El Rancho School

"My experience with El Rancho School was not a positive one and hopefully my review reaches someone who is considering this institution and points them in the opposite direction. If you are a person of color you need to avoid this establishment at all cost! Holly Olsen, the owner, has made my experience at El Rancho HELL. I feel me and my child have been racially discriminated against and he had only been going there 5 months. She has blamed my child for being aggressive and breaking things and singling him out for this proposed behavior. She has never failed to be rude towards me even when I’ve tried to let things go in the past. I feel she is not a good educator and is not trained enough working with children or parents. In my experience, she has just blamed my toddler for his behavior and failed to take acknowledgement when I called her out on her behavior. The school also does not help with potty training like they say. I paid an extra $150 and my kid was frequently left with a full pull up nearly every time I picked him up. I feel she has lied on multiple occasions about my son’s behavior and my behavior stating herself that I threatened the school and had erratic behavior. I feel as though this woman falsely escalated this situation and me in a negative light and I will be pursuing a complaint with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education regarding this matter. Management really needs improvement."

"I’ve had my son here for a year now, and he adores it. He went from a very nervous little two year old to a confident little boy. This school really manages to hold onto talented teachers in a way that few in the city have been able to do, so they have the experience to handle all kinds of children. Their outdoor playground is absolutely wonderful - huge, shaded, lots to climb on and play with, and they spend quite a lot of time outside playing, as little kids should! I’ve met many students’ families and because the school is small, even the parents get to know one another. He’s learning academic topics just as much as social awareness - it’s a perfect balance. My second will start here next year when he’s old enough. We just love their preschool!"

"We currently have two children, a girl and a boy, in El Rancho. Our oldest started at El Rancho in pre-K and is now in third grade. She has excelled in the program at El Rancho, which has a heavy emphasis on reading. She began reading in Pre-K and has always tested two or more grade levels above her own on the standardized test administered each year. Her writing, reading comprehension, and math skills are far advanced especially in comparison with her cousins who attend public school. What impresses me more has been the school’s impact on her younger brother. Faced with some minor but noticeable developmental delays that received only ten minutes of individual attention in the IEP offered at public school, El Rancho’s smaller class size and the pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade teachers’ focus on the individual and his or her needs has resulted in marked improvements in his learning, language, and social skills. He is currently in first grade, earns A’s and B’s in reading, writing, spelling, and math and loves going to school. I am certain he would have fallen between the cracks in public school. The only challenge at El Rancho is the smaller class size in the advanced grades (after second grade). Hopefully, more parents will consider enrolling if they check out the school and it’s program."

"We are a family that is El Rancho strong! 3 kids and three years in. We could NOT be happier with the facility, the staff, and the program. The extra curricular activities are well-rounded and we've always found other parents and families to be warm and inviting with us. If you're looking for a preschool or elementary school where your child will receive fantastic one-on-one attention, be challenged academically, and be cared for in a warm environment, this is your place!"

"I guess if your child was asked to leave the school you may be upset and write a bad review here, but let me tell you, this is an awesome school. The only thing they do that would be considered religious is a Christmas play, and if a Christmas play offends you, you've got bigger issues to deal with. The staff is sweet, and the curriculum challenges the kids, preparing them well. I have two sons there right now, both in Pre-Kindergarten. My oldest will be starting Kindergarten this Fall and already does simple addition and subtraction, can spell, write and read 3 letter words, knows a bit of Spanish, can draw some pretty amazing pictures, is learning to swim, and much more. It's a nice environment because if there are disruptive kids, they are dis-enrolled... which I guess may lead to some bad reviews now and again. I give it a 10!"