Research SABIS International School charter Schools in Phoenix, Arizona

“My son always did grat in his studies.My son attended 6th grade at Sabis. He attended until half way through the 6th grade year. Then I took him out and placed him in a excelling school district. He just currently finished 7th grade and is still lacking from Sabis not teaching Enligh properly. I took him to Sylvin and he needs to relearn 6th grade English. That would cost over 6000 thru Sylvin. Was that so surprizng? No. He is now missing the foundation of 6th so was impossible to learn the 7th correctly. Now I know what track to go down and no thanks to Sabis.”

“This school provides an alternative to the ever struggling schools that occupy the area. They have accelerated curriculum that gives your students a headstart on all of their future competition. Their test scores prove it! I am proud to send my child to this school.”

“I have been with this school for several years. Just like any other organization, it has experienced many changes. These changes have had an effect on our school. Through the years I have said good-bye to some really great administrators, teachers and students. I have also been relieved to see some go. But every year, in conjunction with change, things are getting better. Obviously there is room for improvement within any school. With that being said, it is also evident that our school is working diligently to make meaningful changes happen. Our Student Manager and her staff have been more consistent than her predecessors. We have clear objectives and vision from our Director. The Academic Quality Controllers seem to be capable leaders with great interpersonal skills. And most importantly, we have more Teachers that genuinely care about the education of their students. We are all looking forward to a year of success and high achievement. I am glad to be apart of this community and organization.”

“SABIS has an awesome curriculum amd program for students. SABIS needs to change their attitude towards teachers and student discipline. SABIS has no respect for teachers. They have no concept of how to hold students accountable for their actions when it comes to rude and disruptive behavior in the school. How can a teacher be successful when they are verbally abused by administration and physically abuse by the students? The level of parent involvement does not exist. Parents have to go through many channels to speak with staff to get answers or even ask a question. On a scale of 1 to 10 parent involvement is scaled at -7 ( yes a Negative 7)”

“Since the new director took over Sabis school it has made a big change in all areas, when our children returned back this year we notice more familiar faces regarding staff, teachers and families. As the parents of 3 children that attend Sabis International school we have no problem at all, beside the high quality academics it's the safeties school our children have ever attended. Our children have not had any discipline issue with other children in the last year.”

“The 'teachers' that have good morals and ethics soon leave there because of the major problems. I certainly left and I'm so happy I did. It's a joke that they call this a school.”

“Sabis International school is an absolute joke. Business is what is all about. They do not care about the education of a child. They concentrate on how much money they can make. The teacher turn-over is worrying. The management of all SABIS schools is a disaster.”

“This school has no parent teacher contact, teachers are switched around like a marry-go-round, and you get no response from the administrators. My daughter s first year of school was a horrible experience and I will never forgive myself for placing her in such an unstable facility.”

“I pulled my son out of this school after 3 months. He was in a Kindergarten class that went through three different teachers, in that short period of time. Although I had several conversations with the ADQ and the Director, the problems were never solved and excuses were given. If you are a parent that likes to be involved directly with your childs teacher, don't send your child to Sabis. The schools system prohibits this from happening and its hard to go through a third party to get specific information. I also believe they need specific teachers who are use to dealing with inner-city kids along with kids from middle income+ families. There is also a higher likelihood for children at SABIS to be labeled without checking into how the teachers are teaching and dealing with classroom management.”

“I have been waiting for a forum to express my dissatisfaction with Sabis. I purchased a home in 2004 and thought that Sabis would be the best school for my children in the area. I was 100% mistaken. I am dissatisfied with the parent/teacher interaction. If I receive a call from the school, they have no details to share with me, if I want to visit the school, I have to give 24hrs notice. I go to pick up my children and the little kids are running wild and cursing. To my delight I am moving to the Kyrene school district where I know I will get the quality that I am looking for. I am extremely upset with the quality of education in the South Mountain area and with the Roosevelt school district. )O:”

“I have been reading most of these comments and have to say I agree with a lot of the comments already posted 'I thought I may be the only one with certain issues with Sabis ways' Communication with the administration staff & teachers is a joke! There needs to be more direct communication with parents and staff. It is schools responsibility to keep the parents updated on all daily matters or items with their children. Not wait till there is a problem. I am unsure if my son will remain at Sabis for the 2007-2008 upcoming school year I am disappointed in this school they did not live up to all their standards that they promised and or advertised.”

