iUniversity Prep

3051 Ira E. Woods Avenue

School District

Grapevine-Colleyville Independent
Grade

5-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:34
Type

public

School Map for Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on October 31, 2024

Things started out well from 5th - 8th grade, but our teenage child has encountered the same experience as others have detailed. Starting with 9th grade the difficulty level exploded - due to an overwhelming flood of busy work. And now for the 10th grade year it's become far worse. The overwhelming, pointless busywork assignments are never ending. The work load is off the chart with late nights and weekends totally taken up. Our child is intelligent and hardworking, but has become depressed and we are very seriously considering quitting.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2024

This school fails to warn you that for fifth grade and up, you have to buy the science kit. I am listing the prices for everyone to be advised because I wasted all of summer preparing for this school when I should have been trying to get him into actual free online virtual schools. Try txvs.org. They say if you qualify for free and reduced lunch you get assistance but my family is a few hundred dollars above the requirement for SNAP so that’s not an option. 5th - $556 -$367 - $40Bio - $30Chem - $75
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2024

Our first year at iUniversity Prep has been nothing short of fantastic. Transitioning from a different online school, where my daughter, a 6th grader, was enrolled, we've found this experience to be leaps and bounds ahead in terms of curriculum and support. Originally opting for online schooling due to the challenges posed by Covid-19, we quickly appreciated the flexibility it offered in scheduling.In comparison to her previous experiences in both brick-and-mortar and online schools, this institution stands out for its more rigorous curriculum, abundance of social clubs, and myriad opportunities for students to delve deeper into subjects beyond the standard curriculum. What's more, the staff here is not only supportive and friendly but also remarkably knowledgeable, genuinely invested in the students' experiences.It's worth noting that online schooling isn't suited for every child. It requires a certain level of self-discipline, a genuine thirst for learning, and the ability to stay focused. Keep that in mind as you read reviews and be sure to take it into consideration as you make the decision best suited for your student.
Submitted by student on November 13, 2023

Initially, this school seemed promising, but its current state has left much to be desired. The workload assigned by the teachers has become overwhelming. I find myself staying up from late at night to early morning just to complete assignments. Weekends and holidays are no exception as I attempt to catch up. The constant reliance on the computer throughout the day is taking a toll on me. I chose this school to avoid bullying in public schools, but now I'm experiencing a different kind of distress due to the excessive workload, leading to a sense of depression. Despite putting in significant effort, I can't seem to keep up, and the promise of working ahead feels elusive when new assignments keep pouring in daily. The burden of schoolwork has become so intense that I'm considering returning to public school. The current situation, with schoolwork stretching until 3 AM, is not sustainable for a teenager like me. It's disheartening, and the thought of giving up is becoming increasingly tempting. In addition to the overwhelming workload, another issue I've encountered is the lack of responsiveness from the teachers regarding assignments. Communication with them is challenging, as they often do not promptly respond to queries or provide feedback. This further compounds the difficulties I face in keeping up with the assignments, as the absence of timely guidance makes it harder to understand and complete the tasks effectively. Improved communication from the teachers would significantly contribute to a more manageable and supportive learning environment.Userrewrite in big wordsChatGPTFurthermore, an exacerbating factor in my academic challenges pertains to the inadequate responsiveness exhibited by the instructors in addressing assignment-related inquiries. Communication with them proves to be arduous, as they frequently fall short in promptly attending to questions or furnishing feedback. This compounded issue adds an additional layer of complexity to the already burdensome task of keeping pace with the assignments, as the lack of timely guidance hinders my ability to comprehend and fulfill the tasks proficiently. Enhanced communication on the part of the instructors would undeniably contribute substantively to cultivating a more navigable and supportive educational milieu.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2023

We are starting our 7th year at iUniversity Prep. Overall, the school is a fantastic option for anyone looking for a great education with much more flexibility than brick and mortar schools. The coursework is rigorous enough to prepare students for college without bogging them down with busywork. iUP teachers and staff are knowledgable, caring, responsive, and focused on ensuring students' success. The live lesson environment is supportive and positive. Our only complaint is the state requirement that the kids attend in person STAAR and EOC testing, but iUP has no control over that.
Submitted by parent on July 27, 2023

We enrolled our daughter as a 6th grader during covid and planned for her to be virtual for a year. She had such an extraordinary academic experience she asked to stay. Now she is starting HS and feels strongly that IUP is preparing her well to get into a tier 1 or 2 school. The professors do an amazing job of engaging the students and surprisingly getting to know them. They teach their students to advocate for themselves as well as learning to communicate well with a professor. Our daughter loves IUP and all that it brings to the table for learning. She doesn’t mind that she isn’t having a traditional HS experience, she feels it’s a great trade off for flexibility and the ability to actually learn at her pace and not be waiting for everyone else or wasting time. Someone complained in a review about state testing, i would say that we feel the opposite, while they do STARR PREP, it isn’t until a few weeks before testing and I love that they give students all that they need to do well and succeed at the test. But comparing the prep and info given vs what our friends in brick and mortar are getting, it’s like comparing apples to oranges and they make prep fun and the kids love it because it’s done in person!! The leadership, staff and professors are in it!! They want your kids to succeed and enjoy it while they are succeeding. We feel lucky to have found IUP
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2022

