ACE Academy

The culture of learning and discovery at ACE is what makes it a place where kids are excited to arrive each morning, and to discuss and explore their favorite subjects and ideas with their peers. The ACE faculty are people who have pursued professional and academic achievement in their subject areas, and have come to teaching because they are just so excited about the material and passionate about sharing it with young people. The school is constantly involved with local and national programs in the fine arts, math and science, community service, etc., so students experience the thrill of competition and a greater community of learning, as well as discovering relevance and enthusiasm for the material from class. Teachers design the classroom learning to be as hands-on and multi-sensory as possible; the small class sizes and hand-selected student body mean that curriculum and lessons can be tailored to individual students' needs while still consistently meeting and exceeding state and national requirements. The opportunites at ACE give intensely curious and capable students a chance to learn from passionate, experienced teachers, and the results are always inspiring.
--Submitted by a teacher

ACE is an amazing idea for a school. The parents are involved and the co-founders are passionate about their mission. A school that embraces what ACE does is so incredibly needed, but ACE just doesn't stand up to what it sells. Their teachers are VERY poorly managed and trained, and there is no curriculum unless the teachers write it themselves. They lack administration completely and need a true principal who can manage the school itself. Management by the co-founders (two parents of gifted kids that suffered at the hands of the public school system) does not work, regardless of how passionate they are. The school is not accredited either, and that can cause issues with transference to another school. The idea of a school like this is so incredible, but ACE does not do what it should in order to fulfill its mission, so please be careful before you put your gifted child or your twice exceptional child in this environment.
--Submitted by a parent

ACE is fantastic, but I'm extremely impressed with the middle school. It's well organized and under fantastic leadership. It's a safe, challenging, and nurturing environment for my child. The pitfalls that are present in other middle schools do not exist at ACE. It's a perfect fit!
--Submitted by a parent

I would like to clarify the requirements for qualification. Parents must provide documentation of giftedness either with a GT program acceptance letter from a public school or an official individual IQ test report. To say that not all of the students at the school are gifted is inaccurate and hurtful. The school works to combat the notion that all gifted children perform well in traditional academics. Some gifted children demonstrate a high level of functioning in all areas, but many show strength in only some areas. In some cases, a learning difference or disability may mask otherwise high cognitive functioning. Furthermore, many siblings demonstrate differences in learning style and areas of strength. This does not indicate a difference in intelligence. Siblings of current students are required to go through the same admissions process as the first student, including testing.
--Submitted by a teacher

I have been a teacher at ACE Academy for three years now, and I have found it to be a marvelous environment for gifted students. Placement in a class is never based on their age, but rather on their demonstrated ability for the subject, and the school makes every effort to be flexible so that students with extraordinary aptitude for certain topics can move faster and pursue more advanced material. I had a 4 year old in my math group last year who kept up with the 8-10 year olds, and he loved the class! ACE students cover all of the classes that you would expect, but are also offered lots of unique choices for electives. Even within their classes, students are given a plethora of options. Teachers are trained to allow their student to approach a project or show mastery of a subject in several ways. We don't expect every single student to do the exact same project in the exact same way. The students at ACE are taught by an outstanding team of dedicated teachers. We constantly embrace new ways of teaching and keep an open mind while addressing the quirks of these intense children. We are supported by two hard-working cofounders, a talented staff, and a highly active parent community.
--Submitted by a teacher

I was an assistant in the Pre-K class last year and my son goes to ACE. I think that ACE is an excellent school that encourages creativity and independence. The teachers work hard to help every student succeed and the students love school. The classes are small and the parents are involved.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a teacher at ACE and a parent. My children attend in the elementary and high school groupings. Two of my children qualified by Wechsler testing and our other child was previously in a gifted and talented program at another private school. To comment for the high school ... Our son has received college-level instruction in history and writing mechanics, and daily tutoring in geometry (for free). The one-on-one in Latin instruction is superb. The fledgling debate team this year was a fantastic experience. The music/drama instruction at all levels is (I believe) the best in the city. Our son has adored Shakespeare at Winedale as well as being a lead in the school play this year. Staff assisted him daily with learning his lines. Our middle child has received outstanding one-on-one support from Tabitha Molett, the head of the Middle School. Her writing and grammar proficiency have jumped leaps and bounds under Tabitha's expert guidance. Our youngest child has developed a love of journalism and photography in the elementary photojournalism class. ACE has been a wonderful experience for our family.
--Submitted by a teacher

Could you please provide more info about the private school your child goes to? We are looking for a good school for our child who is also gifted. Thank you!
--Submitted by a parent

As a staff member at ACE, I have to say that I've never seen such a brilliant and dedicated group of people. This is a school pioneering into a neglected and underserved area of education. The program that is being built is at once groundbreaking, unique, and deeply sensitive to the individual needs of the children, reaching far beyond the "norms" to join research validated best practices for instruction with our own innovations and programs. The leaders and teachers are filled with the greatest passion in their work and compassion for their students, and are blessed with the support of dedicated and engaged parents. The classes are active and high energy - for a reason. It's how our students learn. We don't believe in straight rows of desks and worksheets; we believe in depth and creativity. I'm proud to work at ACE Academy, I'm constantly inspired by my coworkers, and I dearly love my students. Their happiness and development is my highest priority. That's the philosophy at ACE: we live to serve the social, emotional, and academic needs of our special group of kids. It's thrilling to be a part of this venture; we aren't just workers, we're builders and we're LEARNERS ourselves.
--Submitted by a teacher

Our first year was wonderful. Incredible teacher, challenging but fun classwork, made some good friends, etc. We were willing to disregard the lack of organization, some unprofessional teachers, and lack of communication until this year. Most of the teachers are both young with little experience and have little or no training with giftedness. Though some teachers are extraordinary, there are also some who are untruthful and unprofessional. I witnessed a teacher yelling and mocking a parent, and another teacher misleading the Heads of the school so she would not have to take responsibility for her lack of communication with said parent. Heads of school are so busy "growing" the school they do not seem to care about the concerns of parents and students already there. There is obviously a need for GT schools, and that is why there is such growth. However, the unprofessionalism(Heads and teachers), incredible disorganization, lack of communication(teachers/Heads with parents), and lack of any template for curriculum(even gifted kids and their teachers need some guide) make this school inadequate. What is the rate of returning students versus new students?
--Submitted by a parent