Leading Edge Academy At East Mesa

My kids have been going here since 2015. We love the teachers and admin. This school has grown and accepts 10th grade. We love the office staff they make us feel like we''re family. Everyone there knows our name. The principal says hello to each of the kids every morning and afternoon. The teachers make this school even better. We will hopefully be there until 12th grade. I highly recommended leading edge!

I would leave numerous messages for the principal to call concerning enrollment for my two girls that have learning differences and never received a callback. I was told that I need to have a tour of the school before starting enrollment, but his availability never seems to match mine. I finally talk to the principal just before the Christmas holidays arrive and I'm told he is having surgery and to call back after the holidays to schedule a tour. I call the week that school is back in session and I am told they no longer have the TWO 6th grade spots that they once had JUST BEFORE THE BREAK. Coincidence? I think not. If the principal can't or won't even do a simple follow-up call, I'd hate to see what it would be like if my kids actually attended this school. The way I see it, I dodged a bullet but don't like the way he went about the whole situation. My experience with many Arizona schools is that if they don't have to deal with students that have IEPs and learning differences which they consider a costly expense given extra services are required they won't.

The East Mesa campus is a lot like a small town - with the good and the bad. There is no extracurricular activities to speak of, and there are no sports. There are a lot of things that parents don't know, because they don't know they need to ask! If you are new, the office thinks that you are just going to pick it up, as you go along. You can feel alienated very easily. Any communication is broadcast to the parents (sort of) but if you want to know any details about what is going on, you have to go to the source. The secretary of a small school could be its nurturing heartbeat, but if you are not part of her in-crowd don't expect to be treated the same as a favored parent. The school is good & teachers = great! The principal knows all the students by name and talks to them. Some parents are super-involved and some parents aren't involved at all; both of the extremes and the middle road, too. There isn't enough room to play on the playground, and this frustrates the parents. We have been told that the Leading Edge district is working on it, but ... district got the Gilbert school a new playground and we got a hand-me-down :( Makes us wonder what is really going on in the office, but as I am not in that clique I can't tell you what the real story is.