Veritas Preparatory Academy - Great Hearts

"It's a charter school. Acts like a public school when it is beneficial (when it needs funding), and acts like a private school when it suits. It is highly responsive to donors. Meaning if you pay, your kid will get special treatment. They refer to parents that donate as influential parents. Money can grease the wheels here. Be prepared to be an influential parent, else send your kid elsewhere. This school heavily frowns on technology to the point where powerpoints/Google Docs etc. aren't even used. This will leave your child lacking in real world skills. In this day and age if you don't know how to work within the Microsoft Office/Open Office Suite, of Google Docs, you will be left behind. These skills will not be taught in college. Students are expected to know them. Student Clubs and activities are also lacking."

"As a student at Veritas i’d like to say if your child likes a more hands-on experience instead of reading textbook after textbook I would really suggest going to a different school. I had a very hard time fitting in my first year and was thinking about changing schools after only being there for three months. I believe some of the things we learn are 100% not effective in the real world. I think I could’ve enjoyed the school year a lot more if the curricular and the teachers were better. I’d also like to point out that you don’t get to socialize with a lot of other students during the year because you have to stick with one class with about 20 kids for the whole year."

"Great Hearts schools provide real education. If you want your children to learn how to think and learn, you are making the right choice with Great Hearts. I graduated from Veritas, I have siblings attending Veritas, and I am hoping to enroll my son in a Great Hearts school in just a few short years. They do not teach to a test and they are not programming answers into your child’s brain. Great Hearts will teach your child to look at the world and ask questions. Through Great books, classical art, and literature they will learn to live a full life, where education is not left in a classroom."

"Both of my kids have attended since the Arcadia campus opened, and have had a wonderful experience. Great program that upholds much higher standards than other schools not only academically, but also teach kids how to behave. You would be hard pressed to find a more polite and well spoken group of kids than you will find at VPA."