ACE Academy

We are very happy with ACE Academy. We did ALOT of research. The one and two star ratings seem to come from families who pulled their children out of ACE because it wasn't a good fit. I have read all of the reviews and it mostly sounds like these families should have never enrolled at ACE in the first place. They gave us ample time and information about how the school is run. I suggest you take a long look at ACE to make sure it is the right fit. This is not a traditional school and will not satisfy parents who are looking for a more traditional learning enviornment. For us, it has been outstanding.
—Submitted by a parent

The 3rd grade science class is taught by a PhD in Science Education, an IT professional, and a senior science major from UT.In 1st 6 weeks students do scale drawings and investigations measuring mass, volume, and distance.They use search engines for developing research projects in Word, Excel to collect and organize data, and Power Point to organize presentations of their work.They experimentally determine the % of water in okra, taste okra and learn about its history. They design germination and growth experiments, using fractions and % to describe their results. They currently have at a least three types of winter vegetables growing. They watch BBC and use National Geographic to learn about caring for their live Venus fly traps. They observe live mosquito larvae and discover the connection to birds/West Nile Virus.They play games to explore ecological relationships, and develop advanced vocabulary while learning life and element cycles.They also explore fossil fuels and alternatives. Students are integrating information age technology while analyzing data sets, discovering science for themselves, using sources and communicating ideas with the same tools that scientists use.
—Submitted by a teacher

I saw a learning sequence in my son s 6th grade classroom in another school where the system gives all the teachers scripts to read, word for word, supposedly to improve quality control. It was on the food web of the Snowy Owl. The number of Snowy Owls in our area was equal to the number of students in that classroom who showed any enthusiasm for the highly scripted lesson that neither deviated to answer any questions nor provided any local animals. Is this the kind of lifeless curriculum and classroom I want? Not for my gifted child. ACE Academy enacts curriculum in a way that brings it to life for the learners. It connects to other core subjects, recognizes and values student questions, and fuels curiosity. To say that there is no curriculum at ACE Academy or the teachers are no good is much easier to accept for some parents than to admit that their own child can t keep up in a progressive school, which may also explain why the child continues to struggle academically even in a non-gifted classroom. This school is not a good fit for everyone. But it does have curriculum and highly qualified teachers recognized by a professional accreditation organization.
—Submitted by a parent

There seems to be a good deal of misinformation in some of the other posts. ACE Academy went through a rigorous process of becoming accredited, in which their curricula, qualifications, and student evaluations were all reviewed by an outside committee. Teachers use a combination of resources and base many curriculum choices on the Common Core standards as well as best fit for gifted learners. ACE also uses a nationally normed standardized test for ages 8 and up to gage progress and look for topics that still need to be covered. It is true that not every teacher has been the best fit for this school environment, and those teachers do not stay long. I have seen so much progress in my kids and can't imagine a better school for them.
—Submitted by a parent

I'll echo many of the same comments. ACE is an amazing concept and they have great camps, but it fails miserably as a school. They have no curriculum. That's right, no curriculum. So it's entirely up to inexperienced and unsupervised teachers to figure out what and how to teach. They tend to gloss over the fundamentals to do "cool" things and "go where the kids want to go". We left because we felt our child was backsliding academically, and boy were we right. Our son is at least one full grade year behind his peers in the public school (despite ACE's testing that said he was three grade levels ahead of his age), and he's outright failing math and reading. We're sick that we sent him to ACE and hope that we can catch him up with tutors (twice a week) and an hour a night of our involvement. All but one of the kids he started ACE with have since left for the same reasons. It's a shame that Austin's only gifted school is a failure. I d highly recommend you avoid ACE until it has a proven track record of success. Cool concept but it's way too risky to let your kids' education be part of a failed experiment.
—Submitted by a parent

The administrators have a good concept, but are lacking in the supportive staff to implement their vision. Be sure to ask about the teacher's qualifications for teaching gifted kids. Many teachers do not have degrees to teach, or an education background. This is something to consider when looking for a school for your gifted child.
—Submitted by a parent

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

Our daughter is having lots of fun and enjoying the change of pace from traditional schooling.
—Submitted by a parent

Disorganized, Disorganized, Disorganized! The main reason we chose ACE was hoping it would provide a better education and environment for our gifted child. But we became more disappointed. Administration and co founders have troubles in communication skills, customer satisfaction, one of the co founders focusing on the punishment by ignoring the parents if she does not like one of them it s very clear that she has lack of behaviors. So they settled for less to expend school to the size they wished for do not know what it is doing and tends to get defensive. *Disorganized, chaotic*. Not worth the money at all!! Many teachers are parents without much of teaching experiences. School functions are not organized. Not a nice learning environment for gifted. Need a new administration and principles but since that would be impossible here. We hope another well educated co founder s start opening a new gifted and talented school in austin based on high quality and mission statement.
—Submitted by a parent

We are new to ACE this year and in the pre-K class. My daughter loves school, loves her teachers, loves getting up in the morning to go to school and loves all her friends in class. We are very happy and feel it is the perfect fit for our daughter. We were looking for a place that was very nurturing & where the student/teacher ratio was low. I'm unclear what the other reviewers are referring to regarding the communications issues. I experience the opposite. The head of the school sends out weekly emails. It is a very personal type vibe at the school with an open door policy to speak to administrators anytime. My only negative is about the holiday schedule. ACE observes AISD scheduling and also observes Jewish and Christian holidays so with all that there are many days off of school.
—Submitted by a parent

We were happy with ACE before the current school year, but things have unfortunately been going downhill lately. The problems with communication and organization, which have always been there but could be overlooked as growing pains, have gotten worse instead of better, and the situation has been exacerbated by issues with teachers we hadn't had before. Very different experience this year compared with last.
—Submitted by a parent