Downtown School

Was a wonderful school for our children in a small classroom environment.

I wanted to leave an updated review. My child went to preschool at WSS and now is in kindergarten. They are very receptive, works with families and my child loves the Metro program! I like the comfortable and flexible environment. They use the app well to communicate to families about things that are happening. I like the Urban setting of WSS, and my child loves the fact that his school is in "his city". They have diversity in families and children they serve. So far so good in our early school career. I am happy with the choice of enrolling my child there and he is thriving. Working with the school team to identify possible problems and working through solutions. This school is not under the same principal from earlier reviews. My child is very proud of the character awards they give at school.

This school was absolutely horrible. No teaching got done whatsoever in at least the middle school area. My teenager would come with no homework, no learning done, completely bored and uneducated. Always kids fighting, yelling, out of control with the teachers completely ignoring and given up on the students. It was the worst decision to send my child to St. Anthony’s. Nothing Catholic about this school, completely unprofessional, my child came to me that they had been in the office and were asked to translate when a parent that hadn’t spoke fluent English came in. Absolutely terrible, all the drama at their school and they kept trying to change me fees that I didn’t know about, even after my child graduated. I feel so dissatisfied with the school NEVER EVER SEND YOUR CHILD THERE!!!

100+ This school has been the best choice for our family. The focus on values, morals and high educational expectations have benefitted each of our children from kindergarten into elementary school.

My husband and I have four children who attend Bergman Academy. Therefore my experience spans the breadth of the school in terms of teaching staff, varied learning styles/needs (of my children) and the social emotional differences between a young child and a preteen. Bergman has been a wonderful choice for our family. I have found the teachers to be one of the most valuable assets of the school. They are responsive and make the extra effort to meet the needs of each child. I have felt that my opinions and perspective of my child's learning needs matter and the partnership between home and school has been extraordinary (especially for my kids that need specific types of support to make school successful). Given the small class size, I truly feel each of my children are well known and uniquely valued not only by their current teacher but by teachers and staff across the school. The curriculum is relevant, cohesive from grade to grade and I am continually impressed by the way the staff collaborates with one another in creative ways to teach with cross-curricular projects and opportunities for learning that extend into the community and beyond the classroom. As my children have gotten older there is a clear effort to build the student's autonomy and accountability for their work. And the way Bergman builds social and emotional learning into the day in organic ways is neat to hear... mentoring between older and younger students, community mindedness through partnerships with a nearby retirement community and the utilization of our natural setting in ways that keep our kids learning in bigger and deeper ways. The sole reason I chose to write this review is because we moved to Des Moines from a large city across the country. Reviews on schools were one way I worked to understand the options my husband and I had for education in a place where we had no network. Bergman Academy has been a key factor in our overall adjustment to moving to Des Moines. The education and the community are both things I feel grateful for often.