Urban Discovery Academy Charter School

If you want your child to have a progressive education that is well rounded with art and music and p.e. then you will love this school. The grounds are not fancy but the educators are down to earth and genuine. Our child was in another highly rated public school (not charter) and she is very happy in this environment. Principal and teachers are fantastic. We are thrilled for our child to be enrolled at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is a wonderful school that has been built from the ground up to give our children a well rounded education. It also strives to create a strong family atmosphere that my 2 children are striving in, both academically and socially. We have been a part of the school from the start and strongly recommend it to anyone that asks. This school is only starting its 4th year of existence and has grown leaps and bounds from its inception. What people need to remember is that it is a charter school, you have other choices! If this is not working for you or your child and you have no suggestions to possibly fix your perceived issues then maybe you should try your local public school. Or maybe pay through the roof for a private school. In other words...no one is forcing you to come to this school! The majority love it and are always working to better this community. Thank you UDA for teaching my children and for making my family part of yours!
--Submitted by a parent

This school is mediocre at best. My child has been struggling but no one seems to notice and brush off my concerns. The policies of the school seem to swing somewhat randomly, one year having a good bit of homework, the next none. At least when there was homework, I had a notion of how my child was performing. Without homework I have very little idea how my child is performing and the classroom papers are all returned stamped with something cute at the top in the child's favorite color but are uncorrected! Classroom papers are returned uncorrected. I am at a loss how a child is to know what they have done correctly or incorrectly. Learning, at least in my experience, has as much to do with getting the right answer as understanding why an answer is wrong. I am always told that my child is doing well. Unfortunately testing does not support the teacher's assessment; the STAR testing was barely passable. Most of the teachers are young and inexperienced so I wonder if they have the know-how to identify learning styles, attitudes and weaknesses. This may be a good school for some; many people clearly think the education is excellent. I cannot say I find this to be true.
--Submitted by a parent

I am so very thrilled my daughter attends this Urban Discovery School. First off, the leadership from the principal is phenomenal! She has the best interest of the school as her drive and is managing it all so well. The teachers are all super energetic and original. My daughter is getting a balance of art, music, physical education, as well as a great coverage of the core curriculum. A final reason this school provides a complete education is the amount of field trips they provide the students exploring places in San Diego. Thank you to Ms. Moser and the rest of the staff at Urban Discovery!
--Submitted by a parent

My children are getting so much more than what they would at a public school. There is PE four times a week. Each academic year the drama teacher, singing teacher and dance teacher (THAT is correct, THREE Performing Arts teachers) put on three performances so each child has the opportunity to act, sing and dance. There is an actual hands-on Visual Arts teacher. You cannot compete with the passion and joy that all these teachers offer. The teachers work together as a unit and really get to know each child. The classroom sizes have been 1/20 for my kids and that has been WONDERFUL. Lastly, my children have enjoyed all the field trips to Balboa Park. It makes all their book studies come to life when they can see, touch and experience their knowledge first hand. This is my second year at UDA and so far - we are REALLY impressed.
--Submitted by a parent

I cannot say enough great things about UDA. My daughters love going to school there. They have a blast doing PE, Art, Performing Arts, Computers, Spanish, Library and their regular classes, not to mention the countless field trips they've gone on this last academic year. The school is full of wonderful teachers and support staff who geniuely care about the children they've been entrusted to educate. They constantly demonstrate their understanding that little people are individuals who should be treated with respect. Put simply - UDA ROCKS!!!
--Submitted by a parent

A horrible place to send your middle schooler if u want them to continue on to high school. This school caters to those who under achieve. If your child is at all advanced, stay away or they wont be when they leave. The teachers here told my daughter half way through the eigth grade that she should not even be thinking about high school. Really? Disrespectful teachers and a Principal to back them up instead of the students.
--Submitted by a parent

Urban Discovery Academy has alot to learn, and growing to do. They are real quick at bringing the moral of their middle school students down by calling them names, from the principal to the instructors, to the lunch monitors (not to mention in front of the other students) threatening them that they are going to call their future high school principals to tell them how horrible they are. They prepare the middle school students for NOTHING! the 6-8 grade classes at many points throughout the year were learning the exact same things! Once the Star testing cam along the students had no idea what they were doing, they are not equipped to challenge the high acheivers of the class. Once the students reaches the highest point of education they leave it at that without any challenges to achieve anything higher. They talk the talk but they DO NOT walk the walk. I was very disappointed at the past 2 years of the middle school.(one year too many) I am pulling my kids out this school and moving on to another school that can offer them a challenge and give them the education that they deserve.
--Submitted by a parent

We have been at UDA for 2 years now. Being a military family, its overwhelming task to find a school for your kids. UDA has become family. Not only do our kids get a quality education in reading, math and all subjects, but they model and are taught those valuable traits of respect, compassion and respect. My kids love school so much they are upset when they are ill and must miss school. And being a military family away from our "blood" family, UDA has become our family who have supported through a hard deployment. You dont get that kind of "education" anywhere else.
--Submitted by a parent

As a parent, board member and founder, I'm more committed than ever to ensuring that UDA continue to excel. You would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated group of educators, students and parents, all working diligently to continually improve the quality of education. I would hope that folks who have thoughts or concerns about how UDA might be improved would do so in a professional, constructive way.
--Submitted by a parent