James Madison Preparatory School

5815 South McClintock Drive

School District

James Madison Preparatory School
Grade

6-12
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:12
Type

charter

School Map for James Madison Preparatory School

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 June 16, 2024

I have more than one child who has attended or attends JMPS. I can tell you this is a culture shock from the public schools. Taking notes is required. Having a student planner is strongly advised. Many teachers use google classroom but they discourage outside school devices. Your child will have to look up from their phone and interact with staff and students. Seniors have to do an extensive project which allows for them to bring a laptop or tablet to school. Seniors are also given a checklist that easily guides them step by step of what to do to prepare for college and when to do it. The incentivized completion of the list by discounting the senior trip fee for those who complete it. One of my children has learning difficulties and the school sends emails to me personally with teacher updates and action plans for his success. There is a study hour during school hours and the teacher hold after school office hours for students to get help. They have adjusted their math program to accommodate the growth for students coming in who come in and are not at the level of learn they should have been. Another child I know came from the Tempe/ Kyrene school district and was years behind. They have caught up and had the best grades they have ever had at any school in one school year. The school may be small but there are many sports and clubs that any student can join. They are a community that will know each student and be able to meet them where they are and help them grow.
Submitted by other on January 10, 2024

I have been working with James Madison Prep for the past 3 years as their Special Education Program Director. The feeling I get when I enter the campus is one of family. At any given day the students and staff are positively engaging with each other while feeling safe in their environment. The staff makes it a point to know all the students, regardless of if they are their teachers, this makes the atmosphere feel very much like family. The administration team is wonderful. You feel how much they care for the students as it shows through their daily interactions. I have been on many campuses throughout the year and coming to JMPS makes my heart happy knowing I get to experience not only the education of the students but the true love that all of the staff shows consistently. The middle school/high school years and tough on kids and families but knowing that this school is here makes those years less stressful.
Submitted by parent on December 13, 2023

Incredible school- my son was involved at James Madison from the earliest chance he got, and he took every opportunity that JMPS offered; academically, athletically, the arts, community service... He found a number of new interests and passions, and set some aside after trying them. One of the goals here is to create well rounded students, rather than specialists in one area or activity. Almost all of his classmates went to college and excelled there. A welcoming school, but not for everyone. If you or your child want to 'duck' the culture or bend the rules, then JMPS is not for you. If your child has struggled to find his/her niche, then this little school is a real gem. Our family loves this school.
Submitted by other on December 13, 2023

I’ve never experienced a school with so much care for each student. My son transferred to JMPS part way through high school, and this was the first school who truly saw his potential. He is a very smart student and had no trouble keeping up with the rigorous academics, but he did not see college in his near future. Yes, this is a college prep school, but college is not for everyone. They did not try to pigeonhole him into a box of what they saw for his future, but listened to him and then supported him in getting the best possible start in his post high school life. Further, some of the teachers purposefully put opportunities in his way that they thought he might have an aptitude for and that gave him the confidence to think about other avenues as well. This school sees the whole person when they are given the opportunity to invest in a student, and they pour into them what they can to help foster well rounded human beings.
Submitted by other on December 12, 2023

I have two children at James Madison and both myself and my kids love this school. The small school environment is great in all the "small" ways - great teacher/student ratios, kids are known by all teachers, inclusive community environment, great communication between teacher and student as well as teacher and parents - but also has a "big" school feel in the amount of extra curricular activities offered. Football, tennis, soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, sand volleyball, theater productions, drum line, robotics, NHS, NJHS, student government, I could keep going. The environment is safe, the teachers care and believe in the kids, and parents are involved. I could not be more happy I chose this school for 6th thru 12th grades, it has been a huge gift in my family's life.
Submitted by other on November 06, 2023

RUN AWAY from this school as quickly as possible!! Their rating went from a 'B' to a 'C' this year in no small part, I'm sure, because only ONE of their teachers is actually trained as an educator. The others may be experts 'in their field' but they are NOT educators. They don't understand child development or how children learn, and most teachers only have one style of teaching. Heaven help the kiddo who struggles with that teaching style because they have no place else to turn. They certainly don't understand or support any special needs kids. IEPs tend to be followed loosely, if at all, and often only at the teacher's discretion. They proudly avoid teaching or allowing students to use computers or any technology in school. They seem to think computers are a fad, not the backbone of higher education that they have become. Graduates of this school arrive at college (if they even go--for a 'college prep,' they have a shockingly low percentage of students who actually go on to attend four year colleges) woefully behind in their experience using technology.The school continues to claim to be college prep, but they have few, if any, AP courses and no dual enrollment. They spend zero time encouraging the kids to apply to college or giving them resources or direction on how to do it. They provide incorrect information about when to apply to college, which, if the students follow the school's timeline, they miss out on any possibility of scholarships. The school used to be good, maybe even great, but those days are far behind them, and they have stopped serving students in any meaningful ways.
Submitted by parent on August 01, 2022

