Desert Sky Community School

1350 North Arcadia Avenue

School District

Desert Sky Community School Inc.
Grade

K-5
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:10
Type

charter

School Map for Desert Sky Community School Inc.

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 03, 2024

The administration of this school continues to refuse to address the unsafe and concerning behaviors of certain children that make it very difficult for the other children to learn in a safe and caring environment. When someone speaks up about this, they are met with retaliation and more complacency. The competency of the teachers are also highly questionable. Not exactly sure what children are actually learning.
Submitted by parent on March 15, 2024

The leadership is horrible. The principal in particular is rude, condescending, and refuses to adequately address any issues that come up. The school is extremely disorganized as a whole. The curriculum is a joke. All of the volunteer opportunities and activities held at the school are a waste of time for any parent who desires to be involved in their child’s school experience. The teachers have no clue about classroom management. I would never refer kids here nor would I have any of my kids attend this school ever again. If I could give this school a zero, I would.
Submitted by parent on August 08, 2022

My child attended Kindergarten at this school for about 2 months. In that brief period of time we were fortunate to meet some really incredible families who have become good friends (all of which have withdrawn their children from this school, btw) and meet one wonderful teacher (Mr Kenny, who wasn't my child's teacher but stood out as the most engaged, passionate, and intelligent of the bunch).Waldorf can be a wonderful education model when you have trained, passionate teachers, but the fact is Desert Sky has really struggled to keep good teachers. Part of this might be due to the pandemic. Regardless, our Kinder teacher was unqualified at best. Outside play time was understaffed and under-supervised so any rough housing (which is bound to happen when you have a group of unsupervised young boys left to play with sticks and rocks outside) was met with suspension. Imaging sending home a kid for playing rough. Soon they figure out rough play, pushing, and hitting leads to getting to go home with mom. It's completely illogical and senseless discipline for such young kids. But they had no choice - they simply don't have the staff to keep an eye on everyone. Nutshell: You get what you pay for. Desert Sky is free Waldorf. Storytime, make believe, and free range outside play. That's what you'll get. If you want more structure, better qualified teachers, and an overall better experience, you can do better.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2018

The primary purpose of Desert Sky Community School is to educate children through experiential learning, including the arts and storytelling. With a developmental approach to the whole child, our school will address the different needs of different children. Our school strives to be an aesthetically rich environment as well as a safe space for development as a whole person.Community is a central value that extends beyond the classroom in our school: it is how we feel and act toward one another. Desert Sky shares a value of connection as a school community, and connection to the larger community of friends, neighbors and colleagues. We value the family attention to children which is evident to teachers. We also value the inner growth of all of the members of our community: students, parents, teachers and volunteers. Shared responsibility, especially among faculty and in Board meetings and Parent Council, allow decisions to be made in clarity, with calm and equanimity.We invite families and friends to join us in celebrating our seasonal festivities as a community such as our Festival of Strength and Courage, The Lantern Walk, The Spiral Garden of Light, Fasching, and our May Festival.At Desert Sky, we strive to be environmentally responsible. We choose to garden without the use of pesticides or other toxins, to use environmentally safe cleaning products, to use low-impact, renewable construction materials whenever possible, to compost and recycle and to conserve energy and water.As much as possible, we encourage healthy organic whole foods and lunches. We recognize the impact on the environment of transporting our children long distances to school and actively support carpooling efforts. Our goal is to create an environment that encourages everyone to become more conscious of the need to make choices that support a future where all living things share in a world of abundance. We welcome students, parents, faculty, and staff of all races, sexual orientations, faiths and creeds.
Submitted by parent on September 10, 2018

Forced prayer, and zero academic merit. This school should absolutely not be able to operate.
Submitted by other on September 07, 2018

Poor. The administration at this school seemed uninterested in helping a student struggling with anger issues. They did whatever they could to remove the student from the school without attempting to understand and correct the behavior. My partners children were pushed out of the school without any real attempt to help solve the problem.
Submitted by other on March 09, 2016

I had researched Waldorf education and was very excited by this concept. The faults In th school don't lie in this but in the fact that many to the teachers have not actually been trained formally in the Waldorf method. Additionally they are trying to increase their numbers to fund and expand the school but then children are not being properly guided in their activities which creates an Unsafe environment. I was told in. I sorus occasions about othe todos bars behavior by a teacher in front of the kids and witnessed witch hunts take place against these kids. The kids would be scolded then the teacher would roll her eyes and the. comment to me in front of the kids about th child. The Kids were not directed at all which does allow for imagination but again the to her just reacted and scolded, never trying to guide the Kids. The environment is unsafe across the board and Numerous parents have withdrawn their kids due to the toxic environment. 6 kids in one class so far this year alone that so am aware of.
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2016

