7060 N Montecatina Dr
Tucson, AZ 85704

My very smart and above average daughter went to this so called ‘school’ for her junior year, and it has been by far the worst school i’ve ever taken my children to. She was put in the r.e.a.c.h program because or her academics, she had a 3.29 GPA when she attended Cross, but now has a 3.14 GPA after finishing her 2nd year here. I am now switching her over to Basis Oro Valley.

Harelson is a fantastic school choice, with just the right mix of oversight, rigor, extra-curricular activities, and absolute love for the kids as a whole. In my experience, my daughter had fantastic teachers the entire time she was there and was more than prepared to transition to middle school. Its really nice that the middle school is right next door, so as the kids grow they have opportunity to interact (at times) with the other campus and mentor students to see their progression. Harelson is great at encouraging character growth, kindness, and responsibility through positive reinforcement. However, they are well equipped to handle issues as they arise and they do a great job. The principal is very professional, highly involved, and easy to talk to, as he should be. He has a great rapport with the teachers and students.

4:05PM dismissal time is crazy. The mental health of students is in such a deep decline and the staff couldn't care less. An actual quote from a staff member during a 2021 student assembly; "We have a door to door policy. We own you until you go through your house's door." Many teachers are lazy, snappy, and basically refuse to teach,-- don't even get me started on the insanely juvenile attitudes that the teachers possess, worse than the ACTUAL teenage students. Students have learned a lot better during the online era of school, where assignments were mostly Edgenuity and disconnected from actual CDO teachers and techniques. Might just be the whole of Arizona education, but the students seem to be heavily delayed. Junior year students that are 15-17 years old have trouble pronouncing the words "Barbados", "Haitian", "Reverend", and more barely complex words. Quite embarrassing being associated here,-- you're better off at even Ironwood or Catalina Foothills. Anywhere else. The "Early Childhood Education" elective also seems very strange in their behavior with their students and their preschoolers. Both parties are treated almost like dogs, being barked orders at. The preschoolers are grabbed by staff or the course teacher and forced to participate in meaningless activities or forced to eat specific snack foods when there are other options available. The high school students taking the course seem very uncomfortable and are often shouted at when doing the right thing or trying their hardest. After checking out the school for a few weeks, I also discovered the horrible condition in which they keep their restrooms. Of course they are vulnerable to vandalism, but the school seems to ignore the actual problem and "solve" it by closing down randomized bathrooms throughout the school every day. Students are made to ask peers which bathrooms are open and which are closed,--- why close any? They're bathrooms. There are many around the school and I mean MANY, yet sometimes there are only two unlocked for days at a time.