Southwest Secondary School

To the parent who's "A" kid had difficulty with a Health class, shame on you. To denigrate a school just because "there were trick questions" and the class you took was "too hard" is disgraceful "sour grapes" tripe. I hope you're not one of those parents who does all the work so little Johnny can get a "straight A" report card. As a test psychologist, I'm not going to get into the very good reasoning for "trick questions," as you call them (such as deductive reasoning, logic, developing critical thinking skills, etc.), but any school that is challenging children (in any subject) to think on their own, should be praised, and that's why I'm giving 5 stars to counteract your "woe is me" whining. Oh, and BTW, my kids took the health course here, and said it was one of the easiest classes in the curriculum (full-time)--and they are not "straight A" students! You know, there's a reason the test scores are among the highest in the state, AND there's a 6,000 student waiting list to get in! Let THAT determine your choices! Look it up!
--Submitted by a parent

Just what my daughter needed! I have one child that attends high school here, another does extended learning classes. She has trouble in a traditional setting getting homework turned in--no trouble here! Classes progress at her pace. She's well ahead of where she needs to be. My other daughter took Health over Spring break and finished quickly. Extended learning program gives so many options! It's a great way to get ahead of schedule/take dual credit classes. School has really worked with us. Best summer PE program! Classes aren't easy, They do require you to demonstrate knowledge of each lesson.
--Submitted by a parent

My son took the online health class (e2020) for high school in order to get that graduation requirement out of the way. Lectures are long and tedious, and test questions often test some minute detail that was discussed in the lecture that has little to do with learning material. The questions almost felt like they were trying to trick you rather than test if you have an understanding of the material. To make things worse, if you miss a question in the quiz or homework section, they will not tell which one you got wrong, and then they ask the same question on the tests in each section. My son managed to complete the course with hours and hours of work with an overall 97% in the class, but it really was torture. He is a straight A student who is normally able to breeze though material, but given the tedious nature of the course, there was no way to speed things up. He had planned to take NM History through SW Secondary Learning as well, but instead he switched to Hope Connection which was much less time to complete. If you are looking for a place to get easy requirements out of the way, SW Secondary is NOT the place to go.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a student and I give it 4 out of 5 stars because the social part of the school is lacking and staying on track is VERY hard
--Submitted by a student

My son graduated in 2008 and throught he dual-enrollmetn program, had already earned close to 18 college credits. He was very-well prepared for college and is getting almost all A's in college. Southwest Learning Centers. My daughter is a Sophomore and has earned 14 colege credits. She is the first female and youngest student in the flight school program. She is lerning how to fly and will earn her private pilots license when she is 17. This school does mre than prepare students for college- it prepares students for life!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter loves going here. It is a school where each child works at their own level. Most of the work is done on computers. There are still a few kinks to work out but it is much better than the horrible APS schools. Most of the money is spent on the administration. Charter schools are a good alternative and my daughter is thriving, happy, and staying out of trouble which is excellent for a teenager.
--Submitted by Shelly Phelan, a parent

Southwest secondary learning center is great! My son loves going and we were very fortunate to get him in. The Albuquerque public schools are generally pretty poor.(test scores show New Mexico schools one of the nations worst!) There are such long waiting lists to be accepted into the Charter schools, because they have been rating better and a lot less overcrowded. I was told my son won the lottery pick. Now my son for the first time is finally thinking about college! SW learning center has not only increased his self esteem, but he now enjoys learning!
--Submitted by Vicki Clark, a parent