Laurel Springs School Reviews

Most classes are 2 semesters long, but that is only due to the pacing of the content, as they provide just as much information as my old school could cover in one semester, with assignments being overly lengthy for what they actually cover. The school also does not provide any specific services unless it is fully required and only digital. You do not have a personal school email, and most classes require you to spend ADDITIONAL money on resources that are either not needed or should already be provided. They also advertise fostering connections between students, but the extent of that is really just the occasional discussion post within a class. For the money and time one has to put into this school to get credits, it's just not worth it. Even Khan Academy's free lessons provide a more in-depth learning experience with better pacing.

Have never in my life dealt with a school like this. It's ridiculous and extremely hurtful to the children who are caught in their trap. Also the school is mediocre at best. Their math is of course common core which is already terrible but the rest of the classes are not any better. My son is switching to Sanford University's online school instead. I highly recommend it. At least when they graduate they will have something worth the paper it's printed on. Their program is also online but a class apart from this public school masquerading as a private one. Save your money. You're not getting what you're paying for.

Do you want a school that will give your child(ren) the building blocks of success? This is a school that will do that. Do you want to leave your child to their own devices without following their educational successes/failures? This school may not be the choice for you. They give you everything possible to make your child successful, but that requires work from the student, and the parent to be a participant as well. The courses are organized in a way that's understandable and helpful in the learning process. You can progress more quickly or slowly. So that is good if you want to progress more quickly to prepare for time off. I find it interesting to see parents giving a negative review to a school when their child didn't do the work or waited to the last moment to do the work. Do they not discuss school at all with their child(ren) ever? They just assume their child is doing everything for months without any followup?

As long as you're slightly invested in your child's success, just follow the school's program steps and your child will learn and be successful. The teachers are in often contact, but they're not going to micromanage your child. I've yet to see any teacher anywhere do that, online or "brick and mortar." There are many reminders in the system, so I have no idea how these parents are frustrated with the "lack of information" they've received. If you just log on there are timelines and calendars everywhere/on everything in the system. Want quality education that will set the foundation for success and learning, go with Laurel Springs. We have been extremely satisfied and find the teachers to be apart of our daily lives just like attending a physical school. I can't imagine navigating our military lifestyle and COVID without them. They're awesome!

When we approached Laurel Springs telling them a mistake was made, on all of our parts and the class was not going to count, they refused grant any form of credit, not even 50%. I just feel due to the circumstances of the world being turned upside down and everybody trying to scramble to find solutions, they could have been a little more understanding. Bottom line is they should have some form of screening before kids sign up for any class. We did tell the Admissions Coordinator on our first conversation, but apparently they are not knowledgeable of the necessary course work kids should take. We are out $2700 for nothing.

With gifted children it can be a challenge as they dont fit in the normal box. This team is specialized in working with gifted children and is prepared to help you. The iclasses that are interactive & in-depth learning opportunities. They have writing and math labs for help and tutoring. The teachers respond quickly and really get to know each of my girls. They care and are encouraging and teach them to master each subject. The symposiums are amazing for kids. They to get to talk with peers about amazing speakers who talk to them. They are exposed to new ideas and critical thinking skills. Each of my children in the span of two months has improved in all areas. If you are looking for a school that understands gifted children you are in the best place for your child.

Thank you to teachers, student counselor and everyone who is part of this amazing school. I never realized how much children can learn in a self-paced environment. They can slow down or speed up depending on their needs, not a classroom. From computer code, foodie, photography, chess, and many more club opportunities you will find something for your child. They have the children test after each lesson and this practice is key to future success. As in normal school, my kids did not get to master each lesson. I have found the importance of getting kids comfortable on a computer and also doing written work. This school offers both! I hope this helps future families looking into the school.

I asked to be refunded my deposit and I will send the books and materials back. They told me there’s no refunds even though school doesn’t start until Sept 3rd and it’s August 15th. They have called me constantly all day long trying to have me stay in the program after I told them no. They harassed me like car salesmen. I don’t work with dishonesty and they have just proven to me it’s all about money not our children’s education. I’m very upset with this entire situation. This was going to be the program I wanted to use until the girls graduated high school. Very disappointing.

