Charyl Stockwell Academy - High School

To the parent who states, "the bad reviews are coming from disgruntled former parents whose children were doing very poorly at their previous schools and were then enrolled in the CSA District with expectations that CSA would be able to turn them around in a month!" We, unfortunately, were there for 5 years before seeing the horrors going on in the middle/high school campus. Because of the high teacher turn-over, students were often in classes without teachers (my high schooler spent almost 2 months of per-calculus without a teacher, then once a teacher was hired, another 2 months without a textbook because the teacher didn't like the one they were already using). And while few teachers looks good on paper, in reality this is not ideal for college prep as there are not enough teachers to provide a variety of classes (AP/honors classes in particular). Please speak with current or recent families before making the decision to attend CSPA - many are very unhappy with the leadership and will likely advise you NOT to choose this school. Too many odd things happen to too many families (strange punishments/college issues/bullying issues). Many teachers who've left will concur.
—Submitted by a parent

Fantastic school and great environment. Send your children here if you are looking for excellence. For the teacher that wrote a comment, it's called work. Stop crying and writing comments here, and spend more time writing and planning your lessons. Great job administration for having high expectations.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school of choice for our family. Our children are all doing exceptionally well and their MEAP and ACT scores confirm that. It sounds like the bad reviews are coming from disgruntled former parents whose children were doing very poorly at their previous schools and were then enrolled in the CSA District with expectations that CSA would be able to turn them around in a month! It is sad that these parents feel the need to take the time to bad mouth such a fine school. If you are looking for a great school then you need to stop by and actually see the school and talk to the administration. I can assure you that you will not be sorry.
—Submitted by a parent

Do not send your children to this school. The staff is so incredibly overworked trying to keep up with the unrealistic demands of upper administration's busy work to-do list that they do not have adequate time to devote to quality lesson planning. The result is that even experienced teachers find themselves "winging it" in the classroom. If you give them (administration) 10 things, they wanted 11; if you give them 15 things they wanted 17. Nothing is ever good enough. The result is that, time and again, really great, high quality staff wind up in upper administration's cross hairs. The consequent revolving door of faculty leaves the place in never-ending turmoil and instability. The real losers in this maniacal system are the students: they are being taught by inexperienced teachers who spend all of their energy jumping through hoops in the hopes of not losing their jobs, instead of devoting their time to the best interest of the students. It is ironic that one of their most cherished philosophies is that a good teacher-student relationship is essential to the learning process but that have trained the students to not bond with teachers for they mat not be there tomorrow.
—Submitted by a teacher

Over the last 8 years at CSA and now CSPA , my child has had the opportunity to learn from teachers who have taken great care to understand the needs of each child at their individual level, Our child is currently thriving in the middle school and has wonderful things to say about his teachers. As each child, teacher and school is different, one must decide which one is the best fit for all and for our child, CSA has been a wonderful choice.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent, I worked hard to make my child accountable for his school work, but this school has a system in place where the children have multiple opportunities to turn work in - way beyond deadlines and at the end of the term if their grades aren't up to CSPA standards (80% or better) the children are supposed to make up the work to learn the material they might not have completely mastered. In his final year there (the straw that broke the camel's back) my son was below 80% in three of four academic classes and we warned him that he would have makeup work to do if he didn't pull it together. At the end of the term, two of the three teachers said he was "close enough" and gave him B grades (that he didn't earn). What did he learn? Nothing! "Management" wants their school to look good, so I believe the grades are changed to reflect "good" students - but these students are not achieving. In the high school, out of a class of 23, very few (including the top students, supposedly) actually got into universities. And of those, by the end of the first semester, only 3 remain away at school - the rest found the work load to be too much and ALL returned home!! PREPARATORY? I think not!!
—Submitted by a parent

I find it interesting that of the 23 students in CSPA's first graduating class of those actually accepted into college only 3 still remain enrolled in college. The others dropped out because they couldn't handle the workload. Such are the consequence of a school system like CSA's.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children in the school and get complements all the time about how well behaved, smart and courtesy they are. The teachers are very caring. They know your child and are sincere and passionate about teaching. I feel so lucky to have my girls there. They have been there for years and are in high school and middle school now.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children who attend CSPA in Brighton. The teachers are excellent and the academic program is challenging. The school has allowed my kids to excel in areas where they are strong and have solidified the areas where they are weak. And their MEAP and ACT test scores speak for themselves. I can't recommend it highly enough.
—Submitted by a parent

We are newer to the system, and am curious about the details in the situation expressed in the Aug 1, 2012 posting. It states the incident took place in the 2012-2013 school year. School began in Sept 2012 Please elaborate so we are informed.
—Submitted by a parent

