Coeur D'Alene Charter Academy

My daughter has been attending Charter for the since 6th grade. Love this school! At first, she had to adjust her study habits and organization, this was not an easy task; however, I encouraged her, tolder her I believed in her and now she is thriving. A parent's attitude to the workload and the academic challenge will adversely affect the child's overall performance. This school holds kids accountable and creates and successfully creates an environment where children can focus on learning. What a concept! No school is perfect but Charter Academy is is the best Idaho has to offer. I am grateful that my daughter has an opportunity to be a part of such a great school.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm a graduate of the Charter Academy, and while the school's curriculum is hard, I think that's how high school should be. I don't agree with the comment that they only focus on Ivy league-bound students. Those kids don't need help. Teachers like McCormick, Solsvik, MacPhee, and Bass all do their best to make sure the students have the best opportunity to succeed. That being said, this school is not for everybody. I graduated in 2008, and am about to graduate from Boise State University, and the Charter Academy prepared me well for a rigorous college career.

I have had several children attend Charter over the past seven years. While I very much appreciate the focus on content and the protected environment, I have become increasingly aware of the administration's focus on promoting their top few students at the expense of the rest. All the kids who attend Charter are above average students and are typically amazing young people. Charter seems to have such a drive to produce Ivy-league students that they've lost focus of the fact that they are an Idaho public school, educating Idaho students who typically go on to Idaho secondary schools. I am concerned that the lower 3/4 of the class at Charter are being given the message that they aren't "good enough" because they don't meet Ivy-league standards. They are also missing out on scholarship opportunities because of their lower GPAs. Parents should be made aware that the students' dual credit courses (from NIC, for example) are NOT being included in their high school GPA. This was never explained to us, until we read the fine print on our student's transcript. Yes, it is a good school, but if you are considering sending your student here, make a fully informed decision.
--Submitted by a parent

If you have a motivated, dedicated student - then this is your school. If you want a clean, wholesome environment for your child to be in, learn in, grown in - then this is your school. My child has attended since sixth grade and will soon graduate from Charter. Our experience has been positive throughout the years. Teachers and Administration are easily accessible and will/do work with you or your child's needs and or concerns. The only year my child had nightly homework was the year with 4 AP classes and 2 Honors classes - and that was self-selected. I believe that the rigor and content that this school has provided to my child has enabled them to rightfully earn a spot at a top-tier Ivy League school. I believe that if my child had attended either of the other two HS in town, a four-year full ride to this particular Ivy League school would not have been a remote possibility. Our children need to go above and beyond in this day and age, and Charter prepares them for their future in our competitive new world.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a great school for kids willing to accept the challenge and work to learn. I've had three children graduate from here and I find a parent's bad attitude towards the work load negatively affects their child's attitude. When I had a child whine about homework, my view was this is a great "real world" experience in learning how to handle a situation you may not like. Life is not always fair. Character development was more important to me than grades. You do the best you can. All three went on to college. The one attending a private college said that as hard as Charter was, college is harder. As far a dealing with the staff--they are the best! Perhaps the person who said they had problems came across as defensive and looking for an argument and they apparently did not even have a child here.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is great overall but the History teacher for the freshman is not the quality of a great school. She has 16 page tests and students cannot finish them during class time. The average grade on her tests is a D and these are A students. We left because we were warned, everyone knows about her. And then there is another Literature teacher who is even more horrible in the ninth grade. Your grade point average WILL drop and no one will care or do anything to make it fair. These teachers have been complained about for years now... no changes.

After reading the reviews I was disappointed when I actually spoke to the administrative staff. They did NOT return phone calls and when I finally got through to a person they were rude. This was consistent behavior all the way up to the principal. Maybe I caught them on 3 bad days but it was sufficient that I won't be sending my child there.
--Submitted by a parent

Great school - with true passion for its students! Offers multiple outstanding programs for our students and prepares them for life's challenges. Great ethics from all staff and a true desire to educate students to be open-minded and prepared for life as a world citizen. Challenging, yes - but not unrealistic, teaches students great work ethic and life returns what you work for. Great preparation as my child prepares to enter a very competitive world economic arena. Teachers are very involved and know most students by name. As with all programs - I do not agree with all teachers or policies, but this diversity also teaches my child to deal with the challenges of life and how to get through these challenges in a learning environment. Best school in town by far - teaches students to face challenge and fail or succeed - first school I have ever been challenged to be involved with as a parent. Be prepared to be challenged as a parent, this school expects a team effort and walks the talk.
--Submitted by a parent

there are many things wrong with the november 8 2010 comment. i currently still go to charter. you do NOT get chastised for asking questions, the teachers greatly appreciate and encourage them. that teacher with the dumbbutt box is everybodies favorite teacher and voted to name the box. we ALL agreed on it AND got approval from some other teachers. the result was NOT retaliation to your child, i know as i was there. the teacher made an excellent point and i do not believe that you should have lashed out so harshly for something that you said. if you did not understand the meaning of the point that was made, then it is you that needs to go to charter. this school needs absolutely no improvement, it is the best school in the state of Idaho. anyone looking to challenge that can e-mail me. p.s. the school has an average of 10-30 minutes of homework every night if you do not procrastinate like most people do... not the bogus "loads" of homework that you foolishly claim there are. that is ridiculous...

Our child attended Charter for over two years. We loved the type of child that Charter attracts: typically nice, sheltered, naive, and of good character. The academics were challenging in that the teachers assigned loads of homework. Unfortunately there was often a lack of accompanying instruction. Children were chastised for asking questions in class. What was a major concern, however, was the treatment of these great kids by many of the teachers. One of the teachers took great pride in displaying a box near her entrance with the label "DUMB B--- BOX"- which contained supplies for the unprepared students. We requested that the box be renamed and the result was retaliation to our child. The principal's comment? "The very message that you view as demeaning was intended as a show of respect to our students..." This school needs improvement.
--Submitted by a parent