Avery Ranch

We are very happy with Patsy Sommer Elementary! The teachers are caring, dedicated, and truly invested in the students’ success. The principal leads with warmth and professionalism, creating a positive and welcoming school environment. My son loves going to school every day, and we feel grateful to be part of such a wonderful community!

I'm writing this review to help parents who are specifically looking for a Catholic education for their students with learning differences. Our family has found that the sales pitch we received before enrolling our child with learning differences turned out to be just that: a sales pitch. They have a learning support teacher (with no special ed/inclusion education degree) who provides what I would call occasional tutoring and sometimes testing accommodations. Then they have a part-time reading specialist who occasionally works with students who have dyslexia. However, the research-based fidelity of these interventions is severely lacking. Research shows students with dyslexia need 45 minutes of research-backed instruction 4 times/week to make significant gains. This isn't happening here. What's worse, is that the regular classroom teachers are poorly educated on how to reinforce strategies and interventions in their crowded classrooms (25+ kids). Accommodations aren't implemented with fidelity - they're largely viewed as optional since private religious schools are exempt by law from providing any support services to students with any kind of disability. Parents need to educate themselves about what their children really need to be successful before paying the $10,000/year cost of this school. Yes, it costs about that much (the tuition has increased every year for the past several years).

Elsa England Elementary has been an incredible experience for our family. Our first year had a few hiccups so I waited for the 3rd year to finish to give a fair review. The environment is warm, welcoming, and—most importantly—safe. Principal Williams ensures there is a visible police presence during drop-off and pick-up, and she keeps families informed through timely email updates about any safety-related incidents—whether it's a suspicious person spotted nearby or something as routine as a water leak. Principal Williams is phenomenal. She’s approachable, communicative, and clearly respected by both staff and families. There was an incident at school that frightened our daughter, and Principal Williams responded immediately, even arranging counseling support to help her feel safe and heard. As a parent, it’s a huge relief to know your child is being cared for not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well. Her passion is evident as she leads with both heart and integrity, creating a school culture rooted in care and excellence.The teachers are equally outstanding—nurturing, creative, and deeply committed to their students’ growth, particularly Ms. Brooks and Ms. Cho! They go above and beyond to build strong relationships and create engaging, meaningful learning experiences.Due to some ongoing medical issues, I haven’t been able to volunteer as much as I would have liked. That said, one of the things I deeply appreciate about Elsa England is its incredibly engaged parent community. Families here are actively involved, and there are always parents volunteering, supporting events, and partnering with staff to create a vibrant school experience. It truly feels like a collaborative village. The campus itself is beautiful and well-maintained, with clean, modern facilities that reflect the pride the community takes in the school.If I had one suggestion for improvement, it would be the school website. At times, it can be difficult to navigate or find up-to-date information, which often leads me to reach out to staff for clarification. A clearer, more user-friendly website would make things easier for parents and reduce the number of inquiries staff receive.We feel incredibly fortunate to be part of Elsa England. 

My two daughters attended Challenger School from pre-K to 5th grade. We would have stayed longer if there was a high school. We left when the girls got into a "good" public charter school that went up to 12th grade. Having experienced this private school and a good public school I can confidently say Challenger is worth the investment. My girls are ahead of their classmates in every subject. They have more experience with writing and public speaking. Challenger had short answer and essay questions on tests and our charter school tends to be multiple choice. I did not appreciate that at the time. At Challenger there is a fair amount of homework especially in math. Because of all the practice, my girls excel in math facts and are math movers at their new school. It can be difficult for some parents to work with the administration since they keep the parents away from the teachers i. e. You can't email the teachers directly, only the management. This helps the teachers focus on the kids and lesson planning. They train their teachers well and have an excellent circuulum inching coding. There are no kids with special learning needs or behavior problems. This allows them to teach kids who are in the top 20 prevent if a typical class. I would highly recommend this school of you want your kids to have a great education and work hard. If you're a helicopter parent, it might not be a good fit.