Hope Charter School

Hope Charter has been a huge dissapiontment. This is my son's first year at hope. He's been an "A" student from 1st grade and has not seen a "B" yet. At public school he was given a range of education in Arts, Music, Social Studies, computer time, power piont, Science and History, even PE. Hope focuses on English and Math and misses the boat on everything else. The school is fixated on the FCAT scores and educating the children on what will result in the best test scores and give the school It's rating. Teachers are not good about communicating with the parents. We've heard this from dozens of parents. The Caffateria "which was a laugh to begin with" was shut down and It has not yet reopened and kids have been bringing lunches to school for several months. The lunches need to meet "Strict" standards or the children are not allowed to eat what they brought to school. Why getting hot lunches available to the students has not been a priority is a Mystery? The campus is small and the newly built Legacy high school is very nice. but the younger students do not get to share the huge Gymnasium. No sports, no music, no computers and no fun. Things need to improve, but my son is safe here.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children that attend this school. They have had a great experience, love going to school and are challenged. I love that they allow students to study a grade above in math. I wish this was allowed in reading as well. I must say that I really don't think they are great about communicating with parents outside of the monthly meetings. I love the small family feel, parent involvement, staff"s mannerism and the education they are receiving. They are having too much teacher turn over though and the extra curricular here is a joke. They provide boy's basketball but none for the girls. My girls would stay if the extra curricular was better.They are interested in sports and drama so I must keep looking for the perfect fit. Also, they are not big on teaching the students computer technology at this school. Your child will get a solid education and be prepared for high school. This is a great school with caring teachers,administration and good curriculum. I especially love Mr. Cole ( he does everything). Go HOPE!
--Submitted by a parent

#1 Great school!! My sons love it . Excellent staff,caring and available all the time.The teacher expect greatness out of each student , they go out of there way to make every student comfortable and safe in and out of the classroom, If you have problems they will meet with you right away, and seek out a salution.My two older boys have ADD & ADHD and keep there teachers on there toes, but are always patient and kind in working with them! I love this school and could not imagine my boys at any other school!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

This school has a long waiting list to get in for a reason. It is a wonderful place for most children. I believe the negative comments come from bitter parents who either have troubled children that have learning difficulties or they are not willing to follow the rules. This is a private school education in a public school. They teach above grade level to any student who is capable of keeping up and they do it well. Don't for one minute believe these kids are ever behind unless they have a learning disability (which is fine, it happens... just don't blame it on the teachers or the school.) These children are almost always above grade level academically. Wonderful, small school with amazing teachers. Love the attention to nutrition and brain power. Would not send my child anywhere else. Had mine not got in, I would have home schooled. Thankful for such an amazing environment that teaches character development, responsibility, humility, and empathy in addition to the curriculum. Thank you Hope Staff!
--Submitted by a parent

I must concur with the review posted March 11, 2009. My experience with Hope is that the favoritism of faculty over other non faculty parents at this school goes beyond unethical and maybe even illegal. Colleagues interests are served before the students when in conflict and there is no process or forum to mitigate differences when they arise in a fair and unbiased manner. Use extreme caution if you ever feel compelled to speak out about violations of their own policies especially if it pits you against one of their own.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter just completed kindergarten at Hope Charter this year. She faced some challenges throughout this school year, with her behavior and diagnosis of ADHD. I must say, I LOVE THIS SCHOOL. Her teacher was amazing and really kept me up to date on everything during my daughter's transition onto medication. My daughter loved her class and her teachers and her school. She DAILY came home excited to tell me about her day, even when she didn't have a great day. I am amazed at all she has learned and am confident that Hope Charter has & will provide her with everything she needs academically for a successful future. The school has a total sense of family and they welcomed my entire family with open arms. We cannot wait for school to start again to see what next year may hold for her.
--Submitted by a parent

My children both attended Hope Charter School. They were given a great foundation and have both excelled academically. My son has chosen to attend a 'regular' public school for part of middle school to prepare him for high school sports and has done very well. He was placed in all of the honors or advanced classes and continues to excel. Thank you Hope Charter for starting him off right!
--Submitted by a parent

Hope Charter, a public school, has taught our child, now middle school age, since kindergarten. Standardized test scores are consistently 1 to 2 grade levels above grade. If I read reports correctly, Hope's 3rd grade, year before last, was highest scoring in Orange County on FCAT. Not too bad. I too have known children who switched to other 'public schools' and the result was immediately they were at the head of their new class or above...that gives a clue that Hope is well ahead of the curve in educating our child. Great environment also. Check it out....you may have to be on a waiting list though.
--Submitted by a parent

HOPE Charter is an excellent school when students, parents, and teachers work together. You can't just expect teachers to do all the work to educate our children.
--Submitted by a parent

It's hard to believe that any school has truthfully earned 5 stars . This school is no exception. Our family was thrilled with the teachers for the first 3 years. However, our feelings changed when we noticed that children whose parents are a part of the faculty are favored. The monthly parent meeting are not meetings during which the parents can address concerns, but an opportunity for the director to lecture the parents and remind us that if we are not impressed with the school we can go elsewhere. While the school is state funded and everyone on staff receives a paycheck, the parents are treated as though the director and her staff are doing us a favor by allowing our children to attend the school. I am not impressed. Some of their best teachers have left leaving us very disappointed.
--Submitted by a parent