Lisa Academy West Middle School

"went there in 8th grade. during covid, we stayed in the high school building instead. to be honest, the building was not so clean and the rooms were small and bland. no decorations or nothing. this year, the food was repetitive and cold due to covid restrictions. we’d have the same four foods every day. i eventually stopped eating the school’s food and just waited until i got home instead. i like the learning there, but sometimes it’s a little stressful. it feels like we have no time to work or focus on what we’re learning about. we’d take daily walks but i hated them. we always took online classes in fridays and they were very frustrating. didn’t get to make a lot of friends due to covid. and as someone who’s going to high school, im so glad they moved buildings because i’d rather suffer doing online than stay in that building."

"LISA Academy West Middle and High school are absolutely horrible! My daughter would tell me how much she disliked the school and I just thought she was being dramatic. She attended LISA her 8th-11th grade year. It wasn’t until 11th grade when I had problems with the staff that I realized how horrible the educational teachings were. Most of the staff is foreign and that’s fine just make sure the students are able to understand the handwriting and accents that they have before having them teach the most important courses like math. Then they take ACT courses like math and English and my oldest daughter she felt like it was a waste of time because she didn’t feel prepared at all. The food is horrible, they barely have an cafeteria. The school stays dirty. Dirt on the ceilings, writing on the walls and desks, the bathrooms barely get cleaned ( daughter told me that disposable products are left in the “paper bags” the whole weekend and are still there that following Monday), barely any tissue hand soap or paper towels in the bathroom, and teachers make inappropriate comments and it gets reported and the staff does nothing.The only time they get some type of physical activity is one school year of P.E. And then they never take it again. LISA Academy barely have any sports teams or extracurricular activities/clubs like home ec, college prep, drama, fashion, theater, and etc. Also, the traffic is horrible! I sit in traffic during pickup and drop-off for more than 15-20 mins. It’s ridiculous! Kids get out at 3:22 I’m just now leaving the school at almost 4:00! LISA Academy seems like a school just put together last minute honestly. This truly isn’t a great school and should eventually get shut down!"

"My daughter was a student at LISA for 7th grade and half of 8th grade, 2011-2012. Her experience started off good, but went downhill, fast. 1/3rd of more of the teachers have heavy accents and poor handwriting on the boards, which many students find difficult to understand. Getting in and out is a nightmare. There is no parking, no real traffic control, and the street is full of horrible potholes. They have no real outdoor activity area. Gym is only once a week with very little actual physical activity; this year (2012) Coach "didn't feel like" making the students run the mile for the MANDATORY state physical fitness tests. Tutoring is great, but regular class scheduling is retched. Rooms are overbooked, schedules make no sense (math 1st period Monday, 3rd Tuesday, 2nd and 4th Wednesday, etc.), and they have 4-5 classes every week that only meet once a week, all year long... How are they supposed to really learn anything going just once a week? These school administrators are clueless. I pulled my daughter out at winter break and won't ever be back. I would NOT recommend any student attend this school."

"If I could give less than one star I would. I attended for my 8th grade year and I picked up a whole new instrument just so I could get out if there to attend Parkview Arts and Science Magnet Highschool. The middle school has one stairwell for all students and there are constantly new teachers every year. My best friend who is a junior at the highschool has an absolutely ridiculous work load that doesn't allow her much time to herself, let alone spending time with her family. Creativity is also suppressed here. She is at a college level or above with her drawing and she had to BEG for an art class. So, if you NEVER want to see your child for the duration of their highschool career and mentally break them down, Lisa is the perfect school for you."

"Lisa Academy West is a great alternative to the public schools zoned in our area. Yes, its true, the educational expectations are much more demanding. Overall, sending my child to Lisa was a an excellent decision. Expect that It requires much more parental involvement with studying and projects. There are multiple teachers at Lisa that I would nominate for teacher of the year. My child makes honor roll, not because the work is easy, but because of a combination of the great teachers, parental involvement and more importantly because of ths established study routine we have at home."