I don't think the administration or the staff are trying to hurt kids. However, some of the kids will certainly not be helped by their policies. If you have a boy born after April 15th then expect them to keep him in kindergarten for an extra year. Unfortunately, this "policy" is not brought up until your first parent teacher conference after you are enrolled and have attended a few months. The next problem is that they don't "teach" in kindergarten but they expect your kid to reach a certain level of competency through sing alongs, etc. As a result they may keep your child in kindergarten for years. The front desk lady boasted that her child repeated kindergarten 3 times. They view it as a "staging" area. However, in this waiting room your child will not be taught to read. What they are actually doing is "academic red shirting". If you are going to go to this school it would help you to research this topic. 60 Minutes has done a great piece on it as well as many reputable journals and academics. What it does accomplish is that it inflates their testing grades because they have so much older kids being tested in lower grades. This helps the school get their numbers but it does not help a child to delay learning to read for years past their peers in public schools. This practice of holding back around 40% of the kindergarten class every year seems like they are robbing money from the state. If you want a visual on this see how many kids are allowed into kindergarten vs how many kids can fit into the 1st grade classroom. So, they are using the kindergarten classroom as a kind of revenue generating machine where the physical layout of the school dictates that they have to fail enough kids to have a reasonable 1st grade class to fit into the 1st grade classroom. What they are doing is wrong and possibly illegal. However, if you want to academically red shirt your child already then this is the school for you. The staff is friendly and they are clearly trying really hard and really believe in what they are doing. However, what they are doing is not based in science and probably not healthy for your child.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2014

Very happy with the teachers, administration, and curriculum at Desert Sky. Our child is allowed to explore and play and there is little stress. We feel involved in decisions and part of the school community as a whole. Couldn't be happier.
Submitted by parent on November 06, 2014

I have both of my daughters enrolled at Desert Sky and they both have been with the school since Kindergarten. It is the closest thing a mother can find to homeschooling as far as a loving caring intimate environment.
Submitted by parent on October 28, 2013

Our school engages the head, heart and hands of my children. Their creativity soars because of this curriculum. My energetic son is engaged in learning not with worksheets, but through various mediums: handwork, music, German, balance and core movements, stories, songs and lots of active play outdoors. My daughter is enjoying a play based Kindergarten that is giving her confidence in her world through a rhythm to her day, building her will with repetition and a reverance for the world around her. She is taught life building skills of working with others, setting the table, washing the clothes, tending a garden, and baking bread to name a few examples. The faculty at Desert Sky is professional, attentive, warm and caring, taking each family to heart. We couldn't be more thankful for Desert Sky and its ability to offer our family a tuition-free Waldorf education.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2013

Desert Sky Community School in Tucson, AZ provides education for the whole individual child, not just to be a competitive A rated school. I have seen my child grow in his passions and education since he started at this school. His teacher is the most loving and amazing teacher I have ever come across. The sparkle in my child's eye everyday when he goes off to school and again when he returns from a full and productive day are priceless. Thank you to all the sacrifices that have been made along the way, to the vision and dedication of the founders, staff and parents who have made this dream a possibility to families like mine who believe in this lifestyle and education but would not have been able to attain it otherwise. Thank you!
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2013

We love Desert Sky Community School. We would never be able to afford a private Waldorf education, we have tried public schools, I work in public schools and I always come back to DSCS and how wonderful it is for my family and child! My child was struggling emotionally at public school, the we transferred, within a week he was at ease, sleeping well, content and balanced. At DSCS my child is taught a variety of core subjects per state standards since this is a charter school, but in addition my child also receives a myriad of comprehensive courses in the arts, from music to handwork, drama to circus arts. The work that is being done by my child is meaningful beyond studying for a test. The daily study and work provides a rich canvas of learning for life! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my child's love for learning and inspiring him to be a better student and person for life.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2013

Our school, Desert Sky Community School, provides free Waldorf inspired education to all families in Tucson, AZ. It is a wonderful, loving, academic environment in which my child has flourished immensely. I am so thankful to the education that my child receives due to the dedication to teach by the Desert Sky staff. I love my son's school and would like to help them to win more funding to continue providing my family and others with the gift of Waldorf inspired education.
Submitted by parent on October 25, 2013

My son is much better off at DSCS. He receives more attention, his academics and his whole person is in a good place.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2013

I love Desert Sky Community School. My child and family are better for having the Waldorf way in our lives. Waldorf teaches the whole child - head, hands and heart. There are no computers, televisions, or electronic gadgets. The children are able to focus on learning in a supportive, artistic and non-judgmental atmosphere. It is not for everyone...as traditional academia is not the focus. I love the school faculty, the school parents and most of all the wonderful and kindhearted children.
Submitted by other on September 10, 2013

Expect to be lied to. Expect to be talked about behind your back. Expect to be judged by elitist uneducated administration (namely the "Pedagogical Director"). Your child will be subjected to various forms of prayer. Staff are taught that they are facilitating the childs soul, and cannot wear black. Verses are said in class with different sounds/syllables, not to facilitate reading (which is thought to be avoided until age 9) but because Waldorf teachers believe that sounds come from a spirit realm and are the spirits way of coming through. If you want your child to be a successful human being, run fast in the other direction.