Brookside Charter and Day School

Brookside is a fantastic school! My son started here when he was in Kindergarten, and now he is in fourth grade. He is excelling in all subjects, making friends, and all of his teachers have been very communicative about any issues that arise with him at school. I'm glad this school is here! I'm not sure what we would do without it.
—Submitted by a parent

Our son started 1st grade here and he has autism. From our personal experience Brookside has been with him every step of the way and he has grown tremendously. Wow! what a job his teacher and therapists have done with him. Mrs. Snow is outstanding, a blessing as is the Principal who has been hands on from day one. I think some of the parents are a mess and give Brookside a bad name, coming in half dressed or in their pajamas to drop off their kids or they pick them up smelling of marijuana. Other than these unfit parents, I think Brookside teacher and staff are great!
—Submitted by a parent

The educational quality at the school is horrendous. The school's scores on the state exam have dropped continuously for the past few years and the school is now operating at a level lower than the surrounding school district: http://dese.mo.gov/planning/profile/apr/ayp0489166950.html In 2010 only 6% of the students passed the communication arts exam and only 11% passed the math exam. So the school missed AYP for 3 years in a row. Despite the constantly dropping test scores over the last 8 years, University of Missouri - the school sponsor - keeps promising a fix, then turns a blind eye to the lack of quality there. At one point, a City Councilman went to both the university and the state's governor to beg for an intervention. The State even took the drastic action of issuing a "Cease and Desist" order and a large fine on the school for its discriminatory actions toward a student. Parents were never informed. If you're looking for a quality education - this isn't the place to trust with your children.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers there are very unconsiderate when it came to my child from my experience. Because when my child got behind in school it took the teacher 3 weeks to tell me that my daughter was behind in class, therefore it put pressure on me and my child to play catch up all year long. As if I don't have anything else to worry about. Later I ended up tansferring my daughter to another school and is doing great, and the teachers are more quickly to tell you that your child is having a problem in school work.

I LOVE Brookside My son enrolled there last year and his growth from that time to now has been amazing. He had the BEST kindergarten teacher I could ever wish for. She helped him with his social skills (he was a little shy around kids his age) and helped turn him into a little social butterfly. He is 6 reading on a 5th grade level, wonderful at math, and he even left kindergarten doing 1st grade work getting straight A's all along the way. The office staff has always been helpful and the others teachers as well. I love how picking up and dropping off your child forces you to stay involve. And the community events that the school holds are always fun. I think that if you stay involved Brookside gives you the tools to have a successful child.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent and I have children that attend Brookside and I think its better than any school in the kcmo district. I think the teachers are great they always greet you in the morning and they also greet the children by name. I think its great they remember all the children by name.
—Submitted by a parent

I rate the principal and teachers as the best. My experience was always positive and encouraging. If I had concerns of any kind they were addressed immediately. My child was always encouraged to go beyond what was expected. The environment was always friendly and bright. All the children took their problems to the assistant principle (whose office was full of happy faces). After school the students were always in his office seeking his opinion or showing him what a good job they had done. They work had with each student to make sure that their test scores are the best they can be. My child went to Brookside from 1st thru 5th grade and did not want to leave. The before and after school care was great. I just can't say enough good things about Brookside Charter School.
—Submitted by a parent

I love brookside charter school. I have been here since my daughter was in preschool and now she is in 5th grade. Ive always been there for any and everything. Ive always felt that they were there for us to,for any and everything. I love how they are so family oriented because there has to be communication in order to make it work.
—Submitted by a parent

Brookside Charter has been a God send!!! I only wish that we had discovered it sooner. We have children in both Preschool and elementary. We have been amazed on a daily basis by Brookside's compassion and dedication to providing excellent quality education. In previous schools my daughters would complain that they could not learn due to poor classroom control. Since attending Brookside there have been no complaints...they are happy and learning! The staff greets us all by name every morning and afternoon. The administration is approachable and we consider them part of our family :) The teachers show genuine interest in our children's success at Brookside and that is greatly appreciated! After experiencing the horrors of the KCMO school district we feel very blessed to be a part of the Brookside family and we look forward to growing with them in the many years to come! Thank you Brookside!
—Submitted by a parent

Brookside Charter School is a great school. It has great teachers and office staff. The teachers are some of the best. Compared to the Kansas City, Missouri school district, Brookside Charter School is extremely better.
—Submitted by a parent

Love the teachers we have had so far in 2 years of attendance!
—Submitted by a parent

I am very disappointed in this school. When my son started Kindergarten this was one of the best charter schools out there. Now my son is in 5th grade and they have more discipline problems than any other school that I have heard about. The teachers spend more time taking care of one or two problem students than they do teaching. Needless to say we are moving my son to another school as soon as possible and I would recommend that other parents do the same.
—Submitted by a parent

Brookside School was a God-send to my family. We had tried several pre-schools where my son did not thrive and it broke my heart to drop him off. From the first day of taking my son to Brookside and through the years as he has moved through the grades I continue to be impressed with the quality of his education. My son had problems learning and had to be kept back a year. At first I was hesitant and considered transferring to another school. But it has proven to be the right course of action for him. His problems were identifed and we worked as a team to make sure my son was and is successful. I cannot praise the school enough. Thank you
—Submitted by a parent

This school used to be acceptable.But,since they have moved to the newest location I am appalled by the way I am treated by the office staff. Apparently, Brookside Charter has its own time zone.Just this morning my cell phone which is set to Universal time read 8:28 am. We were told we were tardy and needed to return to the office. Another parent in the hallway commented as to the time on his cell phone as well. We were both told that we have to be there according to there clocks which are set 5 mins ahead. This is just one of an array of ridiculous 'rules & procedures'. They need to work more on meeting their AYP and their bad attitude rather than ineffective administration. Their seems to be a very negative current overriding every interaction I have with all but the educaters.
—Submitted by a parent

This school was a complete let down. There is no sense of order in the school. The teachers and administration are ineffectual. By reading the reviews, I am just grasping the full weight of my poor decision to enroll my child at Brookside Charter. I am left scrambling to locate a more appropriate school for my child next year. Sigh.
—Submitted by a parent

I have never been so upset with a school. There is no sense of direction, trust or leadership. The kids are unruly and the teachers lack control of the classroom. Ill behavior by the staff. Lack of professionalism and a well educated and prepared staff is profoundly evident.
—Submitted by a parent

We attended this school a couple of years ago. This school should be shut down. I thought that this would be a great alternative to public school but it was a huge waste of my time and my childs education lacked because of it. The principal didn't at all have the care and concern needed to be in that role and the teachers followed suit. Lack of leadership will do that to the staff. The enrollment started off good but as the school year went on I noticed children were transferring out...which is what we had to do in search of something much much better.
—Submitted by a parent

We have just completed our second year at this school. Although our 1st year was wonderful & much better than expected, we were very disappointed with our 2nd year. The only alternative we have at this point is a private school. When we are financially able, we will do just that. Until then, we will be attending in the fall & hopefully my son's enthusiasm & willingness to learn will be noticed and taken in to account with our new teacher.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a huge disappointment. The teachers lack enthusiasm and genuine concern for their students success.
—Submitted by a staff