Challenger - Harwood

Our kids and many family members have been at Challenger School for many years. We love Challenger School but have seen its decline through the years. We've stayed on despite a large exodus of its student body a few years ago. Many experienced teachers have left and there are only basically a handful of experienced quality teachers remaining : second and third grades. Some newer teachers are young, inexperienced, disorganized and awful : third and fifth. We also heard that Challenger does not work hard at retaining their experienced teachers, resulting in the loss of enrolment each year. Admin is poor and does not seem to monitor progress well. After all they are not teachers. We are seriously considering leaving if things do not improve.
--Submitted by a parent

Why is the spring program such a big deal at challenger? for the past 2 weeks my son's 5th grade class has been spending almost half a day each school day practising instead of studying. the academics is being neglected. my friends from another campus said that their 5th grade son is far ahead of where my son is for almost all subjects. isn't academics most important at challenger school?
--Submitted by a parent

I agree that the Harwood Challenger School is a good one. My kid has been there for many years and we've had no problems with the school. I also understand the grievances the parent who suggested leaving after 4th has. To add to the review, that afore-mentioned teacher is frequently late for class and late to return tests. I can bet that many bad reviews I've read here must have been about her because otherwise Harwood is a great school to put your kid in. They just need to be more proactive in replacing the bad apples..
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is fairly new to the school and in the K program. She came in mid-year and so far, we are very pleased with the school. I would say that initially, the process of understanding some of the administrative things was a little unclear, but after I went to the office myself for clarification, I've found communication much better. Academically my daughter has excelled since she has been there, learned a lot of new concepts, and enjoys all aspects. She has 2 teachers and she enjoys them both very much. I've found them to be very organized and the homework has seemed very reasonable for this age. My daughter partcipates in the extended care program. She does Soccer, Softball and Drama and gets homework done every day there. I read some of the reviews about being too academic, and initially we shyed away from that type of school but it seems that the way Challenger teaches so far, has made learning fun. The expectations are clear and the rewards are for accomplishments. My daughter made friends quickly which I was concerned about joining mid-year. Who knows what the next years hold, but for now, we are happy.
--Submitted by a parent

Without a doubt this is the best Challenger School campus but the worst fifth grade. Start at pre-school to fourth grade for their wonderful teachers and then leave. This is my advice.
--Submitted by a parent

I am frustrated and compelled to write. My child had a test on every single subject this week: math, science, history, logic, literature, spelling, vocabulary, poem. Next week barely any test. This is not the first time. Doesn't the teacher have any sense? Why can't tests be staggered? We like the academics at Challenger School but this is insane.
--Submitted by a parent

great school with great academics. my children have learnt so much. no problems with this challenger school. best year this year, third. experienced organized fun teacher.
--Submitted by a parent

We love Challenger School. We love our child's teacher and we have her two years in a row. Hopefully next year again and again.
--Submitted by a parent

The Best 4th Grade Teacher!!! We have two children at Challenger and have always been happy, but this year has been fantastic! Ms. Plasencia has really helped our daughter build her confidence. She is constantly happy and excited to tell us things that we went on in class. I highly recommend this campus.
--Submitted by a parent

facility - great, front desk - average, admin - good, teachers - mixed bunch but mostly good, students - polite, well-behaved The preschool program is the best around, teaching kids to read at 3-4 yrs, elementary is good depending on who you get. I agree that they do not try harder to keep good teachers so it's your luck which teacher your child gets. Mine got a teacher who is disorganized, does not return tests until a month later, skips lessons and subjects. Lots of teaching at home because teacher does not teach properly. Past years were fine but this year is not. Depends who you get. Checking out middle school options. I welcome suggestions.
--Submitted by a parent