“I decided to put my son in Sabis because of their academics, at this point I regret my decision to put him in this school. The teacher turn over rate is very high. There is very little direct contact with teachers which makes it very hard to stay on top of things with your child, and it is very hard to get any follow up with the administration staff. I am a very involved parent, and this makes no difference. I do think there is hope for this school, because the director this year is from a previous Sabis school and I think he is very involved and can possibly turn this school around? Maybe? If the school can get competent reliable teachers and staff. This is very disappointing and my son will not return.”

“High teacher turnover. Allows problem children to stay and they lose good teachers because of it. Academics are good but school lacks organization.”

“My children get almost zero home work and when they do it is done in class. If this do not change within the next month or two I will be sending my kids to a different school.”

“Academically the school could be great. I think they hold back those students who are and can move ahead by putting them in classes with students who are at a lower level. I believe this only makes those students who don't understand fall even more behind because they tend to act out in class to hide the fact they can't keep up. Sabis says it provides certain extracurricular activities but they do not. Sports are so important that students who are failing are still allowed to participate. What about sports of the mind? If their focus is on making every student a success in education they have a lot to prove. The teacher/staff turn over rate is unbelivable. Parent involvement and dwindled down to nothing. Administration and parents need to stop being afraid of each other and challenge each other to do more!”

“Not happy with this school. Promises were made in the beginning and 3 years later still waiting. Communication with the teachers is impossable and safty is a joke. Do your child a favor and send them to another school. I'm sorry I wasted 3 years of my childrens life at this school.”

“very disappointed with school overall. Nothing positive to say. Classroom size is too large for teachers to manage. Student problems daily. Classroom management is non-existent in most cases. Administration incapable of dealing with inner-city problems. High staff turnover. Inconsistantly punative with students. Directors have no education background. College prep school???? Pulled my children after brief admission.”

“Sabis has higher expectations of it's students and works to help each student achieve their potential.”

“Loved this school. My child was fluent in spanish”

“As a former educator at SABIS--SABIS lacks professional, experinced, ethical, administration. Their assessment methods, although routine, only assesses students who learn predominantly by direct instruction. As an educator, there is a diverse population of learners who are left behind. As a parent, I would never allow my child to attend such an unethical school.”

“Teachers are stuck with very rigid curriculum. No bending of it at all. Grading of testing for 1st graders is very tough. No room for error.”

“An excellent school program.”

“The local administration is not giving the teachers they're proper credit for years taught and experience. This is not right. We teachers that work there, won't be coming back. Please check the high turnover in teachers at whatever school you consider sending your child to. High teacher turnover is a sign that something is wrong in the administration.”

“SABIS could have and would have been an amazing school if only those who are in leadership positions would not have let the power overcome their common sense. My children will not be returning to this school. Most of the teachers and support staff were amazing and if they stay, SABIS needs to take notice and reward them greatly to make sure they stay for years and years. The teachers and support staff are the only thing that is saving this school. Whoever is in charge at a higher level maybe at the district need to take notice about what goes on. There are two sides to every story and both versions need to be taken into consideration when making decisions that affect the school, students and parents.”

“My daughter has been at this school since it first openend. She enrolled before the school was even built. Everything they talk about as far as academics is true. The teacher turnover is a JOKE. My daughter lost her teacher in the beginning of 2nd grade and she had substitutes for the rest of the year. What kind of 'teacher/student' relationship can be built from that? I feel that my daughter is just a number at Sabis. They grew to fast! There are not enough teachers for students. The Parent Connection has tried to get other parents inolved for four years now and there are still only a handful of us to represnt over 700 students. Where is the parental involvement at Sabis. Your not made to feel like they really want your involvement! Take your children elsewhere. Nothing for kids under 6th grade to do!”

“The Quality of academic programs are pretty good, however I would like to see more of individuality of its curriculum. They talk a good game but come through on the promises they make to parents and students. The teachers don't seem to feel comfortable teaching using their own style.”

“Nice curriculum. Bad communication between administrators and parents. No activities for students below 6th grade.”

