Gethsemane Lutheran School

1035 East Guadalupe Road

Tempe, AZ 85283

33 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-K
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by principal on April 21, 2022

Located in Tempe, Arizona, Gethsemane Christian Academy is a Christian school for students ages 2 through Kindergarten. We offer flexible schedules for working and stay-at-home parents and provide caring classrooms to help our students to become champions for Christ. GCA offers students a hands-on learning environment through dramatic play and discovery, dual language, music, physical education, art, and weekly chapel.
Submitted by parent on March 17, 2018

I have two children at GCA right now and we absolutely love it! Warm nurturing environment but disciplinary action when needed. The new principal has made all the difference and what a rewarding experience it has been. We are so blessed!
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2017

It has been a great 8 years! I like the small classes and caring staff. My daughter is above grade level in every subject and is well rounded with great manners and respect for others.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2015

Our kids have been at GLS for about 5 years now. While it would be nice to have higher attendance at the school (which I think recruitment efforts are being done), it enables the teachers to spend more quality time with each student and adjust their curriculums accordingly. The teachers we have worked with have been open to suggestions and have made some changes based on the needs of our children. When we toured other schools, we compared GLS with them and found that the education they provide is more advanced educationally (in some aspects) and spiritually. The school's mission is to serve the community and they do a great job in getting the students involved. One of the things we like the most is the feeling of community. The teachers and staff know who are children are on a first and last name basis which you may not get at a larger school. The school makes us feel welcome and treats us like we're part of a big family.
Submitted by parent on October 20, 2015

We absolutely love the early childhood program. The teachers are the best. They have done a great job in preparing both my son and daughter for Kindergarten.
Submitted by parent on March 25, 2015

Our family has had a wonderful experience at Gethsemane Lutheran School. With all it offers I cannot believe how affordable it is. The small class sizes allow for individualized education. Our son is reading in pre-k! The teacher is working with us to help keep him challenged. The environment is very family oriented and reminds me of my roots growing up in a small town where everyone knows your name. My children learn about God's love and how they should love and treat others. The students attend chapel once a week. I love all the service projects the school participates in. We also love that they have athletics like volleyball and basketball and PE twice a week. The school also offers drama and band. Can't say enough about this school!
Submitted by other on March 17, 2015

Gethsemane Lutheran is a fantastic school. The caring and loving environment from the staff along with the excellent learning program.makes GLS one of the best private schools in Tempe.
Submitted by parent on March 16, 2015

Gethsemane is a great environment with caring teachers who have helped my children succeed in the classroom. There are so many great things going on here from the 3rd graders Chores for Charity service projects to the wonderful electives for middle school students. The small class sizes and the great educators really make a difference in helping my kids succeed in the classroom. It's a family environment and I am so happy my family is part of the Gethsemane family.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2015

We are very disappointed in Gethsemane. We had two children at Gethsemane for many years and thought they were doing just fine. We much appreciated the caring teachers and staff. When the financial troubles came to light and many of the best teachers started to leave, we removed our children to a charter school. We quickly learned that our children were behind their peers, especially in writing. In the charter school they had as many writing assignments in a single month that they did in an entire year at Gethsemane. We are very pleased with the progress they are making at the charter school. It seems that many of the problems at Gethsemane stem from the over-involvement of church staff and several parents. The church people and certain parents try to run the school rather than allowing the professional teachers and administrators do their jobs. The result has been many families and teachers leaving, resulting in financial problems. I hope this comment is not removed as so many negative reviews have been.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2014

We love Gethsemane Lutheran School! The teachers and staff are hands on with the children, and know the families by first name. You definitely feel a sense of community when u step on campus. We are thrilled with how much our son has grown as a student, and how far he has come in just a short amount of time. Our children are taught about the love of God, what it means to be a Christian, as well as the advanced academic subjects. The academic and moral education offered at Gethsemane Lutheran is top notch, and affordable. We love our school, and are very proud our children are a part of it!
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2014

Gethsemane has been a part of our family for a long time. I am a former student who has chosen to enroll my two children in the school. Many of the faces I saw as a student here have not changed. The staff is built with dedicated teachers. I believe that the staff views GLS as more than a job. This group of teachers really love what they do, and love my children. It is so nice to know that my children are not just cared for, they are loved and valued. The public and charter schools I have considered do not allow the parents to walk their children in. You have to pull through what feels like a "drive-thru" to pick up and drop off your kids!!! Being able to see, and talk to my children's teachers on a daily basis is invaluable. I love hearing how their day went and what they learned. For these reasons and more I love Gethsemane!
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2014

