Apparo Academy

This school is absolutely amazing! The vice principal Portia Jackson is such an incredible educator! The teachers here truly care about the students and work hard to make this place awesome

MENTIONS: race, a 3-year old room teacher, & Apparo's knowledge (& lack of empathy) of my family going through a pre-term labor situation I really debated writing this review, but I am going to do so because I feel like people need to understand that not every parent is satisfied with Apparo Academy, and to not believe everything you read on the idealistic Internet. My son was kicked out of Apparo during his 2nd year (after a stellar 1st year - what a difference a TEACHER can make!) for aggressive behavior which occurred twice during a single week, resulting in expulsion, as this is their policy. I obviously cannot refute their policy, but everything leading up to this was not conveyed to me properly. I believe a week after I had my first conference for this behavior with staff, was the week he was expelled. No foreshadowing of his expulsion was conveyed, and every problem seemed to have a solution, until he was thrown out as if he was nothing. I will never forget how heartbreaking all of this was, especially trying to explain to him why he doesn't get to see his friends every day and learn, at "My-paro" -- what he used to call Apparo! The Principal and staff knowingly kicked my son out during a time in which I was going through pre-term labor, one of the hardest experiences of my entire life, and during a time in which I was constantly being hospitalized, barely seeing my family, and truthfully, I believe my son started "acting out" when he did because he barely got to see me. This was not a normal, routinely thing! I was in and out of the hospital and couldn't drive for a while. Nothing in my son's life was normal except for Apparo, and that was taken away, seemingly faster than them telling me just how bad they thought he was! I know everybody has something they are fighting for or with, but Apparo did not give my son a fighting chance. How can you say Apparo is for everybody, but not for him? I did not even hear about him having "bad/aggressive behavior" ...

Our son has Down syndrome and attends school and receives OT, PT, Feeding and Speech therapy at Apparo Academy. We know he is loved when he enters the building. He has a smile on his face going down the hall into his classroom. He is learning how to interact with other children. The therapists integrate therapy into the classroom, so they make it fun for him. They have helped us get a gait trainer and wheelchair. We can't say enough! They send pictures of his day through the parent portal so we can see how he is doing. We feel he is safe, loved, and learning.

Love those school. I wouldn't go anywhere else after visiting. The staff is absolutely great. They are caring and nurturing to each child

I can not describe how amazing this school is and the whole organization. We have been truly blessed to be part of this great team of professionals who take such a good care of children with special needs and who are so passionate in everything they do. Our son has been attending Apparo since June 2020 and he has made tremendous improvement in every possible aspect of his life including speech, fine and gross motor skills, academic improvement as well as social and everything else! I wish we knew sooner about the Apparo so our son could get the complete and proper care that he needed much sooner. The staff is just wonderful and they take care of the kids just like they were their own.