Mandalay Middle School

Jefferson Academy has its reputation based on the past. Jefferson Academy Elementary is a horrible school. The principal - Mr.Feddema is a very incompetent leader. The administration does nothing about bullying. They bully the parents if you raise your voice. The Executive Director doesn't want to be involved in anything. There are turnovers and changes in staff every year. They hire incompetent teachers just to have a warm body in the classroom. JA was not like this when I went to school. Great teachers don't stay in this school for a long time. EAs treat children like they are in concentration camp. My kids were not happy at JA. Violence among the students is high. The administration does nothing about it. It's a very toxic place. Take your kids to Woodrow Wilson if you are looking for a charter school.

Have had two children (6 years apart) attend this school, and they are so welcoming and inclusive to all - race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or neurodivergence. They have one of the ASD centers of Jeffco, and all staff are just more understanding of neurodivergent children, whether they are in the ASD program or not. They also have a school psychologist and a Social Emotional Learning specialist, and the children regularly engage in social emotional learning. There are events and meetings to help bring the community together as well. The normal PTA meetings, but also school accountability meetings where parents and principle/staff can talk. There are monthly coffee community meetings, where they teach us about a certain topic - such as safe technology, assessments, neurodiversity. I just love how supportive they've been of my kids. As far as discipline/bullying I've only had a couple instances that were taken care of very fast. Example is one time my older son was thrown down and scraped up by an angry friend and it was taken very seriously. Afterwards they even included a group friend discussion and helped my son and his friend work through the upset, and continued to monitor - nothing more ever happened, I really think helping them work through the problems was key.

I have two kids at this school and they have been loving it. The IB program focuses on project based learning in which they put together research and reports. This is opposed to other schools nearby which focus on work sheets and repetition. My children score extremely highly on standardized tests and do not need to do more rote work but simply be engaged with the material and enjoy going to school. A good deal of the student population is low income or ESL, which drags down scores on average, but the project based system allows students that need to go slower to go slower while allowing students that need more to get more. It is difficult to express the rewards of that on a numerical basis. Red Rocks also provides after and before school care, similar to other public schools nearby. The class my oldest child is in has gifted and talented kids in it at well above the 4% rate that would be expected which reinforces talent among the group because instead of coasting on being the smartest he is challenged by peers.

The heart of Woodrow Wilson Academy is undoubtedly its wonderful community. From the dedicated staff to the involved families, there is a genuine sense of belonging and mutual support that makes it feel like a true partnership in raising our children. It is rare to find a school where the social fabric is this strong and welcoming.However, there are a few areas where the experience becomes more challenging:• Homework Volume: There is an abundance of homework that often feels disproportionate depending upon the grade level. While academic rigor is appreciated, the sheer volume can be overwhelming for families trying to maintain a healthy after-school balance.• Math Program Hurdles: Navigating the Eureka math curriculum continues to be particularly difficult for all involved. The program is quite demanding with ‘new age’ techniques and the program often requires a significant amount of parental involvement to bridge the gap between classroom instruction and the complex assignments sent home. It can feel like a steep climb for students who aren't naturally intuitive with the specific methodology used.• Discipline Support: There appears to be a lack of consistent discipline support. Without a more structured or transparent system for managing behavioral issues, it can feel like parents and students are left to navigate difficult situations without enough administrative backing.Overall, it is a school with a fantastic soul and great people, but it would benefit greatly from more streamlined academic expectations and a more robust approach to behavioral support.