I can't say enough good things about this school. It's an amazing One Stop Shop. Onsite before and after care, 6:30-6:30 is wonderful for working families. The cost is outstanding for what you get. The 2's and 3's teachers have been there the entire time our family has been attending (approx 8 years). Not the constant turn over you see at most daycare centers. Once kids reach kindergarten, the school experience continues to amaze. The small school fosters kids who are caring and concerned for each other even outside their grades. Academically they can support individual abilities for all the grades to ensure students succeed. They promote public speaking, drama, music and athletics. While a small campus they boast a locked swimming pool, large indoor gym and a kitchen. This school has gone through some change in our time, but they've faced into it with caring administration and staff as we'll as involved parents. Any issues we've had (every place has something)have been addressed in a timely manner and resolved. Our kids are excelling in this environment. I would highly recommend this school.
Submitted by parent on September 03, 2014

This review is for their summer camp program. We absolutely loved this school after coming from another private school program that was not run as well as this one. My daughter was about to enter K and I am amazed by everything they taught her this summer. The kids learned addition and subtraction, and did all kinds of phonics & reading worksheets. And that was just for a small amount of classroom time as the rest of the time was all activities to really wear the kids out. They had daily swim, field trips that were age appropriate including a visit to the firehouse, PE games and scooters in the gym and arts & crafts. All of the kids were so well behaved that they also had 5 year olds playing board games like Twister and Chutes & Ladders. I was very impressed by how well behaved the kids were and very thankful to the summer camp teachers who clearly were great at what they do. So caring. In fact, my daughter loved the school so much that she asked us to wake her up early so that she could go earlier and at the end of the camp day she never wanted to leave. The price for tuition is very reasonable and if we could afford it for the school year this would be our first choice.
Submitted by parent on May 18, 2014

I had high hopes for this school for our children. I have been so disappointed in how this school has changed. In just a short time there have been so many staff changes and now the governing board is run by a few parents. There is no real leadership which is a red flag and in my opinion, not good. The school does do a lot of nice things for the community and has a nice Christian environment. We found the small class sizes were actually a detriment and many of the classes now have less than a dozen kids. I did a lot of research and for the money we were paying I expected a lot more from this school. There are many great schools in the surrounding area that are wonderful with a very nurturing environment. Plus not to mention they are free and offer many great electives and community programs.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2014

Why 1 star? Here aresome of the reasons; 1-You would be paying for the Curriculum that is same as the public schools. 2-Bullying is a big issue that nobody does anything to stop it. 3-School has no money and has a lot of debt. 4-They have been combining the grades due to decrease of enrollment.Only 7 kids will enroll for the kindergarten. 5-Most of the teachers quit .They have lost their best teachers already. I hope my review can reach out other parents before it will be removed .It is not unusual that they manage to remove negative reviews before.
Submitted by parent on January 19, 2014

This school has continued to positively evolve with an emphasis on academic excellence, the student's character development - all based in a christian atmosphere with a focus on individual moral and character development. The test scores give the school elite status. Our children (3) have benefited from the academic, athletic and Christian community environment. Our family has been blessed to be a part of the Gethsemane Community. This school has earned the opportunity to be part of your educational evaluation process for your children and your family.
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2013

We have been very happy with the educational experience at Gethsemane. We have found the teachers and staff to be kind and caring. We have enjoyed the smaller class sizes. Gethsemane is full of great Christian families and we are proud to send our children there!
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2013

My children have been attending GLS for over 6 years. We love this school because of the small class sizes and advanced curriculum. Our children are eaily a year ahead of their peers who attend public school. Additionally, we enjoy the comminity aspect of the school and the mentoring of younger students by the older children.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2013

Gethsemane Lutheran School has been an amazing community in which to raise my two boys. They have both been with the school since they were 3 years old and attended Preschool. The individualized learning and attention to each child has been what has kept us there. My son's first grade teacher recognized that he needed additional things to keep him challenged, as well as several others in the class and she made that happen. By challenging them at an early age, it has set the bar pretty high. My two sons have had the opportunity to participate in sports, music, drama, band, Spelling contests, geography contests, and Accelerated Reader programs, among others. The staff knows each family and is always working with each one to meet their needs. Teachers are accessible and open to discussions. Outside of the classroom, the school has many activities throughout the year to join the families in fun and fellowship. It creates a community atmosphere where you feel comfortable knowing that others are looking out for your family when you are not able to be with them. Thanks Gethsemane for 10 great years so far!
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2013

We love Gethsemane Lutheran School. Our son is in his 4th year at GLS. The school is not the fanciest looking from the outside but once you get inside the classrooms, the entire experiance changes. State of the art electonics, mobile computer lab with Ipads as well as standard books. The small class size ensures that our child is receiving a great education. While many public schools are cutting non-academic classes, GLS offers many programs such as music & drama & a sports program for the older students. The most important aspect to us as parents is that GLS is a Christia n based school that teaches our child the same beliefs & guidelines that we try to reinforce in our home. The staff cares about the children & we consider GLS an extension of our family.