6439 W ADOBE Drive, Glendale, AZ 85308

Highland Lakes had potential, but unfortunately, our experience ultimately led us to remove our son after attending from kindergarten through third grade.Our biggest concern was how the administration handled repeated bullying and physical aggression toward our son. The problems began with verbal behavior in first grade and escalated physically in second grade. The school was aware of an incident in which another student slapped our son three times in the face. Our son did not retaliate and had been specifically taught to report incidents rather than fight back.By third grade, the behavior continued and included the same student kicking our son in the private area multiple times. Despite the documented history and our repeated requests for meaningful separation, the boys continued to be placed in the same classroom because they were enrolled in a program with only one class.What concerned us most was eventually seeing our son's school records and discovering how some of our concerns had been characterized internally. At times, it felt as though our advocacy was being treated as the problem rather than the repeated behavior we were asking the school to address. We never believed our child was perfect—we simply expected him to be able to attend school without repeatedly being hit, kicked, or intimidated.There were aspects of Highland Lakes that we appreciated, particularly the teachers and our son's first-grade experience. Unfortunately, our confidence in the administration's ability to protect him was ultimately lost, and transferring him was the right decision for our family.Based on our experience, I cannot recommend Highland Lakes to families dealing with bullying or recurring student safety concerns. If your child is considering a specialized program with only one classroom, I would strongly encourage you to ask in advance how the school handles separation when serious conflicts or safety issues arise.