Hawarden Hills Academy

I am giving this school four stars instead of five because of the food. I know it sounds funny but food matters in learning. If kids are pumping junkfood into their bodies, I believe they are also not learning to their full potential. I have no gripes at all about the cariculum, and I LOVE that the kids attednding this school have manners. What I would like to see is a nutrisionist rip the junk out of the school and teach the kids how to eat. A PTA would be nice too.
—Submitted by a parent

My oldest daughter was entering kindergarten I found Hawarden. She went from kindergarten through middle school she will graduate this year from high school, my youngest daughter followed and still attends there. . The reason I decided to go private. I was at a public school k-5 there for a field trip, my youngest son s class. What I overheard a boy say to a group of girls unprintable, prompted me to look for a private school. Hawarden not only provided a safe and structured environment a bonus. Along with it came a great education. We are well pleased. My oldest son attended public school and is now a doctor but your child s personality matters especially in this day and time so don t look just at the school look at what matters to you and say where will my child flourish better. If your child is attending school anywhere and not being educated free or not it is your responsibility to follow your child's education and not wait years to print how horrible your experience was and how costly. Some children may obtain a great education which will be useless if their strung out on drugs or caught up in some other dangerous behavior
—Submitted by a parent

One of the strongest and most effective partnerships there is, is the partnership between, teachers and parents. I have had two children to matriculate through HHA. Both have gone on to high school and done extremely well. One graduated in the top percent of her class, and the other is on her way to doing the same. I can confidently state, that the foundation they received at HHA was a solid one. My youngest child is still at HHA, where he continues to thrive and excell. The school provides an environment where students can learn and be challenged at a level which best suits their abilities. As a parent who is involved, I can tell you it requires parental participation in your child's education, as it is a school with high academic expectations. The teacher's are always available, and Ms. Lenny is ever present should a parent need to speak with her. She is passionate about HER STUDENTS. If you are a parent who feels that attending college is a given for your child, this is the place for you. Like everything in life, we get from it, what we put into it. At HHA we (students, teachers, administrators and parents), give it our all. God Bless
—Submitted by a parent

I have read some of the previous posts and find them to be completely disingenuous. It is apparent that they are authored by by someone that has had an issue with a teacher or faculty member. For me, while I understand that no school is perfect, I find that HHA suits me and my children just fine. In seeing the work my children's friends are doing in public school versus what my children are doing, there is no comparison. The SAT scores prove that. Like any school though, you get out what you put in. Should you chose to use it as a babysitting service, save the money and send them to public school. If, however, you want a top grade education and are willing to put the effort in to ensure your child is successful, then I highly recommend HHA.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent with a child that attends Hawarden. I am very happy with this school overall. The staff is friendly and everyone knows my son by name. What I love the most about this school is the sense of community. All the teachers and staff have the kid's best interest at heart. The teachers keep in contact with the parents about the progress of their children and I love that! We have to work together with the teachers in order for our children to succeed. They are always accessible if I've ever had a question. Also, they do not put up with trouble makers. Sometimes trouble makers come in the form of parents. My son had an issue with another student and it was found that the other student was at fault and it wasn't the first time, nor was my child the only one this student hurt. It was dealt with quickly. I trust these people with the most important person in my life and not only is he getting a great education, but he is safe and I can't ask for anything more! I highly recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

We selected HHA for our grand-daughter because she almost failed 2nd grade in the public school system and was being considered for special education intervention. Her parents asked us to help. When we enrolled her in the 3rd grade at HHA last September she was 2 years behind grade level in math and 1 year behind in language arts. It took great effort on the part part of the teachers and 3 hours a night of home work on our part but after a year at HHA she was at grade level! The StepMod approach enabled her to do this. She is now in the 4th grade there and doing well. The small class size (15) has enabled her to get the extra help that she needs and the sheltered environment has enabled her to develop the social skills required to succeed in this world. She now has the maturity and confidence to punch herself in and out with the time clock and purchase her own lunch. She's become a winner in her own eyes.

