Calvary Baptist Academy

I attended Calvary Baptist Academy since I was in elementary school up until I was in the seventh grade. Initially, Calvary provided a service to me that I needed spiritually but not academically starting in the 5th grade. Each year, the academics and the quality of teacher seems to decrease. Most teachers were uncertified or teaching outside their specialty area. There was too much memorizing and very little critical thinking skills taught. Since there was so much memorizing, students could not retain or understand information correctly. Too much emphasis was placed on sports where more investment should have been made in technology and teacher salaries or training. Kids who played sports were favored over others. There is also a lot of drama. If you were not rich or played a sport, you do no fit in this environment. There was very little help from staff in the middle school when I attended. I would not recommend this school.

There is no perfect school. Because there are no perfect people! Students are the same no matter what school they attend and just because they attend a Christian school does not meant that they automatically become Christians. But... I totally support Evangel and Calvary because the schools are lifting up the name of Jesus and hopefully they can reach thousands of students that come through their doors.
—Submitted by a parent

I am extremely pleased with Calvary. My child has attended CBA the past two years. The curriculum is tough, but worth it. The Christian education is priceless. We drive an hour round trip so our kids can attend this excellent Christian school. We love the teachers and LOVE Mr. Kruithof - Superintendent. We look forward to many happy, blessed years at CBA.
—Submitted by a parent

because i do not have enough information i cannot say how Calvary stacks up academically.but I will say that it has to be better than at least 90% of the public schools around here!
—Submitted by a parent

Yes, it has become more diverse as a result of the football program. It needs to be more diverse. Kids need to know that there is more than one culture in the world and a person's race or culture does not make them bad.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended CBA from K-4 until I graduated from High School. I am absolutely grateful that my parents sent me to such a wonderful school. Calvary prepared me not only for college level work, but also for life. The transition to college was difficult at times, and I credit my Christian background and the values I was taught at Calvary for keeping me on the right path. The academics at Calvary are great! I see some complaining about a lack of honors classes, but ALL of the classes we took were on par or better than honors classes at other local schools. With absolutely no studying at all I scored a 29 on the ACT the very first time I took it my Junior year. The environment at Calvary is amazing, the teachers actually care about the students, and are always willing to go the extra mile to help them succeed.
—Submitted by a student

The middle school and high school levels of Calvary are completely different from the elementary level of Calvary. The quality of teachers (not all teachers) goes down and my kids complain about teachers who do not teach over and over again in their grades. There are other problems within the higher grade levels as well. You won't fully appreciate this until your children start attending those upper classes.
—Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Calvary and have been pleased with the elementary so far. We left the best public school in this area due to the changing atmosphere after bussing began, large class size and discipline problems impeding good teachers ability to teach. The peaceful atmosphere at Calvary is welcomed and the christian principles taught are invaluable.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a 5th grade boy who attends Calvary, and has since Kindergarten. I 100% disagree with the posting from a parent (10/13/08) stating the lack of 'Christian environment'. Obviously this parent was NOT involved in the daily activities of the school, as any parent that visits the campus for more than 5 minutes can clearly see the workings and teachings of Christian values every single day! My son comes home daily with reports of what 'others' are getting in trouble for, i.e. cheating, stealing, etc., and the punishments that Calvary has imposed. Do you think you will find another school, public or private, in this area that will actually 'practice what they preach'? They demand respect from ALL students, athletes or not, and in my 5 1/2 years of being actively involved, I have NEVER witnessed any favoritism for athletes. Calvary is an example for other schools.
—Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed in Calvary this year (08-09) The Superintendent left last year and the school has gone downhill quickly. My children are begging to leave Calvary as are most of the decent Christian kids. Whats left are the less then savory children. Calvary has a difficult time hiring good teachers because their pay is very low and there is a great problem with the girls regarding drama, jealousy and gossip. Also, there is not enough for kids who are not athletes. It is very sports oriented mostly football. Football players and cheerleaders seem to have priority and get to break the rules while other kids are pressured more to conform to the rules. I can not believe how badly Calvary slipped just in one year. Calvary should now be called 'Calvary Private Academy' since there is very little Christian environment left there. It really breaks my heart.
—Submitted by a parent

Academically this is by far the best school in the area. However, my family was and still is heartbroken over the fact that we had to change schools because of tuition costs. I had my second child come to the age he was entering kindergarden and we could not afford to stay any longer. Since then we have been struggling to find a school capable of meeting our standards and I feel my children's education is being jeopardized by the poor standards for other schools in our area.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child has been given the opportunity to receive the spiritual, intellectual, and social growth as outlined by CBA's educational growth and objectives. However, we feel that CBA's primary focus has shifted within the last 2 years. Athletics, namely their football program, is top priority at CBA and when it comes to this they operate very differently than their handbook would have you to believe. The recent cultural changes we have witnessed at CBA are cause for concern. We strongly encourage you research and reflect on the contents of this review if you are considering sending your child to CBA.
—Submitted by a parent

Calvary is a great school. We have 3 children enrolled here and we really like it a lot. It is a tough curriculum with a lot of homework, but overall it has been a good choice. We are thankful to have a school like Calvary for our kids.
—Submitted by a parent

My child transfered over from another local private school. He really struggled to keep up with the academics initially, but was able to get caught up and really benefited from the school. In one academic year, his ACT score increased from a 15 to a 24. PS He made the deans list both semesters of college this year.
—Submitted by a parent

We sent both of our children to Calvary because we had faith that it was a Christian school. Words cannot describe the hurt and disappointment we felt from the problems that the school will not address. We got no help from any one at the school. Please get to know these people before you trust as we did; sometimes things aren't always as they seem.
—Submitted by a parent

We were not happy with the way the kids learned. There are no enrichment or honors classes, we were told everyone learns the same. No, everyone doesn't learn the same. Calvary doesn't take the LEAP or ACT tests. They do not attend any Academic Competitions or Literary Rallys, not even the one's for private schools. All they do is memorize way too much stuff and then take a test on it. That is not the way to learn.
—Submitted by a parent

My child was at this school. Overall the curriculum was not bad. However, there is a lot of memorization. The other thing that seemed to bother me is a lack of diversity with respect to ethnicity.
—Submitted by a parent

This is an exceptional school. My child is in K-5 now and is already reading fluently. It is such a supporting and safe environment for children. The leadership is excellent.
—Submitted by a parent

We enrolled our son at Calvary to give him a better education than public school can even dream of providing! The school does now go through 12th grade, and hopefully we will be able to keep him at CBA until he graduates. We love the academic program the school has, and believe that we made a wonderful decision for our child's education.
—Submitted by a parent

This is the most wonderful school I could have ever sent my son. The staff is great as is the environment. We experienced public school in shreveport with horrifing results. by God's grace we found a home in Calvary. My son will go here as long as I live within a 2 hour commute. I and my son absolutely love Calvary. We have grown intellectally as well as spiritually and have the faculty and pastors of Calvary to thank for that. I am proud that we attend Calvary. John Hariford
—Submitted by john hariford, a parent