Research Bates Academy public Schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“this is the best school i've ever been to. out of the 4 years i have attended this fine school i've never had any problems there. all the teachers are excellent and highly sophisticated. i'm a sixth grader and all 8 of my teachers are respectful and highly sophisticated.”

“I will agree that Bates is a great school for academics. However, I also think the work load for home is too much for elementary children and there is not a balance. The parents and some of the teachers make it a great place to learn. The principal on the otherhand she is rude and lacks tact. If there is one thing I would suggest they change it would be the principal she is not a good leader for the school. I encourage you to stop by the office and talk with her and form your own opinion, that is if she has the time.”

“I am a parent with two children in Bates -I can not say enough great things about this school and the wonderful teacher -parent -student relationship. It is such a shame that all schools within DPS could not function like Bates. I know my children not only excel in academics advanced but also socially well rounded. I thank God for Bates Academy.”

“In accordance with what another parent said, subsequently, Bates is a good school, academically; but it does not provide a well balanced education. Art is an elective, only at middle school level, if you happen to get it. There are no performing arts, no school plays, no talent shows. Children are not introduced to any musical instruments unless they select band or orchestra as an elective at middle school level, and only if they get it. The school focuses on the academically 'gifted' part of its name- but what happened to the nurturing and enhancement of 'talented'? The children excel academically, but through stress, ridiculous amounts of homework, and a lot of parent involvement and 'homeschooling' to aid with homework comprehension. Bates is a good program if you look at the academic outcomes of the children, but I prefer a more balanced program where my children love learning, while excelling.”

“Bates is a school for children who are academically gifted. My child is not good in sports or music, so it took away the pressure to perform in this way. Children have a lot of homework. You must be willing to push your child academically and teach them independence. I wish the school offered tutoring. Sometimes a child just needs a little help and working parents can sometimes be short on patience when it comes to helping with homework. There is no extracurricular activities for lower elementary students. Bates is moving to a new location that is larger. I hope they will take this opportunity to put in place some programs like art for the lower elementary students. Overall Bates provided what my child needed when it comes to an academically gifted program. I understand that the other activities are extras.”

“My son attended Bates from kindergarten until the third grade. We decided to take him out this year as he enters the fourth grade and put him in a private school. Bates is wonderful school, but it lacks an overall balanced education. Yes, they stress academics, but there is more to school than academics. A child must be nurtured and given the opportunity to play and be creative. Recess and fun is a premium at Bates. The amount of homework is ridiculous. (2 hours a night easily) There are few extracurricular activities. When my son first entered the school, I was told as a parent if I was in school as well, that I might as well quit because my time would be spent helping my child. (We both remained on the honor roll.) In addition, you find yourself teaching your child how to do the homework.”

“My desire to have my child attend Bates was based on many recommendations throughout the district. My child possessed a 4.0 upon entering Bates in 4th grade. Based on both our involvement he moved to 5th grade with a 3.8 gpa. Bates is academically stressful to those not starting at entry level (K) and progressively moving forward with each grade level, those students become accustom to the rigorous demands placed on them. However, for a child entering at any other grade level, it is truly an adjustment. I personally think that learning should be an enjoyable and fun experience. Invoking interest and a desire to see and understand more. When you take away those elements of learning you chance losing the child as well as losing the child's desire to learn!”

“I love my school and couldnt imagine a better school than bates!”

“I feel that Bates is an excellent school. My daughter have attended Bates for four years now. All I have received is excellent they encourage my daughter to grow academically and socially.She has intensive homework but it keeps her challenged to do her best and keeps them out off the Phone. She enjoys her extracurricular classes and this gives them a since of balance. The teachers are great and are willing to work with them.I agree Bates is not for everyone that is not willing to be challenged and they are going to need parental support to attend this kind of program.With great organized study habits and parental support they can succeed in this accelerated program for the gifted and talented. Which will prepare them not only for high school but also,college.”

