Chattanooga School for Arts & Sciences

I have been at this school for over a decade and I speak for a majority of the high school when i say that we hate the change in administration over that last 3 years. The teachers and education are still amazing but the level of "student satisfactions" has gone down drastically. Its also not just student who don't like the administration, but parents and teachers also.

I'm a freshman at CSAS and it is my first year, but I will graduate from CSAS. It is a superb school and students do have a say in what goes on. We have student government which does change the way the school is run. All of the teachers are fantastic. I have no idea what parents are saying about their students struggling. We are given every opportunity to succeed. People who want their students to be very involved with sports need to understand that although we have a small athletic department we still have sports. CSAS is just a heavily academic based school. We have seminar in all classes and one every wednesday. Seminar pushes students to think about things from multiple views and you learn about many things from seminar. The classes are roughly 150 kids and we are bonded from the start. I truly believe if you want your child to excel and get every opportunity to go to the best college they can go to, send them to CSAS. CSAS requires 18 parent volunteer hours a year and students must also volunteer. For freshmen it is 10 and goes up every year. It is an amazing school and I'm very proud to say I attend CSAS,

My son started at CSAS in the 11th grade from Tyner. He was shocked at how much more demanding it was. He never was happy there, and barely graduated. My middle son was able to start there in 9th grade because the other son was accepted, so he experienced this as his high school. My older son was the top of the class at Tyner, but struggled to pass the classes at CSAS. Both were gifted, but both only achieved B's and C's, if not F's, at CSAS. At Tyner Middle, both were A+ students. So there is definitely a discrepancy in the level of education offered at our different magnet schools, And I think there is a definite lack of support for students who should be able to succeed with a little extra help, or guidance, at CSAS. Both my kids were smart, but had few friends, and struggled.
--Submitted by a parent

It's on par with expensive private schools, and I love the parent and community involvement.
--Submitted by a parent

My child has been attending CSAS since first grade and will be going into 6th this year. This school is awsome! Children start a foreign language class in kindergarden and continue until they graduate. All Children are treated equally! I have read some negative reviews on here and notice they are a few years old. The school is old but many renovations have been done. The school is not crumbling down! Many school buildings in Chattanooga are in need for new buildings and/or renovations. The parents that have said the children run around wild and there are too many field trips, are not understanding the Paideia Philosophy. It is more "hands-on" learning than sitting still and lectured from a book. The very first year my child attended (1st grade), I was pleasantly suprised at how the middle and high scoolers looked after the little ones. I love it!
--Submitted by a parent

This school teaches students to think vs just memorizing facts.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two boys in CSAS Elementary and two nephews who are graduates. My nephews are as different as two brothers could be. The oldest is finishing his doctorate in astro-nuclear physics. His younger brother is in college on a soccer scholarship. It is the younger brother who sold me on the school. He is a gifted athlete who struggles accademically and has ADHS. In most schools he would have been segregated to the slow class at a young age and would most likely have stayed there for the duration of his education. At CSAS children are not segregated based on past performance. The children are divided into classes to provide the most diversity and they are all exposed equally to the topics being taught. The result of this is that my athletic nephew went to the National Model UN and is now majoring in International Finance. No more dumb class!
--Submitted by a parent

This is my sons first year at CSAS. He loves it and is finally enthusiastic about learning. I personally am thilled with the academic levels of this school. This is going to be a profound experience for us this year. T. Clay
--Submitted by a parent

CSAS is a great environment for kids to learn in. Students at CSAS who work hard come out prepared for college. The size of the student body allows a great atmosphere for kids to feel like they are a part of something special. The building is beautiful and with recent renovations it has become even better. The teachers are most helpful and most have tutoring before or after school to help kids that want to be helped. Parents are required to volunteer 18 hours per year to the school which leads to great parent envolvement at the school. The schools student body is diverse in every way and this leads to a student being exposed to many different view points of the world in which they live. Athletics are available, but the importance is on the academics first and foremost. Great school!
--Submitted by a parent

My child went here for 2 years, enough to know that I didn't like it and pulled him out. It was awful trying to get him in, very hard. Once he was accepted I was shocked at the amount of extra money you have to pay for all the field trips. They go at least2 a week and you have to pay for all of it out of pocket. There was also no control over the kids, in the halls, classrooms, lunchrooms. Seems to let the children take control. There are NO support for the sports programs. The school is BADLY in need of repair. Was not impressed at all!!!!
--Submitted by a parent