Grace Baptist Academy

7815 Shallowford Road

Chattanooga, TN 37421

26 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 04, 2024

We were initially very impressed with the admissions process and start of the school year. It quickly deteriorated from there. It was not a good fit for our pre-k child who had difficulty adjusting to a new environment and structure. He has a new life changing medical diagnosis, changed schools and a baby brother born 2 weeks after school started. So difficulty adjusting is expected…he’s also a four year old boy. He had some disruptive behaviors during learning time that we agreed were problematic and very understanding of their frustration that very clearly came across. We worked on changes at home but adjustments on the schools end were not made or at least we don’t know if they were. Instead of helping us find a better fit for him or even giving us a heads up we were called into the school at 1:45 and told he could no longer return but they would stop our payments, as if that was our concern. After being kicked out I met with the head of school, principal & VP and recommended a counselor for future students and the head of school said, “we’re not going to do that”. I also expressed having to start anxiety medications due to the number of emails and pressure from the school to which the head of school replied, “sometimes people need medicine”. I cannot speak for the higher grades but if your child has difficulty adjusting or special needs I would not recommend their program. It’s very cookie cutter and if you don’t meet their standards it’s obvious it’s your problem, not theirs and the resolution is purely on your end, not a team effort. The way they spoke to me about my child made me believe something was wrong with my child. He went to a new school and we’ve had no issues. There was a trigger at Grace that they didn’t seem to care about or help figure out to try to fix the problem. Again, we were made to feel it was my child’s fault. I’m incredibly disappointed in the “grace” we were given and received, especially for a Christian school. It was clearly not a good fit for my little guy. I can only hope future families have a better experience and something was learned from this. I will give credit where it is due and say We were not disappointed in the curriculum. I can speak positively on their desire for children to learn.
Submitted by parent on August 20, 2023

We are first year GBA attendees and thus far we are so impressed by the staff and coaching leadership. From the admissions to the day to day interactions we are feeling so loved and supported!
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2023

I am so thankful for the positive impact of Grace Baptist Academy on my children's lives. It's more than just a school. It is a family—the strong sense of community and excellence is unparalleled. I wholeheartedly recommend this school to any parent seeking a Christ-centered, faith-based, well-rounded, high-quality education. The dedication of the teachers and faculty is truly commendable. We have been incredibly blessed to have our children flourish in their faith and learning seamlessly at G.B.A.
Submitted by parent on August 19, 2023

This is my daughters first year at Grace. We have had a great experience thus far. She plays multiple sports so she is already involved with these and making new friends and loves all of the coaches. This has been such a positive change for the better since coming from a public school system. This is totally different and she is loving the change, which is normally hard for a teen. We have nothing but good things to say about Grace and the staff there. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Grace family.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2023

Our experience from admissions to teachers and everything in between has been exceptional! Grace has been such a blessing to our family in so many ways. Grace made our family feel like more than just a number and made it a point to make us feel like we weren’t just the next family trying to get in…couldn’t imagine going anywhere else!
Submitted by parent on March 27, 2023

This is our first year at Grace and from day 1 we have felt like we have been here for years. Everyone makes you feel like family. The students, teachers, coaches, etc.. have not only embraced my children, but have embraced our whole family. We have a 9th grader and one in kindergarten, so one in the upper and one in the lower school and everyone has been amazing. It is an amazing feeling knowing you are sending your children to school everyday to not only get an education, but to also learn about Jesus and get a spiritual education also. Our only regret is that we didn’t choose Grace sooner for our oldest daughter.
Submitted by other on May 09, 2022

Don’t believe their headmaster when he states enrollment is up. They have a lot of interviews with new students because people are leaving fast and they are having turnover happening! No progress happening on the school rebuild(who builds the sports fields first?!?), expecting students to suffer in small/cramped class rooms and very little extracurricular space, it makes sense why parents are fed up. Do not expect solutions if you have a problem. Their response is “we will pray about it”, and not put actions behind anything. I also don’t understand how tuition is climbing while in this “temporary situation”?Get heard, spend your money on Boyd or Silverdale where at least you get an actual space for your kids to learn at and where they understand you are paying for your child’s education so you should have a voice.
Submitted by other on May 02, 2022

