Neighborhood Charter School

Our son has attended ANCS since kindergarten and is now in the 8th grade. This is a lottery-based school, so he was lucky to have gotten in, but want to make sure all parents know that there is nothing you can do to guarantee your kid gets in. As more families move to the Grant Park/OP/Summerhill neighborhoods, the odds of getting in will decrease. So keep your options open because there are a number of schools in the area that are comparable to ANCS academically. That said, he has had an absolutely wonderful experience his nine years at ANCS. While there are certainly a spectrum of teachers that your kid clicks with, our son has had wonderful teachers in every grade that genuinely care about his well being. We haven't had any moments of regret and love that this school lives by its guiding principles. He has made some great friends, he has been challenged academically, especially in 8th grade, has played for the middle school basketball team for two years, and I believe he is stronger academically because of ANCS. Lots of great enrichment options and love the community feel of the school. From a parent standpoint, there is a spectrum of involvement. Some parents are on campus everyday, some join the board, others like my wife and I, try to help when we can but more than anything, ensure our son's teacher know us, have our cell, and that we advocate for him, but also hold him accountable. All in all, wouldn't change a thing and wish they had a high school campus.

The experience at ANCS is a 3, but only because of the quality of instruction and also the willingness of the students, who figured it out, to simply comply and shift focus. Otherwise, it's more like a 2 re: output. To be middle school, the output was more like something you expect to see in grades K-5 -- a lot of babysitting, coddling, acquiescing to students as if they are co-partners. Kids actually want and need discipline. They need adults to set boundaries and to guide them. Even the kids with ADHD know how to use their 'condition' to manipulate, garner empathy and get adults to conform. If you're that parent who feels coddling, safe spaces, and time out is the best form of discipline, ANCS is the perfect place to test that argument. The reality is that ALL kids are different. Coddling everyone doesn't incentivize everyone to be kind and respectful. One kid came to school every day with a mean mug and only softened his stance during lunch and recess. His bullying wasn't verbal. It was in the 'Linus' way he carried himself in the classroom. Leadership's answer to that was talking him through it. They had been talking him through it for 7 months to no avail. He had the game on lock so well that he used the freedom to walk out, when upset, as his 'hall pass' to do what he wanted. Teacher is focused on the kids who want to learn so bully gets away with it until he wants attention so he acts up in class. Then he gets a lecture about being despondent. Does he change? Nope! He'll say the right things to get the adult off his back and the next day do the same thing. It was a test of who was in control and he won it every single time.

The teachers did not care much about the students on a personal level, the students formed tightly woven cliques from day one and no action to open the students minds and accept others was taken on a daily basis. Note that I had a very bad experience and maybe it was just the luck of the draw that I had teachers that didn't much care in my final two years. However, the first years were incredible and the teachers were very connected with their students and tried their absolute best to make the subjects that we were learning cohesive.

I am overjoyed at the experience that we have had with ANCS thus far. My daughter was on the waiting list for 5th grade for the 2015-16 school year and was blessed to be able obtain a place in this school. Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming. My daughter came from a school where not only the teachers but the principal didn't care either. This has been the happiest I have seen my daughter in any school here in Georgia. I look forward to seeing how my baby blossoms under their care and teaching. The principal or the assistant principal is out there each morning opening the car door for each child and greeting them as well as the parent. And the fact that the teachers take the time to find out where the parents would like to their child academically makes me hopeful that my daughter will be able to be where she should have already been and beyond, by the end of the school year. I absolutely love this school and I wouldn't change my decision to enroll her.

I have to document a huge misperception that this school actively promotes, which is the possibility that neighborhood children have a decent chance of attending it. Unfortunately, as siblings of existing students, children of staff, faculty and Board members all get priority acceptance, this leaves an ever dwindling number of slots for actual net-new students. And the waitlist that begins for incoming Kindergarten students often lasts 2-3 years, which means the likelihood of any new children getting into the school is ridiculously slim. Yet people move to OP/GP in hopes of attending it, not knowing how unlikely a chance they stand. And don't bother asking anyone at ANCS about it, as they obfuscate any discussion with vagaries and spin. It's a nice program that has unfortunately insulated itself into a exclusive little club that's a total catch-22. If you aren't already in, don't bother trying.