Research Monte Del Sol Charter School charter Schools in Santa Fe, New Mexico

“This is my 8th grade son's 2nd year at Monte del Sol. The mentorship program, one of the hallmarks of this school, is fantastic and is usually provided at no cost to parents. The teachers tend to be independent thinkers and encourage students to do the same. Curriculum is excellent. Field trips are interesting and includes international travel. Parental involvement is on the upswing due to a revamped PTA in 2007-08. This school is cutting edge in a lot of ways and although not perfect, is an excellent place for our young people to be.”

“I endorse the other reviews. Overall, this school is average. This school is the brain-child of its highly energetic principal. It emphasizes I gather, an approach of integrating the child in the local and international community. Very Santa Fe. Its not my cup of tea, but its a legitimate approach. Their signature is their mentorship program where they send the children into the community to apprentice with a working adult. Pros: Individualized approach. School is tuned in to emotional needs of kids. A desire to see your kid succeed. Highly competent principal. Cons: mentorship program is an expensive gimmick. Not useless, but not worth the effort. Good PR I guess. Average teachers. Not enough money. Recent efforts to recruit poor students has resulted in influx of discipline problems.”

“I am a parent of a son who has attended grades 7-11 at MDS. The attention to the 'inner life' of the child and how he/she relates, communicates and interacts w/ past and present historical markers, art, english literature and science in it's many forms is great. The school is definately fine-tuning and it takes years to get itself grounded but it has been worth it. The math left a lot to be desired but now is better and Mark the geometry teacher made such a difference. The amount of introspection that is asked for and done with wonderful guidance without much 'new-age' kind of goofy packaging is good. Serious teachers and if they demanded even more it would be super. I have a non-focused, social, fairly smart 17 yr.”

“I am a former student at Monte Del Sol. At the time I was attending it, it wasnt my favorite school but as I've been around at a few schools now I know it was much better then i gave it credit for. The new building is nice, very roomy and lots of fresh air because of the outdoor enviorment. The teachers care about you personally and you call them by there first name because they try to be more your friend then teacher. Tony is a great principal and you can tell he really cares about the students and trys to know each one individually.”