Foothills Academy

7191 Ashler Hills Drive

School District

Foothills Academy
Grade

K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:11
Type

charter

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 May 31, 2019

Terrible. They dumped their high school after 25 years, no notice given to families of students attending. Left everyone in a scramble to secure a future school for their highschoolers. Truly sad, they don't care what they have done to the children they always prided how wonderful they were to, or what that has done to their self esteem etc. Never again would I ever recommend this school to anyone. Who knows, next year they may cancel middle school.....
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2019

Again I would rate it as average that sells it self as above average
Submitted by parent on June 20, 2017

My daughter had an amazing experience at this school, both on campus and online through Foothills Connected. It prepared her well to study abroad for a year and excel while doing so. The teachers and staff are all amazing. I highly recommend FA.
Submitted by parent on May 02, 2017

My daughter went to Foothills Academy, ultimately graduating from FA and going on to college and graduate school. She had caring teachers and a challenging academic environment. The programs are terrific with attention to the particularities of individual students.
Submitted by parent on April 21, 2016

Our first experience was with Dr. Jane White at the K-6 campus. Dr. White exudes tremendous calm confidence, positivity and patience and we were quickly won over by her steady demeanor and grace. We could immediately tell that these attributes had a similar effect on her co-workers and students. We spent the next hour or so touring the campus and learning more about the educational philosophies behind their programs. During this process, we also had the privilege of meeting more of the staff as well as parents of other students. Given that we have one child attending one campus (K-6) and one attending the other (7-12), we were able to see the similarities and differences between both. I can tell you that the foundation of solid morals, values and curriculum clearly exist in both campuses. But each is tweaked to make the experience most optimal for the age groups in question. Without doubt, this was the right choice for us. And as parents, I can tell you we were thrilled with the warm reception we received from the school leadership, the educational staff and the other parents. We are proud to be part of this community and proud to have our kids able to attend such a wonderful institution.If you are looking for an incredible educational experience for your child, look no further than Foothills Academy. We couldn’t be happier with our decision. If you are looking for a school that has a strong academic focus or even if your child or children are going through difficult times at their current school, you should consider Foothills Academy. Thank you Foothills Academy leadership, teachers, students…and the students’ parents!And very special thanks to Dr. White. You are a true leader!
Submitted by parent on December 17, 2015

We’ve had our kids in the Foothills Academy schools - both FAEP and FACP – for a few years, and can’t say enough good things about them. The administration is responsive, and the teachers are experienced and caring. Because the class sizes are small, the faculty can help students in weaker subjects, while allowing them to advance beyond their grade level in subjects where they excel. Highly recommend these schools.
Submitted by student on November 23, 2015

The student=teacher=parent communication is exceptional. The staff is kind and helpful. Overall, a much better alternative and education than public.My son has ADHD but no "504" plan. Foothills teachers work with him to help him really learn, grow his academic confidence and skills, and overall to enjoy school. That takes a highly skilled teaching staff to work with high maintenance student. We are truly grateful for Foothills.
Submitted by parent on November 20, 2015

Very happy with staff and administration. At our old school we would wait days to get a phone call back or a meeting. Teachers and principal at Foothills Academy are very responsive and caring. So happy we found a school that puts students and parents first.
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2015

Class size is small. Kids know each other and everyone. It's like a small community.
Submitted by parent on August 24, 2015

Our family has been a part of Foothills for 6 years and we have four children that are enrolled there. I have seen tremendous growth in my children. The small class size and school size has made an impact on who my children are becoming. My teens are turning out to be motivated and responsible young adults. They are surrounded by teachers and students that have the same goals for success. Foothills offers online courses, AP courses, dual enrollment through Grand Canyon University, STEM, SAGE and extensive class options. We are grateful to be a part of Foothills and look forward to a bright future for our children.
Submitted by parent on August 10, 2015

I sent my son to this school in 2012 after having a bad experience at Cactus Shadows Highschool. The academics here are EXCELLENT. My son has learned so much and is always coming home every day telling me all the things he learned. At first he really struggled with the academics and it was challenging for him but the after school help here is so great that he started getting help from his teachers and he has really improved! The homework load is a bit excessive but they really are preparing you for college. Although they do not offer AP courses, their classes are AP level anyway. As for the students here, there are far fewer than a public school and there's almost no bullying here. The teachers/staff are very friendly and really make you feel welcome on your first day. If you are looking for a school with great academics that will prepare your kid for college then this is the school for you!
Submitted by parent on May 19, 2015

