5411 Esmeralda St
Sacramento, CA 95820

If you want your child to succeed DO NOT send them to this SCHOOL! Especially if they are on an IEP!!!

KCIA has had a rough couple of years with the pandemic, the loss of both the principal and the AP, and a bunch of staff retirements. The post-distance learning middle schoolers are half feral and there have been a lot of behavior problems -- this is pretty much the norm at most schools in 2021-2022, but it's probably true that KCIA has been a little more chaotic than some other schools.That said, we love KCIA and are here for the long haul. My child is now in high school but started here in seventh grade. He's a highly gifted kid who struggled in a high-pressure elementary school where teachers assigned a lot of homework and focused on a lot of rote learning in the classroom. He has blossomed at Kit, where the work is challenging but never high pressure and there is virtually no homework. Instead of reams of math problems or boring reports to write, he's engaging in lively classroom discussions about topics that matter to him, and doing group projects with peers during class time.The new principal is still learning her way and there have been some stumbles, but she is a lovely person and I think she is going to be amazing once she gets some administrative support in the form of an assistant principal and a high school counselor. The kids respect her and she projects so much warmth and caring, which is what they all need right now. The high school is a small program at constant risk of defunding, and it is not for everyone, but KCIA is truly a special place and I look forward to sending my younger child here, as well.

If I could give this school a 0 I would. Over the course of 10 years my children have attended Mark Twain. In that time we have had multiple disagreements with the principal over incidents that should have been handled better. This year my 6th grader has dealt with harassment, bullying, verbal assault, threatening, and that was just from his teacher and the principal. When confronted by his principal in her office he asked for his parents or his trusted adult and was told flat out no we are kit calling anyone, all the while he was held from class in the office for over 2 hours. This is the least of concerns at this school.