Hess Academy

611 Medlock Rd

Decatur, GA 30033

22 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 30, 2024

We switched to Hess Academy last year in 2nd grade and our sensitive 3rd grader is thriving! The teachers and staff are so positive and supportive to our sometimes challenging child. They patiently deal with issues that arise with compassion, understanding, and action. There is also a terrific SLP who works with the kids weekly to offer additional support for some of the ND children. She really helps my daughter with social skills and undesirable behaviors. Hess is very much like a family and we are so appreciative of the kindness and love they show our family.
Submitted by parent on January 14, 2024

Hess has been a great fit for my middle school child! It’s a small, warm and accepting community with many great teachers. The small class sizes really help my child thrive. I also appreciate the focus on outdoor time and field trip experiences.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2023

Our experience at Hess has been wonderful. After looking at every school in the area for preK, I am so glad we found Hess. My daughter is excited to go each day and the teachers are warm, friendly, and extremely qualified. The class sizes are very small, and I am confident my daughter is getting an amazing education. The kids spend huge chunks of the day outside and my kid comes home each day sharing with what she has learned (right now the PreK group are becoming experts on frogs!) I was nervous about making a commitment to a new school, but Hess is a gem.
Submitted by parent on January 20, 2023

Hess Academy is an outstanding school that provides a well-rounded education to students in Pre-K through 8th grade. My three children have attended the school for several years now and have had an incredible experience. The pre-K program is excellent and my youngest child is thriving in the nurturing and stimulating environment. The 5th grade curriculum is challenging and engaging, and my middle child is excelling academically. The 8th grade program is rigorous and prepares students well for high school.The administrative staff and teachers at Hess Academy are exceptional. They are dedicated, knowledgeable, and truly care about the well-being and success of each student. They are always available to answer any questions or concerns that I have and are quick to respond. The teachers create an inclusive and positive learning environment for all students and provide individualized instruction to support the needs of each child.Overall, I highly recommend Hess Academy to any family looking for a high-quality education for their child. It has been an amazing experience for my family and I am confident that my children will be well prepared for the future.--
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2019

My son is in 7th grade at Hess Academy. When I first visited, I was so impressed by the middle school – the students were working, laughing, and learning with their teachers. Middle school is a time of growing independence, but also great vulnerability. The Hess middle school teachers are warm, supportive, and truly enjoy the children they teach. Since starting at Hess, my son, who is dyslexic, has excelled in writing, which had always been a struggle for him. Hess not only provides an academically individualized and challenging atmosphere, but the teachers and staff also focus on personal relationships and help the children grow socially. So happy to have found this school for our kiddo!
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2019

We are so thankful that we discovered Hess Academy. All 3 of my children love learning and are excited to go to school every day. Working with each child as a unique individual builds their confidence and really helps them excel. At first when we didn't lottery into our neighborhood charter school, we were very upset. But it has all worked out for the best, because I can't imagine a better place for my kids to be than Hess.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2019

We discovered Hess Academy when we were looking for a preschool program for our son. By the time it was time for him to begin Kindergarten at City Schools of Decatur (he was zoned for Winnona), we were so in love with Hess that we decided to stay. There are so many things that are great about Hess, but here the three things that work especially well for us. First, plenty of healthy outside time. The kids begin the day with 20-30 minutes in the playground before they need to into their classes. Lunch and recess are another hour, and everyone finishes the day with another 15 minutes in the playground. Second, classes are capped at 12-14 students with two full-time teachers. The individualized attention that our son’s intellectual and emotional needs receive are, therefore, outstanding.Finally, the kids (and teachers) do not go through the horrible Standardized Testing that has become the norm at the Public-School system (although teachers and educators have been saying for years that this kind of testing is pedagogically harmful). There is so much more to love about this school—like the devotion Hess teachers show to their students, the sense of community, and more. Just go and tour the school!
Submitted by parent on April 17, 2019

Hess Academy has a been great fit for our son. The public school was not meeting his reading needs. He was diagnosed with dyslexia and needed a phonics based reading curriculum and a smaller classroom with more individualized attention. That is just what he received at Hess. The teachers at Hess care and go above and beyond to meet your student's individualized needs. Hess also allowed us to bring an O.G. tutor to work with our son one on one. We have seen considerable improvement with his reading and gains in other areas. We highly recommend Hess because they hire teachers that care and create a nurturing environment that help students of all leaning levels thrive.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2017

This is our fourth year at Hess. I am a mental health professional that has consulted with various schools in varying states. Hess ranks supreme in providing a nurturing learning environment for all types of students. The sense of community is inspiring. My son continues to grow in surprising ways due to the creative and consistent commitment of the Hess staff. He loves school.
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2014