I have two children at Hawarden Hills; one is in Kindergarten, and the other in second grade. The smaller size of this school suits us perfectly. Both of my children are such that they would have been lost in a large school. However, here, they are known throughout the school by both staff and pupils, are encouraged to florish as individuals, and as a result are growing in confidence daily. Also, allowing for more individual attention means that my kids are unable to get away with things which may fly under the radar in a larger school. I know the staff's expectations for my kids in terms of conduct and academics, and they know mine. This enables us to work as a team when issues arise.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved to Riverside from the Bay Area. My daughter was accepted into the STEM program which was fine last year. This year, there was no money for lap tops, any student is accepted and the program is definitely not as good. We went to Hawarden Hills and loved it! My daughter is now in Geometry, loves the science teacher, can work with computers every day and loves the after school enrichment (She takes Chinese language and Music)!
—Submitted by a parent

Math is atrocious. Reading is anti-intellectual. Science is based on photocopies (no color). Teachers flee without warning. Remaining teachers are mostly poorly trained and not educated in the subjects they teach. Families are fleeing for STEM. That's it in a nutshell.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attends Hawarden and I wouldn't have her anywhere else. She struggled in math and because of the Step Mod program she was able to get the help that she needed as opposed to being moved on whether she got the concept or not. In my opinion, she didn't "slip through the cracks" as she would have in public school. They don't care about your ability, good or bad, if you are in 5th grade, you will be doing 5th grade math. How does this help our kids if they struggle? I also observe how the teachers interact with the kids and they are very caring. Strict, but caring. The fact that a teacher will take her lunch break to help the kids that are struggling, says it all for me. And this is not just one or two teachers. This has been my experience with all her teachers (especially in math). Where can you find that kid of dedication to education? At Hawarden...that's where!
—Submitted by a parent

The middle school program is severely lacking. Many children just left the school thinking they had completed Algebra, we found out otherwise. These current teachers do not know how to teach advanced subjects and it appears the curriculum misses huge portions of math. The children are not prepared to be competitive with public school children as the parents are led to believe. The Administration is not prepared to deal with current technology. The textbooks are out of date and falling apart, parents had to buy books for kids. There is also a high degree of favoritism expressed from the teachers towards certain children. The school appears to be adequate for children up to 4th grade level, after that the lack of teaching ability inhibits growth. My motive, I don't want another family to deal with the heartbreak of finding out their child was not taught adequately.
—Submitted by a parent

Our 2 children attended HHA since Kindergarten. I gave a rave review previously & stand by that for K-4. But we switched schools this year after discovering a serious lack of depth in the middle school curriculum, which we felt would be exacerbated by the staff changes made for 2012/2013. There were many reasons for concern, but the deciding factor was when a tutor give our sons the STAR tests for Pre Algebra and Algebra 1 - courses they 'completed' at HHA, with an A. They scored very low. They could solve an equations, but could not apply the knowledge to a word problem. They were not taught many of the concepts that are required to be proficient by CA standards. We invested years of trust and money to provide the best education for our kids and leave greatly disappointed. It was a tough decision to make, but after 3 weeks at their new schools, our sons' excitement about school and their comments about the teachers (Organized! On Time! They Explain Things), combined with the obviously superior middle school curriculum, extracurricular activities and great communication have validated our decision.
—Submitted by a parent

I am not sure about the motives of some of the reviews here recently. Some of the comments made are outright slander and certainly do not seemed to be focused on constructively evaluating the school. I actually just spoke with all of the middle school teachers yesterday at the parent orientation and all of them are college educated so I am not sure where the other poster got their information, but it is invalid. I have two children that attend this school and our experience has been wonderful! My kids are challenged everyday and are taught to be respectful and responsible. I observe the interaction between the teachers and the students and I am always impressed. The staff really seem to care about all of the kids and the overall feeling of the school is very close and sheltered. I do not have an issue with the teachers not all having credentials or that some of them have children that attend the school. If they bring their kids there that tells me that they truly believe in the school! My background is in education (and yes, I have my credentials) and it is not the all inclusive answer or requirement to being a great teacher! Look at the school and decide for yourself!
—Submitted by a parent

