Academy International Elementary School

First, I agree with some of the negative comments. The school does come off as business-like. I would love for it to be a warmer environment. Second, there is a fourth grade teacher who is negative and shouldn't be teaching children. Finally, the front desk may be the least welcoming place in the school. That is a shame. Onto the positive. First, the curriculm is challenging and engaging. My oldest has been in three different schools in three states. I think the IB program is fantastic! My youngest is in the immersion program. It is a wonderful opportunity. As for the teachers, I've mentioned one bad teacher, but otherwise my children have had fabulous teachers. Teachers that have gone far above what they are expected to do. In addition, my child is facing a serious mental health challenge. I was worried about how the school would react since many schools do not handle these issues well. The school staff has been so supportive and helpful during a very difficult time. This to me is the most important thing. You can add the bonus of numerous extracurricular activities and you have a great school. I gave 4 out of five because I think the school could work to feel more welcoming.
--Submitted by a parent

Our children attended AIES for a combined total of eight years, yet we changed schools during the last semester of my son s fifth-grade year. It was a much-needed, radical move. The teachers had the heart but not the skills to teach our children. Although our children received intervention in reading from the school for a combined 7 years, the school was not using materials or trained professionals that are effective with dyslexic students (approximately 15% of the population). Additionally, the school s RTI practices did not follow federal or state guidelines. Once we identified a learning disability and turned to the school for further help through an IEP, we were thoroughly disappointed by their lack of knowledge, experience and resources. I hope that Academy International improves through knowledge, training and equipping teachers, improving their RTI process, and implementing scientifically-proven effective practices. Until then, I would discourage anyone from attending this school unless they are sure their child does not have a learning disability. Unfortunately, most parents are not aware of these challenges until well into elementary school.
--Submitted by a parent

We moved our son out of AIES after a semester long horrific bullying issue while he attended Kindergarten. I was shocked at how dismissive his teacher was during the entire episode. We ended up going over her head and dealing with the principal. We went thru all the correct channels and finally after much frustration and dissallusionment, we ended up moving him out of the school. In addition, we always felt unwelcome. This is not the case at his new school.
--Submitted by a parent

Unfortunately I'm moving my children out of AIES. I had heard and read all of these great things and I don't know what you're all seeing but I was very disappointed. From the top to the bottom, the administration, office staff, teachers, no one is friendly or fun like I think elementary school staff should be. Teachers hate their jobs and are stressed out and grouchy. Office staff is not helpful and they are snotty. Administration is unprofessional and unsupportive. I wasn't all that impressed with IB or immersion either. I feel bad for students at this school, if they aren't head of the class, they are left behind.
--Submitted by a parent

As a military family we've moved around quite a bit. When other schools have said they were at grade level, this school said-let's give her some extra help. When other schools are doing away with or minimizing specials-this school has the kids half of the day in "specials" and uses that time to keep working on what is important. All of my children have improved as students here, are challenged, and the teachers are so positive and nurturing. They understand the importance of balancing work with play and different paths to learning. I really enjoy the team here and feel that we are a part of the community. My kids love this school!
--Submitted by a parent

My child has attended AIES since Kindergarten. I cannot say enough positive about the academically rigorous and diverse educational experience he has received. As a professional working in public education, I researched state and national rankings and reviews for this school and am continually impressed. My child loves this school and it is truly one of the best decisions I have ever made.
--Submitted by a parent

After my experience with this school, which for some reason has a great reputation, I highly recommend NOT choosing this school for your child. The staff is unhappy and overworked, negative and unfriendly. Worse than the teachers is the current administration. They have no idea what's going on, they show no approachability, no understanding, they don't do what's right for kids. There are parents in this school that are uppety and rude. I don't know why people think this school is great. Maybe it used to be, but it definitely isn't now!

My child attended this school, but is now in another school within District 20. Unfortunately, AIES fell very short to what we expected. As some other reviewer mentioned, the environment felt 'business-like' and competitive and not truly caring for the children. It seemed as if children that didn't fit their 'perfect' student poster picture were seen as a nuisance and were not treated equally. The staff was not the friendliest, sometimes even rude, and our child's teacher seemed very inexperienced and lacked classroom management skills. On the bright side, there was good PTO involvement and the choices for extracurricular activities were great.
--Submitted by a parent

AIES touts they are the best school in District 20, but my daughter attended AIES this year, and as a former teacher from AZ, I was very uhappy with her school experience. The school environment is very business-like, not at all like a normal elementary school, and the office staff are curt and rather unfriendly. Her teacher recommended her for speech in mid-October, she wasn't even tested until late December and didn't begin to receive services until early February! She lost nearly FOUR MONTHS! There are many other reasons we are taking her out of AIES after this year is over, but the biggest one is that AIES seems to treat students who are not TOP PERFORMERS differently. She did well academically, but was not the top of her class. I was extremely annoyed by the difference in treatment.
--Submitted by a parent

When my children entered AIES as kindergarteners, the school's non-janitorial staff was 100% white. When they graduated and moved on, the school was still 100% white. I don't see that changing, so let's not speak of diversity in the same sentence with AIES. My children and I loved all teachers they've had except one 4th grade teacher who really should retire as it's quite evident that she doesn't love the kids and she certainly doesn't love teaching. The overall quality of the school is highly satisfying with some weak spots. The school had a music teacher who didn't know what 'Heifetz' was that my then 8 year old child had to teacher her 'who' that was. The non-Immersion French is non-progressive. What you got at 5th Grade, you learned years before. We changed to Spanish since graduating. No school's perfect, but I feel AIES is one of the best there is.
--Submitted by a parent