Lisa Academy North Middle

I'm so glad the state board of education only renewed LISA North for 5 years whereas it renewed the other charter schools in Arkansas for 10! I am a major advocate of charter school, but LISA North is the worst. It has a high teacher turnover rate, the students leave at the high school level in droves, and the administration seems not to support all parents, students, and teachers. Way to go, state board of education for listening to parent and teacher concerns about this school!

I am a student at this school and I don't recommend it. currently as of December 27 , for a month or longer I haven't learned any English. My eng. teacher left and now we just do little pages that only take tens min. To do out of 52min of class. Also I came from Dunbars GT program last year. I was in Pre-Algebra and they put me in the class under that. I tryed to get into the 'P' or Princeton classes but I was told I couldn't. I didn't appreciate this but I couldn't go back to Dunbar so now I'm stuck in a math behind. Another complaint is we have groups 'H' or Harvard and 'P' or Princeton and we stay w/ those same people all year each class . We have no interactions w/ the other group. To me that's not good social skills. also we have Turkish teachers and their sentence structure isn't good to the point where you can't understand what their saying a plus they talk fast which doesn't help. I wish I could go back to my GT classes at Dunbar but we all know you can't go back in time , now I'm stuck with the consequences and in dont want other students to. The only sports we have are for more leaned towards boys.

Being a student at LISA North has been one of the best experiences of my life. Over the past semester, it has given me multiple opportunities that I never would have had access to including a comprehensive STEM curriculum, advanced math and science courses, and the opportunities to join the MATHCOUNTS and FLL Robotics team. As a student I would highly recommend this school for any parent with a child with an interest in science and math or one wishing to explore extracurricular activities he/she would have never had at his/her old school.

I have taught in the public schools for over 25 years and am now a teacher at Lisa Academy North. I feel so fortunate to teach at a school where the children come to school ready and eager to learn, the teachers and administrators are supportive, professional, and caring, and the parents are actively involved and committed to their children's overall educational success. We all know we're at a first-class school where the children come first. Check us out!
—Submitted by a teacher

I am a parent at LISA North. I suggest the parent familarize themselves with the LISA Academy MISSION before they start speaking against it. This is what it reads from the website at www.lisanorth.org. It states: The mission of LISA Academy is to provide an academically rigorous college preparatory program, in partnership with students, families, and the community, and guide all students in gaining knowledge, skills, and the attitude necessary to direct their lives, improve a diverse society, and excel in a changing world by providing dynamic, resource-rich learning environments. LISA North staff, teachers and administration go above and beyond to fulfill their mission. For the students that struggle, they offer tutor programs after school and even on WEEKENDS. All of them FREE! The database has EVERYTHING from lunch to grades to homework to grades to discipline. The administration created a mobile app for our convenience. It is up to you as the parent if you want to use it or not. The parental involvment is outstanding! Administraton is there for all events and outings! LISA North is not a fit if you want your child lost in the crowd and you have to be a responsible parent.
—Submitted by a parent

LISA North is a great school! As with all new schools, it has had a few issues and growing pains as they expand to go from grades k-12. I have had 2 children attend LISA North. One that has been there since 3rd grade and is now in 7th, and one who has been there since 9th grade and is now in the first graduating class. Both of the above mentioned kids attended PCCSD and had terrible experiences. Public schools do not have the resources to adequately teach the sheer volume of kids they have. I feel sorry for their teachers. If you have a child who is at either end of the spectrum, unless they are special needs, they get lost in the sea of kids vs teacher ratio at public schools. LISA has smaller classes and more individual attention for their students. While not on the level of public as far as extra circulars, they are growing each year. And to the person that said that they have to pay for extra curricular activities, you have to do that in public school too. I have paid many club fees, band fees, cheer leading fees, etc., when my kids were in public schools. Again, no school is perfect, but LISA is way ahead of the public schools in Central AR! Look at their test scores.
—Submitted by a parent

As a student at LISA Academy- North, I can truly say that I have had a wonderful experience at LISA. I am President of the National Honor Society as well as a participant in National History Day. As the President and a member of the National Honor Society, I have had a life changing and learning experience by getting out and helping others in my community. LISA Academy- North has also been great with reaching out to the community and helping others! This past school year I went to the National History Day- National Competition in Washington D.C. and I received great support from my school in helping me to get there. The teachers at LISA Academy are also extraordinary! Our teachers are always willing to offer up their time to help a student during club and aftercare time. LISA Academy offfers many different programs that are very beneficial to their students. LISA Academy- North is a wonderful school and I am so fortunate to have spent my middle and high school years here!

