Charyl Stockwell Academy

I attend have attended this school since kindergarten, and am currently in 11th grade. Although I dislike wearing a uniform, there are a lot of perks. I have the opportunities to take challenging classes, and the teachers are very open and easy to talk to. They work with the students and are very involved during the entire class. I have a lot of homework, but that is because I'm taking two AP classes and am currently maintaining 4.0's in everything. I received nearly a 30 on the two practice ACT tests we have taken this year. The school is very helpful in terms of planning for the future. The teachers meet with you and your parents concerning plans for college, and will even help you to fill out college applications. There have been several occasions when they have given us tips and tricks for applying to colleges and financial aid, which will benefit everyone greatly. I am very glad that my parents enrolled me in this school, because I am ahead of many other kids my age. The open communication eases any stress that comes along with the school work. It is a great school, and I am thankful that my parents chose to send me here.

We have been so happy with CSA. Our child is receiving a great education. She is in groups (reading, math, writing, etc.) that are challenging for her without being too hard. She is flourishing at CSA. The teacher communication with the parents is excellent, and the administration is available and caring. We are overwhelmingly happy with the school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is beautiful and clean. They have a remarkable Spanish program. But after Navigator (Grades 1-2), the kids move to the trailers in the back of the building. They are NOT beautiful or clean. Also, it took 6 months for a simple speech evaluation. My kindergartener can sing and count to 25 in spanish but she cannot read English. Why? Because apparently she isn't "intrinsically motivated" to sound out words. What? I'm not intrinsically motivated to clean my house but it has to be done. Her class is sheer chaos. There is a bullying issue at the school. The previous poster is correct. You can talk to teachers, but they don't stop it. Parent involvement is poor from what I've seen. I've toured public and private schools in the area and was very impressed with the alternatives. I think, if you do some research, you can find a better school than CSA. We will not be returning next year and my kindergartener can't wait to transfer.
--Submitted by a parent

They say that bullies are not here, but that is not true. My son and his friends get bullied constantly and when they tell teachers, they do NOTHING ABOUT IT! Definetely not pleased.

The philosophy of this school sounds wonderful on paper, but when put into practice in the classroom it can have detrimental effects. The children are expected to work to their ability level regardless of age. Meaning that a nine year old may turn in a paper with unreadable handwriting, poor grammar, and misspelled words, but will be told they did great because they are "working at their own level." The problem with this practice is that many of the children are never "pushed" to try harder (to meet grade level expectations) when they are fully capable. Which, in turn, causes them to fall far behind their peers in a public school setting.
--Submitted by a teacher

After 4 years of debating whether we made the right choice to have our child a CSA we transferred to a new school this year. When asking my child if they are ok with this transfer, the statement we heard; "I would like to have had Mrs. XXX this year but I am learning A LOT more than I did at CSA." That confirms it all for me. CSA's curriculum is lacking, adequate resources are not made available for teachers, discipline is inconsistently applied, IAP'S take forever and they collect the funding but do not implement the IAP plans adequately - the list could go on buy why bother until you actually experience the place and explore all the issues you will not be fully informed. No school is perfect - the difference is how open they are to possible solutions to the issues. CSA does not want to acknowledge imperfections or permit outside advice unless you are a big donor. If you deeply reviewed their budget, you might reconsider the monetary donations you give.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm surprised at the first 3 responses to this page, obviously these parents are new to the school and do not realize how many people leave every year, year after year because CSA just does not live up to their philosophy. The classrooms just don't work as they are packing more and more kids into the classroom with very incompetent teachers that simply cannot get control of their classrooms.
--Submitted by a parent

We left Brighton Schools for CSA. Our children's education and love of school has improved greatly. When buying summer bridge books, we had to get a year ahead of their upcoming grade level because those books were still review. When discussing their materials and work with teachers from other schools, they are on grade level or above. The administration is the biggest drawback: their need for control over non-academic activities at the school and offsite. But let me deal with that by going outside school for sports and activities. I chose the school for academics. No school is perfect, but this one has the child's education as their main objective. Time will tell how CSA&CSPA compare to area schools, when the new MEAP scoring comes out. Current MEAP scores are so close, there is no leader. CSPA already has a student in college without having a graduating class: check out http://brighton.patch.com/articles/brighton-student-skips-senior-year-of-high-school-to-start-at-georgia-tech
--Submitted by a parent

We have been at CSA for years and could not be more pleased with the growth that we have seen in all of our children since they have started. The bashing reviews are disheartening to read and many of the claims that I am seeing made are completely untrue. The students are 100% accountable for their actions and do not have it as laissez-faire as many posters have stated. Not even close! Teacher and parent involvement is top notch there and 2010 MEAP scores are quite impressive.
--Submitted by a parent

My son was in public schools for 2 years and hated school. Both my boys have been in CSA for 1 year now and they love school! Infact they were mad that they had to have a summer vacation. As for learning it is better than Brighton Schools. At Brighton my son never even had a spelling test and at CSA he was doing 2 spelling sets a week since he was doing so good.
--Submitted by a parent