Radford School

2001 Radford Street

El Paso, TX 79903

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on May 12, 2024

2023...2024 Radford and our Son..Due to his grades coming from public school in Las Curses he was placed on probation and showing improvement...My thoughts and assessement. This is a economically driven school..as a person of African American...heritage...it did not go well for my Son...for starter we were not invited to first parent student orientation placing us behind on parent teacher requirements...criticle site access to monitor Son progress; no grace period or 3 day seminar for new students coming from public or other private school, allowing them to get inclement into school acamedic..Math teacher not professional, IXL source of teaching not much hands on at all...praises other student repeately in the company of other students...having a preception that I'm irreplaceable. To much stress place on the school new students hype of being one of the best in El Paso..having no heart for new students coming from public school to private ...there has to be a maturation period for new students..etc. My Son may not have been the right students for Radford..but he clearly was not given the oportunity to show improvement...We really were disappointed on how our short stay at Radford ended; we paid up front his entire acamedic payment for the entire year...only to get and initial email from Administrative office stating that he would kept as a student follow by another email saying he was not allowed back...that really hurt our Son...for the better thou...now that he is currently at TX virtual school exceeding all expection passing all classes B+ grade average with a focus not just on academic and economics i.e. cash flow but focus on the totality of preparing the child for Life.."really was not going to say anything being that this happened in October of 2023"..however I pray that something was said base on my observation that shoud be address..and applied to new student..In conclusion..better communication up front for new parents and students...and please educate/train the 6 grade Math teacher on Kid's today or smarter wiser due to there exposure to social media and most can feel when focus is not on the majority but the draconian method is focusing on minority,we live in and all inclusive world today were one can be cancelled for not conforming...talking down on struggling students..not professional at all. They are all recoding what you say at and age where positive affirmation is warrented..and. criticle to there maturation process.
Submitted by parent on September 08, 2023

My 3 1/2 year old was expelled from the Radford School here in El Paso because he didn't want to change out of his swimming clothes intro the school uniform. The school did not bother to call us to say there was a problem with him and if we could come and speak with our son. They called, told us they needed to see us and when my wife arrived at the school, the elementary school principal had just left him in the main admin office and left. My wile had to have the principal called up to find out what was going on. The extremely rude woman said that he had been expelled for being disobedient and that we had to pay the fee balance and were not welcome back. Although my son had 2 days that he had a problem a week before, he did not have any other problems. He did not injure any other kids and was not a "problem child" for some reason this woman had something against our son and was out to expel him. The saddest part of this was when he asked to go to school today and we told him he couldn't go anymore, he started crying saying he wanted to see his friends and his teacher. I would like this story to be looked into you if possible.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2018

My experience was excellent. My son attended Radford for grades 7 through 12. The teachers were excellent and kept in close contact with the parents. It was a wonderful atmosphere which fosterdacademic excellence and social graces,
Submitted by parent on May 30, 2016

What a wonderful school...advanced placement curriculum...Radford works their backsides off academically and physically...standard PE for two weeks and swimming for two weeks...junior Olympic pool. Highly competent reading specialist on staff...brought two grandchildren up three grade levels in 10 months - both had been in top rated public schools and could not read...Radford has saved these two by teaching them intellectual discipline coupled with honesty and personal integrity. Science is pushed. Radford puts the icing on the cake for parents who teach self control, self respect, and concern for others at home. Food at lunch in the dining room is served family style and is fresh and prepared in the kitchen...balanced and nutritious...better than many children get at home...notable, proper table manners are taught and practiced daily. In a nutshell, Radford is developing children into good citizens with the tools necessary to succeed and contribute, Rad.ford's current Principal and Vice are superb and can't be surpassed...parents and students should be thankful for their leadership. May 30, 2016
Submitted by parent on April 27, 2016

The food is terrible. Unhealthy-overly processed, refined starches and sugars. No fresh fruit or vegetables. Unless you include the bagged salads. Every year the principal praises the healthy and nutritious lunches. The nutrition information should be available for inspection, including brand of product and ingredients. I would love to see the Board eat lunch there everyday for a month. Even more objectionable, is that teachers are allowed to bring in their own lunches, students are not. The front of the school is pretty and welcoming. The back entrance for lower school is a wasteland and unsafe (no administrator on hand, weeds and dog poop, untended landscaping ). The traffic at drop off and pick up at the lower school is extremely dangerous. Every attempt should be made to create the same experience at the lower school entrance as the front entrance.Lower school students do not have recess, and the chance to socialize, resulting in lots of behaviour issues during class time.There is way too much homework. The reading specialist spends her time producing plays. The money spent on her salary would be better spent on developing an effective reading program with UTEP education students brought in to teach reading one on one to students throughout the week instead of the limited attention that she spends with a few students. She has scared off Radford families through her various pronouncements. The administration has no idea what she is up to and doesn't seem to want to. Apparently, she thinks herself qualified in assessing a child's neurological foundations. She also runs the Rainbow Group for students she perceives are in need of more of a challenge than the regular curriculum. It's just another opportunity for her to interfere with the teacher's management of the class.The uniforms are boring and fail to accommodate changes in weather. Summer weight fabric skirts for girls and shorts for boys in 100 degree weather and corduroy's and sweater alternatives for winter would be great additions.The Science Fair for Lower School needs a complete overhaul to promote learning instead of cheating. A five page typed report for students who've not yet learned to type is ridiculous. An illegible, poorly copied instruction packet written for older students is moreso.
Submitted by other on August 13, 2015

Great elementary option for a more one on one situation in learning. Great swimming team too!
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2014

What a great school! The staff are wonderful, the parents are involved and the academics are stellar. You can really get involved in your child's education at this school. My daughter just loves the trap and skeet team. What an experience. There are plenty of activities o keep the student engaged. Thanks Radford School!
Submitted by other on March 06, 2014

