Excelsior Youth Center School

Best elementary school here but the principal is not very good at her job however everything else is amazing

My son is above his grade level And they challenge him, to help him succeed.

My youngest have been in attendance here for that last three years. My son's previous schools just let him slide through the cracks so that when he entered 3rd grade at ridgeview he couldn't read or write!! The staff and Mrs Johnson were incredible! They got my son back on track with his peers. I don't know how they do it but they are excellent at making sure every child is individually loved unconditionally. Thanks to Ridgeview my son is back on the right foot and will be completing his last year of elementary there. They also offer a lot of exclusive opportunities and engagement for children that attend a public school and may not have experienced these activities otherwise (ie safety bicycle classes, free ski/snowboard lessons, and many other opportunities). I can't say enough good things about the principal and her staff.

While the PTA is very strong at this school the focus is academia only, the concept of teaching a love of learning, active play, and even recess is once a day for all grades. Zero elements are in place to support children with bullying and working through problems since the efforts are mostly test scores and meeting standards. Each kid hated school severely after attending and won't go back. Several parents I've talked to have had similar experiences. The admin needs to change before this school can thrive.

Where do I start? The school principal, (Lisa Henderson) and the rest of her staff look the other way when children are being bullied. Children experience extreme torment, abuse and harassment at this school and nothing is ever done to protect our children. During my child’s experience at this school there was a class bully. He was awful to my child and all the other children in the class. He threatened to shoot children, crawled under the bathroom stalls and assaulted and harassed children while they were using the bathroom, beat kids with hard objects leaving marks on their bodies during recess, pushed kids to the ground, shoved kids from the top of the big play toys resulting in injury, spit on kids, kicked kids, pulled their hair… all of the above! And what did the staff do to protect my child and your children during all of this? They looked the other way. They kept him in the classroom to continue the torment and even told students that they weren’t allowed to tell on the bully anymore because the teacher was “tired of kids trying to get him in trouble”. So when kids were assaulted and threatened over and over again, they never had a safe person to go to when they felt scared or needed help. They were forced to take the abuse. If the children were being properly supervised, I do not believe most of these occurrences of abuse would have happened but then again, they never punished the bullying anyways, leading the bully to believe he could get away with anything. This left my student and many others in the class with extreme PTSD. I can’t begin to explain how bad it was. My child will not be returning next year due to the lack of safety and protection at this school. Many other parents have expressed to me that they will also be finding another school next year. It is very unfortunate that the staff turned out to be so negligent and never had children’s best interest. How did they expect kids to learn while feeling so hopeless everyday? Kids weren’t learning. I hope the district decides to do something about this so that future children do not experience the same torment by others and lack of safety at the school.

My son attended Westgate Christian School for 8 years. The teachers are wonderful, challenging him in areas he excelled, even giving him curriculum for the next grade up in one subject when he worked hard to earn it. The school families get to know each other well with opportunities for carpooling and chaperoning field trips. There are lots of parents and grandparents that volunteer one on one with kids too, so if they are struggling with certain areas, they have the opportunity for help. They are also aware and careful about kids with severe food allergies.

It’s refreshing to find a Catholic school that focuses on what is important - teaching students how to read, write and do math, all intertwined with the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Catholic faith. Teaching is done in the rhetorical style, so the children are engaged. They are held accountable here, not enabled. They will study Latin and grammar, and the beauty of nature studies. They will be exposed to classical and sacred music. Children will learn the history of Western Civilization and why it matters. Classrooms are clean and orderly and free from distraction. The school offers an authentic pre-K Montessori program that fits well with a classical model of teaching. The St. Charles leadership understands the end goal of developing children who can think critically and live out the Catholic faith - and strive for sainthood. Grateful St. Charles is an option for our family.