I'm beyond thrilled to have found this school! I have two boys at Hess Academy and we looked at many different private schools throughout the Atlanta area. The minute I walked into this school, I knew it was the one. The teachers and staff are warm and welcoming, the environment is enriching, and the students were smiling! The class sizes are small (5:1 student teacher ratio- which is almost unheard of!), so the children get a lot of individualized instruction. They accommodate kids with all different types of learning styles. Their approach to nurturing the "whole child" when it comes to learning and education is a complete 180 of what we experienced in public school. I can't recommend this school enough! I believe it is the best educational decision I've made as a parent.
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2014

We arrived with a student who was not thriving in his previous environment. Admittedly, we were heartbroken our first-choice was a failure and equally hesitant about a new school. Recommendations from trusted friends, though, nudged us to take a leap of faith. Yes, the school is new. Yes, it does not (yet) have the shiny building other equally expensive schools boast. School rooms are simple no full-time cafeteria, sports teams or big computer room. Hess, though, offers EXACTLY what our son and many other students need. Remember your favorite teacher in grade school? Remember how he/she taught you the joy of learning? Remember how he/she knew how to motivate you? Respond to you on a bad day? Make you laugh and yet push you hard? Hess may not be the old austere institution parents trot out at the next cocktail party but they are doing something special. Hess is focused on the most important aspects of education, the people hired, methods used to teach and culture reinforced. It is these reasons I think Hess has the potential to become a learning lab for some of those old austere institutions. They do not teach; they educate and inspire.
Submitted by teacher on June 20, 2014

HESS ACADEMY IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE... MY DAUGHTER AND I ARE BLESSED TO BE APART OF SUCH A GREAT COMMUNITY. HESS ACADEMY IS OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME . AS A TEACHER I LOVE THE HANDS ON EXPERIENCES AND FIELD LEARNING AS WELL AS THE CREATIVITY THAT GOES INTO OUR EVERYDAY TEACHING. AS A MOTHER OF A STUDENT, I LOVE THAT MY DAUGHTER HAS A BOND WITH ALL OF HER TEACHERS AND KNOW THAT HER VOICE IS HEARD AND THAT SHE IS LOVED UNCONDITIONAL. WE ARE VERY HAPPY CAMPERS AT HESS ACADEMY!
Submitted by parent on May 14, 2014

Hess Academy has been a blessing for my son and our family. He has blossomed over this past year with excitement in a great learning environment. This school creates an awesome community of teachers and students that want to make a difference in the world. Seeing is believing; our school loves visitors. Your child/children will embrace this loving and creative environment.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2014

Wonderful school with a great environment Beautiful scenery surrounding the school Nice Teachers with very good stimulating classes Our son loves the school
Submitted by parent on May 06, 2014

Our daughter and us love the school. They provide excellent education and are always available to talk to parents about their kids. A very social environment which encourages kids to help each other and make learning fun.
Submitted by parent on May 05, 2014

Hess Academy has been such a blessing to our family. My child has thrived this year in this wonderful environment. Every single teacher and staff member wants to see my son succeed. He has gained confidence and seen tremendous progress academically. I highly recommend this school to anyone who seeks a high-quality education for their child in a loving environment.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2014

In my many years as a professional educator I have never seen a school with teachers this dedicated to their students' intellectual, physical and emotional well being. Their understanding of develpmenal milestones is couched in a genuine school-wide community and authentic nurturing environment. We have found our educational home.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

When I walk through the halls of Hess I see so many things that make me glad to have my children in this deliberately small community. In every classroom there are teachers that embrace students where they are and encourage them to reach their fullest potential as learners. As a parent of small children, I look forward to watching my children grow in this community. My husband and I love that standards are followed, but our children are given room to grow as they need. We feel they are supported in all developmental domains; cognitive, physical and social/emotional. Our children learn through a combination of child initiated and teacher initiated play, an integrated child centered curriculum that is supported by best practices, and just plain real world experience. We are humbled by the genuine support and care of our children's teachers and the faculty. This family is grateful for a place where we can all grow.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

Hess Academy is an outstanding learning environment for my son. He has made tremendous academic and social strides since being a student at Hess Academy. The teachers at Hess are able to make learning fun and exciting, so my son looks forward to going to school and enjoys learning. Just last week his teachers had the class create a marketplace, where each student created their own booth to sell a good or a service. The students decided on what good or service they wanted to sell, set a price for the good or service that would attract customers, designed a marketing campaign to notify and entice customers, and finally sold their good or service. This is just one example of how the talented teachers of Hess Academy use innovative tools to make learning fun and interesting. What makes Hess Academy unique is the teachers. The teachers are all excited about what they are doing, they make every child feel special, and they listen and care about each student's learning. The teachers are constantly adapting the learning to where the students interests lie. The concept is child-centered learning. The result at Hess Academy is amazing.
Submitted by parent on April 09, 2014

The Hess Academy is such an amazing place. It embraces a progressive style of learning and has such an amazing community feel. It is an inclusion model private school on a beautiful campus and the teachers are the warmest, most sincere people, truly vested in your kids' education. I can't say enough good things about the school, the staff, and the families. My child loves school for the first time ever!