ACE Academy

I can honestly say that ACE Academy saved my 8^th grader. Over the years she had grown to hate school so much that she had sunk into depression and anxiety that was so severe she missed 30 days in the first half of her eighth grade year. On the verge of medicating her, I thought back to the last place she loved learning, Summer Wonders camp, which is run by the same folks who run ACE.
At ACE my daughter quickly formed close friendships with kids who «get» her odd sense of humor; interest in books, politics, and art; and love of debate. At the public school she had been marginalized and excluded for being different, but the kids at ACE welcomed her into their community by sitting with her at lunch, inviting her to help with student council, and adding her to the class social group chat.
Social acceptance is not the only advantage ACE provides to gifted learners like my kid. One of chief causes of my child’s anxiety came from the over two hours of homework she was assigned each night, which left little time for her to enjoy other activities. At ACE the teachers assign very little homework and the work they do assign is meaningful, project work that allows students to delve deeply into topics that are interesting and relevant. At ACE my child has engaged in «World Building,» studied relativistic thinking, analyzed subversive art, created photo essays, and conducted cross-​pollination experiments to challenge the GMO issues, all with less than an hour per night hitting the books.
The most important difference in the education she is receiving at ACE, though, has to do with the level of instruction she receives in the classroom. The instructors at ACE are up to date on newest scientific advances, influential and controversial literature and current events, new teaching strategies. Everyday my kid comes home buzzing about what she is reading or hearing or discussing in her classes. She no longer complains about doing «busy» work or students who derail learning. ACE class sizes are generally under 10 students, so every student is heard.
I know that there is no such thing as a perfect school, and ACE has a few growing pains, but the small issues they have pale in contrast to the problems we faced in the public schools.
ACE provides smaller class sizes, deeper exploration of topics, innovative instructors, a focus on learning (not testing), and a true community of students care about each other. My only regret is that I didn’t move her to ACE sooner.

ACE changed our lives. My kid is absolutely blossoming, challenged, excited about school and not bogged down in busy work or test prep.
It is all about the fit. ACE is perfect for my kid. It is not for all kids. It is not supposed to be. Sit in on some classes. Do the kids act and talk about similar things as yours? Then you will know. We are so grateful the school exists because it has allowed my son to enjoy learning again.

My two grandchildren attend ACE and have had a very positive and nurturing experience. The fact that the classes are small and two adults are in each class means that the children get individual assistance and this makes a world of difference for a quality education.

As a teacher myself at another school in town, I am qualified to say that this school is a total sham, and i wouldn’t be surprised if they wrote the one positive (lengthy) review below. First of all, the accurate portrayal of this school is what the most recent reviewer has to say, and I cannot reiterate enough how not only unqualified and completely inept their teachers are, but I also have mention again how utterly unacceptable their LACK of communication is, as the previous reviewer stated. Our son went to this school for a year, and we couldn’t get out of there quickly enough. Their communication is so poor, that after a year and a half of no longer attending the school, we were copied on a private email from one of their teachers to a parent about his child. The fact that the teacher didn’t pay enough attention to whom the email was being sent and violated the parent/​teacher confidentiality is just one of many examples of their lackadaisical and unprofessional approach. Their belief that they are a school for the gifted and talented is absurd, and our son is much happier, more challenged, and has been instantly successful at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, more so in one month than he ever was at ACE. If you are thinking of ACE, do yourselves a favor and research some of the other private schools in the area, and you’ll find a wealth of experience and individuals who are true educators. If I could give zero stars, I would.

If you want to support a school that wants to encourage low self-​esteem in your child by being so ridiculously anal about breeding «perfect» kids/​students, then enroll your kid here.
They have a list of 19 things your child must do right each day and if they get even ONE thing wrong your child will get a «sad face» for the entire day. Imagine having your five year old miss one thing such as «sits right all day», but all other 18 things right and be told he/​she is getting a sad face for that behavior. That’s psychologically damaging to a kid who is just being a kid and not a robot.
There is a whole list of reasons why this school fails in addition to the above that include horrific communication skills and meek/​inexperienced teachers. Think twice about enrolling your kid here.

Wow. What a difference a year makes.
My son was in the 3^rd grade and not doing well. His teacher seemed to think he had ADD. He wasn’t interested in school, reading or seemingly anything that required work. He had a perfectionist mentality and never wanted to raise his hand, express his own opinion or try something new for fear of embarrassing himself. We started to think something was wrong and decided to have some testing done over the summer.
Turns out he’s gifted and many of his characteristics that we just didn’t understand were classic signs of giftedness. The Dr. who did his testing suggested we check out ACE Academy. At first I laughed. Hello… we moved here and picked out a house based on the school system and the idea that we would no longer have to pay for private schooling. Then I sat on it a few weeks. The more I thought about it and the more I learned about ACE, the more it made sense. And the more I was convinced that my son would never have a successful public school career and his self-​esteem would continue to suffer.
So this past school year we completed our first year at ACE Academy. They are centrally located, renting out space in the Education Building at Beth-​Israel Temple at Shoal Creek and 35^th. They opened in 2005 with only 8 students and will start this school year with about 80+. They have flexible age groupings so that your child is always at the right level for his/​her learning. They operate more like a middle-​school where the kids switch classes between periods; so again, your child is always right where they need to be for optimal learning, based on their individual strengths or weaknesses.
Robotics is a core class so last year my son spent the year learning Flash Animation and this year he will move on to the actual «robotics» part. My son was able to choose one elective and he picked Chess. Cool, right? Wait… it gets even better. Once a week, he gets to take Yoga as part of his PE. (And I have to tell you, my kid is like some sort of yogi master!) All of this is good and well but the best part is the change we have seen in our son. His little personality is slowly emerging, as well as his confidence in his own abilities. This is all thanks in part to the staff. They are incredible, amazing, grown up versions of their students, so they really «get» them! During parent/​teacher conferences they really wanted to know all the little details about my son and what exactly makes him tick so that they can take that knowledge and apply it towards drawing him out. He likes Legos? Ok, we’ll make sure there are math problems about legos. He embarrasses easily? Ok, we will remember not to put him on the spot.
So not only did my son spend the year learning and growing. So did his parents. ACE puts on 4 parents seminars a year and asks that you attend at least 3. (There’s incentive… you pay a seminar fee and get most of it back once you meet the requirement.) I went to all of them. I was so fascinated each time I went and not only learned more about the inner-​workings of my child, I learned more about myself.
I would say one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout this experience is that as good as being gifted sounds, for some children, it can be like its own special need. And my child’s needs were not being met in the public school sector. (Note I have a daughter who is excelling in a public school.)
We ended 3^rd grade not liking school. We ended 4^th grade not being able to decide if Science or Robotics were our favorite class. (With Spanish and Language Arts close behind, Chess and Yoga a no-​brainer). Friends from the neighborhood, parents from the old school, family… they all see the difference and I can’t wait to see what this year holds!
Information Sessions, 2^nd Wednesday of the month, 1pm
Pre-​K through 9^th grades
*Qualification requirements