BASIS Tucson

This is our daughter's second year at BASIS, and we couldn't be happier!! When we moved to AZ- before we had children, I was told of the state of the schools in Tucson. As a medical practitioner, who often helped to write contracts with TUSD, I learned quickly that this wasn't where I wanted my children to obtain their education. After K-4 in a catholic school, our daughter transfered to BASIS. Yes, they have homework, but not 3-4 hours per night!! She averages 2 hours per night. The teachers and staff at BASIS are outstanding. They all offer several additional hours per week for tutoring if your child has questions and to work on homework. The educators there truly care about my child and have gone the extra mile to provide guidance when needed. Our daughter is not a "brainiac" by any means, but she is achieving great things at BASIS, and we are very grateful for the opportunities BASIS has given her.
--Submitted by a parent

What a bunch of hoopla for nothing! You can get the same curriculum at just about any Tucson, Arizona High School that offers 10 or more AP/IB classes. Granted, your kid will still get the 4+ hours of daily homework but he/she will have a much better offering of extracurricular activities. Stop feeding this school's ego.
--Submitted by a parent

I have spoken to approximately twenty parents who have their children at BASIS in fifth thru seventh grade and all have commented that their children receive two to three hours of homework per night. This is what BASIS does and weather this is good or bad for any particular student I believe this is for each parent to decide. The previous parent stated that their child did their homework in school to which I respond wonderful , but as one administrator at BASIS told me We try to load them up with as much homework as possible so they will learn how to manage their time. If they have a few minutes in the car riding home or riding to baseball practice they should take advantage of that time and use it for homework or study .
--Submitted by a parent

I am so sorry your daughter had so much homework. That means she was wasting the time given in class to work on homework. I have two children at Basis and they rarely have homework. They use that time in class to complete the homework. What did your daughter do with that time? Teachers do this so if your child has a question about the homework they can ask the teacher for help. I wish you all the best.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter was excited to leave this school and so was the rest of the family. If you believe your child should be completing 3+ hours of homework a night in 6th grade then this school is you. If you want a creative child and would like to spend time enjoying and experiencing life with them then this school is not for you. It was a sad day when my child was working longer hours than me. As adults we do not work 10 hour days 5 days a week so why should our children?
--Submitted by a parent

No school is perfect for everyone. For some BASIS students, homework takes 2 hours of homework per night, while another student may only need 45 minutes for the same classes. Just because a particular student may not be able to handle the curriculum does not make it a bad school; just not a good fit for THAT student. If my daughter needed to study for hours every night to keep up, then she wouldn't attend BASIS, as she would not be well-rounded. But since she doesn't AND she is getting a top-notch education in what is a bottom of the barrel state in all other situations, I am THRILLED with this school. And any work she does will all be worth it when she gets a full ride to any college she chooses - thanks to BASIS.
--Submitted by a parent

Both my sons attended BASIS Oro Valley last year but niether will attend this year. We were very enthusiastic about this school and really wanted it to work but it just wasn't for my kids. We really like the curriculum, but that's about where it ends. Some of the teachers were really good and some were terrible and had NO teaching skills. My younger son's favorite teacher was let go, according to rumor because a wealthy donor parent didn't like him. Basically, if your child fits the BASIS mold then he or she will do very well, but if they deviate from that then forget it. Both my sons are "gifted" so we're told, so it wasn't an issue of cognitive ability. The real issue was their inability to work with kids who learn a little differently. A situation that is common with "gifted" kids. They also completely misrperesented how much homework and busy work the kids get. The get a LOT. My son's were doing 2 hours and more of homework every night which meant they couldn't do anything else in life basically.
--Submitted by a parent

I still find it sad that some parents post such harsh reviews about BASIS. Accusing them of being overly selective and/or taking EVERYONE's money to pay for a few. Well, as a parent with three kids attending BASIS including one who has attended 5th though 9th, I strongly disagree with the previous poster. Our 10th grader chooses to continue at BASIS of her own free will. And we do have another child with an IEP, so the previous parent does not know what he/she is talking about regarding that. Now the money... Charter schools still receive less per child than public schools. So how is it that successful charter schools are always attacked regarding public funds? Seems that we are getting more for our tax dollars when kids do attend successful, rigorous charters. Our children are so much more capable than public schools tend to expect of them. And you should do a little more study and research on scores. Take an easier test like the AIMS. Why are BASIS scores so much higher than all of the public schools? It's really sad to see the abysmal scores that are coming out of public schools on such an easy test. Our community should be thankful that we have schools like BASIS and UHS exist.
--Submitted by a parent

If you believe in taking money from EVERYONE, and then selecting a FEW to give them a "rigorous" education -- then hail BASIS! The "Best Schools Rankings" uses a very twisted formula to determine "best" schools -- number of students divided by number of AP exams they take. That's it. No magic or complications there -- no socio-economic factors, no race, no special ed students (wondering if a single BASIS teacher knows even what IEP stands for). It would be interesting (and telling) to see the actual AP scores of the BASIS students -- the formula doesn't care how many 4s and 5s there are. Also, BASIS still believes, in the 21st century, in the 19th century model of lecture-and-test philosophy. The world has changed in the past 100 years, but education hasn't. BASIS is nothing but a TUSD school (like UHS) for the select few, paid for by the rest, but closed to the rest. American Dream 2.0.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is in 6th grade and finishing her first year at the new Basis Oro Valley. We are very pleased with the school overall. Yes there were a few minor issues with communication but the OV Boosters newsletter fills in what the schools and your child may not. Really great involved and concerned teachers, challenging pace with lots of extra help (if needed). Parent involvement can be as much or as little as you want. I totally disagree with many previous remarks about different issues, especially the lack of creativity- art history class, music and drama, puppet troupe, improv....lots to choose from- electives and after school clubs!! Actually more choices than she has time to do or she would have done even more! No there weren't any field trips for her class, except for the upcoming project week, but that is not so important to me or her. Lots of extracurricular social time with several dances throughout the year, several plays and even operas, parking lot party, talent show....You get out of the school what you want- a little or a lot. We got a lot packed into our first year there and my daughter is looking forward to next year, we wouldn't dream of going anywhere else.
--Submitted by a parent