Brighton Academy

1121 Northeast 7th Street

Grants Pass, OR 97526

27 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on November 09, 2023

My 3 and 5 year-olds both attend Brighton Academy. I am happy to report that all of the adults we have met have been lovely including Laura in the office Mrs. Pia, Mrs. D, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs Elizabeth. The other parents we've met are all healthy and kind and report their satisfaction with the school. Even interactions with the older students seem overwhelmingly positive. There are very few behavioral issues in either class and the class sizes and adult ratios are unmatched. We will happily continue to send our children to Brighton Academy because of the class sizes, the positive adult and student culture, and the relatively inexpensive costs for a private school. Five stars.
Submitted by other on August 24, 2022

I hope MUCH has changed. About the only thing I learned there (7th and 8th grade as a student) was how to fight because I HAD TO. I was small for my age, and a bit of an introvert due to my parents dealing with a custody battle that just about destroyed me emotionally. The bullying I received was relentless, and witnessed, but, completely ignored by teachers and staff. The main bully came from a very affluent family that financially contributed to the school, so, hmmm... weird right? I was always on the "brighter side" of things intellectually, but didn't shine until I refused to go there anymore and transferred to GPHS for 9th grade. Some people frown on public school, but, in my opinion, it's more fair due to the fact that teachers, etc. aren't "in somebody's pocket". As a side note, I'm 37 year's old, and this was a long time ago.
Submitted by other on September 13, 2020

I had to grow up way too fast here. I dealt with things a child should never experience. Staff silenced me when I spoke up. I’ve tried posting reviews on here before & have been silenced, I will not stop fighting against this institution. I & many others can attest to the mistreatment that goes on here.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2018

I had to write a review after reading the 4 negative reviews submitted in July. Those reviews are not representative of all of the great things Brighton is doing. I highly recommend this school and hope people understand that the reason for these negative reviews was due to a group of former parents and staff members that left Brighton to create their own homeschool co-op.
Submitted by parent on July 18, 2018

Is there a number less than 1 on a scale of 1 to 10?
Submitted by other on July 18, 2018

This was a waste of time. The only class I learned from was math. It was easy to skip class and even when you were caught there was no discipline or acknowledgement. As a student my favorite part was getting kicked out of useless classes that didn't teach me.
Submitted by parent on July 18, 2018

I wish I had never wasted my money on this school. What a mistake! The school has a creepy religious undertone. My kids all tested 1-2 grade levels below standards when we left. Skip this school!!!
Submitted by other on July 16, 2018

This was terrible. Children are coddled in elementary grades. Once they hit 5th grade, they are not accountable for anything. They come and go during their classes. There are no ramifications for misbehavior so everyone starts to misbehave.
Submitted by parent on June 21, 2016

Brighton Academy is very adept at tailoring the educational experience to each and every student's needs. They are exceptional at being able to foster education beyond that of high school to include classes at the local community college, Rogue Community College. They even incorporate a weekly leadership class that is done in conjunction with the local Rotary Club, they call it Interact. This leadership class receives an actual grade, helps the students develop leadership skills through service and is more effective than most other Interact clubs ten times their size.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2016

My kids love going to school. Whenever we have a long break, after a week they are asking when school starts again. The teachers work with the students at the level they are rather than just catering to the midline. There is definitely a family atmosphere on campus with everyone knowing who everyone is. My kids can't get away with anything because all the teachers know they can come to me with any problems they are having with my boys. I love the feedback. Almost all the children are so polite and caring of each other. Sure, there is some teasing, but it is generally of the goofy camaraderie kind. I really admire Mrs Brown, their current second and third teacher. She has several special needs kids in her class and has created a safe place for them while not neglecting the others in the class. My son has excelled in her class. He blows me away when he reads aloud to me. And the fact that she can get him to sit quietly (mostly) in class is almost a miracle! I'm glad I have a safe relaxed place where I can send my kids to school.
Submitted by parent on March 31, 2016

As a low income single mom, I did not want my children in public school and I had to work. Brighton has saved my life when it comes to my children's education. We work together to make sure my children are safe and well educated.
Submitted by parent on March 30, 2016

Brighton is not a perfect school. This is the second year my kids have attended Brighton. We took our kids out of public school where all the teachers are “certified” and the higher level of student attention and tlc at Brighton is why we moved. In my experience the Brighton teachers are all very dedicated and work hard to make sure their students learn and succeed with what they are being taught. As with any school there are discipline issues, and some situations take a while to be fully resolved. I did learn that for my kids to be successful in school I needed to be involved. Of course I have my favorite teachers, but I have found all of the Brighton staff very easy to deal with. We are happy at Brighton and we just signed up for next year!
Submitted by parent on February 17, 2016