The students study in the hall from at least 3rd grade forward because of the noise level in the classroom, not just the upper grades. The level of bullying at this school is extreme in some cases. A situation that happened in 2012-2013 would have caused any normal school to go into lock down mode. But this administration claimed to be "naive" they are truly out of touch with reality. If the parents were not concerned with their family's safety the public would know what CSA/CSPA is really like regarding bullying. CSA/CSPA families with bullying situations need to expose this school rather than let the school continue to sweep issues under the carpet to protect their image. The school's mission and philosophy are great, implementation is horrifying particularly if you want to have a child whom can function in the real world with deadlines, quality expectations, respect, responsibility, accountability. Especially ACCOUNTABILITY. But if you want to continue to foster a generation of "entitlement and irresponsibility" send your child here.
—Submitted by a parent

Everyone will have their own opinion, but this school is amazing for my children. The staff is extremely caring, treating the students more like family than just another kid. They get to know the abilities of each child and foster them at their own pace. The parental involvement must be there; if it isn't, I can see how it would be easy for the students to fall behind since they *do* study at their own pace. As I keep on track of my children's progress, I can honestly say that they are doing much better than they would at the local public school.
—Submitted by a parent

We are extremely disappointed with the middle and high school. A lack of books, too many children in the classes, no locks on lockers and items being constantly stolen, very limited electives for high schoolers, loud, loud classrooms with students sitting on the floor in the hallways so they can concentrate due to the noise level in the class. I think if you enroll from elementary on it may work but putting children in at middle or high school was not a good fit for my kids. Also the students there are not very welcoming, it is our first year with CSPA and we it will be our last. We are contemplating pulling our children out before the end of the year. The teachers are overwhelmed with not enough support or supplies..
—Submitted by a parent

My children went to CSA until we moved. We miss the teachers and staff. The children were prepared and have done well in their new school.
—Submitted by a parent

CSPA has low expectations of it's students. This is not a bad school by any means, but it certainly does not deliver what it promises and it does not challenge the average student the way it should. No sour grapes here. The school may work for some kids, but I expect more from a school than what CSPA is offering. Choose carefully. A clean building and uniforms on the kids does not mean a good education. Looks can be deceiving.
—Submitted by a parent

I have four kids enrolled at csa/cspa. They have been there since kindergarten through high school for the oldest. The students here are treated as complete individuals with social as well as academic needs and goals. I have never seen teachers as involved with their students and the parents as those here. Parent involvement is also incredible. We chose csa after visiting all the highly rated public schools in the area and have never regretted our decision. The reviews written here are nonsense. If you want a school to understand your child and give them the kind of personal edcational assistance that only comes from truly understanding who your child is, then this school is for you. If you want your childs name in neon ABOVE other kids, then look elswhere.
—Submitted by a parent

OMG! All these reviews sound like sour grapes to me. My son has been in this school for 6 years now, since 1st grade. He is thriving here. They have excellent teachers who work hard with my son and really want him to succeed. The teacher/student ratio is half of what the local public schools are. And the MEAP scores are higher than those of the local community. Who wrote these reviews?????
—Submitted by a parent

You will not be accepted into college if you go to this school. I transferred after four days in the high-school and I went to the K-8 building for a few years. The only elective courses they offer are Spanish, choir, art, and gym. I now go to a public high-school and my electives are Psychology and Child Development. If your child and I were two people up against each other to be accepted into a University, they would pick me. Why? Because I meet the criteria colleges look for. Even if you complete the criteria to graduate from CSPA, you won't even have enough of ANYTHING to get into even a community college. The teaching is a joke. Everyone watched YouTube videos when I went. It's an absolute poor excuse for a school. Everyone is academically behind at this school. If they were to go off into the real world, they would not make it because they were babied at CSA and CSPA. For the sake of your child's future, remove them from this school
—Submitted by a student

We took our child out of the school after 3 1/2 years of trying to make it work. Their academically gifted program is a joke. The number of students in the classroom is way too high to maintain order and a conducive learning environment. Teachers are frustrated with the situation and the administration spends more time telling parents there isn't a problem than working toward a solution. Don't send your child to CSA if you care about their education and learning experiences.
—Submitted by a parent

The uniform policy is problematic. They are hard to purchase, and it is not effective. The school is too noisy. It is distracting and the classes are too large. The support staff seems friendly. The transportation complexity is also a problem. The car pool setup is organized well, but the geographics and road access lead to problems.
—Submitted by a parent