We have loved JMPS! Small class sizes, traditional curriculum and tons of student activities, clubs and sports for being such a small school. We have also been a part of the music and theatre productions, and they are top notch. The administration and staff seem to genuinely care about their jobs and take teaching seriously. Our kids have excelled at James Madison and I would highly recommend it, even if you have to drive a little bit - totally worth it.
Submitted by principal on July 05, 2022

I am the new principal of James Madison Preparatory School as of July 1, 2022. I look forward to building on our successes from the past, while making improvements for the future. Our incredible team of teachers and staff will continue our mission to ensure that every JMPS student feels safe, valued, and capable.
Submitted by parent on June 29, 2022

There are so many very strange and unfavorable things about this school. To begin with parents are very unwelcome. They believe they know better how to raise your child. There is no PTA and little to no engagement with parents at all about what is going on with your child academically or socially. Just surprise notices after it is too late to try to improve a grade or prevent any type of bullying incident. Students are even told which students they are not allowed to speak to. Student's are threatened to not speak on things, or question anything the staff deems a problem. Right or wrong you must be completely compliant or you will pay the price of harsh and unreasonable treatment. This school does not allow any substitute teachers either, which is also very sketchy. They will jeopardize the whole student body and rearrange everyone's schedule just to avoid this. Everything at this school is ancient and technology is frowned upon. At first I kind of liked that the school had little technology because kids these days are on it so much, but after my child actually experiencing attending this school I have come to the realization that is not for the benefit of the student. It is another control tactic and frankly I find that to be unsafe should an emergency arise. The school has no security and sits on a main road in front of a bus stop, which allows a dangerous person to easily take the campus over or a car to crash right into the school. My child found the student body to be unfriendly and non diverse. Diverse students don't last long here. I know that no school is perfect, but this one really disappointed me. My child will be going elsewhere.
Submitted by other on June 28, 2022

The school's main selling point is its "history-based" curriculum and guarantee of being able to join many extracurriculars. However, the school's community is as bad as the students in it, and with little effort by the staff to motivate students to get involved, most activities were canceled-and the school never refunded parents who paid fees for their students to join said activities. Furthermore, education at the school has become politicized such that religious students are mocked by teachers and bullied by fellow students, and any enthusiasm for American history the school has long claimed to have via its mission statement on its website is gone. The school claims it's small community makes people welcome, but bullying at this school is likely worse than at bigger schools for the staff is on a friendship level with students and joins in on ridiculing disliked students. Additionally, while the school claims to be a college prep, the school offers virtually no AP courses/ dual enrollment programs and does not sufficiently prepare students for the math placement tests given by Arizona's universities. Last but not least the school offers no help to students with special needs: its guidance counselor is unqualified and does no real work, and it has a new special ed tutor every year. IEP students are just told the answers to homework and given no preparation for the outside world.
Submitted by parent on June 27, 2022

My son started 7th grade last year and he loves the school. With the small class sizes, the encouragement to participate and the truly exceptional teachers, he really grew over this last year both emotionally and educationally. The teachers are great about reaching out to parents and keeping them up-to-date on what's going on with their kids and the administration really cares for the students and works to help them succeed. There are a ton of extra-curricular activities that the kids are encouraged to participate in to provide a well-rounded educational experience.
Submitted by other on June 27, 2022

James Madison is great if you or your child desires to become a menial and uncomplicated laborer. The school places heavy emphasis on compliance to tyranny, and leaves little room for expression and social development. They are unsympathetic to the adversity of students and hardly any of the faculty are certified to perform their jobs. While the school appears to have a vision of opportunity and growth, electives are highly limited, and the teachers get easily frustrated with those who do not possess a natural aptitude for extracurriculars they join. In terms of college preparation, the school provides next to no resources in regards to help with applications, potential scholarships, or volunteer opportunities. The school has had strong public opinions regarding both political and religious matters, with people who believe in a faith be referred to as "stupid." Disciplinary actions are taken in an authoritarian “guilty until proven innocent” approach, and combined with much of the faculty’s inability to separate their own pompous attitudes with their jobs, punishments are are overtly despotic, formulated based on emotion and whim, being specifically designed to install terror within the student population. The faculty would much rather promote their own ego rather than doing the right thing. One of the directors particularly had performed numerous threatening displays to create dread, with examples including flipping over a table, causing a student’s hydroflask to be shattered, breaking the legs off of chairs, and almost smashing a student’s phone with a hammer because the ringer was not turned off. Because of their disciplinary policies, students are encouraged to fabricate lies about their peers to remain in the faculty’s favor. James Madison also struggles with severe issues regarding sexism and racism. Men are often discriminated against, facing more severe punishments than if a woman did the same thing. Women particularly tend to receive much more praise to an extent that is borderline idolatrous. Hardly any students of color are recognized for their achievements, and the few who are are often recognized in a superficial or token manner. Evidently, this horrific school is run by ruthless and oppressive dictators who have no interest in seeing success among the students, which is masked by an illusion of prestige and a fantasy of grandeur and opportunity.
Submitted by parent on June 27, 2022

