Center Academy - Waterford Lakes

Center Academy has been such a blessing for my son. The most important part of our experience is the academic strides my son has made while at Center Academy. Public school was not working at all for him, even with an IEP and extra help. He fell so far behind that it ended up hurting his mental health. I immediately pulled him out of public school in the middle of his 5th grade year. Once he started at Center Academy that same year, he became a new child. As far as social aspects, my son had a hard time in public school because other children didn't really understand him or relate to him. He had a hard time making connections with students, but at Center Academy, since the children understand each other and know that they are there because they face some of the same difficulties, they are compassionate towards one another and they understand each other. It's easier for them to make connections and friends.

All the teachers are great. I have yet to have a complaint about any teacher. They are very understanding and compassionate towards the students. They are great at communicating, great at keeping order in the classroom and making it a positive and enjoyable learning experience. The same goes for the administration. They truly care for their students as if they were their own children. Every child has different needs and in some cases health issues. The faculty and staff have always done everything they could to help accommodate my son whenever he's needed it. The students are acknowledged as individuals and they are not expected to "fit in a box." With smaller classrooms and two teachers per classroom, they get the attention and help they need which wasn't possible in public school. The teachers and assistants are always there to help. The students enjoy field trips throughout the year and the school has various family activities throughout the year.

My son went from getting C's, D's, and F's to A's and B's every semester and even all A's some semesters. The teachers challenge the students and they make sure they don't stay stagnant and they help them reach their full potential. This is where I've seen the biggest academic strides with my son. He went from writing maybe five sentences to being able to fill a whole page with writing. It was hard for him to get his thoughts on paper, but he no longer has that issue. He volunteers to read out loud which he never would've done previously. He went from needing someone to sit next to him in order to get his work done or having to be constantly redirected, to doing his work completely unassisted and even going around to help other students with their work.

My son has great relationships with the teachers, teacher's assistants, and faculty and he even feels comfortable talking to them about what's going on in his life. His self-esteem went up, his confidence went up, he came out of his shell, and he honestly became a new child thanks to the help from Center Academy. My son is now in 11th grade and right on track to graduate next year. I could never thank the faculty and staff at Center Academy enough.