First Baptist Academy System

Tuition has been raised here for the last two years by about $1000 each year, and it is so NOT worth it. Kids are warehoused on three floors of a downtown buiiding and there is little security. Middle and high school students wait downstairs after school on the street with NO school or teacher supervision. So unsafe! Also, the academics and teaching are poor to below average. Most of the teachers have been there forever and seem to have lost interest. Teachers don't promptly return parents' emails, or not at all, and they don't seem to care much about the students either.
--Submitted by a parent

FBA is not what it used to be, sadly. Price hs gone up, but quality has gone down. Enrollment is down, way below the 367 they list on here, and the academics are lackluster. There are few activities for the kids and the facilities are questionable. Discipline in the classrooms is lacking and teachers seem to be burned out and yell at and denigrate the kids.
--Submitted by a parent

We have 2 students at FBA (HS & MS) that have attended since Kindergarten. FBA has provided a rigorous academic challenge for both of our kids (with differing learning styles), while teaching them to be fishers of men . The school is diverse both ethnically and socioeconomically which is important to our family in addition to building our kid s eternal character. We have looked at other private schools in the Dallas area, but none gave us the family feel that we receive at FBA, which is more important than glamorous bricks & sticks that fade with time.
--Submitted by a parent

FBA is an incredible school and we could not be happier. There is no other school I would want my kids to attend in the DFW area. Safety, a Christian environment and academics are our top criteria for selecting a school and FBA gets and A in all three! My son graduated last year and now is doing well in college. My daughter is still at FBA and thriving. Our school is on the rise! With a $250K update, we just opened our newly renovated gym at the Saints Athletic Complex. Next year we will open another new gym on the new $120 million First Baptist Church campus! It is a great time to be a Saint. Join us.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a former parent, and all I can say is this school is a complete joke. Thank God my child is still young, and we were able to get her out when we did. Before we signed the contract for our child's 2nd year at this school, we were not told that our child would not have a gym, a playground, a lunchroom, access to the library, computer lab, choir room, and the list goes on and on. We were told that our child's class would be in the new church building until construction was complete. This was a blatant lie. There are many great schools in DFW, and I recommend you find one because FBA is not it.
--Submitted by a parent

I will caution parents about the bullying issue in this school. Academically, the school is awesome but you can find public schools that offer equal academic teaching and college preparation. Bullying is also an issue to this school even though they have a spiritual foundation. After several contacs with the teachers of the ongoing incidents; I requested a meeting the parent of the bullying child, principals and teachers. When i arrived, they informed me the bullying child parent could not attend and proceeded to tell me what was wrong with my child and how he caused the bullying.

I have had 3 children graduate from First Baptist Academy. It is an exceptional school in Downtown Dallas. My children were very well-prepared for college and post graduate studies. I could not be happier with the education my children received. The adminstration and staff are outstanding. There is a strong emphasis on both academic and spiritual development. Students are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of athletic offerings. The fine arts program is also excellent. First Baptist Academy is a great choice for anyone seeking a quality Christian private school.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a former parent, and my child attended this school for several years before we made the switch to another Christian private school. For the same price, you can find MANY exceptional private schools in the DFW metroplex that have so much more to offer their students than what FBA can offer. The leadership is lacking, and I don't see any improvements in the near future. Convenience is not a reason to choose a private school.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a former parent and would not use the phrase "academically elite" in the same paragraph as FBA. The teacher's post does make a great point in mentioning Hockaday, St. Mark's, Greenhill, ESD and Lamplighter as comparable schools to FBA. Yes, do compare FBA to these schools and you'll find like I did that there is no comparison. FBA is not of the same caliber.

There are several fallacies in a previous review questioning the strength of First Baptist Academy s academic program based on misinformation about standardized testing. FBA administers the Comprehensive Testing Program 4 (CTP4) published by Educational Records Bureau (ERB). Membership in ERB is required to purchase and administer the test and is only offered to high-achieving schools through a rigorous application process. The CTP4 is aligned with the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a widely used college entrance assessment and is considerably more difficult than the Stanford assessment. According to an ERB representative, many schools have voiced reluctance to change from current testing to the ERB program because of the anticipated decline in scores due to the level of difficulty. It is true that many private schools in the Dallas area use the Stanford assessment. However, a number of the schools considered to be academically elite are using the ERB test. The schools with which FBA is compared include Hockaday, St. Mark s School of Texas, Greenhill School, Episcopal School of Dallas, and The Lamplighter School, all of which have very selective admissions standards.
--Submitted by a teacher