Kino Learning Center

6625 North 1st Avenue

Tucson, AZ 85718

24 Reviews

School District
Grade

n/a
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 17, 2024

Loved this school but wife is gonna homeschooling our kids last minute. This school is gonna close anyday now. School money problems caused new kids with fake scholarships and lotf of problems. Tried to pay my tutions on time for years and told I did. now got a huge bill and no idea what is going on. Teachers were good but can't teach good now cuz of all the new kids with behavior problems. Bathrooms unsafe cuz ...bullies. No one there cares anymore like the past.
Submitted by other on May 12, 2024

When I first heard of this school I thought it was amazing. In the past year though I have come into contact with many from the school that although they like much of what is at the school, the intense bullying, racial discrimination from students toward each other, homophobia between students and more has made me feel much different than I originally thought. The schools way of handling most of this is to pretend they are dealing with it and then not be truthful to the parents who’s children are experiencing this and to tell the parents of the children who are doing the bullying and the racial and homophobic slurs that they have not been told by any of the children or their parents that this has been brought up. Instead they have workshops where they talk over the kids and not be truthful or let the kids ask questions or truly participate.
Submitted by other on May 11, 2024

When my nephew first went to this school it was because he had experienced SA at his previous school. I though Kino would be an awesome school but the amount of bullying, homophobic harassment, prejudices, harassment towards one student from another and the lackadaisical approach and lack of the director and much of the others staff dealing with it other than saying “kids will be kids” is insane. Bullying, homophobia and racial prejudices cannot just be ignored or stepped over. The one reason why I give three stars instead of less is because the school itself is open to many of our beautiful trans children or children who need a smaller environment and it offers some amazing classes and activities so the student is not locked in the average 30 or more child classroom and has freedom to move about the school. They also have multiple field trips and there are a few teachers who have really stepped up and have been supportive for students.
Submitted by other on January 01, 2024

Huge neglect!!!Our kindergartner was a victim of a fellow student who was and most likely still is a predator. When approached to work on a resolution and seek accountability, they recommended a child psychologist, and they'd take it up with the Board ...then days later they flat our gaslighted us and said the fellow student didn't even go there at the same time as our kindergartner according to our records. Fact is, they lied right to our face. We have emails to teachers about our concern at the time that our kinder was being bullied by this person and photos taken by the school themselves - both victim and predator appear side by side in these school photos and in the year book. Our deeply felt concern was met with deflection and deniability. We haven't pushed for any recourse to maintain a healthy distance for the mental and emotional recovery of our child, but I cannot stay quiet and feel I must warn others. ****Not safe for any child to go to this school!!! In short, we will forever regret enrolling our child into this school.
Submitted by parent on May 03, 2022

Other schools would tell me, basically, that my son is incredibly smart, but that it won't matter in his life because he's lazy. They would show me papers he'd torn up and pictures of his messy desk and then pull out 5 page long papers he'd written brilliantly and tell me, “He's clearly capable, but just doesn't care.” Other schools would tell me how he's so kind to the other students, especially those getting bullied, and then he'd come home in tears because of how he saw others being treated – by teachers and students alike – and I could feel how isolated he felt. Now he runs a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with 4 other students on the weekends and their laughter fills our home. Now he's a peer mentor and helps resolve disputes, at a student level, when they arise. Now his teachers tell me how amazing and intuitive his questions are, how funny he can be, and how dedicated he is when he finds a topic that really interests him. My son comes home now and tells me about his day. My daughter wants to go to school and pretends not to be sick sometimes, in the hopes I won't keep her home. I feel like Kino is all the best of what homeschooling is, but with teachers better than I could be at this point in my life. I don't feel as though I'm failing every morning when I drop them off at the front door. I feel, instead, that even when we can't do family dinners or I'm so busy with other obligations I barely see them for several days in a row – I feel like, it's okay because I'm doing something right. Arguably the biggest thing I can do right for them at this age.
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2022

Kino School has been wonderful for my teenage son - who has high functioning Autism. The classes are small, and the teachers are attentive. The educational approach is student centered which allows for independence of ideas and projects with faculty support. We feel quite lucky to have found Kino!
Submitted by parent on March 24, 2022