“The material they teach is excellent. The administration at this school is awful. The negative draw back is that you have to go through and Academic Quality Control person in order to speak with your childs teacher. I called in early Sep to speak with my child's teacher and I was not scheduled to meet with her until Oct because the AQC person was not available as well. This school also has no activities for those in grades K-5. Basically go to class and lunch and that is it. The student life is a joke.”

“I would really like to see teachers stay more than one year. It seems to me that there is alot of teacher turnover. Also, I have heard that not all the teachers are certified. However, some are in the process of getting certified.”

“I really think SABIS is a good school. I like the idea that they do not socially promote students. My child attended the school for the first time last year. She truly excelled in all academic areas. The administration was very honest with me each time I had to deal with a situation. My daughter attended SABIS because no other school would try to help her academically and emotionally. I am so thankful that a school like SABIS is in my area. When I say the money that was put into a building to help my child, I said I would stick with the school through good and bad times. I have not been in one school that did not have some type of challenge. Challenges makes people grow. I hope SABIS open more schools in South Phoenix to better meet our children needs. Thank you SABIS for standing firm in a community that is not truly given a good rating.”

“My child had good teachers but my child won't be comming back to Sabis. He will miss his friends. He didn't like that the teachers had to use all the same books and not anything else. He hated that their were not field trips. He got yelled at by the upper school aqc for something He didn't even do and then she lied about it to cover herself. The tests were wrong a lot. His teachers had to correct the textbooks that Sabis wrote! That's bad when the kids found mistakes in the books! Then the kids didn't have any principles becaause they kept getting fired. You know if my child was a owner of a school he would set a better example for my students. That's why he is going to another school. I have told them and they didn't care. Too bad because his other friends and there parents are taking there kids out too. Anything is better than this place where you get beat up and you're smarter than the books.”

“There are a lot of lies promoted at this school. You will get an administrator smile and say wonderful things right to your face, but when it comes down to follow through, it's all a lie. I'm not saying that everyone is like that, but most are. There are specific instances where promises were made to staff and it was not done. The students are harshly treated in the discipline aspect. Teachers are ignored when they try to suggest things that is only for the best interest of the students. Parents aren't welcomed in the school unless you have an appointment. Sabis has so much money, but doesn't even supply the right things to the kids that they need for state tests! Teachers are evaluated on how well the students do. That's not fair. If my child does poorly, it's my child's fault and that doesn't mean that the teacher shouldn't get the proper raise because he scored so low. Also, teachers can't use other books to teach the children. Only Sabis materials are allowed. How conceided is that? I strongly suggest seeking other avenues for your child's education. Remember, what looks good on paper and what sounds good, isn't always what is good.”

“My daughter was an A student. She has to go to summer school because her average dropped to less than 60%. My son was a B student and he is attending summer school also. The teachers care about the children but all decisions are made in Lebanon and in their U.S. offices in Minnesota. The children lose two days of instruction every week to testing. Then nothing was done with the results. I was told all concepts would be retaught if they failed the tests. My son and daughter were both injured at school by bullies. One boy beat my son with his belt and he was allowed to return to school. SABIS seems to be in the business of making money and doesnt care much about my children's achievement. The extra curricular activities they were promised turned out to be checkers and gameboards for an hour a day. My children will not return to this school in the fall.”

“I have read all the parent comments so far. What needs to be mentioned here is that SABIS is a business. They are in the business of making money. Teachers and staff care about your kids, however, the company does not. They care that your kids get high scores and that they get to school everyday on time. This is the primary way they make money. The staff was obviously frustrated and overworked. Why else was there so many substitutes everyday and such a high turnover rate of directors. If you measure your child's self worth and success based on test scores then this school is for you. However, if you measure your childs success by how well they love learning and how this experience is going to help them become life-time learners as well as other superior measures, then you need to go somewhere else. As adults, we do not remember the exams we took or what was on page 23 of our math books. However, we do remember the love, visions, inspirations and positive learning experiences given to us by teachers. We also remember the bad experiences and want our children to experience the positives. Having power is an illusion and a myth at this school. Noone seems to have power to make major changes. Parent connection, teachers, staff, and certainly not the multitude of directors. You scramble through the red tape to find out who does. The only power is the power of choice. If the more than 700 parents choose not to bring their children, or staff members decide to strike, then maybe Sabis will get the message.With the recent loss of a few more schools, maybe they already have. You would think that a business that has been around for more than 100 years in education would be able to communicate at the highest level, serve their public and maintain a core dedicated staff. What's wrong with this picture?”