I love my school! Thanks to our math teacher I actually like math for the first time and I enjoy my other classes too. What I enjoy the most are my friends. I have made some great friends at this school. Oh, and the lunch is the best too!
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2013

Our family was considering a move from one El Paso neighborhood to another and did not want our daughters to be tied to one geographic area. We could not have made a better choice! The students come from a variety of areas and backgrounds. The teachers are caring and professional and the academic program is first rate.
Submitted by parent on September 17, 2013

I sent my children to Radford School to escape the inane testing in the public schools. All they did was test prep. No real teaching occurred. My children love Radford! They are getting a top-notch education, classes are small, etiquette classes are taught, and they are both in band and swimming. The administration and teachers are so friendly and helpful. I am sorry we didn't come sooner!
Submitted by parent on April 30, 2013

My children have been attending this school for two years, coming from a slightly larger private school in another city. The high school education is top notch due to AP classes, Academic Decathlons, PSAT's taken by everyone, award-winning science fair participants and very experienced educators. 100% of graduating seniors attend college. Every year. How many public schools can brag about that? Lunch time, as you've read in other reviews, is like no other school. Parents are very involved, even in high school. And no, there is no bullying. Kids are made to feel welcome and joke with each other, but in no way is it bullying. It is the only school in this entire area with a Trap and Skeet Team. In its first year it has already won awards and is for both boys and girls. The band, even though it's only in its 2nd year, has also won awards. The swim team is made up of all grades and is competing and winning (school has an indoor olympic sized pool). So what if they don't have a football team - these and other activities still make it a great school!
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2013

Excellent school! I think I finally found the best school in El Paso. Reading the other comments, I have to say I am a bit surprised. I brought up some concerns with a couple of rogue students with ties to my daughter's previous school and their attempts at continued bullying. The Principal Mr. Doran, Mrs. Stephens, and Mrs. Gilbert--all school heads, took each one of my concerns seriously. I was impressed by the attention given to each situation. Things can't always be perfect, but I did not have anyone belittle or ignore my concerns when I brought them up. A student was actually suspended for her bullying. My daughter transferred from Loretto Academy and I can tell you that school did not respond appropriately to concerns. What a waste of money. Radford has proven itself to be top notch. Right down to the family style dining--providing healthy and balanced meals for the students. The principal has an open door policy, which is great. I am now confident my daughter will be prepared academically, socially and spiritually and that is all that matters to me. I'll keep paying the price to keep her here in an environment that is safe, productive and inspiring. Thanks Radford!
Submitted by other on March 31, 2013

Horrible school to put your child in. This school changes your child's personality. My older sister went to this school, and she really hated it so much. She had a friend who was bullied like crazy in this school, and when her friend left she left too. Her friend now has a hard time trying to make new friends and meeting new people, because her friend thinks what happened at Radford will happen in her friend's new school. "Im scared I be might asked to go away." "If I sit here, I might get yelled at and told to sit somewhere else." It all happened at Radford, and her friend thinks it will happen in other places. I would not recommend this school for anyone. Teachers and staff let it all happen and do not do anything about it. Public School is better.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2013

Have to agree with the last reviewer. There is a huge culture of bullying. No real policies on bullying. Administrators seem to want to please everyone. Multiple complaints on a particular child by different parents yield no real actions. Too bad, this school has potential but has tired administrators who lack any real disciplinary directive. Many parents are not returning and are looking elsewhere.
Submitted by parent on December 14, 2012

had my son in radford,bad teachers and bad school education system,is better to have them in a public school,the only good thing the do well is teaching the manners,expensive and they dont encourage kids ,they give the kids good grades without any effort,when i took him out and put him in a public school my kid was a better student but it took him 1 year to be at same level of public because in radford he didint learn a lot.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2012

The best school in El Paso! My son is a sixth-grader in Mrs. Wison's class at Radford School and has done extremely well after a disappointing fifth-grade year in EPISD due to an unmotivated teacher that needs to retire. Mrs. Wilson is a great teacher that has invested the time in getting my son caught-up after losing a full year in the public schools. The quality of the administration, teachers, coaches, and staff are the best in El Paso. The parents are very involved and friendly as are all of the students. He was able to participate in sports and the science fair in sixth-grade, something that he couldn't have done in EPISD until 7th-grade. Apparently EPISD would rather their sixth-graders hangout and do nothing in preparation for dropping out. The value of education cannot be measured in dollars and Radford School is an absolute bargain. The school offers the best in lunches with fresh prepared meals served at a table with tablechloths and silverware. Etiquette and manners are stressed and their school uniforms are the best in El Paso. I cannot say enough good about this school and its principal Mr. Doran. A great addition to the school is their music program.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2011

I moved my girls from public school to Radford in Jan 2011 and have not been sorry. One girl is almost a grade level ahead and the other has an IEP. Both girls educational needs are met and they love belonging to a community. The teachers speak to you at drop off and pick up if you choose to come into the school. They really care that you are happy with your child's progress. The principal is the crossing guard and greets each child and parent by name every morning and afternoon.. He is always available to hear comments and concerns. Lunch is an absolute delight with family style dining and quiet conversation. Good table manners and proper socialization is reinforced by teachers at every table. We will keep our children here until we move and it is worth every penny!
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2011

My son has had the best experience at Radford. The teachers at Radford care about the whole child. The classes are challenging and the teachers give free tutoring after school. Radford is a family oriented school and has a strong community. The kids at Radford are very good to one another. They are kind. I am very happy with our decision to move our son to Radford.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2010

Sports teams are not organized. Few extracurricular activities. School has potential, but is not worth the cost.