Personal opinion: no one should have to experience middle school or junior high, but especially seventh grade.Our family had lived in three cities in three years and was my son was about to "move up" to middle school -- his fourth school in as many years. After touring the school with his fifth grade class, he told us he knew the middle school was not a good fit for him. Now I have two children at Kino -- a second child started at the nearby middle school & after a week knew it wasn't where they wanted to be. Kino has been a refuge from the emotional turbulence that marks so many people's middle school experiences. My children are free to explore and then express their uniqueness and I am grateful.
Submitted by parent on March 13, 2022

Our child was bullied in middle school and the administration said they were "handling it." They were not. In addition, every class had 30+ students, intensive, nightly homework, and weekly tests. Something had to change. Through a recommendation from another Kino alum, we found Kino School. Our anxious, unhappy, hostile child became once again, the happy, enthusiastic child we once had. Kino helps its students develop a love of learning through all modalities and hands-on experiences. Integrity, empathy, self-direction, responsibility and respect are but of the few of the character traits expected of a Kino student. Thirty hours of community service for all high school students is a requirement. Scholarships and financial aid are available so attending this private school is well within the reach of any family. The proof of Kino School's success is that our child often tells us, "Thank you for sending me to this school!"
Submitted by parent on March 11, 2022

We absolutely love Kino which has been a life-changer for us! Our son started public school in first grade which did not go well. He would literally fight us every day about going to school. The teachers and students at the public school were all kind and helpful, but our son just could not fit into the mold forced on children in public school. Thankfully we discovered Kino! If your child doesn't conform to public school then Kino is the place for you! It has been a total life changer and now our son actually wants to go to school. As we were nearing the holidays he even told me "Dad I wish all holidays fell on the weekend so I didn't have to miss any school". He even wants to stay in after school most days because he loves it there so much. Kino is the way school should be done. I only wish I had Kino when I was a child.
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2022

My son did not start at Kino until the 9th grade and if I could go back and do it all again, I would enroll him from 1st grade. My son has learning disabilities and school has always been a struggle for him. We have moved him to multiple different schools, from the public sector to charter schools, trying to find a good fit for him and his educational needs. All fell short until we found Kino. The differences I see in my son are something I never thought possible. Not only is he learning far more than he did at any other school, he is HAPPY. Before Kino, he was a quiet kid with low self-esteem. When asked how school went, I was lucky if I got more than a “good” out of him. Now, he comes home with so many stories about his day and all of the cool things he learned. By providing a fluid and flexible environment that works best for him, he not only looks forward to going to school, and has actually asked to stay afterschool a few days a week. Change can be scary, but I am so thankful we took the leap. Kino has changed my son in so many amazing ways and I cannot recommend them enough.
Submitted by other on February 23, 2022

Kino school has been a life saver for my son and our entire family. My son (now age 9) wasn’t able to function or learn in a public school classroom with 28 students. He was miserable, and would fight daily about going to school and doing homework. Now at Kino he is happily thriving with the family-like atmosphere, small class size, stellar outdoor space, and individualized teaching style. The teachers are experts in diverse fields, and students are allowed to pursue their many interests whether that be recording music, incubating chicken eggs, making mixed media artwork, or 3D printing a new computer design. The students at Kino get to move their bodies, be outside, play games and enjoy reading and learning instead of being stuck bored behind a desk all day.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2022

Our family has been blessed to be associated with Kino School for the past nine years. Our son went there for two years, in 7th and 8th grades. Being at Kino for his Junior Hight years was just what he needed. That is such a hard age in life and I knew he was well taken care of at Kino. He became less stressed and more confident. Kino had a positive impact on how he was able to navigate his high school years at a large public school.Our daughter has been at Kino since kindergarten and is now in the seventh grade. The school could not be more perfect for her. She is given the freedom to use her creativity and to try many of the ideas she comes up with. She has had the ability to explore MANY activities and subjects and learn what excites her. She has learned to be very comfortable around all people in the world – all those who look and act different than her. She has learned to communicate with, lead, cooperate with, accept and care for others. Their student-led, hands-on approach includes an animal center, tool shop, science lab, music room, and multiple field trips. Kino truly is a school where life is learning.
Submitted by other on October 23, 2017