Do you think that someone with a high school diploma can teach 8th grade? They need to make better choices or more students will be drooping out. Their step mod system is not working. This school needs changes !
—Submitted by a parent

Just learned that an unpaid yard duty assistant has been promoted to first grade teacher. She has no teaching experience. Not sure what kind of education she has. Also just learned that only 7 of last year's 20 or so 7th graders are returning this year for 8th grade--7 out of 20. What does that tell you about this school? We believed the hype and sent our child there for the last year and a half. Never again--he'll be attending public school this year. Forget the "rich" history of family ownership and slick "Step Mod" marketing brochures. Do your due diligence before sending your child to school here.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is not all that it claims to be on the website. The kids are not prepared properly for math. My 7th grader had to retake Algebra, many of the students that leave the school do. The school also employs teachers that are not at all educated, it may be fine for the grade school children, but not the middle school. I believe that the school needs to change drastically to meet the needs of children. Some of the teachers refuse to use email to communicate, which makes it difficult to keep abreast of your child's progress. The Administrative Staff is not receptive in any way to suggestion. There are better schools in the area.
—Submitted by a parent

HHA is a school that provokes children to succeed through the use of expectations, standards, and cirriculum. As a single parent, I wanted a school that provided excellence and leadership for my child. Unfortunately, I was not actively as involved as I could have been, given the nature of my carreer. During the last week of the school year, Mrs. Lopez handed a binder to me with my child's name and kindergarten decor on it. When i opened the binder, there must have been over 200 pages of pictures of my child for each event and new experience. eternally fixed for generations to come of my child's first experiences. Mrs. Lopez provided the same binder to my ex-wife and my child's grandmother. It is teachers like this who truly make a difference in the lives of children. Thank you so much HHA for providing my child's first year experience to be an everlasting memory to my family and me. I would recommend HHA to any parent looking for a school that makes a difference and provides a thought-provoking experience for children to be successful and prepared for life. Thank you. Also, once you meet Ms. Lenny, wow what a great fit and a riot!
—Submitted by a parent

I feel that the only good thing going for this school is the kindergarten teachers. If you want a great education and a teacher that goes above and beyond for your children, then you should enroll your children at HHA for at least the great kindergarten experience! Mrs. Haddock is truly an exceptional individual. All this about apples to apples stuff really makes no sense to me. I feel whether it be your child attending public or private, they will succeed know matter where they go. It's the quality time that the parents put in with their children that matters the most. We will not be going back to HHA for first grade and will be attending a very nice public school with so many more resources and outside activities. I feel HHA is one big popularity contest, and if your not in the in the so called "in crowd" there, your child will never have a fair shot at anything. It's to bad because the school has so much potential, but I think it's time for change! Hats off to you Mrs. Haddock! You will be truly missed and are loved by so many! Robert Fulghum really nailed it when he wrote one of the best books ever, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten,and we did!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is the best school for my child. He's been attending Hawarden for 2 years, and he loves it. My son is in the first grade, and he's enjoying learning. He has an excellent teacher and all of the staff. As a parent, I have to make sure that my child is getting the best education possible. As an educator in the public school system, I felt that the public system has failed to provide the best for students.This school provides the curriculum, teachers, activities, and environment condusive to learning. I highly recommend this school to all parents that wants the best for the child.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a waste of money. My child has had two independent math assessment exams and has scored 50% on both. We were led to believe that the class he was in was pre-algebra. Please they also led us to believe that he was a straight A student. To address that public school teacher comment. I am a professional who has to sit in with the state and pass boards every 6 years to keep my license. A full exam. It's to protect the public to make sure I have the minimum qualifications. If credentialing is not important then go see a doctor who can't pass state boards. Not so appealing. These are random parents that teach. You (I was paying for private HOMESCHOOLING. Every parent will figure out eventually that when they hit high school kids are going to struggle in mathematics. It's hard as parents to admit that a mistake was made when choosing a school. It's called PRIDE.
—Submitted by a parent