As a member of the church, a graduate of the academy and proud of it. I am pleased with the education I received from there. Grace is very dear to my heart. While there has been some rough years every school has to endure the bad times to appreciate the good times. What people need to remember is this that at one time in the early beginnings of Grace we had to take what we could, we got lockers that during the summer many staff, sanded and repainted, we didn't even have fields to play on, we were also using a church building but the school survived. Yes there has been staffing changes and administration changes but we are still an awesome school. We may not be winning every championship but one thing we have stayed true is the core of the teachings and we are teaching kids that winning isn't everything, we are teaching them values that will last them longer than the championship. Now we are building back, literally building back the school and church and folks let me tell you once we get that completed watch out Grace will be awesome. We have many successful former students. We have teachers who love those students and would do anything for them. They want to see a child succeed. There is no child left behind at GRACE. So to those who say Grace isn't great like it once was you watch it will be and then you will wish your child was a student there.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2022

I love this school. All 4 of my children attend Grace Academy. This school truly is a family. The teachers care for the students beyond the classroom.
Submitted by parent on October 07, 2020

We have been very pleased with our daughter's christian education there
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2019

Grace Baptist Academy filled much more than a need for a great Christian school for our son. It inspired a love to learn in a safe and place with caring teachers, administrators, and leaders.
Submitted by other on June 16, 2019

Excellent Christian school with wide range of opportunities for all students.
Submitted by parent on April 15, 2019

We have had a first class experience at Grace Academy.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2017

Some teachers, principle seems not to care. curriculum not up to standards. Also the building is in need of repairs. Basically what all the other low reviewer said I agree to. Also warning, beware of fake positive reviews when you see a bad review. They do this so that they can sway the ratings.
Submitted by student on January 07, 2017

I had an amazing experience at Grace. The teachers are personal and the students are your family.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2016

This school is absolutely the worst! I don't even know where to begin: the teachers, the curriculum, or the facilities???The teachers: totally unresponsive to parents and do not have mastery of their subject matter.The curriculum: for the most part, is secular and not Christian, and is totally iPad-based, so no writing or penmanship is ever done. Lots of busy work is assigned and the essentials are neglected.The facilities: dated, dilapidated, and falling apart. Carpet torn everywhere, lockers are dented & rusted, and paint peeling off the walls.Run from this place as fast as you can!!!
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2015

This school has not been the same since their new leadership came in. Attendance is way down, and they are struggling to keep students.
Submitted by other on April 27, 2015

As a graduate of Grace Academy who has been out of school for a "few years", I am pleased to see how the Academy continues to grow and change to meet the educational needs that students have. While it is certainly not the same as when I graduated, it is good to see that even though the educational styles and classroom technology change, the passion that their teachers have to educate kids from a Christian worldview does not change. Learning about things like the school's partnership with Apple and the use of Apple products in the classroom is a great reminder to me of how Grace always is trying to find new ways to meet the needs of students and to help them succeed.
Submitted by parent on September 24, 2014

Grace Academy is really advancing in technology. I am so excited to see the new computer science courses being offered. I have loved the "family atmosphere" and Biblical worldview but it is great to see the strong academic program being emphasized throughout all grade levels.
Submitted by parent on June 04, 2014

I would first like to say that there are some very good, well educated teachers at this school. There are also some that I would not put in this category. As far as the school's administration there is an issue with listening and acting on parent's concerns. The concerns you have are "listened to" out of courtesy, but nothing is done. I would especially say that that is definitely the case in the elementary school. The new leadership will get there I am sure, but at the expense of a lot of unhappy parents. People skills, listening to parents and really offering good solutions is the only way this school will grow. This is one of the many reasons other area private Christian schools are flourishing and Grace is not. Our children have attended this school since preschool. Unfortunately, we have decided that the academics are not the quality that we want for our children, so we are taking the next steps. If you are considering this school be sure to ask lots of questions, check out their curriculum and do your research. The prices are cheaper than most area private school, but sometimes the cheapest doesn't mean it has the same quality.