International School of Arizona Reviews

17 reviews

I toured this school and was very impressed and excited about my child attending, but my experience interacting with them thereafter was very concerning. First, they are very unresponsive. Emails just go unanswered. I would have to follow up multiple times. Second, they won't meet with you. I requested a meeting more than once and no one was ever willing to schedule anything. Second, they have extremely arbitrary admissions requirements that are inconsistent with the state and are bad for kids. They actually suggested that because their age cutoff is different than the state's for kindergarten that my child just be in the wrong class for preschool and then have to skip a grade for kindergarten, which makes no sense. When I tried to inquire as to why this would be the case or talk with anyone they just said my child could not attend their school. If they treat you this way when you have other options, I would be very concerned how they would treat you once you are already committed.

Pros: good location with plenty of parking; your child will learn a foreign language.

Cons: Be aware of “small classes” - 8th grade has total of 4 students... the only kids that stay long are the one who are struggle academically and can't get to a better school.
No outdoor area for any sport activities. For roughly the same tuition you can get to a school with a tennis court, swimming pool and soccer field!
We liked our language teachers, but find that the administration/upper management/counselor are definitely on the woke side. Lots of social emotional BS vs. reading and math curriculum. If you miss your old school in LA, this school might be a good fit for you:-)
Be aware that if you want to moved to a better private school – your child will have to take a test/ (academic) interview with the new school. Our child had no trouble to pass the interview, but he is definitely behind in English and math in his current class. We wish we left this school earlier.

t is a wonderful school with caring staff, a truly wholistic curriculum that helps the students become critical thinkers. The children are excited to go everyday, and the staff are warm and nurturing. The curriculum is challenging and our son will leave fluent in French and with a good grasp of Spanish and be essentially tri-lingual upon leaving at 8th grade.

Review International School of Arizona

My son started at ISA in 4th grade and is now in middle school (6th grade). I cannot express how much that transition was the best decision I made as a parent! For us, the high academic standard as well as a culturally diverse environment were priorities, and these were lacking in his previous school. My son is now one year ahead compared to his friends attending other schools, and on top of that, he is bilingual! The atmosphere at ISA is alive with intellectual energy, and it is immediately obvious that the students are being prepared for bright futures. The teachers are amazing and take pride in their work, and it shows!
We love the sense of community, the staff are all so kind and helpful, and the headmaster is an absolute pleasure to deal with!

We are fortunate to have a school like the International School of Arizona in our community!

We have two children at the International School of Arizona (ISA). Our oldest child is in MS. She started at age 3. We have happy and enthusiastic children who want to go to school. They feel safe, loved and challenged at ISA.
We wanted to give our kids the gift of immersion education. Our kids can read, speak, write, and even sing and recite poetry in their 'target' language. Our oldest loves middle school! She is learning a third language and loves her science and robotics classes!
We love our school for many reasons: the amazing teachers in all 3 tracks (Spanish, French and U.S. curriculum), the challenging classes, supportive atmosphere, the Parent Association-led activities for families, and the strong sense of community. The new leadership under Mr. Jason Smith is fantastic!
Go on a tour and see the students and teachers in action. It is a unique and wonderful gem of a school in Scottsdale/Phoenix area. We feel very fortunate to be part of the ISA family!

International School of AZ is on her is a truly unique educational experience in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is the only language immersion school in Arizona that is accredited buy both France and Spain for the respective language programs. We have been at the school for nine years and cannot imagine another school with the opportunities that ISA provides. The class sizes are small, the caliber of teaching it’s high and the school community is unparalleled! The diversity of families is extremely high, especially for Arizona.

Very disappointed. While the children are well looked after here, the school falls short in some major areas. Communication is poor. As others have said, leadership at the top is nonexistent and it trickles down through the entire school. When issues arise, administrators stick their heads in the sand. There's no accountability or problem solving. They'll pass you off from person to person hoping you'll just get tired and drop the subject. Currently, parents have been lobbying for a safer playground area because part of the space is exposed to the main road (Via de Linda). After months, the school has failed to address this safety concern. Despite small class sizes some children still aren't up to grade level. When questioned about this, the school places the blame on the child and his/her parents. Sad because it could be great.

Unique experience; high teaching standards; excellent staff. True language immersion - students learn more than a second or third language - they get an in depth understanding of other cultures.

We've been at the school for 6 years and absolutely love it. The teachers are so warm and caring. They treat the children as their own. All the teachers are native speakers, which is important when considering an immersion program. I like that cursive is taught starting in Kindergarten. Since class sizes are small, the children receive customized instruction based on their language and math level.
Parents are also very involved in the school. There is a great sense of community.

Strength begins at the top. The administration is very well organized and driven to do what is best for the students. A strong and meaningful community with excellent teachers and staff. The student body though small is diverse.

Our son has been attending the French program at ISA for the past 10 years. We love the teachers and the quality of education. Our son reads and writes French and is fluent in conversational French (even though we don’t speak another language at home). He has also done Spanish and currently loves learning German. The classes are capped at 20 students so our son gets an individualized education. We have found that his critical thinking skills have been improved with the language immersion. For instance, he learns similar science and math concepts in French and English but explained a different way (using the French or American system). He currently excels in Math, Science and Writing. For high school we may move to the Science and Math centric Basis School or continue on the more International education at Rancho Solano. We highly recommend this school for having tons of fun, learning lots, and making friends for life.

The International School has a wonderful parent community that supports the education of our children. It provides a safe environment where the children love to learn by full immersion in Spanish and French.

You don’t find education like this elsewhere. This school nurtures the whole child educationally, socially, emotionally, physically and culturally. This is more than a language immersion program, they are forming global citizens. The community of families is an added bonus. We love being part of ISA!

I have three children at this school. The gift of foreign language is incredible. All of the teachers are native speakers (French or Spanish) from various parts of the world. Our children THINK in Spanish, in addition to speaking it fluently. My oldest is now also learning French in addition to Spanish. They consistently test above their level in reading, math and science.

My Son attended the International School of Arizona from age 3. He learned a second language and enjoyed all the benifits of a Small private community school. This school is a great choice for young children who would like the gift of a second language

We have 2 children in the French track. It's a diverse, forward thinking and open minded community where our children have grown and have flourished. We have only been here for one year but already feel like part a large family. The parents are kind, the staff is incredible and compassionate, the education is international and the smaller class sizes are perfect.

This school rejected my son after I provided them with the information that he has adhd and is on medication and therapy. His interview was fine and we were told he fit in well but the moment that I disclosed that he had a medical condition they rejected him. You do not have to disclose this information; I thought that parents and educators could be partners and asked for no assistance from the school. I would not recommend the school but if you want to go there do not tell them anything as they will judge you.

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