First Impressions Academy

6965 Nexus Court

Fayetteville, NC 28304

38 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on September 02, 2022

As a public school teacher with 20+ years of experience, there was a long list of musts when considering private school for our children. First Impressions Academy checks every box and has exceeded our expectations. This will be our 6th year at FIA and every year we are blown away. The school provides a small, family feel. Small class sizes ensure that students' individual needs are met and all children get the attention they deserve. The staff is filled with quality, degreed and credentialed teachers who know the content and effective strategies for instruction. The leadership has been amazing since my first encounter, including calming my anxiety about my little one going to preschool. They have an open door policy and I've always felt comfortable talking to them. I am so glad we found FIA six years ago. It truly has been the best experience for our children!
Submitted by parent on June 03, 2021

If you have ever read Malcolm Gladwell's "David & Goliath," you know small class size is not everything. High turn over of teachers; a significant lack of communication on nearly every important issue; small physical space; lack of professionalism from school administration (which is only two individuals) all contribute to a negative overall environment. There is a saying that amongst blindmen, the one-eyed man is king. In Cumberland County, where a good education is hard to find for your children, this school gets high regard. But that is merely because it is only one of two secular, private schools offering pre-k through 8th grade in the entire county. And the other school costs more than most mortgages.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2020

This is one of the most amazing schools I have seen...being a teacher myself and living in 9 states, we decided to stay here for the school.
Submitted by parent on February 26, 2020

Fantastic! My child started attending FIA this year and I have seen a HUGE difference in his school performance. He is excited to learn again and is able to go at his own pace. I can't say enough good things about FIA...except we need a FIA high school!
Submitted by principal on January 19, 2019

I am very happy with this school. I love the small class sizes, when my child was behind they offered free tutoring. It feels like a family!
Submitted by parent on January 17, 2019

This is a great school, it is more like a family.
Submitted by parent on July 17, 2018

This was the worst school any of my five children ever attended. My child who attended here started Kindergarten much farther behind than any of my other kids did. If you want your preschooler to sit and do worksheets all day long this is the place for you. If you want them to learn while still getting to be preschoolers, choose a different school.
Submitted by parent on March 10, 2018

First Impression Academy doesn't feel like a school, it feels like a family. My 6th grader is thriving in middle school the STEM program is one you will not find anywhere in this town or surrounding cities. The hands-on projects, real-world experiences, and level of academics is second-to-none. We completed in regional Science Olympiad and our small school is going to state. I can't count the number of times we were asked; "What school are you guys from!" The children are so close and have created a culture amongst themselves of support, encouragement, love, and respect. Our kids are different, and everyone who encounters them can see it. FIA is committed to character building, self-reliance, respect, and accountability. I trust my teachers; I trust our staff, they will leave no stone unturned. I know my child is important to them and when in school I know, she is in a safe, secure and nurturing environment. First Impressions Academy is truly Fayetteville's little GEM; we are so blessed to be here.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2017

The administration acts like the school is beautifully perfect. But it actually has a lot to improve.The biggest problem is that they are not interested in hearing parents' ideas regarding even minor improvements. If you make any suggestions for very basic needs for school, or bring up any concerns about things related to school or teacher, they immediately shift to a defensive mode and shut down any discussion. They tell you that their door is always open. Yes, it’s open to hear compliments only. And teacher’s turnover is high every year. Most of the teachers are young and not experienced enough to handle challenging situations. The strangest thing this school does is to have all the parents who enroll their kids signed a contract to agree not to leave bad reviews on website or talk negative things to other people. Since parents sign a lot of paper, most of them are not aware of this. The leadership is more worried about their ego than students' best interests.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2017

FIA has been a life-changer in our family. We moved there after attending both public schools in CCS and on base schools at Ft Bragg. Each time we had hoped to eliminate the issues that we found--over crowding, lack of personal attention, our kids not falling in the middle for the no child left behind education system. FIA was recommended to us as we began a real search into what our other options would be. A secular school was important to us, so this seemed like a legitimate option. Further review of the school and people who attended made me feel incredibly confident that it would be a solid choice, but upon visiting I was sold. We had a child that was performing under the standards and one who was performing over. FIA gave advice on where they thought each child should be grade-wise, and it has been the best decision yet. My children are so happy to go to school. They have these incredible, well-educated teachers and classrooms that are supportive and friendly. They are absolutely blossoming at FIA and learning that knowledge is not tedious, but applicable in life and FUN. My children fall all over the spectrum when it comes to personality, and they are ALL in love with their school. They feel like (and we do too) that FIA is a rare family community where our children are safe, loved, appreciated, and encouraged. The difference in my down trodden, sad kids whose confidence had been obliterated by public schools to the joyous, proud children I have now is nothing short of phenomenal. I couldn't recommend FIA enough. We will definitely be there for as long as we are stationed at Bragg--and would arrange to be here as long as possible just to keep our kids in this school.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2016