Our family has two children who have attended Foothills for 4 years. We have experienced four instances of seriously questionable behavior on the part of teaching staff. In three out of four the administration was passive and frankly lacking in direction on how to handle the staff. I would go as far to say that the principle is in fear of her own staff. The director hides from any type of conflict entirely and avoids parent complaints. We have witnessed levels of passive aggressive behavior towards students and parents by the teaching staff . We have witnessed teaching staff having conversations with students that are far beyond the scope of their job requirements. We have also experienced a very interesting academic structure. Our family has grown concerned that the lesson plans are not challenging. We have experienced a lot of movies being played in class instead of teaching being done. The administration ridicules this website and claims it has no merit. I am speaking from our experience and urge others to do the same. We have elected to take our children out of this environment.
Submitted by parent on April 25, 2015

Wonderful experiences at this school. Great staff, faculty., extracurriculars. We certainly found the right challenge for our gifted math nut!
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2015

My daughter is into art and the new art teacher is fantastic! She has learned a lot in her class and they have done incredible art projects. My daughter struggles with math, but they have all this extra help like the after school math help that is available every day after school. It seems that this has helped her out.
Submitted by parent on March 09, 2015

This is a very warm and welcoming school. Like a family. My son was being bullied at his other school, but now he feels like he "fits in" since he switch to Foothills Academy. He plans to stay and graduate with his friends.
Submitted by other on March 03, 2015

This school is THE worst school I have ever been to. There are two good teachers but everyone else is horrible. Especially the principle. She doesn't know how to run the school. The staff and students despise her. They care more about how the students look and dress than their education. One time they made me sit in the office waiting for a new pair of shoes for almost two hours instead of letting me go to class. Half the time teachers are not in class and when they are they rarely actually teach. One of our teachers went shopping several times during our class period instead of teaching and would make students go get the teachers' lunch during class time. The office is so disorganized; when leaving the school it took them over a month into the next school year to release my transcript to my new school and they messed up most of my credits making it seem like i had gotten bad grade and/or never took certain classes(this happened to almost every student in my class who left the school). Overall this school is a messed, the stafg never know whats going on and they care more about what they seem like to other people then their students actual education.
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2015

A very strong school with a great deal of extra help for our struggling math student. We're pleased with the administration and the level-headed approach to discipline. Good kids at this school. Made my son feel welcome.
Submitted by parent on February 12, 2015

Our family is new to the Valley (originally from Southern California) and my son has been enrolled at Foothills Academy for the 2014-2015 school year. So far we love the school. Its in a great location, the class sizes are nice and small so my son gets plenty of 1 on 1 instruction and the staff is always very accessible. The last school that we were at in Southern Cal had 30-40 students per classroom and if we had a direct question regarding our student we would have to wait 2-3 weeks to get a response. The teachers and staff at Foothills are knowledgable passionate educators and my son really seems to be loving the relaxed, close-knit learning environment.
Submitted by student on February 12, 2015

I really love Foothills Academy! My first day of school the staff set me up with a Model UN student that showed me around campus and introduced me to all of the new students. I used to be home schooled so starting at a new school was nerve racking. There is only about 200 kids at our school so the environment wasn't overwhelming and all of the students and teachers made me feel very welcome. I wasn't sure what it was going to be like but Foothills made switching to a new school an easy transition.
Submitted by parent on February 07, 2015

We tried this school for our daughters when they were in middle school. It lasted all of a year. Pro(s): smaller campus than a public middle school. Con(s): principal was unavailable to parents; math teacher was a disaster; English teacher invented grades; sports program was what was to be expected from a school that size but nothing to write home about; on several occasions they ran out of hot lunches and had nothing to provide the kids; rich kids and their attitudes. Mine chose to transfer to BASIS and while it's not perfect, it is truly a college-prep school. It's rather frightening to compare the two. My hindsight opinion of Foothills is that it's a school for those whose parents can pay full price at a private college, and since merit-based aid won't be needed... why bother with a rigorous curriculum?