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I currently have 2 children in Western Elementary School and one child who graduated from Western last year. I have had nothing but positive experiences over the past 5 years. The principal, teachers, and all other staff are phenomenal. They always have my children’s best interest in mind and are very good at communicating so my children never fall behind. I feel safe sending them to school every day. I can’t thank them enough.

My two kids attended St. Finn Barr School and we had a positive overall experience. We had met amazing families that we still call friends to this day. This is a very special school made up of exceptional faculty, administrators and parents.

South Crawford Elementary provides a nurturing and high-quality educational environment that prioritizes both academic achievement and the well-being of its students. The teaching staff is knowledgeable, passionate, and deeply committed to student success. Lessons are engaging and thoughtfully planned, with a strong emphasis on differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of all learners. One of the school’s greatest strengths is its focus on social-emotional learning. Students are encouraged to build positive relationships, manage their emotions, and develop resilience. Programs such as daily morning meetings, mindfulness activities, and peer mentoring foster a supportive school culture where every student feels valued and heard. Family engagement is actively promoted through regular communication, inclusive events, and opportunities for parent involvement in school decision-making. The school hosts workshops, family nights, and conferences that empower caregivers to partner in their children’s learning and growth. Safety is clearly a top priority at South Crawford Elementary. The school maintains a secure campus with well-established protocols and a responsive staff trained in crisis prevention and intervention. Students consistently report feeling safe and respected, and the school takes a proactive stance in preventing bullying and promoting inclusivity. Overall, South Crawford Elementary offers a balanced, student-centered education that supports the whole child—academically, emotionally, and socially—while fostering strong partnerships with families and maintaining a safe learning environment.

I was very nervous switching both my kids from a different daycare halfway through the year, however, it turned out to be the best thing I could have done for them. The entire staff were very welcoming of both kids and made them feel at home. I was so impressed with the academic programming. It was structured, however the kids were still learning through lots of fun art and craft activities. I recommend CCP to everyone and wish I would have enrolled my kids sooner! The kids and our whole family have made lots of good memories here.

We have children at both the elementary and middle school campuses. ANCS is an amazing and supportive educational environment. Teachers and devoted to the students, students are devoted to each other. The adaptive environment is really tailored to educating successful and compassionate children.

I am trying to be as fair as I can about this school. Learning: You will be taught something in your class and then take a standarized test in which your child will not recognize what is being taught in it because it was taught differently or not in all in school. Then, they will take the standarized test to determine if you are allowed to come back. I've seen a situation when the teacher said everything was going well but the standarized test said they were struggling and told not to come back the last week. So, this gave them no chance to intervene. The cirriculum is often different than other classical schools and thus, if you try to transfer, it is more difficult to do so. The math curriculum at the elementary level is slow paced compared to other classical schools (only learning how to do some double digit addition at the last weeks of school at 1st grade). But then I hear they drown the high school students in homework. Maybe they aren't prepared for it? Teaching: I met some great teachers here but none are really appreciated by the administration anyways. If a great teacher asks for a raise? No. If a faculty wants fairness if their child is buliied. No. These are real life examples I have heard of. Good teachers are always leaving. Social support: I have went to another school in which the faculty and parents are so much more supportive. I used to have a supportive dean but she left due to a disagreement with the other administration. The supportive attitude or lack thereof, trickles down. SPecial Education: this is a private school so there is none. If your child is a bit difficult to teach, they will be asked not to come back so do not consider it. Safety: While I was there, a child threated to bring a gun to school but oh, he wasn't expelled until the other parents starting to pull their kids out of the class. Surprise, all the siblings of that family were friends of one of the heads of school. There was another incident some years back but instead of calling the police, a police friend was called so not to scare people. I knew of someone physically bullied but was told it wasn't bad because the bully was a girl and the victim was a boy. Family engagement: there are many events but none of these parents really care about you after you leave. There is no reach out at all from any adminstrators as well. There are some good teachers but they aren't there long. The education isn't even well matched to other classical schools.

I have three students that have attended or are attending CHS. One in college, one is a junior, and a freshman. My children range in abilities, strengths, and needs from type A valedictorian, autism, and ADHD. One of my children is on a 504 for accommodations. Even with these range of needs, CHS has done a great job at reaching each one of my kids and helping them grow and learn and challenging them. The staff care about these kids and do everything they can do help them succeed. I am glad my students attendee CHS and am excited for my daughter to attend in a few years.

I have a daughter in 5th grade at Smith. She moved to Smith School from another elementary in Helena and has LOVED her two years with the staff and students. She has excelled in her academics and made long lasting friendships. The teachers and staff do their best to meet the needs of each student where they are at and encourage growth academically, socially, and behaviorally. In response to another review: - my daughter gets hot lunch every day and loves it. There are always meals that are not her favorite but she has never been given moldy or expired food. - the school is located next to the hospital, so ambulance sirens are frequent, but police car sirens are rarely heard. In fact, the police do their best not to have sirens on and are discreet so as not to alarm students at school.

The Dubois Middle School is student learning centered. Many parents report that their Middle School student enjoys going to school. The teachers make learning fun and truly care about the students.

I have two children attending Western school, and I am very pleased with the staff, the teachers as well ans the principal are very supportive, cooperative and kind, western has a very friendly environment with great staff. My children love going to school the learning is always so much fun and so exciting. The school always includes families in the children’s learning. We love and trust the staff at Western. Keep up the good work WES thank you for all that you do for our children everyday !

Kind, easy, supportive. I was homeschool so the school environment is Alien to me they've always been very kind and understanding of my weirdness and I appreciate that a lot. My older child that went here misses Naples and all of the faculty she says middle school is boring. Naples goes beyond to make school learning fun and engaging.

I want to say that since Ms. Sweeney became the principal it has gone downhill. It seems nowadays these teachers think they can talk to children with no respect. This school is all about blaming the children for everything and not having the adults take any responsibility. I am glad my kids will never be back to this school again.

Pros: 1. Elementary school is taught Spanish with a full day of Spanish learning every other day. 2. Your middle schooler can attend school in the same building as your younger child/children CONS!!! 1.It's very difficult to get in touch with anyone at this school. The phone system has a long automated menu, and even when calls are transferred, they often go unanswered 2. You are only permitted to request a document between the hours of 9am-1pm, which is inconvenient for working parents. 3. Communication from middle school teachers about student progress is minimal, which makes it hard to stay informed and support my child. 4. Middle schoolers do not receive a full day of Spanish instruction as the elementary school does. They receive a class or two weekly.

If not the most diverse school district in Western PA, it has great academics and a caring staff. Growing up out of state, I found that many school districts in Pittsburgh lack the top qualities of diversity and a top-tier education.

This school has been excellent for our family and flexible with our children. We appreciate you, APS!