Challenger School - Boise

The only reason this school and their staff aren't riddled with horrific reviews is because they delete them. This school is the playground for the mean girls in highschool, who positioned themselves perfectly, to gang up on women they view as their competition and the children of those women. Unless, you are as unfortunate looking as their staff, do NOT enroll your innocent children.

Taft does a phenomenal job at engaging families, offering rigorous learning experiences for a wide variety of students, and celebrating student growth. This year they hosted a reading growth assembly where they honored the students who made the most growth in reading, celebrated the entire student body with a free book fair, and a special parent breakfast.

Our kids have had an awesome experience at Cynthia Mann. I feel like every teacher has cared for my kids and gone above and beyond. It’s a good supportive community and I like how engaged their staff is with students and the events that they have. My kids feel cared for and have continued to grow academically, as well as socially and emotionally. I couldn’t have asked for a better school experience for my kids.

There are a few things I wish I’d known before enrolling my kids at St. Mark’s. While there are definitely bright spots, including some wonderful teachers and staff, the school is currently navigating some serious challenges.The current slogan, “Together We Rise,” actually highlights the uphill battle they’re facing with teacher and student retention. In my experience, these issues aren't being addressed effectively, and there is a noticeable gap between the school's polished messaging and the reality on the ground.If you’re considering St. Mark’s, I’d suggest digging deeper than the "nice-sounding" answers. If a specific issue is important to you, ask for hard metrics and specific examples. For instance:Retention Numbers: Ask exactly how many students/ families and teachers have left in the last five years and compare those figures to other schools. (Look at the raw numbers rather than the "official" reasons provided for the departures). Over time, the majority of my children's teachers have been brand new to the school and not retained.Hiring and Training: Ask how vacancies (and urgent vacancies) are filled and what kind of support/ training is given to new hires or temporary hires who may not have a formal background in education.Leadership Oversight: Look into the administrative structure. It’s helpful to know who is just an "advisor" (like the superintendent and the school board) versus who actually provides day-to-day oversight for the principal. Behavioral Management: Ask to see a redacted example of a real behavior plan. This will show you how they handle disruptions that affect the whole classroom's learning environment. Use AI to compare that plan with current best practices.School Success Markers: What metrics do they collect and share to demonstrate success? How transparent are they about finances? Is fundraising robust or declining? What are the parent/ family involvement metrics and are they steady or declining?Parental Feedback: Ask to see a recent parent/ family satisfaction survey including the questions that were asked and the results.I truly believe St. Mark’s has potential and I hope it becomes the thriving community it’s meant to be. However, I’ve seen too many great families leave after a long, difficult struggle. My goal isn't to discourage you, but to make sure you have the full picture before making a choice for your children. These are the questions I wish I would have asked before enrolling my children here.