Lutz Preparatory Academy

We are very happy in our first year at this school. Our kids love going to school. The quality of education, environment and overall experience at Lutz Prep is fantastic and continues to get better each and every day.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our 2nd year at Lutz Prep and I still think its a great school! Yes it has had growing pains and teacher turn over, but many schools do. I also agree that it doesn't have that small community feel that it had last year but the school had to grow. It has nearly doubled in size since last year which means many new teachers, students and parents with all sorts of opinions. With that growth however, the school is better able to educate the kids with a variety of equipment and opportunities because the funds are there. I know a lot of people are saying its "just like a public school." Well technically it is a state funded school! Lutz Prep has a strong name in our community for a reason. Not EVERY family is going to be happy there and that's fine! I think the school has great ideals and truly attempts to individualize education for each child to the best level that they can and that's all I want for my children.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a good school but the education is not different than the local public schools which are "A" schools. The teachers are good but the administration is disorganized. Communication from the website is different from what you will get if you call. When this is brought to the staff's attention they make no effort to change it. They don't really care about what an inconvenience it is to the parents. They are so focused on "branding" their school and raking in money from their Pre-Prep that they are forgetting about the education of the kids that made them special in the first place. It is not a place where you can speak freely. Being "critical" of the school or offering suggestions is looked down upon. I was so excited to have my child get into the school but now I will be going elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with reviews mentioning many changes at LP. However, LP is a new school, and I know that no matter what project you are involved with there are always changes. What is important is for parents to keep a closer eye on your child development in all areas. In our case we are happy to say that our son has given the opportunity to excel. His teachers in 2nd and now 3rd grade have been caring, and truly interested in the development of the children under their care. I also see the new Principal growing into her positon. Once again you have to give a chance for people to adapt, learn, and execute. She is now fully engaged from what I can see. My son enjoys going to LP. Could LP be better? You bet - but it is up to all the parents to make it even better. God Bless LP! we are grateful for being part of it!
—Submitted by a parent

My husband and I couldn t have chosen a better school for our daughter. The school s philosophy is Individualized Education and I can attest that it works and it s implemented effectively. My daughter is excelling in academics and she s met so many wonderful new friends. Every single child in her classroom is her friend because the school instills a safe learning environment and focuses on building children s self-esteem and helping them relate to one another. My daughter loves her teachers and, as a parent, I m also very happy. I interact with them every day as my daughter brings home her individualized homework folder and we check off the items we ve worked on and what needs improvement, etc. Studies show children who typically excel in academics are the result of strong parental involvement which is why the school requires volunteer hours and provides parents with a lot of communication via emails, newsletters, blog, etc (which I happen to really like). I can t say enough good things about the school and we re very proud and happy to be a part of it.
—Submitted by a parent

STUDENT: I was here last year and I LOVED iT but in the changes of this year it's hard to say the same. I am in 6th grade and I think the school needs to be equivalently geared to younger children and older children the teachers are great but, since I spend ALL DAY there I think it's hurting my grades and if you ask others I am sure they will say the same thing. The new principle is fine but not the best, there no mean kids so that's great that I won't have to stand up for my sister, in the end it's not as great this year as it was last year because of rapid growth and extra hours. Remember this was written in a 11 year old 6th grader.

How disappointing....last year, this school showed such promise and my kids loved it. However, at the end of last year, the principal pretty much quit on the spot and sent all the parents an unsolicited email saying so, citing her reasons behind her decision being due to a profound lack of support by the administration. Now I am not in a position to say whether there was any truth to that or not, but what I can say with 100% accuracy and certainty is that ever since that happened, the schools underwent sweeping changes...all for the worse... They have doubled in size, extended their hours, depersonalized everything and now the place is run like a factory....the teachers they have brought in are AWFUL. They have the most condescending attitudes and are rude and apathetic. Have they forgotten that these are kids and they learn best when the learning is tangible and made to be rewarding?? Anyway, the school gets a major league THUMBS DOWN this year....which is a stark contrast from what it was a year ago....
—Submitted by a parent

Comunication has been great this year. Teachers give weekly emails on what academic goals are expected for the week and also a summary of what happened the week prior. The principal also sends out weekly emails and biweekly newsletter that makes keeping up with events and other items much easier. With all this communication, we can all work together to ensure our children are learning and are happy! To touch on the school hours comment...it doesn't seem like there was time to get parent involvement in the time change decision if she just came on mid August, give her a break..I personally like that my children have the extra hour for spanish, art or other specials that aren't provided as often (or at all) in a regular public school. Having a child in the EC bldg and main bldg, I'm glad she put the times closer together. If it makes sense for the way our school needs to work together for arrival and dismissals, it's fine by me.
—Submitted by a parent

