Bridges Elementary School

We were part of this school community for three and a half years, beginning in kindergarten, and made the difficult decision to withdraw before the end of the school year. That alone should signal how meaningful this choice was for our family.There are several genuinely wonderful teachers here, as well as kind, engaged families who care deeply about their children and the school. For a long time, those strengths carried the experience.However, under newer leadership, the culture has shifted in ways that were concerning for us. While the school outwardly emphasizes values like critical thinking, individuality, and character, our experience did not consistently reflect those ideals in practice.In both social and academic settings, we observed that groupthink and conformity were often reinforced, while independent thought and nuanced perspectives were not always supported. Over time, it became clear that the students who most closely aligned with dominant group dynamics tended to be elevated, even when those dynamics did not reflect the values the school claims to prioritize.Academically, the experience can be inconsistent and highly dependent on teacher assignment. Some educators deliver strong, engaging instruction, while others fall short of the rigor and differentiation one would expect from a program of this type. This variability makes outcomes less predictable than they should be.Between both our children, we have longstanding experience with both schools in the district that offer this program, which gives us a broader point of comparison. That perspective made the cultural and academic inconsistencies here more apparent over time.We are grateful for the relationships we built during our time there and for the educators who truly do exceptional work. At the same time, we ultimately felt that a different environment was necessary to better support our child’s growth, well-being, and ability to remain confident in their own voice.

We had a horrible experience with our child, who has special needs. It was, without question, the worst experience we’ve ever had with a school.Since starting there, he has developed more behavioral and emotional challenges than he had before enrolling. Instead of seeing progress and support, we saw regression.Several school incidents were not reported to us the same day. In one case, an incident that should have been communicated immediately was only shared with us two days later. At the same time, the school contacted protective services without first having a transparent and collaborative conversation with us.We were also given referrals that led nowhere and provided no real support for our child.Overall, this was an extremely disappointing and distressing experience. I would never recommend this school to another family, especially one with a child who has special needs.

We’ve had kids at Coronado (in the mandarin immersion and special Ed program) for 8 years now and could not imagine a better experience. The administration, teaching staff, community, and curriculum have been so wonderful for each of our four kids. The PTO is even incredible. We feel so lucky to have found such an wonderful school! If more families had an experience like ours, no one would question how important public education is!

I have two children at San Tan Elementary; this is our third year at San Tan. One of my children participates in the DLI-Spanish program. I have found each of the teachers we've had at San Tan to be professional and truly care about their students. The principal and assistant principal are committed to the school, students, and community. San Tan is a Leader In Me School and promotes leadership qualities throughout all aspects of the day. I feel that my children have received the absolute best at San Tan and I highly recommend this school.

This school has been the worst place I can imagine to bring your child. If the children are intelligent enough to need advanced classes they no longer offer these. If your child has special needs the school will make you jump through hoops to have their needs met. The "school nurse" lies to make her job easier, when she shouldn't even be called that. Overall skip this school until they are forced to close their doors.