Challenger School – Shawnee

Challenger is now offering a 15% referral tuition discount program for 2016 – 17. If you are interested in Challenger Preschool 5 day program, please contact me so we can both have two-​way referral tuition discount every month throughout the academic year!

Took a tour of this school for the preschool program for my son. i was so surprised to see how chaotic the school was. the office was filled with parents, students and others and seemed so overwhelming. the preschool principal who did the tour seemed like she was in such a hurry. she seemed rehreased in what she had to say and nothing beyond that. there was no personal touch or personal interest whatsoever. also, from little what i saw there is hardly any diversity in the student population. all i saw were asian indian kids, and not that there is anything wrong with that but just an observation. the philsophy of the school is pretty much drilling. there was nothing in the curriculum that promotes critical skills or creativity. Kids were all drawing the same thing the teacher was step by step– and they called this art. yikes!
the school is a business that has its niche targeted population wanting only academic success. if you are looking for a wholesome program for your child to grow academically, socially, emotionally, and physically then look else where. there was nothing that is child developmentally appropriate happening during my small visit.
the same week i visited the almaden campus. even though the philosophy is the same there but the campus seemed more pleasant and organized and the principal seemed like a genuine person.

My daughter started preschool in this campus since aug 2015 and i must say that she and I both are loving it. I must say my daughter is fortunate to get teachers like Ms Lourenda and Ms Fery. They take extra care to see that my child is comfortable and loves their time at school. There was a time when my daughter hates to go to school/​day care but now she loves to go to school. My daughter gets sick very often and when she gets back to school she is welcomed with soo much love and affection. Ms Lourenda even calls her along with rest of the students in the class to wish her get well soon. Physical and mental health of a child is very important to both Ms Lourenda and Ms Fery. I am a very picky person but I must say that with Ms Lourenda and Ms Fery my daughter is in safe hands.
My daughter knows all her alphabets, phonics sounds, numbers 1 – 100. She even is able to write alphabets and numbers by her self. She loves her songs and dance they teach at school and i get lessons from her after she gets home :)
Even the staff at the front desk Ms Susan and Ms Samantha are very kind, helpful and friendly.
All in all i am happy i made the decision to have my daughter in this school and campus

My son started going to Challenger Harwood initially but after an incident there we transferred him to the Shawnee location and we couldn’t be happier! He started going to the preschool Tues/​Thurs full day program and his teachers were Ms Alina and Ms Lourenda. Both of them were so nurturing and made my son feel comfortable especially given that the focus at Challenger is mostly on academics. Once we saw him flourishing, we transitioned him to the all day M-​F program. Having amazing teachers such as Ms Alina and Ms Lourenda especially when your little one starts a program that can be challenging (no pun intended!) is so important. I felt they went above and beyond my expectations and I am so grateful for their support. Now my son is attending the pre-​K program and he is doing extremely well. Thank you Ms Lourenda and Ms Alina for all your hardwork!!!

I’ve had a good experience in the one semester my son attended preschool under miss lourenda and miss Alina
The playground is really beautiful in one semester he learnt how to read and write
He also draws beautifully he says he hates nap time but enjoys his school
When I catch him during play time during early pick up he doesn’t want to come home
The classrooms are open the performances are nice only wish they did it on stage like a full blown performance
So far I like the school and plan to continue through pre k for my son
I do agree there’s a lot of Indians and this could discourage the other cultures but I see w good mix in his class
My son has friends from all cultures and he regularly gets invited to birthday parties without discrimination

Very impressive! My son started attending the pre-​school starting Jan’14. I am overwhelmed with the energy the teachers put in facilitating sessions. Miss Lourenda makes the classes fun and interactive. I have less detailed feedback because my son is comparatively new there, however I have nothing to complain. Loving it! :)

I was sold on this school, but truth is it’s not for every child. I decided to send my son there and after a few months I was completely discouraged from wanting to drop him off everyday. I believe if your child is not of Indian or Asian decent they will not get the attention they need. My son was the minority of his class and was not treated fairly by the teachers or the children. The teachers and facility do not encourage the children to be friends and they completely suppress an imaginative child’s imagination and focus strictly on academics. They kept stressing in concern that my son was not reading yet and made me feel like he was learning at a slow pace… btw he just turned 4!!! Are you kidding me? They tried to push challenger products on me so he could be at their level. I thought that’s why I paid all that money for him to go to school. Very disappointing

Run away from this school, as far as possible, as quickly as possible. Teachers sucks big time. They are not qualified. They discourage kids becoming friends. Absolutely no parent involvement. They have only grinding classes. Put your kid in this school only if you want your kid to develop slave mentality. This school deserves negative rating, unfortunately it is not an option in this review page.

I’ve seen numerous positive changes during the two years that my daughter has been attending the Shawnee campus. Even though everybody knows they are a grade higher than the public school, the kids never feel pushed into it as they seem to imbibe education and fundamentals in a fun way, day in and out. My kid is enrolled in pre-​K and kudos to the teachers who don’t hesitate to spend extra time if they think kids need additional attention. Overall, it has been a pleasant surprise seeing our kid grow up the Challenger way!

This school is horrible compared to other challenger campuses in san jose. Teacher’s are very aggressive in nature dealing with kids. There is no soft nature with teachers and treat harsh way even 3 year old kids. I have seen this with my son. I didn’t ask them under the intention of they may keep that in mind and punish my child. I am going to move my son from this shitty campus to other location where they can treat kids well before teaching anything.

My kid is attending the preschool program. I’ve seen so many positive changes in my kid. We have been very happy with our teachers. Most importantly, my kid loves going to school!
It would have been better if the school can communicate with the parents electronically.

though i have to admit that the school highly stresses academics, but i think that there is NO diversity. the population is 90% indians and the remaining is asian. the headmaster is a pain. she does not like to listen nor does she give you a chance to complain. she loves to speak over you. the office staff is rude though they try to be nice at first glance but the minute you ask them for something you see their true nature lashing out. I thought that since the school put high emphasis on academic, i was driving 25 miles everyday to send my kids here, but now matter how academically successful they are at drilling repitition into your child, the staff is unbearable.

Daughter is going here for pre-​school. Nice campus with some great teachers. We have been very happy with our teacher and the play area is very nice.
I do have some minor complaints though.
1) Campus diversity is very poor. Indians seem to dominate this campus for some reason
2) The campus administrator is a total disaster. She is very poorly organized, doesn’t provide enough advanced notice for special events and just isn’t in tune with keeping parents up to date.
3) the structure is a bit intense for younger kids. I would like to see more play time and less stress on the kids.