Manhattan Virtual Academy

Our experience with Lee for the multiple years we were varied from year to year. There are some excellent teachers there and there are some horrible teachers there. We got our taste of both. One teacher seemed more focused on medicating our child than teaching our child and also favored one parent over the other - that was the horrible one. Other teachers were excellent and focused on encouraging our child and propelling our child to excel. As far as the staff goes - it is hit and miss. Some are fantastic and some leave you wondering how they managed to be qualified for their job. If you are a blended family, I would avoid this school at all costs. They are not prepared or equipped to provide a non-biased interest for your kids. We experienced staff members telling us they were "on our side" and staff members making it clear they were not. I suppose if you do not have any drama with any exes this school would be an okay school. My take from it is that they don't quite have their stuff together to handle any dynamic other than your ideal American family.

From the Principal, to the Custodian, I have never seen a staff more dedicated to making children feel welcome and important. They set the kids on a path to success.

Kids went through Bergman. The former principal (until 2019) was fantastic. Her skills, personality, and understanding of what young kids need to feel safe and thrive was wonderful, and we loved every day at Bergman. Now we have a new principal (Mr. K@#!) who has taken the heart and joy out of this school and turned it into a "my way or the highway" kind of place. Ugh. And the VP uses a bull horn to shout at kids during their "no talking" lunches, and takes away recess time if the kids fidget. Seriously. The teachers are, overall, very highly skilled and care about the kids. Can't say that about the principal or the VP.....if you are looking to live on the west side, maybe consider Amanda Arnold until the current administrators retire.....

We chose Manhattan Catholic Schools for the small class sizes and high test scores. However, we have also loved the relational aspect of the community, as well as seeing our kids develop a moral compass and leadership skills.