I gave Kino 3 stars because, although I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, there was much to be desired within the school itself. I think Kino is fundamentally a bright and wondrous place, where ALL students are accommodated and have opportunities that go beyond the classroom, but that is unfortunately not what it is. Kino is a school that was designed to be progressive and combat an oppressive system where your worth within the student body is solely quantitative, but it has unfortunately turned into another version of that. Student body is woefully unengaged in academics, and while Kino advertises itself as being a school where students must learn to value their education, the reality is that most students come into Kino with some sort of 'situation.' Sometimes the situation is because of credit loss, or because of mental illness, but it is often that students come to Kino with no drive. The positive environment can bring back the drive, but as far as I've seen, only to a point. After that point, the student is discouraged and cares less and less about academics, and more about whatever other side-interest they have. Their drive disappears. Kino, now, has a jaded administration, teaching staff, and student body that have an overall good sense of community, but no sense of what's outside of it. Kino, as a school, is a microcosm of alternative education at it's most mediocre. Kino, as a community, is extremely positive. Pick your poison, I suppose.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2014

A lovely progressive private school. Beautiful desert campus with animals, greenhouses, desert plants. Caring and inspiring teachers. Child-directed learning. Music, art, science, literature, welding, social studies, mathematics, weekly field trips. K-12 - small classes. Everyone knows one another and works together.
Submitted by parent on April 23, 2014

Kino School is truly where learning and life are one. You won't find the Common Core here. You will find an environment where each student is recognized as a unique individual and the teachers truly know each student. I have a son in high school and when I asked him why he was spending so much time on his lessons in one of his classes, he explained to me that he could quickly do the lessons and turn them in but he was really wanting to learn the material. He also said that he could just go to traditional school if all he was supposed to do is turn in homework without even learning it. Kino School facilitates his learning..encouraging him to think for himself, guiding him in the best way that works for his learning style. Kino doesn't give letter grades because they understand that you can't put a magical letter grade on learning. My son writes course evaluations for each credit he earns. When a college admissions office reads them, they will definitely have true insight into what my son knows.
Submitted by other on January 11, 2014

Kino School is a progressive education environment. It is not traditional public education. There is flexibility in courses based on each individual ability - not by some magic age/grade level. There is time to go out and play. There are many, many field trips. There is weekly community service projects. There are no grades. In high school, students are required to take the same core courses traditional school students take to be ready for college. While there is no "AP" label, students choose to do extra work in courses to challenge and explore beyond the course offerings. Students are active participants in their learning. And they do learn, not just memorize for test taking. It's difficult and perhaps impossible for some parents/students to consider Kino School as an educational alternative because they're unable to break free from what our society perceives as the way education works. But those who do, will discover Kino School is where students are free to explore what truly interest them and to flourish in that knowledge.
Submitted by other on January 02, 2014

i was a student at kino for 2 1/2 years i had a good first year though the only thing i learned was a tiny bit of math and some cool science things i also got bullied a lot my second year i got bullied even more and when i told the staff they called me a drama queen and i learned little to nothing the next year i started off hope full but the year started off with my piers calling me names and the staff accused me of lying when ever i told them something that someone did to me or said to me i left half way through the year and had to transfer to pubic school the staff made up a lot about me in my "transcripts" calling me a liar and then when my psychologist at the public school asked for my IEP they claimed they didn't have it jeopardized my education
Submitted by parent on August 21, 2013

Kino school has everything a parent needs to bring a successful adult into the world: work ethic, passion for learning, and realistic discipline.
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2013

My child has gone to Kino from 1st-4th grade and will be starting 5th. It has been an overall great experience. And like any school, there are bumps and things that are not perfect - but we have always been able to work with the teachers and staff to put things 'right'. It it was not for Kino, I don't know where I'd feel good about putting my child. Progressive education has a lot to offer but it is an environment unlike a typical school setting. Everyone adjusts to it a their own pace, and then one day you see just how much your child has expended their world. As a parent, I would also advocate learning about progressive education and being involved.
Submitted by parent on July 14, 2013

I feel this school was designed for my daughter. She had previously been in a small charter school through 4th grade and it took me some time to adjust to the independence she was given at Kino. The school emphasizes personal responsibility, community building and integrity and I have seen how these have nurtured the independent learner in my daughter. Instead of outside mandates dictating what and at what level she should be learning, she follows her interests, pushes herself to improve, sets and accomplishes her own goals. As a 7th grader she was able to attend high school level classes in areas where she excels. She is learning information, but more than that she is gaining the skills needed to organize her time, set her priorities, keep her commitments and be part of a larger community. These are important not only for continued success in school but also for life. She is excited about her classes and teachers, looks forward to school each day and has made life-long friends.