Challenger School - Round Rock 1521 Joyce Lane, Round Rock, TX 78664

"Parents need to be aware and think critically before enrolling their children here. Our experience with Challenger School, Round Rock, Joyce LN began on a high note. Our child's Kindergarten year was fantastic, prompting us to stay for 1st grade. However, the subsequent year was a stark contrast. To our dismay, the school hired an unqualified teacher for the 1st grade who, unsurprisingly, didn't last more than two months. In fact this teacher was later seen working at Costco. That's right...you heard me...went from teaching 1st grade for $1200/mo per student to working at Costco. The replacement was an administrative staff member, again without the qualifications to teach this age group. These hiring decisions were baffling and concerning, to say the least and parent's were kept in the dark the entire time, only finding out when we saw a new teacher in the classroom or when our kids told us. What shocked us even more was the school's decision at the end of the year. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT in the 1st grade was informed that they wouldn't be recommended to proceed to 2nd grade. Mind you, this is after most schools had closed registration. The reasons given for each student were absurd. A classmate of my son's wasn't "independent" because a parent brought lunch every day. As for my son, we were told he wasn't reading at an adequate level, which was baseless as he was comfortably reading 2nd grade chapter books. The final straw was the Iowa test results (challengers standardized testing for evaluation). Our son scored in the high 90th percentile in all areas, further invalidating the school's reasons for holding him back. It became clear to us that there was no intention of opening a 2nd-grade class at this campus. When we transferred him to a new private school, he placed in the top 5% of the group, NATIONWIDE. The school's solution? A vague promise of potential advancement after summer school. No doubt a last ditch attempt to milk more money from the families. Disappointed, we soon discovered we weren't alone. Other parents had similar experiences and were equally disheartened. Upon a recent encounter with a former employee, I was informed that the school continued its pattern of hiring unsuitable 1st-grade teachers and facing staff departures. The underlying issues seem two-fold: 1. The school charges hefty fees (we paid over $1,200/month for 1st grade) but does not compensate its teachers adequately, leading to a disparity in quality. 2. The current administrators, Mrs. Caitlyn Bailey and Mr. Baker, seem out of their depth when it comes to hiring and administrative decisions. I feel confident that with them at the helm, the ship will continue it's downward trajectory. Challenger's evident lack of commitment and integrity not only to the parents but to their own students has left us with no other option than this 1 star review. ALL of the good reviews are from 3-5 years back. The school was in fact good back then. Not the case anymore. And the fact that they don't respond or try to address reviews here is indicative of an organization that is out of touch. Even mom and pop businesses make an effort to do this."

"There are MUCH better schools available for the money they want. They simply don't take care of their teachers and they lack integrity and commitment to their students and parents. Simply look through the recent reviews and you'll see."

"The lack of transparency and consideration for our situation was unacceptable. It’s disappointing that this preschool doesn’t seem to care about its potential students and their families. We were left in the dark and had to keep waiting, which was frustrating and stressful. We filled out all the necessary paperwork and waited patiently for a response. They made us wait for several months and after a trial class we were told that they had already admitted another kid and there was no spot available. We eventually gave up and went with another preschool that was more responsive and welcoming. I wouldn’t recommend this school to anyone. I was so wrong about this school, they clearly don’t value their applicants and don’t prioritize communication."

"I cannot recommend Challenger School enough!!! We absolutely love the school and our daughter loves going as well. It is academically phenomenal. Our daughter improved so much within a short period of time and it was measurable. We have been super impressed with the teachers and the higher level of subjects being taught, especially phonics, grammar and math. Kids at Challenger School are a year or more ahead of their peers who attend public school. While the curriculum is excellent, what we love the most about Challenger School is how much our daughter's personality has blossomed. She has become more self-confident and independent. She was super shy and had major separation anxiety issues, but she is no longer the shy kid who would hide behind me whenever she was addressed by an adult. Now she engages both kids and adults in conversation, and she happily participates in school performances in front of a crowd of her peers, teachers and parents. We are super proud of her progress and achievements. Challenger School is worth every penny, but it may not be for everyone. I will tell you that it is a very structured environment. You won't find any hand-holding or coddling, as they strongly encourage independence and individual responsibility. They also do not request that parents volunteer at school, contrary to what you often find in public schools, but you can drop in and observe your child's classroom anytime, and you can schedule meetings with the teachers to discuss your child's progress. No stuffed animals are allowed (except on designated days). No birthday sweets or gifts are allowed to be brought in, but they do have a special birthday spotlight to recognize each child's birthday and they encourage family participation. Also, homework is given daily, even for Kindergartners. My daughter doesn't mind the homework and completes it by herself. Rest assured that you and your child will adjust quickly. Overall, we consider ourselves blessed that we heard the radio advertisement about Challenger School and came in for a tour and information. We couldn't be happier and highly recommend Challenger School!"

"Both of my children have attended or are attending Challenger school. We love the curriculum as well as the expectations of the children. Everyone we have worked with over the last 4 years has been kind, professional and competent. Our kids love going daily and we see them enjoying learning. They seem to be learning much more than average kids their age in this environment but not just in math and reading. Their ability to communicate and take personal responsibility has been the most appreciated and unexpected result of this amazing school."