Connections AcademyReviews 623

No matter how well your child is doing, you are required to meet with teachers?! So regardless of an A average, not needing help, you are required to physically speak with your teachers... homeschool? We wake up each morning to a big red "unhappy face" letting us know that her enrollment in this school is jeopardized... despite doing the "live lesson" requirements. In the 6 weeks she has been enrolled, we feel more pressure than we ever did at traditional middle school. We have 2 more months... and we are trying to get through. Think twice before attending Connections Academy :(

My kids are currently in 9th and 10th grades. I made the decision to take them out of the public high school for two reasons. One reason was that my 10th grader was starving to be challenged academically and her high school had no program for gifted or talented students. My other daughter was suffering from anxiety issues that stemmed from being bullied at her previous school. I had heard nothing but good things about Connections Academy from several parents and students, they seemed to have a huge selection of classes to choose from (including honors classes, which was appealing to us), and they advertise that each student can work at their own pace. They even have examples of students who have pretty high demands on their time, such as child actors and even Olympic athletes. So we thought this would be a good choice. My older daughter would be able to get the stimulation she was craving with their large variety of classes and my younger daughter would get the space she needed to heal from her experiences. It seemed like a no-brainer.

We have been at Connections for 5 months now and I have to say I am not impressed. At all. My kids came down with a flu in February and were each down for a week. They have been struggling to keep up ever since, even though they have been putting in longer days to get caught up. I have contacted teachers, their advisory teacher, and the school counselor. Both my girls were A and B students until they started Connections Academy and now they are getting C's, D's and even F's. Teachers and staff have been very unhelpful with a "sorry we can't help you" attitude. While my kids' friends have time for the fun things, social things, that kids their age should be doing, my kids are stuck at home struggling to catch up from missing a week of school. I worry that they will lose their love for learning completely if they continue at Connections.

Hugely disappointed mother.

I absolutely love this school. My daughter had a biology teacher at her traditional high school who was not a good fit for her. While I would normally force her to work it out with the teacher, in this instance it wasn't worth the anxiety.

I pulled her out of that class only and enrolled her at CA. Her new Biology teacher was interested in her as a learner, was willing to individualize the curriculum needs to include what she had missed in traditional school, and was a complete professional, keeping in touch with both my daughter and myself as her learning coach.

I understand the frustration that a student might feel if they think they can work at their own pace, but it simply is only true to a point. If the school year ends on June 4, the student HAS to be done by June 4! I'm not sure why they would think that "at your own pace" means you can take as long as you want to. My daughter traveled a bit and missed about a week of school, but because she had worked ahead, she didn't fall terribly far behind. She was able to complete her late lessons at her own pace (again, within reason) to catch up and finish the class on time.

My daughter gets A's, B's and C's in traditional school and as expected, earned a B in Connections Biology. More importantly, she learned a LOT more than she would have with her traditional teacher.

IF you are willing to take personal responsibility for your education as a student, and if you are a good reader and have a good support system at home, this could very well be a GREAT opportunity for you. Parents: Keep in mind that you are expected to partner with your child's teachers as a learning coach to help keep them on track. If you don't have time to monitor each day what they are doing and where they are going on the computer, then this is probably not a good option for you!

My child can not graduate this year due to Connection Academies lack of communication and misrepresentation. Most of the teachers sit at home doing other things like watch TV rather then answer their phone and BE A TEACHER! Their solution is pull your child out, they blame the child by saying "must not be a good fit" they REFUSE to take responsibility as educators! Do not be fooled by their lies! They costed my child and many others the graduation day these students worked so hard to achieve. When is America going to stand up for the future of our children? My child had dreams but this school taught him how to fail and that he should drop out and give up! You people should be ashamed of yourselves for calling yourselves "Educators".