They used to be a decent school, the alternative for kids that didn't fit in the mainstream school system. They actually have a recess and freedom and had a few excellent teachers but mostly burned out and under trained ones. This year things are starting to get out of hand, basically the prerequisite to teaching here seems to be claiming christianity and being a brown noser to the principal, I know they are paid below minimum wage but there have been some good teachers that took that pay and were driven out because of the elitist atmosphere. I am so torn I don't want to have to take my kids out but, like another poster said I think that this school needs serious transparency, we have so few option here.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2016

After years with Brighton I switched my kids to different public schools and they are doing remarkably better socially and in their comprehension of subjects. Brighton has a wonderful preK teacher MrsMartin, who taught all 3 of my kids. I felt so good about her we kept our kids there. I felt we had amazing kindergarten teachers in MrsMinter, MissSally & MrsArbour, but they are all gone...the turn around there is very high. After speaking to 2 of the teachers post-Brighton I have found bad things about the way they were treated by the administration (changing their teaching material, changing students grades to make parents happy) and to top it off were paid much less than teachers in public school. I have wondered since I found that out what the school is doing with their funds since they are parent volunteer run on their fundraising events and other events. They hire un-certified "teachers" who lack degrees, all of the T.A.'s are NOT formally background checked like in public school and are usually just parent(s(s) of a kid going there. Here's a great example of the chaos: they hired a teacher with a master's degree and then a few weeks into the year demoted her to teaching the class just one subject, and replaced her with the schools receptionist. A person with no formal education or teaching background. Sounds crazy, but it's true. I advise you that prek is great but you really need to observe the other classes while being taught to see for yourself. I saw "teachers" confusing their students with incorrect teaching techniques, I saw students with MAJOR behavior problems being allowed to be around kids they had abused, I saw teachers telling parents their kids were so smart but actually weren't. For example one of my kids, they told me, was soooo smart put into a higher grade then we have the child tested at a public school once I started doubting Brighton and the child tested into a LOWER grade level. I was horrified and switched them immediately. Their behavior has changed since they left. One kid plays school at home and was very rude to her "students" before saying "REALLY!!???!! to them all the time in a condescending way; since public school the child talks to the "students" in helpful encouraging ways instead of saying "really, what don't you get!!???!!". I'm sad I ever had them at Brighton past kindergarten.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2015

My son and daughter both attended Brighton Academy, my daughter had anxiety issues before attending Brighton Academy. The staff at Brighton where able to provide a calm, loving environment, which helped my daughter to have more confidence and serenity. And her grades improved with her demeanor. My daughter started loving going to school and making more friends. Brighton's nurturing campus, kind teachers and welcoming students all helped my daughter feel acclimated and gave her more confidence. My son enjoyed Brighton Academy from the start and thrived as well.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2015

My kids and I LOVE Brighton! I would never send them somewhere else. I've sent my four kids to this school since, they first started school. There is a no bullying policy on this campus that is taken very seriously, most schools have this policy but it is not enforced, at Brighton it is enforced. This helps kids to thrive and succeed, my four children have all excelled in all of their studies. There is a system in place where students can take college courses on Brighton's campus my 15 year old and 13 year old have already started accumulating college credits (in which they have all A's). They have also been involved in the community through the Interact Club which also will look excellent on a resume when applying for higher education. My kids and I love Brighton!
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2015

Bad experience after bad experience with this school... Word to the wise, ask to see teaching credentials and go to class with your student to make sure your child is actually learning something. Several of my sons teachers were, quite honstly, an embarrassment. A few teachers spent more time confusing his class than actually teaching anything... Sadly, most of the staff seem to think they are in some sort of an elite group, so be prepared to witness alot of rolled eyes and snarky remarks, including directing this attitude at the children. There is a MAJOR LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY for bad behavior exhibited by the students and staff. Over the years we have run across many, many situations that raised an eyebrow but I kept trying to give the staff the benefit of the doubt, only to be disappointed over and over again. We would not recommend this school to anyone.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2015

As a mother who sent my son to school for two years at Brighton, I had high hopes good would come from it but that is far from the truth. My son was put in a class with a teacher that had never been to school for teaching and had never even been working in a class. The sad part i was told he was doing great when he was not I pulled him out and come to find out he is 2 grades behind. I'm sad they lie to the parents and put teachers in class from that are not real teachers and never been to school. Please think twice before sending a child you love to school at Brighton.
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2015

Love, Love Love this school!! The principal and teachers are very engaged and care deeply about the students. I have 2 children that graduated from Brighton and I am very pleased with the education they have received and the personal attention and support that has been given to them. If you have a child who is unhappy with the school they are attending because of being bullied or having trouble learning because of class size or an uncaring environment I would definitely recommend Brighton Academy. I have never seen another school like it.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2015

We have two students that have attended Brighton Academy for three years, one student is in middle school and the other is in high school. We are extremely happy with the education our kids are receiving. All the teachers and staff members sincerely care about the students, and it shows. We sacrifice a lot to send our kids to Brighton and feel it is worth every dime!