We have one child going into 11th, one going into 7th and have been attending for 5 years. Your student will not be a number at this school, students have many of the same teachers across multiple years, the administration has teaching backgrounds and also takes the time to know each student attending. Not only is academics emphasized, there are plenty of extracurriculars to choose from football to robotics to theater. Self-reliance and actual life skills are taught, including emphasis on the characteristics it takes to succeed (commitment, hard work, amiability, gratitude, integrity and more). Choosing JMPS was one of the best decisions we have ever made as parents.
Submitted by parent on June 08, 2022

We have just finished our first year here at JMPS and are very happy with our school choice! For being such a small school, there are a lot of opportunities for the students to get involved. I like that everybody knows everybody and even teachers who do not have my child as a student in their classroom know who she is. Communication with parents could be better, but overall, we love it here. They are a little old school, but I love that. It’s not all about cell phones and computers, it’s about human interaction, having manners and taking responsibility, something that has been lost in the times we are living. Teacher turnover is super low and even some of the teachers are alumni, which says a lot about a school! I don’t know about you, but I would never want to go back to my high school, even if they paid me! My child is also doing well academically and I feel comfortable reaching out to the teachers if I have any concerns. I would highly recommend this school!
Submitted by other on April 11, 2022

This school is average at best and as time goes on, it seems to get worse and worse. The founding directors are terrible with handling situations especially disciplinary ones. This school is not good for those who struggle with mental health as they blame everything on the students. Small issues escalate way too far and directors have no remorse or feelings for any students. I don't recommend this school to anyone especially those who are minorities as discrimination really common all throughout campus. The only ones who thrive here are those who come from a family who is well known and has a past history with the administration. I strongly advise parents who are thinking of bringing children here to look elsewhere as this school is on it's downfall.
Submitted by other on April 11, 2022

This school is incapable of handling internal conflicts and often alienates and ostracizes their student population.The treatment of students of color at James Madison prep is specifically horrendous. Much of the counseling and mental health services are far from helpful and often shift blame onto the students rather than making an effort to help and facilitate a better environment. In my experience students of color have repeatedly been labeled “bad influences” especially when being compared to other students at the school. On top of all these issues the school’s moral code is superficially enforced and often leads to more harm through punishment than actual good. Students have been kept from walking on graduation night because of a culmination of smaller infractions from the beginning of their time at JMPS.The directors especially seem to be unable to distance their own ego from their job. Rumors and small issues get elevated to a personal scale and are often addressed in an extremely inappropriate way. One of the directors in particular has a well documented issue with anger management and has publicly screamed at many students in front of the whole school.I withstood 6 years and only now after graduation do I fully realize how damaging this school is. For the sake of your child’s mental and social well being, I cannot recommend this school any less.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2021

I have one son who graduated from here and another in middle school currently. They are very different students with different interests, abilities and demeanors. This school has allowed them both to succeed in a small classroom setting, knowing that their presence and participation matters! The school has taught them significant life lessons on how to become self-reliant, how to interact with others, and how to show personal responsibility. The school community values each person and values development of a well rounded individual. My boys have thrived at this school!
Submitted by other on June 11, 2021

James Madison faculty and staff recognized my son's talents, despite the fact they were not necessarily academic, and nurtured them. For the first time ever he was judged by the adults in a school by something other than his grades. They were always available, always flexible, and always cared, even when he appeared not to. He developed interests and talents he had been unaware of, thanks to the care he received at JMPS.
Submitted by parent on May 11, 2021

If you like bureaucratic, inflexible leadership and enjoy having teachers infants in the classroom then this school is for you.
Submitted by parent on January 09, 2021

If you want amazing school with a small school atmosphere, JMPS is the perfect place!The education at this school is really the best.It's geared toward college prep and we get amazing feedback from the teachers there.BTW, James Madison is far above the state average in key measuresand they have a fantastic code of conduct.My Kids love going to school at James Madison Prep!And you kids will too.