Changed the school hours, admittedly, because of conflict with Early Childhood classes. When I spoke with the Hillsborough County's School Board Director of Charter Schools regarding this last-minute change without any regard to parents thoughts/ideas on this, the director said that the EC program should not have been have had ANY part of the equation...it's a separate entitity. Lutz Prep should NOT have allowed the EC and its VPK program to take precidence and influence the K-6 charter hours, but they receive funds from the state for VPK and LP doesn't want to lose that. I like that there are fewer students, but the teachers are no better than that of any public school. So, one star because it's unsatisfactory to allow the VPK influence the K-12 charter. One star because the board allowed the new Prinicipal to change the hours on a whim. Three stars because I won't know how the teachers are until I see it reflected in my daughter's grades. She's not thrilled about spending ALL DAY at school. Longer hours DOES NOT equate better education. Two stars for parent involvement. Some of us volunteer often, and others NEVER.
—Submitted by a parent

We are new to the school this year and our children love it! They have never been more confident or eager to learn. The principal is great! Since she came into her position late Summer, we are impressed at all she has accomplished in such a short time. It will only get even better! We look forward to being at LP through HS! (hopefully)
—Submitted by a parent

Absolutely love this school...far beats any public elementary school education in Tampa. Beautiful campus, friendly staff and great school atmosphere. Don't mind the time change...I think it's great actually!
—Submitted by a parent

I have to say I am somewhat shocked at the poor reviews. We are new to Lutz Prep, and it is only the school's second year. I appreciate the honest communication via email. Would the earlier reviewer rather they not communicate at all nor address issues? I love that my child gets "specials" of art, PE, music or Spanish every day. I have seen the principal every single day since school started and she has always been warm. I love the Wholesome Tummies lunch vendor - real food! The teachers are great and the energy is positive. Those of us who have experienced Fl public schools see the potential in this very new Charter. I plan to volunteer and try to grow LP to its potential.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has been admitting areas of weakness through the constant emails we have been receiving. I was not actually aware of all of the problems that they seem to be having. We were happy with our teacher last year and that is all that is important to us. We stay out of the drama. Our children also attended the private school that this charter school was modeled from. It is now 'taboo' to speak of this school, but we were happy there for years. As long as the teachers are wonderful, we will stay. Hopefully this new Principal will understand what a special place Lutz Prep is and support the programs and teachers. I would like to know why the Board members keep changing. This seems like a problem to me. One would think that consistency is important in opening a new school. We have had many changes in administration and Board members..... perhaps this is the problem. Thank goodness the teachers are wonderful!
—Submitted by a parent

This is really a great school, I can't understand the parents rating it so poorly. The level of education and caring at this school is top notch. Yes last year was the first year, so there were a few kinks to work out. I am sure there will be a few more this year with the expansion, but the school is very open and honest and more communicative then any other school I know of. The website is updated frequently and so is the blog. We received emails atleast weekly throughout the last school year, and I expect the same this year. In addition the parents are always allowed in the school, the administration is approachable, open, and honest. The new principal was very warm and friendly when my daughter and I met her. If you google her, you can read rave reviews from parents at her previous school, so I am confident she will be great. I have friends who go to well rated regular public schools, and there is a huge difference in what level they are learning and all the extras we get...monthly field trips, music, art, spanish, etc. I am so happy to be part of this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Lutz Prep last year because it was suppose to be the same program as the Private School she had attended the two years prior. Fortunately, many of the teachers from the Private School are now at this school. This is the only reason we have stayed. They are wonderful and have carried through the philosophies and learning processes that she was used to and has excelled with. I for one, am tired of receiving emails with random thoughts and grammatical errors. My son will be starting in the Pre-Prep and we will likely stay for now, but I was less than thrilled with my first meeting with the Director. She was not warm and very hard to read. I have often wished that this school was still the smaller Private School that we started at, but we will stick it out in hope that they pull everything together.
—Submitted by a parent

I met the new Principal. Not a good start. Was not warm. Was not friendly. Did not have time for me. I understand that school is about to start, but at least make me feel important for FIVE minutes. We also have concerns about the change of the school day hours. We are both working parents and have children at other schools. How are we suppose to coordinate, or shall I say re-coordinate, our schedule with just a few days to go. No input was requested. No heads up was given. Not sure what we are going to do.
—Submitted by a parent

Although new, this school continues to push in a very positive direction. They have great new leadership in place to compliment the already fantastic teacher base. The test scores are phenomenal, and the facility is second to none. It is hard to believe Lutz Prep is a public charter school. It is wonderful to be part of something this good, knowing it is only going to get better. Go Lightning!
—Submitted by a parent