I am a teacher at LISA Academy North. First of all, our school is new, and therefore, has some growing pains as we have expanded. Other than that, the school is great. We have a wonderful NHS and NJHS program which I advise, so I have no idea what that other reviewer was talking about when they said that it stopped. We know have a archery team that is doing well, and yes, you have to pay for clubs, but it allows the teachers to create better clubs without spending hundreds of dollars out of their pockets. The school really feels like a family, and the students are great. I enjoy coming into work everyday; even though I put in tons of extra hours during the week. As for the database, some teachers do have issues using it, but the administration is on them about making sure to use it promptly. As for the transition from elementary to middle school that was mentioned in another review, we do our best to help the students transition. I personally do not believe the targeting accusation because decisions like that are done by committee and not one person. I have never seen a more dedicated staff as I have experienced here with the LISA Academy North family.
—Submitted by a teacher

LISA Academy can be a great fit for some kids--the high achieving students who would do well in whatever educational environment they were put in. But the lower socioeconomic kids with critical educational needs seem to be viewed merely as discipline problems instead of being helped in the ways they need help. This is why I feel that LISA does not fulfill its mission as a charter school, because charter schools are intended to help those who the regular public schools fail. LISA has the same issues as the regular public schools with less funding. I'd recommend sending your child to one of the traditional schools if he or she is not a high achieving student because I feel the services he or she will receive are about the same.

I am a Sophomore at LISA North high and very happy at this school. I see some negative comments from parents below. I am sure that those parents never visited our school and met with us and with our teachers. Well what school doesnt have those type of parents. Those people complain about EVERYTHING! students here could not be any more welcoming and sweet to everyone. The teachers are AWESOME! They know what they are doing, working so hard till late nights, and yes they do give a good amount of homework and you will hate them for it. But truth is it helps your grades. I am a transfer student and know the difference. I wouldnt want to go any where else. I suggest those parents to talk with students first and see what we feel about the school, before posting such comments.Don't be reactive, be proactive!

Until recently I thought LISA was a great school. I have learned differently. The ELEMENTARY part is GREAT! but once the children move to middle/high school is drops off. The teachers are not as caring and or involved. I chose LISA because I wanted something different for my children. But for my now high schooler there is not much to offer and now they are charging for Extracurricular activities. This is absurd. Especially for things that will help our children in college like FBLA, NHS(which by the way they are no longer offering). I simply wish that the middle/high school lived up to the standards of the elementary. I also agree with another poster concerning the discipline it seems to be a bit lacking, however, that is more on the elementary end and not middle/high school. As with all things, there are some holes in the plan. I also believe that the parents should be more involved
—Submitted by a parent

Great leadership. Dedicated Teachers. I love LISA Academy North and suggest everyone looking for an alternative to public school system.
—Submitted by a parent

We wanted to try this school for our daughter since it has a smaller school setting. Everything seems great so far. Our daughter loves to go to LISA every morning. Administration has open door policy which I never had experienced with public schools.
—Submitted by a parent

How does the school rate a high rating when no one has rated it? No disipline, no control, 2 seventh grade classes, one rated higher than the other, huh? Turn about peer pressure problems. Large teacher turnover, Turkish? Who speaks Turkish? Traffic problems. Some classes ok, does not rate a 9 or 10.
—Submitted by a parent

Lisa Academy North is an excellent school as for the curriculumn and parent involvement. The discipline in the middle school needs a lot of work. It appears at times that the staff has no control of the school, this could be that majority of the teachers lack the experience required dealing with this age group. Otherwise, Lisa Academy North is a stellar school to attend.
—Submitted by a parent