Smiley Heights

Westside Christian is an amazing school! My boys love their teachers and peers. I think people get too hung up on the Christian part, and while that is part of the curriculum, it's not the only thing they teach. They have a healthy mix of both. My daughter will be starting here in September, and she cannot wait! 10/10 I would recommend.

Sacred Heart Academy provides a safe and loving environment for their students. We chose this school because we wanted to instill in our kids a good Catholic education. The students here are very respectful and are raised in traditional Catholic values. When I hear news about kids bringing weapons in public middle school, I am thankful my kids feel safe at their school. The academics are great, with both kids in advanced math classes. My only regret about SHA is that we didn't start the kids earlier. We joined when they were in third and fourth grades (prior to that they were in public school). Five stars for SHA!

My wife and I sent our son to this school as a barely age eligible toddler all the way through 6th grade graduation. Biggest mistake of our lives. Not all, but some of the teachers had the temperament of children themselves. And when you are stuck with the same immature teacher for 3 years, it's developmentally harmful. Looking back, I am so sad I ever found this place, as it was a destructive and toxic environment. It's a largely female run organization which in my experience almost had a disdain for the male students which they unfortunately projected onto the girl students. So many of the kids here seemed socially awkward. Many teachers focus on victim culture and activism rather than actual life skills and learning. I remember the day when the grove middle school math teacher complained to me that none of the children coming out of MIR could do basic math. By the way.... I advise against the grove also as it's just more of the same under a different name. I spent a lot of time and money here and I wish I had it all back. I would go with a good public or Christian school over this place any day. And I'm no fan of public schooling.Your school decision is much bigger than you think. Please do your research and don't be sucked in by the pretty grove enveloped campus or the MIR marketing materials. The path you set your child on and the types of people you choose to surround them with, matters more than anything. I could write a big long ranting review of this place, but it doesn't matter as much as just telling you that after the full experience with this school, my recommendation is to look elsewhere. Best of luck to all who read this.

We chose Valley Prep initially due to safety concerns and its status as a non-religious private school. While my wife prioritized safety, I was more focused on academics. At our first meeting, academics were vaguely addressed, with more emphasis on events like Culture Day and after-school programs. We were told the school uses the IB curriculum—something we found unimpressive, as many public schools offer the same—and that students were one grade ahead in language arts, though math was on grade level. This seemed acceptable at the time. We were also told the kindergarten class (24 students) would have two teachers and a TA. However, two months in, the most experienced teacher abruptly quit—a major red flag. No replacement was brought in, leaving just one teacher and one TA. Homework increased dramatically, with 10–20 copied worksheets per week, and little communication from the school about expectations. We were essentially guessing how to support our child at home, which only led to setbacks. We eventually turned to Sylvan Learning for help, where we discovered other Valley Prep students also needed tutoring. What’s the point of an accelerated program if nearly every child needs outside support? It became increasingly clear that many of the teachers lacked credentials and experience. The “accelerated” program simply rushed through kindergarten content before winter break and moved to first-grade material with no clear strategy. The school’s curriculum coordinator offered no meaningful guidance or structure. It was incredibly frustrating, especially knowing that research shows overloading young children doesn’t improve outcomes. Before winter break, we were told our daughter should be tested for learning disabilities or possibly being on the spectrum—something multiple families in our class were told. This was alarming, especially since our physician and educator friends said such evaluations are typically considered no earlier than late first grade. When we raised concerns, a meeting with admin and the teacher revealed complete disagreement between them and no meaningful support for our child or family. We were even told to stop asking the teacher about our daughter’s reading progress and direct all inquiries to the principal. We left feeling exhausted, defeated, and without any real return on the money we invested. Valley Prep sells fear of public schools while offering none of the promised advantages.

My kids have been a part of RCS for 14 years. We appreciate the Biblical Worldview being taught, the incredible weekly chapels and the variety of sports offered. My oldest children have pioneered their own clubs they wanted to start and have loved serving on Missions Trips. My son has been on ASB and also has benefited from the incredible Spanish Immersion program that has allowed him to be bilingual which has given the ability to communicate with people from other countries who he otherwise would have had a barrier of speaking with.