Kennesaw Charter School

This school is not what it appears to be. The school board is an absolute joke. They do not listen to other parents and are bullies. The executive director is a highly paid bully who has threatened and bullied so many good teachers and parents. Many sites say the school has 800 students enrolled. That is absolutely not true. There are only about 350 now. That is because sooooo many families have pulled their children and gone to their zoned schools where they are getting a much better education. They claim to be a STEM school, they do a lot of STEM projects without focusing on real fundamentals the kids need to actually learn. Plus they do not have any official STEM certification. FALSE ADVERTISING!!!!!! Run, do not walk and put your kids first.

The school is in chaos with 4 different principals in 3 years. Great teachers have left during the school year as well.

This is our third year at Kennesaw Charter & we are excited to be a part of it! Our first year at KCSMA was under the administration of principal Frey & honestly the school was struggling BUT then Dr McNealey became the new principal last year & it was exactly what the school needed. Yes, there has been some turnover of teachers but that is because he has been holding his teachers accountable & weeding out the negative. He also spends time in the classrooms actually observing & providing feedback for improvement. He has a great vision for the school, he is very open to meeting with parents & has addressed our concern (poor communication from a teacher was ours) he then paired us with a teacher that was an AMAZING communicator. Best teacher ever! The poor communicator is no longer there. Change takes time but he is making it happen:) The school has MANY offerings for extra-curriculars after school (garden club, cooking, robotics, soccer, dance, many more). They get to practice interview skills for volunteer jobs at school, create their own business...My kids admitted to me they were having so much fun at school last year & they would come home excited to tell me things that they learned. I would receive pictures from the teachers multiple times per week engaged in class projects. A teacher even sent me my daughter's entire presentation on video (which she worked so hard on) from start to finish!! KCSMA is an amazing school, not perfect, but neither was the public school we started at with a very high rating on these websites. KCSMA has been a much better experience for my kiddos. It has a small community feel, the staff seem to know all of the kids names. We have met some amazing parents who are now our great friends outside of school. LOVE the uniforms (they are very flexible where you purchase them from which makes it cost effective). They do great job of prepping kiddos for middle school with switching teachers in 4th grade & lockers are added in 5th grade. No matter what school you go to you have to do your part as a parent to create a positive experience. With all online reviews tread lightly on what you read...keep in my mind there are always 2 sides to every story. Some parents are totally justified in their rants & some are expecting the to drop off their kid at school with no parent involvement & expect to pick up the perfect child. Under the new administration I am proud to say my kids go to KCSMA! Whatever school you go to I hope it is the right fit for your kiddo, that is the most important!

The other reviews on KCSMA are old reviews and do not give an accurate picture of this school at all. Yes, KCSMA does encourage parents to be involved, so if you don't want to participate in your child's education, then KCSMA isn't for you. In terms of "being hounded for donations".....several of my friends have kids in traditional public schools who are asked for donations just as frequently (if not more) than I am, and traditional schools receive more government funding than charter schools. In my opinion, KCSMA is an amazing charter school that encourages interaction between children, the teachers, the administration, parents, and the community as a whole. In 2017 they hired a new principal who has been a tremendous asset. Dr. McNealy has been very involved with the students and has implemented several positive changes. The teachers at KCSMA work there because they care about the mission and values of the school (because honestly they could make more money at a traditional public school). Communication between teachers and parents is excellent - I always know exactly what is going on and what my children are learning each week. KCSMA offers many additional programs and activities outside of traditional classwork - the kids plant and maintain school gardens, they can be "hired" to work for Charter Town (where they earn "money" for purchases), they have fun and exciting specials (Mr. Donnelly, the science special teacher, and Mrs. Beeler, the librarian are both WONDERFUL), and the school offers STEM family nights quarterly. In addition to academics, KCSMA fosters a strong sense of community between their students and encourages personal growth. I could not be a happier parent! I have 3 years of experience with this school and 2 children enrolled at KCSMA. If they could write a review online, they would give their school a 100!

I truly regret sending my children to this school. I feel that so much time has been waisted in an unorganized school with apathetic teachers who are allowed to bully the students. The principal and administration staff is a big fat joke. If you have a choice, steer clear!

I honestly wish there was a way to give this school a zero. The negative reviews about this school are very true. My child currently attends this school and I cannot wait until the end of the school year to get him out. The experience has been horrible from lack of communication to lack of qualified individuals leading these children to success. It's saddening and disheartening. I saw my child go from being confident to confused. When I reached out to teachers to find out about what exactly is being taught, I got no response. When I scheduled a meeting - the principal had the audacity to not be present. At any given moment, I encourage current parents of students at this school to just show up...you will be surprised to learn that no one in a leadership role (i.e. Principal or assistant principal is ever actually there)....they are probably out running personal errands since this school is indepently ran...they essentially don't need to follow the county rules. Do yourself a favor and get your child enrolled in a school that is supported by the county, the curriculum is richer, you won't get hounded for donations, and your child will actually LEARN. We feel like we wasted a year here sending our child to this 'daycare' because that is essentially what it is. The turnover rate is high and they constantly have an 'enrolling now' sign at the front. How many legit elementary schools need to 'advertise' themselves? Teachers and administration are clueless, unqualified, and fearless because they do not report to the county. County rules and regulations don't apply to them. This school needs to be shut down. It is an embarrassment to the community.

Teachers are wonderful and really care about the children.

this school offers class sizes of 18 or less for Kindergarden with two teachers in each classroom...