Seeking the Best School in Gilbert or Chandler Area

Hi,

I just wanted to throw out another suggestion. Polytechnic Elementary. It is the first of the University Public Schools; public schools opened by ASU's Education Innovation area. It is currently a K-6 school but will be a K-12 school (as the 6th graders go up in grade, so will the school). It is great, with Spanish and P.E. everyday and they focus on allowing the children to work at their own pace, with out labeling "gifted" or "regular". They have Individual Learning Plans, and conferences include the child so everyone is on the same page. They have a dress code which kids and parents both seem to like. The principle is always available to talk to, which is a nice change. They have parent round table meetings to get parent suggestions about the school and they encourage parent participation at the school. The permanent location will be on the ASU Polytechnic Campus. And I am not sure you can get more college prep than a school opened and run by a university. :) I also know that many of the children there have come from Rancho Solano, Neely, and Christs Greenfield. And since it is a public school, there is no tuition. You can visit the website upsi.asu.edu for dates for the information sessions, which you are required to attend before submitting an application so that you understand everything about their mission and such before applying. It is at least worth checking out. Good luck on selecting a school! No matter what you choose, I am glad you are taking such an interest in your childrens' education. :)

My daughter goes to Benjamin Franklin and she absolutely loves it. I really like the school too. Even though she is in Kindergarten, they have already started reading, addition and subtraction. They are also "skip counting" which will be a great base for when they start multiplication. I like that they have a dress code... and many other academic standards.

I don't know too much about the other schools that you listed (although I hear that Edu-Prize is awesome as well), but if you are wanting to get your child into school THIS Fall, you need to get on the waiting list NOW. Additionally, if you are looking to get your child into Kindergarten this Fall, you will need to take the Kindergarten orientation that Benjamin Franklin offers ONLY on Tuesdays in February. Call the school, get your child on the list and go to orientation. Even if you end up not choosing Benjamin Franklin all you have to do is take your child off the list. If you do choose Benjamin Franklin then you are one step ahead, as they go on a first come, first served basis and will first choose parents who have attended orientation.

Good luck!

Hi, I definitly have an amazing school to recomend, that's Dobson Academy. It's a wonderful school! It's in Chandler on Dobson and Warner Road. I would encourage you to go check it out soon because it does fill out fast.

You've listed some good schools there. The question comes down to what you're looking for in the education. Edu-Prize has a great science program and allows kids to work above grade level in math & reading. They have a very hands on approach to education. Benjamin Franklin has a very strong language curriculum, but less bells & whistles. Your child would have a very solid educational foundation. (much more structured) Both of these schools have a significant amount of homework and high expectations of students. Rancho Salono has a reputation of being a great school, but is very expensive. They do offer extra-curricular activities that you wouldn't find at Edu-Prize & Ben Franklin. I'm not particularly familiar with Imagine or Christ's Greenfield Lutheran.

My suggestion is to figure out what your priorities are and take a few days to go observe all of these schools to find your match. I did this and then weighed it out with the cost of private vs. charter.

Neely is a traditional school that focuses on academics, referred to as "Back to the Basics". It is a public school.