Calvary Apostolic Academy

Both of my children attended Holly Ridge, and it has been the absolute worst experience we’ve had with a school. The principal lacks strong communication and leadership skills, and there seem to be little to no consequences for student behavior. Unfortunately, the assistant principal has been even more difficult to work with.This school would benefit greatly from stronger, more effective leadership. The current environment is disappointing and, at times, frustrating.The front office staff has been kind and helpful, but there has been a lot of turnover as there’s been someone new nearly every year for the past three years, which adds to the instability.Overall, I would not recommend this school. We are very eager to move our children elsewhere.

I went to this school from 1st to 4th grade, and I can confidently say that out of the many schools I have gone to throughout my entire life, this has been the best one. The attention that students receive from teachers is excellent, they dedicate time and effort into the activities they assign, and work adequately with each student according to their needs. They are also emotionally involved, being concerned about how the students feel about their school, friends, etc. The environment is safe, classrooms are clean, with many outdoor spaces to play. Bullying is also taken very seriously. In my own personal experience, I believe that this school played an important role in what values I consider important today. Teachers are helpful and attentive and ensure that parents know what their children were learning. I look back at my time in this school fondly. I would 100% recommend this school to anyone.

Yeas ago this school was a G&T magnet school. It was rated highly and had a stellar academic record. It was one of the reasons that we moved into this neighborhood. Since the change in leadership, that curriculum has been removed and subsequently the academic rigor at this institution has suffered. Currently it is a "decent" school but previously it was better. It was a bit of a disappointment. I would recommend reinstating the G&T program and focusing more on academics.

My daughter started MSD in Kindergarten and just graduated 8th grade this year. MSD gave her a sound academic base and so much more. They gave her space to be herself, to learn in ways that make sense to her, helped her figure out how to handle conflicts and to be an advocate for herself. The teachers, staff and administration are all cheering for and supporting each child that is at this school and gives them the tools they need to succeed. I feel so thankful for MSD, the community we had and the opportunities it gave my daughter.

Students at this school eat breakfast and lunch inside their classrooms. The push is SO much on growing 1.25 years every year in math and reading it makes learning NOT fun and VERY stressful. It seems a numbers game to look good for their donors. They just want student's scores to be high, not for them to have a love for learning. The class sizes are HUGE. 33-35 students from kindergarten - 3rd grade isn't sustainable or fair to the students or staff. The school is so stressful and they make it look good on the outside, but it's awful on the inside.