Southern Wake Academy, Holly Springs | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Hello!

I want to tell you a bit about my experience at Southern Wake Academy. I was a student there class of 2009, and I loved every minute of it! When I first started there I was a lost teenager. I was a former student at Cary High, and had lost hope for school and graduating. I had dropped out of high school in 2006. My mother enrolled me into this school and I loved that it was a smaller environment. When I came in I was a repeating sophomore because I dropped out. I completed my high school diploma in two years… where in a traditional school it would of taken me about three years to complete, their credit requirement was less than at Cary High. I also had option to take some courses online if I needed to.

One thing I will say is if you are focused and do what you are supposed to do there is no real reason to fail. Even the troubled students will be kept on track and checked when necessary. They will pull them aside and talk to them to see what the problem is and try to get you on the right track. If I ever felt uncomfortable by any situation, student or an issue with a teacher… I was able to speak to the advisor and get that situation straight.

While I attended I ended up getting pregnant my senior year. The teachers and staff made me feel comfortable. Mrs. Haynes, even took me aside and gave me advice as a mother on ways to handle my situation, if I needed something she would get it for me. She even provided me with snacks if I was feeling sick…she just showed me that she truly cared about me…. not like others school. Ms. Lameck spoke to all my teachers, and on the days I missed class I was able to collect all my assignments from her for all my classes and return them in by the due date so I wouldn’t fail my courses. I was able to graduate on time!

There were a couple of bumpy moments but when you are surrounded by staff that truly care, and will take an initiative to help you as long as you are doing your part and are respectful it makes a difference. Til this day I keep in touch with some staff members. They truly made an impact on my life and I love them dearly! Great school. Small environment, well educated and caring people and clean!

To everyone thinking about applying to this school…

I’d like to share my experience.

My sister goes here and loves it, but for me it wasn’t the right place for the following reasons.

1. The class options are limited. Not very many AP options and very little connections for internships/ other opportunities.

2. So much random homework that is not related to anything. I spent 3-4 hours a night doing homework for classes that were only honors and not AP. And that’s not including time for projects or studying for tests or quizzes.

3. The way they run things is very unorganized. They have high schoolers do all their maintenance work, and they overload their counselors and staff with too much. Sometimes it can be so chaotic that it adds to the students’ stress.

4. Sports options and extra curricular activities are very limited. However, the theatre program is something I really enjoyed.

Overview: ultimately this is probably better than FVHS, although I’ve never been. I am now at a different school and have way less stress and I have an easier time fitting in at my new school. It’s all in our own personal experiences, and I would never not recommend this school. I just think those are important things to know when considering it.

My children have been at SWA for three years. In our experience, SWA has always been on top of things as soon as they happen. The principal immediately communicates things that are going on. Between the emails, phone calls, Google classroom, and Facebook page, parents are very informed from teachers and other staff. Yes, uniforms are expensive, but we knew this going in and that to us far outways the issues that come with not having a uniform school. The Job Shadow, Community Service, and Portfolio Assessments are great aspects that prepare students to conduct themselves on interviews, public speaking, and social awareness while building confidence and positive self-esteem. These are the things that prepare them for the real world. The small class sizes are much better than the 30 – 40 size classes in most other schools. Every school has issues; no school is perfect. But this school as far as I know handles things to the best of their ability. We are very pleased with SWA and our children will be continuing until graduating high school.