Cranium Academy

Could've done more for more academically inclined students but overall the normal pace was fine. Most teachers were good of course a few bad apples... They finally stopped with the portables took them long enough. The environment is fine, school is clean, safe area, teachers are decent.

My daughter first year at Cranium Academy and she is loving it and the teachers and the staff is so kind and does a wonderful job.

This school applies collective punishment. Doesn’t matter if your kid is following the rules, if some of the classmates are not your kid will be punished, specially at lunch time, ask about the red cup system. This completely destroyed the mental model of my kids on how to behave. Instead of seeing peers as potential friends, they became potential problems. No nurturing friendship can be made in this type of environment. Exactly the opposite happens, kids pit against each other and the bullying starts. Student of the month is just a popularity context, no hard work or achievement acknowledgment.

StarChild Academy Winter Garden (SCAWG) is a great option for preschool; however, I strongly caution against enrolling your child in the elementary school. The overall positives of the school are cultural diversity among the staff and student body, a family feel, and friendly, caring faculty and staff, as well as building updates on the preschool side.Preschool Pros: curriculumPreschool Cons: Teacher retention; on average, children go through at least 2 lead teachers a year, and it’s a revolving door for assistants.When our children were attending SCAWG, it was advertised as an advanced curriculum school; it’s not. We withdrew our youngest child first because it’s easiest to succeed in surrounding charter schools’ lotteries when entering kindergarten. Youngest attended from age 2.5 – 5 (VPK). Youngest is testing above grade level in ELA (was even promoted to grade 1 phonics class at new school) on Florida’s statewide standardized assessments (F.A.S.T); however, Math results were below grade level. Elementary School Pros: N/AElementary School Cons: no technology in classrooms, teacher retention, no behavioral specialist, inadequate disciplinary action, unrealistic amount of at-home supplementing, ineffective curriculum, no positive reinforcements for academic achievement, no standardized test prep, combined 4th and 5th grade classOldest attended from age 3–9 (grade 3.5; we withdrew after mid-year). For context, in kindergarten, first, and second grade, the oldest had all A’s with 1 B for the whole school year. Q1 of third grade all A’s, one B, Q2 of third grade all A’s, one B. Oldest tested at grade level in ELA on F.A.S.T and below grade level in Math. At SCAWG, they introduce concepts and move on quickly without allowing the child adequate time to practice or retain what they’ve learned. While every institution has its pros and cons, we’re most disappointed by what we now realize is a horrible curriculum and questionable teaching styles. There are better elementary school options in the area than SCAWG, and I urge you to exhaust them. SCAWG Elementary turned out to be a colossal waste of money for us – it shouldn’t have to be for you, too.

It’s an all based about your grades and it’s really much favoritism, and if you have bad grades, they will be so rude to you. If I’m gonna be honest with you in the school is, it’s OK but it’s not bad. It’s not good.

When we first toured the UCP West Orange campus, I liked what the school offered....inclusion, lower student-teacher ratios, and onsite therapies. So we enrolled. At first, it seemed good. As the school year went on, I started hearing stories from my children and other parents. I decided to become more involved on campus. What I was seeing in the classrooms and on campus did NOT match what I was hearing from the teachers and seeing on paper.Many classrooms were understaffed (uncertified teacher, no TA, or no Parapro) or simply staffed with substitutes who were not trained in ese. Many classrooms had 80-90% of the student with IEP's, 504's, or other special accommodations (not the 50% as stated). Teachers were often overwhelmed with behavior problems and very High needs students that required most of the teacher's attention. Teachers were often out the classroom for hours each week in IEP meetings. I saw children that were allowed to spend large parts of the day on devices watching PBS kids or playing games just so the teacher could tend to other students. The more capable students were often expected to assist with the high needs students. The school is structed so that the classroom teacher has to teach 3 different curriculums (Benchmarks, Best Practices, and Access points) each one with differing accommodations each day. Their ESE (small ratio) classroom is reserved for extreme behavior needs students only. This means that everyone else is in the "inclusion" classroom. Meaning that if there was a non-verbal, academically behind, student who elopes, and needs help toileting and feeding, they would be in the same classroom as their peers AND the teacher would be expected to teach an individualized curriculum for all 4 subjects, to 15+ students, all in 1 day, while also attending to the physical needs of the students. I also noticed that many students would pick up the undesirable behaviors of their peers. I also noticed that many of the teachers do not have the experience needed for the demands. Many had taken and passed the ESE certification test, but had no practical experience or tools. Additionally, the school breakfasts were typically prepackaged sugary snacks (pullapart donuts, sticky buns, cereal bars, etc), and the lunches are usually premade food delivered by Sysco. Sugary snacks, cupcakes, and candy were all allowed at school.Most of the teachers seem to genuinely care, but do not have the support and tools to be successful.