Lisa Academy North Elementary School

My son went here in Kindergarten and I could not wait until the day that I could get him out of there. I disliked everything about this school and it was obvious my son was unhappy. My son's teacher did not communicate well, they made all kinds of grading mistakes and I just felt the environment was more of a bootcamp than a school. I noticed my son got a zero on an assignment about 2 months after the fact and when I questioned his teacher she said "Oh he didn't understand so I moved on". I never got any notes or an email about anything happening and don't even get me started on how unorganized they are. Thankfully I got my son into a great public school and I can see how much more progress he is making and how much happier he is. He LOVES going to school now.
--Submitted by a parent

There is a major lack of discipline in this school. The teachers have no idea how to handle children and do nothing to enforce good behavior. My son entered kindergarten as a well behaved child and 3 semesters in is a totally different child that constantly gets in trouble (at school...not at home). Every day he is getting hit (and of course hitting back) and they are doing nothing to stop the behavior. It is just left up to us to punish him when he gets home. I know he is not happy there because it is so different than being at home in a structured environment where he knows he is expected to behave and follow our rules. We are taking him out for this last 9 weeks and re enrolling him in the public school where he attended pre-k. The public school does not test as high, but all of the children are so well behaved and the teachers know how to run a classroom! He was so excited to return to Terry Elementary and he does not even want to finish the school year at Lisa Academy. He has learned a lot, but obviously craves a more structured environment. And there is way too much pressure put on grades for a kindergartener!!
--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

Class size is 20-22 (if large then thank God we were the last kid in the class this year). The subjects and approach to learning is impressive. I have watched my daughter grow as a student daily. They are completely dedicated to the children (I see principal and teacher vehicles at the school 7 days a wk). Sunday must be administrative tasks day so that the extended school day (7:25-5p) can provide for free tutoring/classroom teaching. Kids that struggle with the tests are required to attend free tutoring before, after school & Saturday's. We had butterflies in the classroom, award ceremonies to celebrate the students success. None of my friends parents (whether homeschooled, public, or private) are as secure with their daughters progess as we are. We volunteer for 3 hours a week (yes we work full time but make it happen). Proud of this school. SUBTRACTION in Kindergarten. WELL DONE LISA NORTH! MRS WARD ROCKS!
--Submitted by a parent

After three years in this school, we continue to be impressed with the extraordinary teachers and educational programs. Compared to other public and private schools, LISA Academy incorporates multi-subject projects into the curriculum such as science fair, national history day competition, and others. Clubs such as robotics, math counts, and quiz bowl allow students to further develop academic skills in a team setting outside the classroom. But the biggest difference in this school is the learning culture - It's wonderful to see this school celebrate the success of the chess team - the skills of all students are recognized. Don't get me wrong - my kid's no geek - he plays basketball and other sports. It's just nice to see a school do what a school is suppose to do - get our kids ready for the future.
--Submitted by a parent

My son loves this school the teachers and staff are the best! I like being able to email the staff instead of leaving a message and waiting for a call. The variety of after school clubs are really a plus too bad the other public schools do not have this program.
--Submitted by a parent

This is an outstanding school. The teachers and administrators are some of the best I have seen. It is a much more respectful environment then I have seen in schools. The cultural diversity is wonderful and the after school activities are a huge plus. My kids love going to school here!
--Submitted by a parent

The school is purposefully staffed with new teachers and uncertified personnel to cut salary costs. Class size is the same as a normal public school and discipline policies are not enforced. The library is not used or even set up and there is no one hired as a media specialist to run it. They do a great deal of test prep so benchmarks scores are usually high. However, the focus is on testing, not on learning.
--Submitted by a teacher