Gateway College Preparatory School

This school is amazing! It's a hidden gem! Trust me. We have been in other schools and they do not compare. The teachers & administration at Gateway really do care & everyone is there because they want to be, not because that is just the school that they ended up in....Finally, a school the way it should be! Thank you Gateway! This school is such a blessing and the parents, teachers, pto and administration all help to make this school irreplaceable!
--Submitted by a parent

We have our son in Gateway and we are very pleased. My spouse and I have doctorates in Educational Psychology and we believe that Gateway is an example of a school that is doing everything right. The teachers and administration are excellent and really care about the children. Communication between teacher and parent is constant. They care that my son is learning. The curriculum is challenging. Students are expected to really work hard and stretch themselves. The availability of the AP/IB programs is wonderful. We feel so fortunate to be a part of the Gateway family. For the parent who complained about the facilities, disorganization and donation, I'd like to offer another way of looking at it the situation. Sure, the facilities are temporary and rough right now. Eventually they well be top-notch. It takes time to build infrastructure. The school is brand new and some disorganization is to be expected. They are getting it together very quickly starting at the classroom level. And donating $100 a month is nothing compared to paying private school tuition. My child is getting a far better education at Gateway. THIS will be the school to watch.
--Submitted by a parent

No Gateway doesn't have the best facilities so if that is more important then education this is not the school for you. We've had kids in the ISD for 7 years now and Gateway is a breath of fresh air. We now have 3 kids there (7th, 5th, and 1st grades). The teaching style is different (I.B.C.). They don't teach to a test (STAR). This is beyond AP classes. They have flexibility the ISD's don't have which allows them to do things differently. My 7th grader made an Atlatl as part of a history project. That was really cool. Btw, they do a lot of projects and have demanding classes so beware, your kids are going to get a really good eductation. Not all of them can handle the work load and they will need a lot more parent surpport then at the ISD's. Yes there is some turnover, but just as this school is not for every student and its not for every teacher either. Gateway is not a cookie cutter school like the ISD's I LOVE this school! If you want the best education, this is it in my opinion.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter started at a different school last year (one that is part of the Georgetown ISD), and she was miserable. When we learned last year that Gateway was going to expand to K-12 for the 2011-2012 school year, we immediately entered her in the 1st grade "lottery" for a spot at Gateway for this year, and we were fortunate enough to get picked. And really, it's a night and day difference - we couldn't possibly be happier. Or daughter loves to go to school, she's in a great mood when she gets home, she making great progress academically and socially, she loves her teachers and classmates. There are a lot of reasons why Gateway is working out so well for us (and many others), but in my opinion, all of those reasons trace back to one thing: EVERYONE at Gateway - administrators, teachers, students, parents. etc. - are there because they WANT to be. Nobody just "ends up" here, as is so often the case in the public school system - EVERY person here had to go out of their way to try and "get in". That's huge - because in that environment, you find yourself surrounded by people who want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I could go on, but I'm out of room. :)
--Submitted by a parent

Our family love this school!!! My son is in 6th grade and is doing great. The teachers really care!!!!!
--Submitted by a parent

I have a child that attends Gateway and it has been such a blessing to have her there. Are they having some "growing pains" and come across a bit disorganized at times for it? Yes. But I haven't met a teacher or administrator there who doesn't bend over backwards to answer questions or help me or my child when we need it. As far as the facility goes, it would be nice if they had the new school built, but it was circumstances beyond their control, not money, that kept them from building on the land they had intended to use, from my understanding. I'm much more concerned with the quality of my daughter's education than the building she's receiving it in, personally. She works hard to maintain her A's and B's, but she knows she's on a path to higher education because they help them see the BIG PICTURE. I love that it is small, and that the teachers are not so overwhelmed with the sheer numbers in each class like the other middle schools in the area. Personally, I think it's the best kept secret in Georgetown!
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 students at Gateway this year and they both LOVE IT! Yes, the program IS challenging but it IS a College Prep School. Many students have left because they can't handle the workload. My children have approximately 1 hour of homework each night and make all A's and B's. Yes, they are a bit disorganized but this is only their 2nd year and they are growing at a VERY fast pace. The teachers and staff are all wonderful and there are plenty of opportunities for tutoring and help if the child needs it. I LOVE that they don't put up with "riff-raff". If a student is caught with drugs, they are outta there. Caught fighting = outta there. Can't keep up with the work load = outta there. The environment is excellent and I feel good about sending my children there everyday. Yes, they do ask for $1200 per family per school year but keep in mind that as a public charter school Gateway receives $1,200 less per student in funding than local public school districts because charter schools are not allowed to tap into the local tax base to generate tax revenue to build facilities. It's so worth it and I'm so glad I have the choice to send my children to an awesome school.
--Submitted by a parent

High staff turnover, very disorganized. My kids spent the entire first day of school waiting for a schedule, even though we chose their classes online a month before. When they finally got their schedules, they had been put in the wrong classes and spent another day waiting to get their classes switched. Then the office decided that the students would just have to take the classes they got. We were told that they had to have a gym uniform, which cost $20, but they have never had an opportunity to wear them (no gymnasium or locker rooms). They promised a brand new building for next year (even told us where it would be located) and then turned around and told the parents that they can't build the new facility until the parents donate money. They expect each family to contribute about $1200 each year. I don't think they have even purchased the land where the supposed new facility will be yet. Often when you call there, you get voicemail and no one bothers to call you back. My husband and I left 3 voicemails for one teacher and received no reply. We left a voicemail for the principal and didn't receive a reply until we left a second voicemail 24 hours later.
--Submitted by a parent