“Bates students work at a grade level above their own, so they are advanced in all of their work. So, they're well prepared for standardized tests and high school. Students from Bates have gone on to be some of the most successful in the city in college and professional careers afterwards. The school is not for everyone, so parents should be sure that they are able to be actively involved in their child's educational experience before sending them to Bates. The school is moving to a new building in Fall 2007, which should alleviate some of the crowding and allow for more extracurricular activities.”

“Bates is not a school for gifted and talented children. It is a school for kids who want to work their little fingers to the bone and do absolutely nothing else. The program is not well rounded at all. The homework load is excessive, at best. I took my daughter out and put her in another school district altogether. The students, even the very young kids, rarely got recess, or music or art and their was no foreign language available in K 2nd grades. They teach those kids to score well on the MEAP at the expense of the child. It was simply a very disappointing experience.”

“I have two children who attend Bates Academy and have been disappointed from the first week there, they have now been there for three years, thankfully this is our last. The classrooms are overcrowded, the children are rude and disrespectful, and the teachers are out of control. I am so happy to be leaving this place, and yeah they get excellent MEAP scores, they only have honor roll students, so good scores really are not a true measure.”

“Bates has been a terrible experience! Every year my child has attended there has been a teacher to tear down many of the children's self-esteem. The principal overlooks their negative impact on the students. If you have a truly gifted and bright child, do not send them to this school unless you want them to become disengaged. If you want a neighborhood teacher, send them to Bates.”

“Bates Academy is an all around academic school. You must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain at the school. This really doesn't come until 3rd grade, when the students actually get letter grades. My daughter unfortunately was released from Bates, b/c of her GPA. It wasn't b/c she didn't understand the work, but because of many missing assignments. Students have a average of 2-3 hrs of homework every night. As a working single mother, who travels for work approx. 40%, this did not work well for us, since I was not physically able to stay on top of her, and check her homework. Her MEAP scores 'exceeded the standard', and when she did do her homework, she received 90%+. I guess I'll have her go to a school that's a little lenient on homework. The world doesn't end without Bates. However, I do recommend Bates to others.”

“Our daughter has attended Bates since Kindergarten and is currently in the fifth grade. We plan to have her continue her education at Bates through the eighth grade. The foundation for higher learning is set early on. The first few years prepare the student for what the school expects academically and socially. The third grade tends to be the most challenging however, with organized study habits and parental support the student can succeed in this accelerated program. The students have a variety of electives to select from including music, orchestra, journalism, Spanish and gym to name a few. My husband and I enjoy being chaperones for a variety of exciting field trips each year. It is always nice to see how beautifully the children have grown when we celebrate the end of each school year with a promotion ceremony. Although the building needs minor repairs, the teachers are the best!”

“My child graduated from Bates a couple of years ago and was very dissatisfied from the atmosphere and learning experience. My opinion in terms of the environment, class size, and cleanliness of the school was poor. My child would often have over 30 students in the classroom. The restroom would be filthy and lacking any supplies. The students were lacking discipline and the overall management. The science program, as with all inner city schools, was severely lacking in experiments and field trips. The computer courses were basic and the library was outdated.”

“I don't know how we made it. My son's first year at Bates(3rd grade), was extremely challenging. For him it was on average 2 hours of homework nightly plus weekends. For me it was 2 hours of homework nightly plus weekends. At least 1/3 of this time was spent crying about how unfair life is(both of us). We made it. My son learned a lot and I did too. The MEAP scores were exceptional! You must be an involved parent or this is not the school for you. P.S. The parents also get sent to the Principals Office for not doing what they're supposed to do.”

“I just graduated from Bates Academy in 2006. I attended the school for 6 years. I have been through the up and the downs at Bates Academy and now that i am gone i know it was definitley worth it. Bates has some of the BEST Math, Science, and English teachers in the city and in my eyes in the entire United States of America. The work at Bates may seem hard at first but it is a key part of becoming prepared for the future. Now that i am in High School I definitley wish i was still at Bates; however, Bates prepared me for the obstacles that i have met in High School. Thanks to Bates Academy I have become the Best student i could possibly be. For those trying to get into Bates it is 100% worth. For those at Bates keep working hard,it will pay off.”