The small class sizes and personal attention you receive is wonderful. The care they give each child is immeasurable. They want your child to succeed and will work with you to make it happen. My son has been doing great there and I'm really thankful to all the teachers that he has had.
Submitted by parent on November 30, 2015

We have been at this school for three years. It has given my children an education that I did not think was possible in this area. The teachers truly love what they do, and it shows in their classroom! My sons are both excited to go to school. I am consistently surprised at the challenging curriculum, and most of the time it just seems like fun to them! Thank you FIA for providing a top notch education in a family environment!
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2015

FIA is without question a stand apart school. The teachers demonstrate and reinforce respect, kindness and excellence. The academic standards are impressive, I feel my son is receiving an unparalleled education. He greatly enjoys his school day, he has developed an enthusiasm for learning anything possible. I appreciate the values that are being reinforced every day as well as the extra curricular activities offered! Thank you FIA. We are proud to call you our school!
Submitted by parent on November 19, 2015

The teachers have taught my daughter so much. She will spontaneously say things to me that I never knew she understood. Thank you again Ms. Kim and Ms. Alison!
Submitted by other on November 09, 2015

My child has been there since he was 3 and is now 8. This is the most amazing school and everyday we are grateful for finding them. Small class sizes and amazing teachers who truly care!
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2015

On August 15, 2015, I posted the following entry onto greatschools.org. It was my personal opinion, as per my first amendment rights:"My sons attended FIA for the last 2 years, one in pre-K and then kindergarten and the other in preschool. We really liked the concept of the school, yet the school itself did not meet our expectations for many reasons, including the following: 1- Lack of STEM education. We are a physician-engineer family and this is extremely important to us. There was little science curriculum or education; despite the presence of a “computer lab”, neither of my children EVER used it; laptops/iPADs in the classrooms were brought in by the teachers themselves if they wanted to use them and there was no standard curriculum for use of technology. 2- Differentiated learning was not readily/effectively used. My preschooler was bored throughout the year and was not moved up even after he was assessed and determined to be ready. I was told that he would not be considered for kindergarten early even if he did move up to pre-k early; he is currently enrolled elsewhere in kindergarten and is thriving. 3- Teacher turnover – my preschooler had 5 different teachers/aides in his classroom last year (none of them left for PCS moves). My grade schooler had 3 different aftercare teachers (none of these left for PCS reasons, either). 4- Inconsistent teaching efforts/methods. The teachers are referred to as “independent contractors” and there is no standardized curriculum. My kindergartener got sent home with the same (boring) book daily “until he mastered it”; in his new first grade, he receives a different book to read every day and is required to log this experience, and this is far more effective in teaching him to read. These are only some of the examples of why we decided to leave FIA this year. It was definitely not worth the cost (financial, academic, and stress) for our family."I recently received a letter from an attorney representing FIA. The letter accused me of making false and defamatory statements about the school based on the above review and requested that I cease and desist making such statements. In my opinion, this was an attempt to intimidate me into removing my post. Since greatschools rules won’t allow me to post the letter, I wanted to instead make potential parents aware of this behavior by adding this addendum.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2015

My son attended for a year and it was fantastic....a great jump for him during his pre-school years that carried him well into his elementary years. Since then he has been ahead in every grade and every location we've lived. I'm so grateful for this school setting the standard for us by which I now measure every school.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2015

FIA is more than we could have ever imagined. We are so pleased with the education, individual attention and love that our daughter is receiving from her teachers (*Ms. Isabel, (her homeroom teacher) all her resources teachers and Ms. Kim her after school teacher). The school is very affordable, and most importantly they are aware that each student learns in different ways, and responds to different types of teaching styles. So, having only 10 students per kinder prep class is great! My daughter started in K-prep in Sep 2014 and by Dec 2014 was already reading! If you are a parent looking for a great school for your child, I will suggest that you make an appointment with Teresa and see if your child is a good fit for the school! You will not regret sending your child to First Impressions Academy. Good luck with your search! Mevelyn M.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2014

We started sending our child to FIA when she was in preschool. She went for a mere 2-half days a week and within a very short time, she was reading, writing, doing math, and more! We weren't sure if we were going to put our child in K there until we went to a public school open house and realized that our child was already far-surpassed the public school end of year standards. After knowing that, there was no question as to where to send our child. The love of learning was so fostered in Pre-K that in Kindergarten our child was able to read chapter books by the end of the year, spell complex words, do math (that was far above K level), sign language, playing violin, and more! What's more, our child made wonderful friends, LOVED the teacher, and wanted to go to school everyday; it was never a fight. The teachers truly care about the education and the children and because of the small class-sizes can focus and individualize each child's learning. The new school is beautiful and we can't wait to see what happens during more growth of this school!
Submitted by parent on October 31, 2013

This is the second year my son has attended this school. His first year he had a great time but struggled a little with the content. Now in his second year he gets the work and struggles a lot less. I attribute this to his teachers. With a small class size and individual attention given to students this school does an amazing job of teaching while keeping it fun for the children. I highly recommend this school!