We toured and applied to Alt School last fall. We liked some things about the school but didn't like others.
What we liked: it seems very flexible and responsive to individual students' needs. For example, the admissions director told us that two girls who started out in the kinder/first grade class were rushing through the curriculum so they sent them across the hall to spend half a day with the second/third grade students until they were comfortable in that class and then they moved them up. Sounds dreamy, right? They also have tons of resources and seem to have great teachers. I also know several people who are happy there.
What we didn't like: First, Alt School staff refer to it as "the company", which makes me a bit uncomfortable. Many locations are basically like a store front with no campus. The kids go to local parks for exercise and make the best of the space but I really prefer to have a building or campus with some outdoor space. Also, my kid is sensitive to noise and the rooms I saw function like one-room school houses and seem very busy,even chaotic. I think my son would have a hard time functioning there. I have reservations about how much the teachers rely on technology in the classroom. I'm not anti-technology but I don't want my son spending a good portion of the day (in kindergarten!) looking at a screen by himself. Finally, I've heard feedback that some parents aren't thrilled with the stem curriculum but that the school is working on it.
That said, it's not clear that Alt School is interested in admitting gifted kids. My son wasn't accepted by Alt and neither were the three other kids I know who had IQ testing done (for another school) and were identified as gifted. All the parents clearly communicated that they were interested in the school as a good option for gifted kids but we didn't get in. Who knows why we didn't get in. There were tons of applicants so it could have been just a matter of numbers but it was disappointing because it seemed like such a good option for kids who may not be able to find another school willing or able to accommodate them. We will keep an eye on the school and maybe reapply if the school we are at doesn't end up working out.
