Charter Schools - Franklin Arts, Edu-Prize

I don't have any experience with Edu-Prize or Franklin Arts, but both of my sons attend school at Challenger Basic School at Greenfield and in between Baseline and Guadalupe. We have been extremely pleased with the education and discipline of the students there. The staff is really friendly. They are state funded, so no cost to you and they fall under Gilbert School District. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

L.
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My daughter goes to leading edge academy on Gilbert & guadalupe. It is a charter school. It got great aims scores. they do not say they teach your child a year a head their approach is teaching them the very most in each grade as possible. My daughter is in kinder. there she is learning to read rights small stories a paragraph right now is learning time & money which my niece in 1st grade public is just learning. My daughter loves it. it is a small school but the children get one on one attention. Miss A. the kinder. teacher is great. I tried to get my daughter in other charter schools but due to i living in queen creek the waiting lists where substantial. We chose this school because her aunt goes there she will be graduating from high school next year 1 yr early & have about 2 yrs worth of college credits already accumulated.

I know a couple of my daughter's friends from preschool will be going to Edu-prize. I have her on the waiting list for Benjamin Franklin Charter School (different from Franklin Arts). Check out www.greatschools.net to compare schools. It's a great resource!

Have friends with kids in both of these schools and they are great.. There are also several really good Montessori schools in the valley and they typically allow children to go as fast or as slow as they want. Sunridge Learning Center, Johnson Elementary, and Mendoza Elementary are all Montessori Schools run through the Mesa Public School system and they are free. One is on Guadalupe and Extension, one is on Adobe and Val Vista, and the other one is on Recker and McLellan, so different locations depending on your location.

I currently have a daughter in kinder at Edu-Prize Gilbert, and am very impressed so far. My daughter was also reading prior to kinder, and the teacher is awesome at keeping everyone interested and challenged. I think it's important wherever you go to keep in communication with the teacher, so you can work as a team. But definitely get on that list NOW - you can continue your research, but they do go by date of application, then lottery.

my son and daughter go to franklin arts on MCkellips and Lindsey
It's a good school my daughter in 4th and son is 7th my other son will go there is august and is excited I have a friend putting her son in the prek program.It's a good school the only problem I have is bullies and they don't have a principal right now they are looking for one.All the teacher are friendly keep you in formated about your child and how they are doing.

Shelly
Momof 4 kids
Stay at home mom

Hi M. -

You didn't say whether you are a SAHM or you work outside the home. If you are a SAHM, I would suggest you check into Arizona Virtual Academy (www.azva.org - I think). It is a free home schooling program that allows your child to work at their own rate, and that includes moving up so she doesn't get bored. The public schools are not equiped to work with or appreciate gifted children - sad but true.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

M.

I taught Kindergarten at EDUPRIZE Queen Creek this year and I can assure you that your child will be taught at her level. We are constantly assessing them and making sure they are making the proper progress one child at a time. You can always go to the tour, there will be one this month and you can get all your questions answered. If you decide that EDUPRIZE is a good choice for your child, you may want to enroll her now since there is a waiting list and I know there are families who are enrolling their children years in advance.

Hi M.,
My daughter is in K at Edu-prize. I have been so happy with Edu-prize. All my older kids went to public schools, and I really can see the difference in my daughter. All the kids in her class are reading. Good luck to you and your family :}

If you haven't already, check out GreatSchools.com. They are an awesome resource for comparing and finding local schools. We have had our children in four charter schools in the area since having moved here a year ago. Of the four, the one with the most challenging curriculum was definitely Banjamin Franklin Charter School on Warner Road, just east of Gilbert Road. We have also been pleased with Dobson Academy, Horizon Community Learning, and Imagine West Gilbert. We had to move them around for various reasons, but none of them were for lack of satisfaction with the school. Best wishes to you! :)

Both of the schools you mentioned are great schools. There are other alternatives in Gilbert. You might check out GPS Traditional Academy (Neely Elementary). It is a back to basics school that teaches Spalding Phonics and Saxon Math. (Excellent Programs). They also provide honors classes for their students. OR on a smaller scale check out Challenger Basic School. They also teach Spalding and Saxon. Their class sizes are smaller than the public school system and the parents are very involved! Hope that helps!

Debbie

My son attended Edu-Prize from K all the way through 6th. Our experience there was amazing. The teachers are caring and very much involved in your child's education. We loved the multi-age classrooms. The ability to have a teacher follow your child for 2 years, rather than 1, does make things easier. I can't say enough wonderful things about our years at Edu-Prize. Please feel free to contact me with any specific questions.

Hi M.,

I am currently in the middle of my masters thesis - doing some charter/district comparisons in AZ. I have raw data sorted and somewhat alalyzed in Excel sheets if you would like to take a look. Both of the schools you mentioned definitely rank up there with some of the other great charter elementary schools. My data is for 3rd grade reading and 8th grade math years 2005-2007 strictly AIMS test scores. Let me know if you would like to take a look, I know you have already put your name on the list but I thought you still may be interested.

T.