American Preparatory Academy

0 STARS.The BIGGEST MISTAKE ever.They say they specialize in ESE students, but do not know how to help & educate students in ESE.They don't even realize how lacking they really are & are unaccepting of help.They will promise you the moon, but do not know how to get there.They have outdated books and staff with no understanding on how to teach students with special needs.No library or computers & no plan to get them.If your special needs child will be able to pursue a college degree, DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD HERE.They will not be ready to compete academically.Teachers are disorganized, unprepared, and then fault special needs children if they do not know what to do.They only specialize in taking state scholarship money from special needs students.They do have very small class sizes, but students who were caught w drugs& fight daily with teachers&students are not disciplined because they bring in more scholarship money.They started a new behavior program, APA Bucks, but the kids with the most bucks were the worst behaved.My child, who always behaves, got nothing.My child dealt with seeing horrible behaviors and is now behind.very frustrating and a waste of a year.Avoid at all cost.
--Submitted by a parent

It is quite obvious this school is run as a business.... NOT A SCHOOL. The owner isn't an educator and doesn't have clue what it takes to operate a school with children
--Submitted by a parent

all I can say are positive things about this school. Yes, it is small but so are the class sizes. There are no FCAT's or bullies to worry about. As a parent of an ESE student I am extremely pleased with the schools curriculum, activities and atmosphere. Highly recommend to any parent who wants the serenity of knowing that their child is in a safe school with excellent parent to teacher communication. The school is accredited and they do follow the Sunshine State standards.
--Submitted by a parent

My special needs son has been in this school for three years now. We are extremely happy and thankful for this school. The staff is extremely caring and helpful. My son receives individualized attention from his teacher and therapists. Great teacher/parent, principal/parent communication. It is a drug-free, bully-free atmosphere where children are taught that we are all different but deserve to be treated the same. Highly recommend to any parent looking for a great school.
--Submitted by a parent

I was searching for a Preschool for my nieces' baby and saw a negative comment on my daughters' old school and I just had to write my own experience with American Preparatory Academy. My daughter graduated from APA last year and we could not be happier with her education and life skills. She was taught not only from books and an educational curriculum but she was taught social skills. She was taught to accept differences and to help others, something we lack these days. She is currently attending Broward College and her credits transferred with no problem so I don't really understand why they would not be transferred to a public school? She plans to transfer to NSU to pursue a PsyD degree to work with Special needs children, a passion she developed at APA. Anyhow, the staff is great and it is a bully-free, drug-free school, with small student-teacher ratio. They offer sign language as well and do accommodate Special Needs as an inclusion program so children do not feel "labeled" or "excluded" from a mainstream classroom. I would highly recommend this school. Children deserve an individualized education and that is what this school provides for them.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is NOT accredited. My daughter wasted a lot of time at this school because ALL of her grades and credits achieved at this school weren't worth anything once I took her out and returned her public school. She had to do everything all over again. The buildings are unsafe, dirty, and very old. The buildings flood whenever it rains, I'm surprised they haven't floated away. The education is ridiculous. The students are not challenged, this school is a complete waste of time. This school also says the deal with special needs students, to say that is a joke. The school doesn't have any qualified professionals for special needs students. It is sad. I would NOT recommend this school to anyone.
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers and staf at this school have worked very hard to keep the best programs for our students. We are a small school, but it is a warm and caring community with a wonderful campus and wonderful students.