Stella Middle Charter Academy

My child attended Stella Middle Charter (5th & 6th) I was very happy with the staff and the school, but once they entered (7th - 12th) which it's located by LAX I cannot say I feel the same anymore. This school is so stuck on how to punish your child then actually teaching them. They give out detention like it's candy. My child self-esteem has gone down they don t have any programs for kids with special needs basically they expect ALL students to be perfect (sorry in the real world it doesn t work that way). 99% of the teachers are right out of college and have no patients for kids, they do not have the background to deal with different type of kids and they think by giving out detentions the problem is solved. If you speak you get detention, if you horse around with your friends you get detention (that s during the Childs free time). I don t think my child has really learned anything this year but how to get detention. Can t wait for the year to end to get my kid out of here!
—Submitted by a parent

please tell me about sports programs at this school. my son is 10. entered your school for 1st time this year. i help the family and the son and want to be sure he has opportunities for physical education at your school. and if not i want to provide something outside for him.

An outstanding school. It really engages student in every aspect of their lives. My daughter has really learned a lot in this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very pleased with the structure, discipline, and rigorous academics this school has. I will definitely keep my daughter here until she graduates. The attitude towards her future her evident.
—Submitted by a parent

It doesn't matter what your child's intellect, ability or grades are, all that matters is that your child fulfills the school's requirements, otherwise, you can be certain that your child will be held back, no matter how many "A's" he or she has. As my child's Advisory Teacher put it, "These schools give a lot of work because the students are not up to level, and so they may reach level. Your child belongs in a regular school, where he can play after school sports."
—Submitted by a parent

Wow. That is all I have to say about this school. I am a professional, college-educated parent who has a child enrolled at this school. If you and your child do not enjoy learning and working hard to achieve what you want, they don't bother coming to this stupendous school. The academic curriculum is grueling; the MS kids read HS level books while the HS students read college level. I like the fact that they are required to read several books a year. My child is never NOT reading a book. As soon as he finishes one, he starts another, and this is thanks to the habits Stella Academy has taught him. These kids are the cream of the crop and will no doubt be successful with the help of their parents, teachers, and Bright Star Schools.
—Submitted by a parent

Yes, the hours are long and academic (and behavioral) expectations are HIGH, but if you want to give your child a real chance at succeeding in today's cutthroat business world (and yes...every field is essentially a business) where a Bachelor's degree is starting to resemble a mere elementary school certificate...then Stella is the school for your child 9and you). The teachers are dedicated, and the Vice Principal is committed to not only working with the students, but also supporting parents. Principal, however...is on campus once in a blue moon and is rather distant and superficial.
—Submitted by a parent

Stella Charter has a very structure and challenging academic program, the parent that doesn't get why natural color socks are important, its ashame I send my child to learn and get educated, not to worry who has the name brand socks. At a LAUSD school my kid was rated as 2nd grade reading level, two months before entering a classroom in Stella Charter he had completed 2 summer reading count books. I rather have his mind occupied in books than 3-4 hrs in video games, Thank you Stella Charter for giving the ghetto side of LA a chance for a better tomorrow.
—Submitted by a parent

Stell has to be one of the worst schools. This school is to strict, give way to much homework, and have extensive hours of schooling. What kid has to go to school at 7:25 and come out at 6pm. The rules in the dress code are riddiculous who cares what colored your socks are. They school isn't even racially diveresed. This school is a joke why would you let these kids out so late and give them so much homework. At this school elective starts at 3:30 compared to other middle schools that end at 3:00. The elective when I was there was for the girls to learn spanish. While the guys go to play soccer. The school wouldn't let kids bring junk food and if they did the teachers would take it and eat it themselves, why not give the kids the food at the end of the day.

I searched high and low for a school that would challenge my child accordingly and this school is it. The academic program is strong and is set up in a way that mirrors what they will get when they attend college. I have read the other reviews and much of what has been said about the long hours & huge amount of homework is true. This is not a school for every family. I use the word family because it's not a type of program that your child can attend if they don't have family support. The staff is caring and very responsive. My only hope is one day it will become a little more culturally diverse.
—Submitted by a parent

Even though i am about to graduate to high school this school is very good and you learn a lot and you get to do fun things to
—Submitted by a student

This is my childs second year at Stella, and I stayed only because of the two teachers. The hours are long and some are not productive at all. The ASES program is a joke, as well as some of the mandatory items the Director comes up with. The location move has caused more problems and more cost to a 'free' school. The overall idea is good, implementation is another subject.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is in some ways amazing and in others horrible beyond imagining. When I was in a different school the year before I enrolled in Stella, I had terrible grades. I never listened to the teacher and all I cared about was recess. But when I came to this charter school, my grades lifted to all As. Unfortunately, that is the only good thing I have to say about Stella. The school hours are unreasonable, starting from 7 in the morning to 6 at night. The teachers don't care about the feelings of the students, and they have barely any punishments for the students being bad, making bullies common in the area. If your child may go to this school, I suggest you should dig a little deeper into the information on Stella.
—Submitted by a student

Stella is a great school, the principal is simply wonderful and listens to the parents. Yes, the hours are long but worth it. My child is learning and her mind is expanding, everyday she comes home and tells me what she learned. I love the fact that children wear uniforms and that there is a strict policy in that matter. Although, I think Stella's academics are top. I disagree with forcing the children to take field trips, it should be optional. If you are rewarding the children with fields trips let the parents decide if they want their child to attend or not. The trip to Big Bear is something that my child and I are not interested in. I understand that the school wants to reward the children, but it should be up to the parents not the school.
—Submitted by a parent

I disagree with much of what's been said about stella academy. Although the hours are long, the fact remains that stella academy is the third top school within the Los Angeles school district. To say that teachers are uncaring or inconsiderate of the children's feelings is at the very least a gross misstatement. The teachers are there every step of the way. They're there to scold the children when they misbehave but they're also there to encourage and congratulate them. The truth is that many schools fail their children academically, which ultimitately comes at the expense of the childrens' futures. Stella does not have to invest so much time into their children, stella does not have to agonize over funding so that the children can go on field trips to top universities, but they do anyway. The proof is in the pudding, folks.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree completely with the comment made in April of 2007. The children have an extremely long school day and are given an unreasonable amounts of homework and special projects each night. And the worse part is that staff does not seem to care about the well being of these children. The staff can be harsh and uncaring. From my observation, the voice of parent concerns do not count at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Never anywhere else have I seen a staff more caring and dedicated to enriching the lives of our children. The hours are long and it is tough, but I feel that this is a good lesson for my child. Stella Academy believes in taking responsibility for your actions. Also that there are consequences for everything that you do in life. This to me is a wonderful lesson that needs to be taught to our youth. They have a strict academic program, but there are rewards for meeting goals.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal and teachers care little about how the children feel and how over worked they are.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal and teachers care little about how the children feel and how over worked they are. Just because a child goes to school from 7:15 am to 4:45 p.m. does not mean that they are receiving the best education. The amount of homework is to much for these children after being in school all day. This is discouraging the child from education instead of being excited about it.
—Submitted by a parent

Academics program hinders their progress. The principal is wonderful but teachers are very punitive when it comes to children.
—Submitted by a parent