“I am very grateful to have a school like SABIS in the South Phoenix Community. I am a parent of three children, two who attend now and one who will start his first year in school this school year. Academically i could not ask for anything more challenging. I love the fact the Spanish is a required subject, for the reason the children have an opportunity to learn a different language that will help them in the future. The teachers are wonderful, as for the director situation, I feel that this is a issue every new school goes thru in the first years, i know that when the right person comes along the school would be happy to keep him/her. My eight year old daughter is a honor student and loves her school. As for the discipline situation, Discipline starts at home not at school. I love this school and would recommend it to everyone.”

“If you're considering this school, make sure you do your research, and don't rely on what the school tells you!”

“SABIS is a great school! Yes, they have had an issue with the Director but I feel that in order to have great leadership you must find someone who will give there all within an established system. SABIS has been around for more than 100 years and their system works. After reading someone's comment about the children being 'socially promoted to the next grade' I feel that they are terribly wrong. In order for a child to be promoted to the next grade level that child has to work very hard. SABIS is a challenging school for many students who live in this area who have recieved their education from the roosevelt district.”

“I have a daughter and two granchildren who attend sabis, i'm very gratefull for the opportunity to choose a school whith high quality education in the South Phoenix area. One thing that my daughter likes is the weekly testing, this way she feels she is learnig the right way and she concentrates on the areas she has missed and can work harder for the next test. As a parent who wants a high education for my child I highly recomend Sabis.”

“As a parent of two daughters who have attended SABIS since the very first day the doors were open I would like to say how very proud I am to say my daughters attend SABIS. Academically I could not ask for a more challenging curriculum. The one thing that first caught my eye about SABIS was the college-prep academics and how SABIS expects nothing but my children's very best. Over the past two years I have watched how my children have grown and faced every challenge with great success. SABIS is not for everyone but for me and my daughters I could not have asked for more in a college-prep charter school.”

“Sabis has to have a director that is going to stay with the school and make Sabis the type of school like other Sabis schools. My child is on the honor roll and in the 5th grade and even he says that there needs to be more disciplined class rooms. Make Sabis a school that will shine in South Phoenix. I think that the enrollment of more children has to stop until more teachers are hired and a director that will make a difference is secure in the position and will stay longer than a school year. Already my child has commented that he would like to go to another school but he likes how the subjects are taught. Hopefully, something will be done to provide the best education for children.”

“This school has too many issues. The classrooms are too overcrowded so your child does not get the required help him or her needs until it is too late. I don't like the idea that Spanish is a required subject, and they have had too many different principal changes so the school is not very structured or grownded at all. I advise everyone to send your child somewhere else.”

“I have three children that attend Sabis there has been a lot of turnover in principals. The curriculum is a challege to some kids, but I think it is great, my children really have to work hard to get good grades. I like the fact that they do weekly test on what has been taught.I think the school has grown a little too fast, and they could use some more teachers and staff. But, overall they are getting a private school education for free.”

“SABIS needs to improve the quality of leadership. There are too many inconsistencies in which the corporate offices fail to recognize. For example, there are too many students in the classroom and teachers lack the essential resources to create an appropriate learning environment.”

“I feel that there has been a whole lot of changes, principal wise. I am also concerned about the test scores. There is also a whole lot posted on the teacher experience. I do enjoy the discipline that is enforced. I would like to see more results added to this page.”

“I highly recommend this school. I have four children attending and have been very happy with the curriculum and the teachers abilities to keep the classroom under control. I love Sabis.”

“Too many principal changes. Too many issues. Send your kids elsewhere.”

“I appreciate that this school is totally about the children, and their education. The child is provide with every opportunity to obtain the best education possible. The education is a structured environment. My children is always challenged and stretched. The extracurricular activities allows for additional social interaction.”

“I'm greatly concerned about the test scores for SABIS International School, and am eagerly awaiting to see if they have improved since last year. I believe growth is good; however, SABIS has taken on more students than they have teachers and this is creating a problem.”

“There is a very strong Parent Connection and they are actively involved in the school and making positive changes that benefit not only the parents and students but the school as a whole.”