“Hi bates academy was a great school. It is the number one school in detroit. It was the goodest school I ever been I am in the 6th grade and if you are planning to enroll in bates academy i prefer to do it. You will get lot of homework but can lead to you to a better life.”

“As a parent Bates have been challenging, but the outcome for my daughter has been awesome. We as parents can complain all we like, but the bottom line is do we want our children prepared yes or no or do we want to send our children to Country Day, or Cranbrook for the same education and pay 13,000.00 and up.”

“My enrolled in Bates for the third grade. The teacher he has gives numerous homework assignments. I am told that she's given the most of any teacher in the school. The homework is so extensive that it has to be stretched over the weekend just so he isn't overwhelmed on a nightly basis during the week. Although giving lots can have its benefits, it also has its detriments. My son is so inundated that he is not learning the materials. He is only doing the work by rote to have it done in order to avoid having any missing assignments on his progress report. The school and its staff should not take pride in the amount of homework given, but instead they should take pride in the amount of comprehension attained. The other problem is student discipline. The kids there do a lot of bullying of smaller kids like my son.”

“My little brother attends this school. It is obvious that this is a good school. They teach at an accellerated level and i am proud to say that he is handling it. However, i think the teachers fail to realize that these are still children. They may be smarter than the average child, but they are still young. What i dislike most about this school is that the teachers leave too much of the 'teaching' up to the child. They give them a text book to learn from and say 'bye' and leave them to learn it on their own. This is a useful strategy for college preparation, but a solid foundation needs to be laid down for the child. He needs to be taught the fundamentals, in a way that will stick forever. so i think they definately need to work on their teaching strategy some more.”

“Our son has attended Bates since kindergarten. He is cuurently in the third grade. Each quarter gets progressively more challenging. The key to your child's success is to be an involved participant. We feel the school 'gets it done right'. The teachers and administration are concerned and motivated. At a time when system resources are diminishing and so many parents and teachers don't care....Well Bates is a shining example of excellence!”

“I am a product of Bates Academy. I graduated in 1995 after completing the 3rd-8th grades there. Bates is a wonderful opportunity for children to become accustomed to hard work. I would encourage any parent who is striving for their child to attend college to begin with a Bates education. Education only gets harder - it is of great benefit to start your children early. I will never forget what I learned at Bates with its wonderful teachers and administrators. Bates helped to shape me into who I am - for that I am very grateful. Ambyr Godboldo-Brooks University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, BS MVS '03 Masters Candidate Southern Illinois University -Edwardsville '06”

“My grandson started Bates approximately 3 weeks after the semester started. There was a concern about him behind. My daughter asked about getting him a tutor, she was told a decision would be made later and that only 4 students from each class would be selected. The selection was made. She found out today that the selection is based on whether or not a student can afford to pay for their lunch. Not on whether or not they need help. Gloria Turner -”

“Bates has a real challenging program. The successful outcome for the students is sometimes at the cost of a stressful education. The students; however, perform superior on standardized assessments.”

“My daughter attends Bates as a kindergarten student. Bates will challenge your child to the fullest. This is a dynamic school and the teachers are awsome! Thank You, Joanna Williams”

“I am very pleased with this school. My son needed to be academically and socially challenged. Bates has a highly structured program that encourages students to 'think'. In the beginning, I thought my son had too much homework, but to my surprise, he yearned for more. He still enjoys Game Cube, Game Boys and basketball. But, I am pleased that Bates has encouraged him to enjoy and expect the best in academic achievements. Just think ... he is only in 2nd grade!”

“I am very pleased with the teachers and their teaching techniques. The children are really driven to excel and work hard, they are working at one grade level ahead. They are given homework daily,and other projects during the year. I feel my daughter is safe while she is in school.”