Archway Classical Academy Glendale – Great Hearts, Peoria | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

My 2 children have attended this school since kindergarten. They are now in 3rd and 2nd grade. This is a true classical liberal arts school that is extremly organized and focuses on important virtues to help them become motivated, honest and hard working adults. I am amazed at how well this school runs. We are a family that is highly organized and likes a very structured school with a challenging curriculum. I am not trying to brag when I say my kids are far more advanced in all academic areas than their peers that attend other schools (both public and private). The school deserves credit, my kids are advanced because Great Hearts program works. Its not magic, it’s just hard work and consistency. While I do work with my children a lot outside of class, Great Hearts keeps up with us. That being said, my children are not bombarded with work. We average about 40 min a night and usually no HW on weekends.The work load is both rigorous and RELIVENT. Relivent is important to note because their curriculum is not hard just to “impress” society/people. The programs all make sense and the way it is taught makes sense as well. A few things people should seriously consider before placing your kids in this school:

Evaluate yourself as a parent. If you are unorganized, expect to do little after school work with your child or hate being involved with teachers constantly this school will drive you nuts. I know most parents intend on working with their kids or want a good structured environment for their child but you have to be honest with yourself and your family… this school takes lots extra organization, extra discipline, extra time and extra work on the parent. It is more than typical schools. That being said this school does not assign a huge workload. However, it is a very consistant routine that involves parental supervision and involvment. It should also be noted that the school has strict uniform standards which I love ?? and so do my kids.

Second, your child will struggle if they are not used to a very structured and diciplined lifestyle. This school will be VERY hard on a child not used to that type of environment. Now, Great Hearts is not a military school… But, things like pop culture (Disney, Nike, superheros etc…) are not allowed ever. They are also strict about having items like excessively sparkly princess pencils/bags/shoes or having sloppy handwriting. Also, things like drawing on school work isn’t tolerated. The kids are expected to have pride in their school work. There is PLENTY of time for physical and artistic expression through the day but again those are at a specific time. My family loves that but I could see where that could be an issue with some children. And to force a child to conform to that could be bad for the child. That dosent mean Great Hearts is a bad fit but by being honest with yourself and your child you may need a different environment. Kids have different needs and grow in different environments.

Lastly, the after school programs are amazing. Some are very cheap and cool, like the leggo STEM club, they are run by the teachers. Others are expensive but worth every penny. My only complaint would be their sports program which is just ok. For kids who are extremly athletic its kind of boring. It is run by a private company. My kids weren’t challenged much and prefered their club sports. But still fun programs. Their father/daughter dance and mother/son NERF battle were huge hits!!! Very fun.

No school is perfect but for my family this is the perfect fit. This school is for a family that wants a classical liberal education, likes a structured schedule and wants to keep their child from pop culture while in school so child can focus of their true self and their studies. Wonderful school. God Bless and have a great day.

My child initially struggled with the structure when he started at this school, but he eventually settled in with the help of his teachers. The teachers at this school really care about the students and often find creative, positive ways to encourage good behavior.

The academics are incredibly strenuous, but my child thrived in this environment. He and my wife and I love this school!

Great school with awesome staff. Kim Fleming is one of the nice person I worked with and she has helped with my sons admission to the school and helped answer all the questions I had!!