St. Charles Inc Dane County

Diverse student body. Kind and qualified staff with low turnover. Strong leadership focused on results. Small classroom sizes. Despite the higher rate of poverty and higher percentage of ESL students my kids are doing well and enjoying it. This school continues to move in the right direction. Don't base your opinion entirely on standardized test scores.

This school is full of great teachers and staff who care about their students and want to help them succeed!

Gompers is not just a school but a true community where scholars and their families are encouraged to participate and always feel welcome.

My kids has been at this school since kindergarten (Now Sophomore) and the school had been a decent fit for them. Most of the kids are nice along with the teachers. The school is very academic based, leading to good education and learning but also very stressful times. My main issue with the school is the Leadership and Heads. There is no punishment it discipline in this school. Ever since kindergarten, bullying, rumors, lies, and harassment have been tolerated and never properly dealt with. Kids never get anything more than a slap on the wrist. My kid had told me about kids making school sh**ting jokes, sexist comments, and physical harassment. But nothing happens to the perpetrates of these actions and instead it’s a class punishment or lecture. According to my kid one student was complained about so much that admin just stoped listening.Again this is a problem that had been going on for about ten years, and it’s never been fixed.Finally my other problem with the school is the lack of sources and opportunities for artistic kids. There is only really art, design and theater for MS kids to take. In HS kids have to pick weather or not they take Theater, Art or Music Theory. If you want to follow an artistic career path there is not much and often you are put in lower level classes or left to struggle. The academic environment is very brutal.

Our son is happy and thriving at IMA, after a series of negative experiences at his old, large school. He was overwhelmed and disconnected in classes of 30-35 kids. At IMA, classes are small, his teachers know him, his struggles and strengths. They support his unique interests, and use universal design for learning principles to ensure he can independently manage his assignments even with ADHD. The school community is tight knit and actively welcomes parent engagement, in our experience.

Our family has been attending IMA for the past 3 years and are so grateful to the school and community we have found. We are greeted with smiles each day. Communication is clear - the whole school sends out regular updates (newsletters twice a month and additional reminders to upcoming events), and are fast to respond to questions when our family reaches out. Teacher turnover during the pandemic was higher than non pandemic years (as it was with every school country-wide...) but since, it has definitely seemed to improve and the school seems to have come out stronger than ever. Year after year I see the same staff (front desk, classroom teachers, administration) which is always great to see - and they know all the students and parents by name. It's a medium size school with a small school feel. I sometimes hear new parents talking about the outdoor space and how they wish that there was a more traditional 'playground', however whenever I pick-up my child and see the kids playing ... the outdoor space is exactly what the kids want when playing with their friends! They have forts in the prairie, mowed grass for sports, trees to climb, logs and sticks to build with, mud kitchens, a gaga ball pit, and so much more! We love IMA and will continue to recommend it to everyone we meet with children!