Sunset Mesa Schools

Sunset Mesa is a great school. Wonderful students, faculty, staff and families. My daughter received the best education available in Albuquerque, period. The best time spent from pre-school through 5th grade. I was shocked to see any negative comments at all for this school. All of them must be written by one disgruntled person or someone just out to slam this school for warped reasons. I would not give those comments a second thought. Anyone interested in providing their child the best possible education in ABQ should just go and see for themselves. Seeing is believing. And their success record stands for itself.
--Submitted by a parent

My child did not have a positive experience at this school. The factors that I've attributed to this were, in part, the very cold and highhanded administration, teachers who behave as if they have to pander to the "elite" parents to the detriment of the others, mostly entitled kids, and subpar faciltiies. I was paying for my child to receive a top notch education that would meet her individual needs. I did not receive this. I am glad that my family is done with this school. If I had to do it all over again, I'd look at the competition, including the other private or parochial schools, or even my local public school. On another note, I am saddened, but not surprised, that an earlier parent reviewer made the statement that all of the "negative complaints are unfounded, most likely (made by) parents who had kids with learning or behavior issues." Wow! These reviews are made by individuals who speak of their INDIVIDUAL experiences! How can someone claim that another's personal experiences are unfounded. This attitude prevailed for our duration at this school. Buyer beware!
--Submitted by a parent

I came across this website by accident, but I thought I'd leave my observations for prospective parents. First, kids who push, hit, kick, bite, etc, are asked to leave, sometimes very abruptly. And, usually the parents are understandably very upset about it and I imagine that the staff looks pretty cold and callus in their eyes. Second, the school is academically challenging and if your child can't keep up, or is disruptive to the class, they may be asked to leave. But usually, you'll see this coming after being called in for endless meetings with the staff. I've seen some parents call it quits just to avoid the meetings. Remember that a lot of the parents are PhD scientists and engineers at the labs or doctors, lawyers, etc. and some of the teachers are naturally a bit intimidated by this and it can make them seem a little cold but they warm up pretty quick if you take the initiative to talk to them. The public schools in the area have superior facilities, but have nearly twice the student to teacher ratio. And no child falls through the cracks here, unlike in some public schools. I'm happy with my choice.
--Submitted by a parent

I think Sunset Mesa is a great school. As a fifth grade student, I feel like school's my second home. So, it's great to have a friendly environment with great academics. The only bad things I have to say about my school is that there's some favoritism going on. Sure that's great for the kids who are the favorites, but for kids like me, it's really not fair to not get the part you wanted in the school play, or something like that, just because you're not a favorite.

My daughter is excelling in her new school at above her grade level. She is well- liked by her peers and is involved in several extracurricular activities. Our experience at Sunset Mesa was miserable because of the smug and cold attitudes of the administrative staff. They failed to protect her from a bullying situation where she was hurt repeatedly. Their answer was to give more attention to the bully, and to make the mom of the bully " class mom". We are now in a much safer, more academically focused school with true principles of character and responsibility where that would never be tolerated. I will never forget the damage that teacher and administration allowed. Don't believe the hype!
--Submitted by a parent

We have had 3 children in this school, and been involved with it for 5 years, preschool and elementary. All the complaints I am reading are unfounded, most likely by parents whose kids had behavior or learning issues. One of our kids struggled academically coming here from a public school, and was offered tutoring by an outside source and his teacher. With the exception of one teacher, I felt my kids were very loved by their teachers. We are a family that struggles to keep our kids in private schools financially and feel no discrimination, and the school even helped us through a period of unemployment so that we wouldn't have to pull our kids. It is a closed campus, but all you have to do is ask and you can meet with anyone there and get involved. Most parents are wonderful, even to us "poor" parents. Kids will be asked to leave if they have behavior issues or can't handle the rigorous academics and I wonder if the parents here who are complaining are parents of those kids. I appreciate the fact that there are no serious behavior issues at this school due to that policy. My kids are very safe and loved at this school and thriving academically.
--Submitted by a parent

It is unfortunate to read some of the negative comments here. My experience at Sunset Mesa has been outstanding. The faculty and staff have always been extremely open and supportive to me and my "non-Anglo" children. Academically, you could not ask for more. Sunset Mesa students continually place in the top 1% nationally on standardized tests. That speaks volumes about the quality of education. My children are in the best care at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school has good teachers, but a cold and callus administration. IT is highly religious, and do not seem to be able to tolerate non-anglo intact families. Diversity is lacking, as is empathy and genuine care for children's well being. They kicked my child out in the middle of the year without a reasonable explanation other than that he "needed to change within the next few days". How lacking is their understanding of children that they expect them to "change" in a few days? This is a school that is highly prejudiced and ignorant about the needs of children. I would not recommend wasting your time nor money here. I am regretful for having trusted them to care for my child.
--Submitted by a parent

We moved to Albuquerque for just 1 year, and one of the highlights of living there was having our children attend Sunset Mesa Schools. Our boys attend PreK and PreSchool, and they loved every moment of it. I cannot praise this school enough. They welcomed our children to their wonderfully nurturing environment, they taught them with genuine care for their needs. The boys had fun every day, with an exellent outdoor play area. I recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a solid start to their child's education and social development, you won't do better!
--Submitted by a parent

My family's experience couldn't be more polar opposite from the previous review. My child is entering her 3rd year in the PreSchool Montesorri, and is THRIVING!! Her teachers are truly talented and skilled in the curriuclum and early childhood needs. Their warm approach and individual attention has helped my daughter find success in reading, art, music, math, and social development. On the weekends my daughter plays school with me and can't wait to go back. To me that is testimony of her love of learning and her admiration for her teachers.We LOVE Suneste Mesa.
--Submitted by a parent