancho tradition. The 8th grade Alegbra II class had their final math test on the last day of school. I've had a straight As throughout the entire year and I was unable to finish the last age of our test because I didn't understand any of it.

Rancho has it all! We have 2 children who have been with Rancho for 6 years. As a parent, it is very important for us to have our children in an environment that offers so much. Our children work a grade level above, academics being first priority. They are taught to be responsible and respectful young beings. They are given the option to explore their skills and interests with band, art, sports, and technology. I feel as though Rancho has truly had a huge part in making my children who they are today- polite (to a point where they stand out from the rest), hard working (our kids are usually doing homework/projects/studying for tests while neighborhood kids are outside playing), athletically and musically inclined (my children are in all sports while playing instruments as well), and best of all, happy! They love going to school each day, they love their teachers, and they LOVE LEARNING! We love you Rancho! Thank you for all you do!
—Submitted by a parent

LOVE THIS SCHOOL - No other school like it. I have never commented on one of these sites before, but felt the need to after the last post. As you can see, most are very positive. My son has attended here ever since he was in the 4th grade. There is no way that song was playing. In PE they learn dances for coordination and exercise, but they are like electric slide and such. This school wont even allow PG-13 movies for 8th graders, they take content of all that stuff very seriously. It is a very loving and protective environment. My son attended a different private school up until 3rd grade. This is by far the best there is in Scottsdale. All about character first, and high academics. I can't get over how eloquent, polite, and smart these kids are. You do have to test in, but your kids will work hard, but LOVE IT!
—Submitted by a parent

Our family has been attending Rancho Solano Greenway campus for 10 years. When our final child graduates 8th grade we will have been there for 16 straight years. We have watched great teachers leave, and also been privileged to have great teachers replace them. As with any school, there have been mediocre teachers and staff. As with any business, when the school came under new ownership, they wanted to change to their way of doing business. People don't like change, parents, teachers and staff alike. But for our family the focus is the long term benefits for our children. The curriculum has remained strong, and they continue to strive for excellence. In speaking with the Admissions director of a notable private high school in the area, his comment was, we love Rancho kids because they come to us with a balanced school experience, with strong academics, sports, fine arts as well as a sense of community. No school is perfect for everyone, but if you are looking for a well balanced, structured cirriuclum you would be remiss in not looking at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

All successful companies will experience growth and change. It may be difficult for some to accept and it's nearly impossible to make everyone happy. Yes, tuition may increase, students and teachers may leave to find the right place for themselves. There are many options in the valley to choose from. Overall, Rancho Solano is a wonderful learning environment for my children, it is a family community. The school provides an accelerated education, instills quality behavior and character, fine arts, athletics, foreign language and technology for the opportunity to create a well rounded person. The various school/class celebrations through out the year offers cherished childhood memories and fun. I highly recommend Rancho Solano, it has been exactly what I want to provide for my children and what I hope their school experience to be like. The schools future is postitve and exciting for parents and students. Submitted by a parent
—Submitted by a parent

I find this school to be one of the best schools. It has pretty good education, and the absolute best opportunities. They offer choir, band, strings, dance, cheer, visual and media arts, a variety of sports, and school trips. The best part of this school is the experience. You travel around the country. However, when Meritas bought it, this school lacked a bit. I am now transferring schools because I am frankly disappointed. Teachers are leaving and so are students. The new campus is a plus, but for some it's just too much. I do rate this school a four because this school has the best enviroment. They are a family there, but who knows in the future with the new campus. If you are now disappointed with Rancho and are looking for a new school, I suggest All Saints. They are a better version of Rancho, and guarentee admission into Xavier, a wonder high school. Rancho used to be the top, but they have sunk.

The last two postings are exactly what the new location is looking for....parents sold on the fluff of a new facility. It's all about money and the zip code to get it. The greatest assets at Rancho are teachers and students not new science labs. I will miss the great music program though..funny that can be accomplished in any old building.
—Submitted by a parent

Ok disgruntled people, you cant bash this school and maintain any credibility if you are not more realistic and objective. While I do agree that there has been some teacher turnover that has caused some disruption this year in especially in the middle school. You cant negate the positives- the level of education is pretty hard to beat and no comparison to the majority of public schools. The extra curricular and sports program- which is amazing and well balanced even if your child is not a star athlethe combined with fine arts - I challenge you to find a school that can come close. Prospective parents will notice the manners and character that have been instilled and insisted upon and you wont find a hip hop culture anywhere on campuds. All in all the children are succeeding ahead of the majority of kids in the valley. I will say that the new administration has not been giving in as in the past to the few families that liked to throw their money and influence around. So to those so sad but glad to see you go. Lets talk after college :)
—Submitted by a parent

Thank you prior poster- I too believe in being objective even when I don't get my way. The new campus - that is what has so many parents upset and its ludicrous! There aare some families whom have made their spoiled lives conveniently located so close to the current middle school location and they are upset because they will have to drive an extra ten minutes to and from school. Forget the fact that the proposed new facility will have unsurpassed advantages including indoor sports courts and high school level science labs. No school is perfect but one should expect educated parents to be able to be objective instead of trying to cast a negative shadow on the school since they have chosen not to return next year in favor of getting to their gym class ten minutes early!
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the previous two reviews. The school is a total mess and administration has no clue what they are doing. Teacher turnover during the school year is out of control. Some classes have had 3 different teachers in one school year. Not all teachers are certified so you can get a more qualified teacher at the local public school. They will tell you what you want to hear to get you to enroll and then you find out that the place is really poorly run.
—Submitted by a parent

Do not waste your money. The tuition continues to rise and you will be nickeled and dimed to death with the fundraisers that come home on a daily basis.(there are less fundraisers at our local public school) The academics used to be superior but have been dumbed down in the four years that we have attended. The administration is only interested in your money and is happy to continue to overfill the classes. They have filled the school with uneducated aides that run around the campus and are trully cruel to the children. The supervision of the children at lunch and recess is lacking. We have never been to a school where the children consume more candy and junk food (especially middle school) and the administration supports it. Candy is given out as rewards and parents are allowed to bring in treats for class every day. Parties are completely over done and parents compete to spend the most money on their classroom decorations.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been very pleased with Rancho. My daughter is in the Pre-K4 program and has gone from knowing very little to being able to fully write her name and is able to write her numbers and letters in just a short 8 weeks. My son that goes to Public School was very behind when he started Kindergarten because he did not learn very much in Preschool so I didn't want to make the same mistake again and couldn't be any happier with my choice.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is living off past reputation and has steadily gone downhill over the last 3-4 years. The academic reputation of the school is very over rated especially on the elementary school level. One of the teachers our child had was a complete novice. with zero prior teaching experience. The fact that the school would even hire such a person and then charge you over 10K in tuition is unbelievable. We pulled our kids out and put them in the gifted contained programs and found them to be more intellectually challenging than what was offered at Rancho. The best part were they were free. Rancho is above the regular public school system but it is not above the gifted programs. If your child can get into the gifted contained programs in Scottsdale or Paradise Valley school systems I suggest you highly check out these options before plunking down your hard earned cash.
—Submitted by a parent