D.W. Higgins Institute

Working at this school was a nightmare. It is completely mismanaged and only favors a few select teachers. If you are not beloved by administration then they make it clear on a daily basis. They make concerted efforts to hide their inadequacy. They will put on a friendly face and tell you anything you want to hear, however none of it is true. A disproportionate amount of the student body is made up of special needs children which takes all of the attention of the staff. This massive attention on the special needs kids leaves little to no time left over for non-special needs children. The word "Institute" is definitely appropriate for this school. I highly encourage you look elsewhere for the sake of your child's development.
--Submitted by a teacher

I was very fond of this school in the beginning of my childs education. Although this past year, funds were not distributed to the education of the children. the playground was never built as promised, and certain teachers went unpaid, while the principal and her daughter/teacher still were getting paid IN FULL. This last year, the school really failed our children and their parents, and I'm glad the school has closed.
--Submitted by a parent

This school has closed for good because the principal wasted tons of money and was lazy beyond belief
--Submitted by a teacher

In 4th grade my son was diagnosed w/Asperger's (autism). His parochial school chooses not to accommodate special needs kids. Other charters say they do, but 'your child has to behave appropriately' or say 'your child will become frustrated here' or 'we can only take X# of SN kids. Our quota is full.' This is illegal & wrong. DWHI takes all kids, so has high % extremely bright but SN. Because of that, tho, they are the nicest kids & teachers anywhere! No one ever teased mine because he started in the autistic room, screaming under a table, tried out reg 5th grade on Mom's lap (!) & moved in bit by bit. The principal coached him thru homework hurdles. Everyone really cared, IEPs not antagonistic. Down side, so small staff was '1 deep' so tchr absence = movies, turnover not replaced, 'extras' promised bright kids on IEP didn't happen.
--Submitted by a parent

this school is really great they teach you want u need to learn. its nice and small so theres not to many kids. my kid went there and had a great time and hes grades improved very well.

What I like most about this school is the self-esteem my child has gained from the teacher being able to help my child in his academics because the class sizes are not so big. All the kids get along, the staff make sure the kids treat others right.The staff follows through on any discipline and doesn't let that kind of stuff fall through the cracks. The school enourages, or enforces, that the kids read books. Very important to me. The kids have a goal and they are tested on the comprehension of the story and get a passing grade. It's called the accelerated reader program. The school puts a high value on strong reading skills. The school had a few good, seasoned teachers out on illness (long term) that hurt. But have longer and better track record than that. I have heard the school is moving to a school building south
--Submitted by a parent

This school has potential, but it seems to be going in the wrong direction for the last two years. On the plus side, the student/teacher ratio is better than most schools, the office staff is friendly and makes an effort to know every student, and there is an overall feeling of community among the students and staff. On the negative side, the facility is in a shopping plaza (no playground, no grass), some of the teachers seem pretty inexperienced and lazy (classes watching 2 to 3 Disney movies each week), and the overall program seems pretty disorganized recently (teachers absent frequently, teacher turnover, etc..). If you are looking for a challenging, creative, and 'outside the box' kind of school, I would not recommend DWH.
--Submitted by a parent

D.W. Higgins is an excellent school particularly due to the small class size and the philosophy to understand student needs and accomodate accordingly. I finally have found a school where my learning disabled child and my gifted child can both be challenged and happy. This school is a great alternative to the large public schools where your child (and you) can feel like a number instead of a unique individual. I am particularly thrilled with the confidence my middle school-aged child has developed due to the small environment where teachers and students really care about one another. Middle school kids also get to play all sports vs. the public school system where only a few elite get to participate.
--Submitted by a parent

D. W. Higgins is a great alternative to the large public school system. I highly recommend it, particularly for middle school as there are virtually no cliques or issues due to the class size and respect shown by teachers and students
--Submitted by a parent

We love this school! I love the personalized attention that the kids get and extra help when they need it. Public schools have too large of class rooms, so the 18 kids max. per class was important to me. You can't expect kids to get the attention they need when class size is 28-35 kids for 1 teacher. They have most programs that a public school has and they get outstanding test scores.
--Submitted by a parent