Laurel Springs responded to my previous post. I had the pleasure of working through our issues with the Director of Education, and she was not only understanding, but genuinely concerned and wanted to fix our experience. After a great phone conversation we resolved our issues and my daughter will be able to complete her course work. Further, the Director took the time with me to answer several other questions and gave me the confidence to hit the reset button and be excited for our daughter to begin her online academy work this fall. We have always been involved in our daughters education. We believe education is a team effort, not just the school and child. As a team all of our kids can excel at a pace beyond what we can imagine. Parents- get with it, stay with it, and be thankful we have so many options to educate this young generation. I am thankful for what Laurel Springs has done, and for the opportunities that are ahead.

Original Review: July 30, 2018

Well, we tried. Gave LS a chance this summer to prepare my daughter for 8th grade this fall by doing a language course over the summer. I made it very clear with the lady in admissions that we are new, would be helping our daughter, yet would like an orientation to help us. We expected stumbles, yet not what we experienced. Clearly read the course instructions that had her doing 1 lesson per day for the Spanish course. After 4 weeks of working along, seeing nearly 29 lessons were complete we noticed her grade was a 3.33%. Concerned we looked deeper, emailed the teacher and then learned that there are two systems, the LMS and Powerspeak, well they each have separate lesson values, had no clue! Did get a response from teacher, who educated us about the two systems.

During the 4 weeks, not one person from LS called or emailed us, the parents, to say "hey something looks wrong", yet nothing from LS. One might think as a new student/family we might get a follow up call or email, NOPE! Our daughter had an average per lesson grade of over 90%, yet we had no idea that the course pace was totally different. So she had a 3.33% due to different course instructions in two platforms. Misleading to say the least. Teacher suggested an extension and to contact student services, after 3 emails and a voicemail was left with student services, I finally got a response to contact the lady back in admissions about a refund. This was July 27th, the course had ended July 18th. Admissions was kind enough to remind me of the no refund policy. Suggesting she should have done a lower level course.

The course was NOT the issue, it is the learning management system (LMS), no orientation, no follow up, no communication to get an extension. Now my kid has done all this work and has either a horrible grade or an incomplete. Suggestion- Laurel Springs, find a middle ground and win people over, seems many of us seem you just want our money. So sad!

During the course of our correspondence with Mr. ** at LS, he was extremely delayed in responding to my numerous calls/emails. He also denied our request for deferral at which point I asked if her courses could be changed to Regular (vs. Honors) hoping that my daughter might be able to finish the regular course since Laurel Springs was not going to let us defer. He informed me that due to their 'computer system', they would be unable to switch to the Regular courses. (???) Ultimately, LS was EXTREMELY uncooperative and unforgiving. They have proven to us that their main focus is MAKING PROFITS and NOT students' education.

I am a bit taken by parents who had no idea that their child is failing or behind in their studies. It is an online school and bears the responsibility of keeping parents’ abreast of their child’s progress, however, parents still have a parental responsibility to ensure that their child is on target. I have personally reached out to all teachers (because this is what I did when she was in traditional school) and we text each other if there are any concerns. If it’s a more formal request, I email and I get a response within hours. Parents are also given their own log-in which gives them full access to their children's’ objectives, upcoming tasks, and grades. It takes an hour to fully comprehend how to navigate the site, but after that initial learning curve, you’re good.

I work full time and travel a lot, so between waiting in airports or drinking my morning coffee, I am able to take a quick look and address any concerns I may have with my daughter and/or her teachers. Students also have the ability to work on classes however they choose. If my daughter wants to work on Math and Science only for a month, she can do so. The LSS platform will assign you a schedule to finish your classes by the end of the semester, but you're not obligated to it. There is also an option to move up the end dates of classes on your academic calendar. My daughter did this so she stays ahead of schedule and have a longer break.

Tech support is always available through phone or web and will answer whatever question you may have. The academic rigor is very present and a definite plus but could be problematic for those students who have a heavy workload outside of school. Students are, however, considered full time with only 4 classes. My daughter is flourishing where she didn’t in traditional school so I am pleased. My only complaint and reason for 4 stars is a $700 seminar class that every student must take each year. It’s structured like an AVID class. I think it’s a good concept but if the class is mandatory, it should be free or much cheaper. Many of the topics discussed have already been address in my household (resume writing, volunteerism, mapping out your HS caseload for your desired school or professional path, etc.). I am an involved parent and I have an older daughter who did the traditional school route. I am keen to both and I am pleased with LSS.

Right now my daughter is in a free program and I am so pleased with the communication - weekly calls with my daughter and I. There is a genuine interest in my daughter's success. I asked for a refund. I was told I had access to the program therefore I was not going to get a penny back. Ha! Teachers are on a permanent vacation and we are expected to pay for this?