Menlo Park Academy

This is a public charter school in Cleveland. Please explain how there are virtually no African American students and no students receiving free and reduced lunch.
Administrators and Board all White. Teaching staff??? Brown vs. Board of Ed.
Public funds should not be used for this segregationist institution.

Initially I was overwhelmed with excitement that my child could receive a great education without us spending thousands of dollars! Although the education is good, there are concerns.... This school has started to push LGBT support among children and I think this is way out of bounds. First, a male was allowed to dress in skirts and use the girls restroom. Now, on State testing day, they've declared SILENCE DAY in support of LGBT community. What pressure on students and families who do not support such lifestyles. SO OUT OF BOUNDS!!!!!!
Please allow Parents to do their part at home by introducing our children to the ways of the world. No notices were ever sent home to parents in either of these instances...just a meeting with the students.
How does this work with State and Federal funding? Hummmm????

We can't praise enough the Menlo Park Academy. Our kids are thriving and they are challenged daily. There are opportunities for clubs, competitions and special interest groups. The teachers are absolutely fabulous. Enthusiastic and great at understanding the needs of gifted children. We highly recommend this school.

My kid LOVES Menlo. Finally a school with peers of similar intellectual abilities. Your other choice would be Lake Ridge Academy at 20k/yr and I'm not sure they are all gifted.

I have a kindergartener and a second grader at Menlo and I could not ask for a better school for my children. I love it there, my kids love it there. They are challenged every day. This school has been a blessing for our family.

The school has several issues. The first is that the school sells itself as serving the needs of gifted students through enrichment and acceleration. In the past three years, technology class was eliminated and the music, art, and foreign language programs were dismal. The second issue is with the school building. It needs vital repairs. The roof leaks frequently resulting in buckets of murky water to be found throughout the building. The third, and most distressing issue, is with the academics. There are significant gaps in material covered when compared to same grade peers in other public schools. While at Menlo, my child received straight A's consistently in all subjects. When we had him tested for his new school, not only did he no longer meet the criteria for the gifted/honors program, he was behind in several areas, most notably mathematics. This necessitated a summer tutor to prepare him for the grade he is entering in the fall. In looking back through math workbooks, the material he was missing was never taught to him. The teachers for the most part do a good job with what they have to work with, but do not seem to be given much support from the administration. They also seem to understand the quirks that tend to come with highly gifted students which helps these students immensely. Unfortunately, what I had hoped would be a wonderful fit both academically and socially for my child, resulted in him being significantly academically behind his same grade peers.

Our daughter started in late October last year in Kindergarten. She had one of the most wonderful teacher's anyone could ever want so I over look how disorganized the rest of the school was ran. She made friends enjoyed going to school everyday and wasn't learning her ABC's all over again when she mastered that at 3.

This year her teacher isn't as wonderful and I'm noticing more and more how the school is not being run in a effective manner. The building is old and falling apart. They keep saying the are looking at new building but you can never get an answer as to the plan for that. The director is almost never there and she stinks at communications. They always have dates wrong for things and are just SO unorganized not to mention there safety is REALLY lacking especially in the aftercare program.

Of course the School is going to have high test score all the students are gifted so the ranking does not give you an idea of the school as a whole. They have a HUGE teacher turn over more then half the staff is new this year! It's very frustrating being a parent here and trying to get answers for things when you cannot be the type of parent that is volunteering everyday because you work or have other children to care for.

Don't let the tuition free fool you either you have to pay $500 a year and every other day they are asking for money and if you can't volunteer 45 hours a year they want more money also.

Unless things change drastically I doubt my daughter will be back next year and we are already looking for another school.

My daughter has attended three different public schools & has shadowed at various private schools, and has never found an environment as nurturing, stimulating, & challenging as that provided by this school. Within a year, she has magically blossomed--evolving into a more confident and socially conscious speaker and writer. I credit the teachers and her peers for her new interest in writing, her more refined viewpoints, and her vastly improved and mature use of language. At Menlo, she is exposed to: 1). lively classroom discussions that always inspire further inquiry at home, 2). monthly field trips, 3). a multitude of independent research projects, 4). and a Singapore math program that has rigorously prepared her (a 10 yr. old) to perform at an 8th grade level. Despite the academic rigor, she can still manage to gush about one "amazing" and "fun" day after another. Yes, the teachers are that impassioned & inspiring, and the curriculum is that creative. There are many strong reasons why this school has such a long waiting list & why so many parents will make the sacrifice & commute 2 hrs./day so that their children can attend. My daughter now sees the school as her extended family. Here, she is not afraid to be a "nerd", because every individual talent & eccentricity is celebrated and supported with great sensitivity. I just still scratch my head in wonder at how this school can offer so much more than the average public school and yet exist on such a tighter budget, but from what I have seen, every dollar seems to go directly into the kids--from overnight field trips to state-of-the-art textbooks and technology. The public schools could learn many a lesson from this hidden little gem.

Menlo Park Academy is a very special place. The teachers are incredibly dedicated and seem to truly love what they are doing. The school focuses on the whole child addressing academic as well as intellectual, emotional and social development. My kids are thriving, happy and excited about learning. Socially, this is the best fit we could have ever found. A child once described as a loner is now surrounded by peers and has built several new relationships. As resources and services for gifted students dwindle at traditional public schools, the role MPA plays in elementary education becomes even more important.

My children have a place where their unique talents are celebrated. This school is amazing. The teachers are dedicated, the administration is caring and the curriculum is challenging. It is amazing to have all this without paying tuition.

Thank goodness for School Choice! MPA is a wonderful community school. It focuses the development of the "whole child", servicing the varied intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted children. Our family looks forward to growing with this school, an invaluable resource for gifted children in Northeast Ohio.

MPA is just amazing. We can't say enough about what a difference it has made for our children. True hands-on learning, frequent field trips, Spanish for all grades, and friends who "get" our kids. All that and no tuition! We feel blessed to have found such a wonderful school. Parents are a key component to the school's success and are encouraged to get involved and help make it even better. The partnership is truly awesome. Oh, and the teachers are great and really care about the kids. Bottom line, our kids are happy & growing!

Imagine your gifted child being in a classroom - where they don't stand out but have peers. Imagine school work that matches their unique needs with their education. Imagine that our Ohio's concept of "a year's growth for a year's time" applies fully to even gifted children. It was a dream but is now our reality. Science lab, Spanish, amazing teachers.... but mostly friends. We are a community, and a community school.

It is so nice to have a school for gifted students. The teachers at Menlo are wonderful. Unfortunately the administrative staff and board members are inept and disorganized. They act as if they have never worked in a school before. It is very frustrating being a parent of a student here.

Very good school. It is growing and I must say the children really get an excellent education.

Everyone at Menlo Park (Teachers, Admin, and other parents)is enthusiastic. It creates enthusiasm for my son, wife and myself. We enjoy the privilege of volunteering with this great team.

Thank You !!!!!