New Middle #8

Both of our kids currently attend Rahe as will our 3rd next year. We love the rural small town feel of this school and all the teachers we’ve had have been tremendous. We’ve been told teachers actively try to get placed at Rahe and it shows with the quality of teachers they’ve been lucky to have had. Not only is it close and a quick easy bus ride away but our kids have shown tremendous improvement year over year on their testing. Couldn’t be happier with what it has done for their development!

We went into this school year with high hopes. This was our first year with a child in school here and based on several of the reviews, we were hopeful. The two stars in this rating belong to the leadership and administration who, for the most part, were responsive and attentive. They seem to genuinely care, although we never reached any resolution to the greatest of our issues. The teacher gets zero stars; unresponsive, uncaring, and negative. This person does not have the demeanor or attitude to be teaching the grade level she’s teaching. It was profoundly disappointing. Any communication we received was negative and our son’s positive attributes were never discussed or highlighted. For reference, he has since tested well above his grade level in aptitude at another school. We believe the teacher is simply not equipped to work with kids who require extra work because they’re bored with the regular curriculum.Aside from our son’s teacher, the teaching staff all appear to be miserable. There is little smiling or friendliness. It was not at all the environment we envisioned. The few interactions we had with staff outside the administration were with rude, entitled teachers who acted as if they were doing you a favor by being there. If we were to sum up our impression of the underlying issue it would be a lack of accountability. Any concerns were met with defensiveness and excuses; sometimes outright blaming the students for a lack of control.Although our son and his younger siblings will be learning in a more positive environment moving forward, our hope is that this district will do a better job addressing parental concerns.

As a former teacher, I am flabbergasted at the way this school operates. Johnson Ranch is very overpopulated, and the school is run like a corporation. There is no community feel, just a small group of women who are socially connected to principal and they receive priority through all things involved with the school. The principal has little to no oversight of what is actually taking place, but at least she is proud of her new rolling desk. The principals don’t know the names of their own students, transportation is a nightmare, and the only focus is to keep pushing the kids through the system. Children are given a number at the beginning of each year so they can be identified by the administrators when they need it. It was heartbreaking to see this in the public, as those students identify themselves with this number while writing their name at a local orthodontist office on their artwork. There are regular “catch up” hours and days, forcing teachers to spend extra time on those who should be held back. Students really advance in their scores past 2nd grade, they simply all stay within one blob of “meets criteria” so the administrators all get their bonus. From a safety aspect, there are portable classrooms that have regular cockroach issues, an access fence that was torn down for the entire 2024 Spring without supervision, and little to no supervision of students. Attempting to get involved and help is a massive challenge, as the PTA holds meetings at 9 AM on a work day. This keeps community involvement to a minimum, and allows the machine to keep rolling. I would consider a school outside of Johnson Ranch Elementary if other options are available.

My son would always come home running saying that he loves this school, its just he said there is some rude people and LOTS of drama, i can kind of undersatand because all school are like that, but he also says some peole make fun of him due to his looks, and that is unexeptable, he also says the teachers sont really understand the assignments because they are so hard, please fix this.

So I offer a different perspective because I was once staffed there. I stayed for only 2 short months and then quit. The director at this location is horrendous. Constantly yelling and demeaning the children. She doesn't even try to hide it. Her interaction with the parents sucks as well. Please always follow your gut with your children, this is NOT a safe daycare.

Wish we had heard the feedback from other families prior to enrolling. Our experience was disappointing. In our view, bullying was a problem that was never properly addressed, which is ultimately why we left.Facilities are lacking, and there is no cafeteria despite frequent fundraising. Academically, the environment could use improvement in providing better support. When I brought lunch to a student, I witnessed some students outside the classroom who were struggling with the work while the others moved on inside. I wouldn’t have expected that. The homework load is excessive — we spent hours helping with it at night.Based on our overall experience — the stress we dealt with, the bullying, and the lack of accountability — we strongly urge parents to do their research about this school. The administration requires families to pay full tuition even if, in your experience, the school is not providing a safe or supportive environment and you’re forced to withdraw. Make sure you fully look into how they handle grievances by talking with other parents who have left.In our opinion, there are much better private school options that are more concerned with students’ growth, safety, and well-being rather than their profits.

Love the curriculum, intentionality, and Christ-like values of this amazing and special school. Our child has been cared for, loved on, and taught so well the entirety of the year. Would recommend GDA to anyone and everyone!!