Columbia Academy Elementary

I highly recommend Columbia Academy's Pre-school program. My son attended both the 3 year and 4 year old programs. Initially, he attended the Goddard school in Hanover where I found the program to be very rigid. The biggest difference I found between both schools was that at Columbia Academy my son was learning at a very high rate while having fun. My son enjoys the academic programs and really loves his teachers. He was a 2012 graduate of the 4 year old program (Pre-K) at the Kendall Ridge location. Additionally, the administrators are hands on and also involve themselves in fun classroom activities. Staff is very creative and finds numerous ways to keep the kids stimulated. My son attended the George Washington University Reading Program this summer at the 1st grade Reading level. He just turned 5 (June 2012). I credit his teacher at Columbia Academy Kendall Ridge for his achievements.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended Jr. K and K at Columbia Academy, and we had nothing but positive experiences. The teachers and staff are wonderful, a great balance of young enthusiastic teachers, and older experienced ones. The before and after care was a lifesaver! They are open until 6:30pm, and stayed open for non-academic days on snow days and holiday breaks so parents are still able to get to work. They were able to provide a lot of individualized instruction and fantastic field trips. I was able to spend time in the classroom, the children were happy, well behaved and respectful. If we had not moved across the country I would have loved to have kept my son there for first grade.
—Submitted by a parent

It is simply by luck that my son is only 5 years old and I began to realize how horrible this Columbia Academy school is! My son has been in the Columbia Academy preschool for more than 2 year. The teachers are OK, but the management is plain horrible! They are arrogant, have no idea how to run a school, and just blame on others to cover their own incompetence. Especially for the 2012 new management, they messed up their billing system and said that I should pay my son's tuition by week and lunch by week! seperately! We never had this type of problem before! we never know this change and they want us to pay the so called late fee no matter how hard we tried to explain to them it is not our fault! I mean, I understand that maybe one or two teachers might not be good enough, but if the management is this incompetent and arrogant, this school has simply lost my trust and respect becase you cannot trust they will make any good adjustment! I have transfered my son out of this school immediately and my family and friends will stay away from Columbia Academy as far as possible1
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in JK here and loves it. She cant wait to go to school everyday. She is learning to read and math skills that are going to give her a huge leg up next year.
—Submitted by a parent

I went to this school up until 5th grade. I left because they didnt give a good education and because of the neglected resources. Public school is a way better option. Everything was falling apart by the time I left.

i was an 8th grade student and this is what i have to say: The School was challenging in many ways...........it was a good wake up to the bad funding and neglected resorces. If you want a good school without paying all the money... just send your child to public school...Thats all i have to say

Columbia Academy is a welcoming, family-friendly environment. The Junior-Kindergarten program pushed my child and I could not be happier. My child is reading, writing words, and knows all of the letter sounds. Their math teaches them the beginnings of time, money, patterns, etc. This is a great program if your child has a birthday between September and December! They are constantly learning and are challenged based on their skill level. I would highly recommend this program to anyone I know!

Both of my children went to preschool here. My son was at a different (no closed) location where he was neglected rather than instructed and allowed to do his own thing rather than be steered into class activities. He regressed a tremedous amount for the time he was there. We met with the head of this location adn what would be his teacher and had a great deal of confidence that it would be better. It was in so many ways and he transitioned to first grade in a public school without incident. Due to Howard County schools policy, my daughter had to go an additional year to "pre kindergarten" which is nothing more than preschool. She reads, spells, writes and comprehends far beyond what they are able to challenge her with. The costs are ridiculous and the summer camps even more so. Every time I turn around there are fees and charges due for things over and above tuition. In my opinion, this place just isn't worth it. I am counting down the days for this school year to be over and being able to recoup that cost. I don't see where the money goes. They did finally improve the playground area, but there are rooms that desperately need paint and maintenence.
—Submitted by a parent

It is a business and that's it. They don't car about your kids. Below public school standards and when you switch your kids will be behind that of a public school!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter spent first through sixth grade at Columbia Academy, then transferred to the local public school. Her transition was very rocky; despite having earned high As in reading, I found, to my shock, that she was two full years behind Howard County public school standards. Her low scores required that she be placed in a special reading program, which both puzzled and humiliated her. My advice is that you should not waste your money at Columbia Academy unless you need extended day care.
—Submitted by a parent

I do agree with the last reviewer. This so is basically a good public school with uniforms. Instead of trying to soar above the public school system, they seem to want to conform to it. If you are in the position to send your child to a good public school, do so and save your money.
—Submitted by a parent

Columbia Academy is little more than a public school with uniforms. You do not get what you pay for. The teachers do not instill much confidence and the admin staff appears over it's head. The hours a very nice for working parents but that's where the value ends.
—Submitted by a parent

My son was one of the first graduates of Columbia Academy middle school. He was there from kindergarten through 8th grade. He learned to go to school every day and is now a junior in college on his way to Law School. C.A. provided the educational foundation that he needed to soar academically in high school and he was awarded 5 scholarships to college. I highly support this school now and forever.!
—Submitted by a parent

Great school. Ratio is great (14:1). She loves the teachers and the environment. Behavior issues are dealt with and she is clearly above grade level in math and reading.
—Submitted by a parent

My 6 months old baby has been there for almost 3 months now and we love columbia academy so much because her care givers are fantastic! They are full of love, friendly, nice, and professional. We had been gone through other daycare before we came here and definitely can see the differences. It's a perfect choice except the parking lot.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended this school for one year. His transition from Kindergarten at Columbia Academy to a public first grade was very difficult. He had not been well prepared academically. Also, the school provided little guidance in learning to form letters appropriately and he still struggles with his handwriting. It seems that the administration is more concerned with making money than providing a strong academic environment for its students.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter was at this school for 2 years and academically it is a great school and she learned a great deal. However, I have not been happy with the way school management handles issues that arise.I think the staff in general could use some PR/customer relations training. Some are quite abrasive and unfriendly
—Submitted by a parent

Most teachers and support staff good and try hard. Administration not very responsive to problems. Parking lot a mess for drop off, but pretty organized for pick up in pm. Yes, way too many fundraisers! Library needs updating with references and books that are far too outdated and limited.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been there for three years so far. I love it! Class sizes are small (10-15 per class) and the teachers are great. They really take the time to work with each individually. My daughter has learned a lot this school year. She takes Spanish and PE twice a week and Yes, parking lot is a nightmare but for a school of 200 students it's not that bad. We are paying for her education, not for a parking lot. Music program is excellent with two super teachers. I have no problem paying what I'm paying because I've seen how much she's learned and how much she likes her school. I teach public school and you can never compare the two. Keep up the good job!
—Submitted by a parent

Good school for working parents. Very accommodating but you will pay for it! Too frequent fundraisers. Parking Lot is a nightmare, especially in a.m. Several teachers quit this year and replacements were just band-aids for the amount of money paid.
—Submitted by a parent