Arvida Middle School

The school is great for special needs children. The social-emotional support along with the new principal's effort to engage families to attend the school is great. The art and music teacher are amazing. I cannot say the same about the elementary PE teacher or spanish teacher. My child felt targeted by the PE teacher. She doesn't show them any effective ways to get better at physical education. The spanish teacher literally gets to teach them from 1st to 5th grade, and my child did NOT learn anything. The spanish teacher needs to go!

The saying Everything that shines isn’t gold is true for this school. Very enthusiasticly I enrolled my child in this school as an out of area transfer for kindergarten after reading all the positive reviews and scores as well as activities the school had to offer, for me at the time I felt it was the perfect choice for my son, from all the schools that were relatively near our home. Unfortunately our experience was not what we would have expected from a top rated school. After experiencing a school year here I witnessed that what makes this school top rated is not it’s teachers and much less there unprofessional administrators but the parental community and it’s involvement in there childrens education. The teachers lack professionalism and show favoritism to students, to an extent were others can notice. Due to On going issues with our sons teacher we went to seek support from administrators and counselors only to have our calls and visits ignored and our problems unsolved. The principle, vice principle and counselor ignored our emails and requests to meet and discuss the ongoing issues with their staff. Untimely since our son was an out of area transfer they elected with no prior notice to not renew his stay at the school. When I went to speak with them in person they were very rude unprofessional and vague about the decision they had made. The principal apparently the one who makes these choices didn’t even give me the time of day to discuss the concern at hand, they didn’t care that was the attitude the assistant principle projected as we spoke about the issue, they didn’t care to hear about my child’s needs or how they could assist all she would say is he has to go back to his home school without a care in the world from her part. I went back the next day to formally withdraw my son as advised by his new school, the assistant principal again with her rude attitude asks me “didn’t I speak with you about this already” without even asking the reason I was there, I wasn’t there to speak with her I was there to withdraw my child. Overall the experience at Cálusa elementary left us with a very sour feeling in our mouths the whole school was full of issues with staff and lack of support and empathy form administration

We were hesitant at first to go public but it’s truly been the best place for our son who has very high functioning autism. He’s in an inclusive classroom and is thriving, has lots of friends, and is doing well academically. The school feels very safe, is gated and has an officer present at all times. The moment you walk in you feel a sense of peace. They have a beautiful inner courtyard and colorful murals everywhere. Their musical theatre program is top notch and they also have band. They offer after school or there are other surrounding organizations that they bus to if you prefer. We are very happy with the school, teachers and administrators. I also want to say that the student teacher ratio is excellent, there are only about 22 kids in my son’s 2nd grade class and an aid comes in for math, reading and writing. Compared to some private schools which have limited options for kids on the spectrum, you really can’t get something better than what they have at WLE. He’s supported but also pushed outside of his comfort zone and we’re thankful for it.

My son attended MCH from Jan 2020 until schools were forced to close in March 2020. While I had some issues with communication between the teachers and myself, I knew that my son was enjoying the social interactions that being in school provided.What followed after the shutdown was truly a disappointment.Remote learning for my sons class consisted of 2-3 unoriginal content videos a week and one 15 minute zoom session with his class that often seemed unplanned and frenzied.While I’m sympathetic to the radical changes teachers were forced to make, to say the process was poorly executed is an understatement.In conversations with other moms I had become well aware of how other schools were handling the situation, including tuition costs and curriculum. MCH really failed us in many ways.When my husband and I reached out to try and come to an agreement on what we could pay for the remaining months that would be reasonable for both parties we were expressing told that full payment would be expected with no exceptions.The entire situation was made worse when they began ignoring our emails, phone calls and even visits to the school.This school functions coldly and with little actual regard for the families writing the checks.

Choosing Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School for our child’s education since kindergarten has been one of our best decisions. Now in 7th grade, we have seen firsthand how OLOL has nurtured our son‘s academic growth, integrity and passion for lifelong learning. The family-like atmosphere, along with its dedicated educators, has made all the difference and been instrumental in shaping our son Sebastian’s journey. Each teacher he’s had has deeply inspired him, encouraging growth, igniting curiosity, and helping him thrive across the board through engaging instruction, warmth and genuine passion. As a reflection of his dedication and the school’s rigorous academic environment, our child has earned awards in every subject, maintained Principal’s Honor Roll for three consecutive years, and continues to master advanced math and science, his favorite subjects in middle school. Under the visionary and compassionate leadership of Principal Mrs. Cabrera, OLOL continues to shine as a beacon of faith and excellence, combining strong Catholic values, high-caliber academic instruction, vibrant student life and modern technology with a safe, supportive environment where each child is recognized, valued, and empowered to thrive. OLOL has guided our son’s intellectual growth and shaped him into a distinguished young gentleman with strong moral character. The friendships, mentorship, and guidance he has received here will stay with him for years to come. With a strong academic foundation, our shining star is ready to embrace the future with limitless possibilities.

My child has been in this school since Kindergarten and we could not be happier with the education she has received. The teachers are genuinely interested in my child's academic progress and development. I drop off my child every morning knowing she is in a safe and nurturing environment. I would however like to see the owner of the school invest some money in installing fans in the outside lunch areas and to expand the activities center in the back of school to accommodate more people during school events and activities. I would also like to see more art history being taught during art classes. Overall, I am extremely happy with the school, teachers, and administration. We just love it!