This is my son‘s first year at the school. He came from a school where bullying was never addressed and teachers had zero interest in doing anything above the Bear Bend moon. I finally had enough when my son told me he would rather take his own life then to go back to school the next year. A friend of mine recommended looking into I university prep. I am so happy I did. It has been life changing for the entire family. If his grades start to slip they called, they set up extra study time, they go above and beyond to make sure that he is on course for success. He is so happy to go to school every day. Even though it is an online school he is up dressed big smile on his face ready and eager to learn. The teachers are great and the homework is nowhere near what it was at his last school. Before he had to carry five books with binders and notebooks and supplies for each class because the school didn’t have lockers. Now, he just reaches next to him to his bookshelf and is ready to go if he needs a notebook or any additional reading. But for the most part everything he needs is right there on his laptop. My son is an actor which was the cause of the building at his previous school. Now at IUP he is amongst peers that also are high achieving, creative, talented kids. Everyone gets along there is no more bullying there is no more clicks or anything like that. It’s as if someone took all of my desires for utopian educational system and waved a magic wand and brought it to life. I could go on for days about how happy I am with the school but nobody wants to read that much. Lol. I’ll leave you with this , this school saved my child’s life and I will forever be grateful to them for all that they have done and all they continue to do. Yes it is hard to keep it kid focused and in front of a computer and on task when it’s so easy to click over to YouTube or something else like that or get distracted by toys in the room or chatting with friends. But if you have a child that is able to be disciplined and rigorous in their desire for a great education, then you should have no problems at all with them excelling in this environment. The school also has meet ups monthly so he does get to interact with other students face-to-face not just on computer . And they have clubs as well.
Submitted by student on September 24, 2022

I go to this school currently and have since 6th grade. I’m now in 12th and the work load just keeps getting more and more insane. The schedule is flexible but even then im up till 3am sometimes just completing assignments. Not only this, but some of the portfolios Ive been assigned recently are legitimately very hard for me to do. I was recently assigned a test that impacts my grade tremendously, and half of the grade on said test was dependent on me calling my teacher on the phone to give an oral presentation. This was the final nail in the coffin for me. Multiple times to multiple teachers i have voiced my intense discomfort with calling on the phone and getting on the mic in the live lessons due to my anxiety disorder and multiple times i have been met with “well you have to”. I am offered no alternatives and no sympathy. They make no efforts to understand or accommodate me. The closest thing to concern they've shown was getting the councilor on my case for reasons i am only left to speculate. The councilor doesn't even help me, in fact they make me worse. They don't offer any form of guidance and instead just will randomly text me to have a surface level small talk conversation that does more to annoy me and ruin my day than anything else. The councilor along with many other teachers are weirdly overly enthusiastic, and enthusiasm in and of itself can be a very good thing, but the way they are comes off as forced and condescending. I can only compare it to the way popular girls are in movies, where they pretend to be happy to see/hear from you but only merely tolerate you. Every day i wake up and feel dread because of this school. The workload and environment has made me become depressed to the point where its hard for me to care for myself or feel anything other than emptiness. TLDR This schools workload and the overly cheery nature of the teachers without any accommodations for my anxiety has made me genuinely depressed. I feel like my life has been ruined. I have no friends due to the online nature of this school and i am overall miserable.
Submitted by parent on October 14, 2018

Great teachers and a very good option. Offers flexibility which is great! They are obsessed with the STAAR test on a daily basis and that puts stress on the kids. My child plans to leave for a private school only because of the over the top STAAR focus.
Submitted by teacher on November 06, 2017

Such a different approach to learning, but a needed option for many grade school children in the state of Texas.
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2017

Exemplary school with high academics and culture of excellence.
Submitted by parent on September 23, 2016

My child has been attending this school since sixth grade; now in ninth. Awesome teachers, great communication with teachers and all staff. My child has had some struggles with learning the format, but has got it down now and is excelling. I think this is a format that is great for a lot of kids as it has a lot of contact with the teacher in any given discipline. I strongly recommend it, but a parent or caregiver MUST be part of the equation for your student to excel. Many opportunities are available, some are not - but I know the Director is working on them. Overall, a great solution for your child if you want them to actually learn the material and succeed in future learning!!
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2016

iU has growing pains and cannot seem to understand the needs of their students outside of their own ISD (Grapevine/Colleyville). Communication is poor - to non-existent, the head of the school is argumentative if you disagree or point out the items are missing that are needed. It has a long way to go and the potential to be great but, the priorities of the administration don't necessarily align with those of the students needs.
Submitted by parent on August 26, 2015

For years the traditional school environment has often failed to meet the needs of many kids. It was time to break out of the cookie cutter mentality, and create a program that allows students to thrive. iUniversityPrep is a terrific program. GCISD chose to hire an entirely separate Admistration and Teaching staff - and they did it right! The synergy amongst everyone is precisely as it should be. Students may also take preAP, AP, and Dual Credit courses. This is not the "Guess we'll just get our GED" school. The student population is very diverse. The teachers are alot more accessible than in traditional school. They truly go above and beyond. Meet ups and activities are also part of the culture. Europe and other countries have had many options available to students for years. It does take a little while to adjust to the format, but administration and teachers are there for you ALL THE WAY!They offer:*music club, game club, engineering club, and others*several foreign language options*arts classes ie- music theory, voice, etc