Gateway Academy

I looked at many private schools for my son to attend after many years of frustration with the public school system.
The minute I walked into Gateway Academy-​I experienced the positive energy. My son and I felt welcomed by the entire staff. We were introduced to students who were happy and engaged with their teachers and each other. One of the students told us that what he enjoyed most about Gateway Academy, was that, «Everyone cared about and respected one another.»
Finally, my son enjoys going to school that has a safe, nurturing, and challenging environment. The classes are small and he receives individualized attention. The master teachers are highly skilled with an ability to meet individual needs in order for students to experience success.
The Administration and their staff are of a very high caliber. Personally they are honest and ethical. They are there because they care about kids and families.
I am so grateful to have my son in such an outstanding school! It has made a wonderful difference in our lives.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this school to parents who want the best for their children.

I am so thankful for this school! The director, Robin has always had an open door policy to myself and my son. My son has always been allowed to express his fears, concerns, and stuggles with Robin. She has given him wonderful advice and real life tools to help him verbally express and advocate for himself both in school and outside of school situations. She has a wonderful program that makes this special population feel successful, calm, happy and uninhibited. The teachers have such a challenge as each student is so individual in the way that they learn and their personailites, but somehow these special teachers seem to tap in to what works for each individual. They do this with much love, respect and hardwork. The moment you walk through the doors of Gateway, you feel acceptance and understanding. My son continues to grow and excel everyday. I feel Robin and her school is preparing my son for a bright future, something I wasn’t always so sure about. Since attending Gateway, my son loves to go to school! Never the case in the public school system. I spend 4 hours a day transporting my son to and from Gateway. It is worth it! To see my smiling sons face every day before and after school… totally worth it!!!

I cannot express enough the way this school has changed my son’s and our lives. After reading some of the other comments, I was very disturbed that other parents did not feel the same way. My only conclusion is that the other parents have never been subjected to the public school system or perhaps not aware of the different ways our Autistic community can benefit from structure and diet. We are extremely hands on parents, having started a gluten free and fair free diet for our son when he was diagnosed at age 2, we also took the time to train our selves in the Greenspan method which was not offered in PHX. However, not having funds for a private school, we did use the public school system until 3^rd grade when the public schools told us they could not accommodate our child. He was so advanced socially (from our continued engagement and exposure to affection) yet behind academically, they did not have a program for him. We visited many schools and Gateway was a perfect fit. We met each child, each staff member and went over in detail the program.
For a parent to meet every child at a school full of autistic children is a feat in itself. Each child introduced themselves, a difficult task for our ASD children. Therapy dogs, horse therapy, sensory tools, computers… a dream setting for parents who’s public school child had never had! There is structure and yes, suggested dietary menus BUT THIS HAS BEEN PROVEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO WORK!!! To many parents ignore the benefits of the bio medical treatment, and yes this can be as simple as food. For the first time, my son LOVES school, he is happy and looks forward to learning. In 6 months he has improved ten fold.

They could provide excellent education. Most of the teachers and staff try. However they are ruled by a dictator. The moment you speak up about your child’s care and the ridiculous rules, will be the moment your child is kick out of school. The Dean will target your child because of any opinion that differs from the parents.
We try to protect our children from bullies. Do not enlist your child because the school is governed by a bully.
It shows by the turn over of staff that cannot endure her dictatorship and the amount of students who are forced to leave because their parents try to have what’s best for their child.

We have only positive things to say about the school and our son (who’s 16) really likes attending. I think that speaks volumes :)

DON’T SEND YOUR CHILD HERE! I took care of a boy who attended this school from Dec 2013 to May 2014. He was in a group home that I worked for. Within this time frame I saw three different office managers leave (red flag for any business) upon research I found a whole community of displeased parents and former and/​or current students and staff. The program director is a total control freak, her name is Nicki, but I don’t believe she is currently there. She sent me multiple e-​mails everyday (by request of the president of the school) complaining about petty matters involving the child. Which begs the question, why do the administrators have so much time to notice «a quarter sized hole» on the child’s jacket? Why was time taken from their day to e-​mail me this? It was almost as if their pride forced them to find any fault so they could have something to complain about. He was the only child from that group home who attended Gateway, the other Autistic boys attended Aces (which currently has a 4.5 star rating on goggle reviews) and there were no problems ever. I believe it is because they actually know how to cater to the needs of Autism. Their therapies and techniques are advanced and legitimate. Gateway’s way of controlling the children is to threaten to kick them out if their medication dose isn’t raised (yes, for real). I went in once to sign the child out early for a doctor’s appointment, and heard the administration bad-​mouth other staff members and STUDENTS. It was an appalling experience. About and the «president» Robin, she is all about heavy duty psychotropic for kids, and is filled with hatred and bitterness and lots, and lots of negativity. I never understand why people who hate children pick jobs that involve children. The administrators need to have a sense of discernment versus being so reactionary, especially when working with special needs children. The child in question did have some behaviors, but regardless from my research I discovered that even if your child is the quietest, most well behaved kid, they will find a way to make them feel terrible about themselves. If you send your kid here you are paying more than just tuition, you are also going to have to pay for therapy down the line too. I am unsure if the word disgusting or ridiculous is more appropriate in describing my experience here. DO NOT SEND!

Our daughter has has high-​functioning autism/Asperger’s syndrome. We enrolled her at Gateway in 2014. While the thought behind creating a school specifically for children like our daughter is a good one, the problem with Gateway Academy is its administrator, Robin. Her interpersonal skills are at best rough and at worst abrasive and dictatorial. She actually dictates the foods children can bring for their lunch. We heard through our child as well as other parents the often hurtful things she says to the students themselves and she often treats them in a demeaning way.
Recently, there was an email exchange amongst the parents discussing some of these concerns. The email chain was started by a woman who was pulling her child out of Gateway. Because my wife shared some of her concerns with the other parents, Robin immediately expelled our daughter who of course had nothing to do with the discussion. She never contacted the parents who had concerns about her and the school to see if she could address the concerns. She also expelled the students of the other parents participating in the email exchange.
This shows and outright disregard of the students’ welfare and an almost paranoid need to stifle any criticism. I’ve never seen anything like this elsewhere. A good leader brings people in to address concerns rather than getting rid of them.
There is a definite need for a school like this. Perhaps without Robin, Gateway could succeed.

This school has the potential and most of the pieces in place to be the perfect landing place for kids with autism that have struggled in a general education setting. There are great teachers, a nice facility, and good therapists. The one thing holding it back, is the owner. She is irrational, narcissistic, and close minded. A know it all and its her way or the highway. As a parent, it is heartbreaking to inform your child they cannot return to the school where they have FINALLY made friends because they’ve been kicked out without any reasonable explanation.