Research The Family School public Schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico

“Academically, there is no better school in Albuquerque. All of the teachers are exceptional and the curriculum is beyond compare. It takes a committment to provide the level of home instruction required, but it also produces children that take responsibility for their own education and a community that is involved not only with their kids, but also with each other. We have recommended this school to numerous families. Not for everyone, but those involved know how special the school is.”

“We like family school, our kids are learning an enormous amount of material. The school requires a great deal from the kids and parents and I have, at times, felt it was not the best fit for our family because of the huge expectation they put on our kids to excel. The kids go to school M-Th for 4 hours a day. Fridays are days off. We homeschool (used to be homeschooling, now we do assignments) for 15 hours a week which can result in arguments at home. I've investigated other schools, but they just aren't up to par with the learning that goes on at Family School. It's a double edged sword. Teachers are incredible and the ability to keep your child in class with the same teacher for 3-4 years is beyond compare. No sports, you need to do that on your own.”

“i love the teacher they are sooo nice”

“This programs works if you are committed to working with your child/children. The students are put in multiage classrooms and can have the same teacher for up to 5 years. There are 13 hours of required home schooling. This program does not include extracurricular activities, but families do get together on their own and have play dates, etc if it is important to them. There is a strong sense of community and children work together in small groups throughout the day. Time is devoted to handwriting, math, reading journal, dictation and brain teasers. The quality of academics is excellent, especially for those children who need to work at a pace that is not the norm. For instance, if you have a child who is working above level, they can easily work with children that are older and be challenged. This works for children who are below the curve as well.”

“Extremely high quality, creative academic programs in which children are taught the tools and strategies necessary to be ready for the challenge. Multi-grade classrooms encourage cooperation, problem-solving and community building through theme-based workshops and student to student mentoring. Students attend school Monday thru Thursday for half a day and homeschool 15 hours. Music and art are incorporated into the school day. An annual Art & Poetry night is held in late fall to display students' work. Many classes end the year with musicals or plays. Sports are not offered. This program requires dedication from both the students and parents, but the results are impressive. I have never seen a public or private school program that can offer what is available at this school.”

“Expectations for excelling academically are very high here, as is the level of support from faculty and families to achieve. There are no e/c activities, it is straight academics. I think the multi-age/grade classrooms are great. There's a lot of room for a student to grow within one classroom (my child was in the same class for 3 years) and the opportunity to teach and learn from other students is outstanding. This is not a 'drop your kid off at 8 and see them again at 4' kind of school. You need to be deeply committed to your child's schooling and realize you will be providing 13 - 15 hours a week of quality education to them on your own. The rewards are immense, but this is definitely not the 'easiest' way to educate your child.”

“Each Family School student is homeschooled half time and attends Family School half time, so 100% of the parents are involved in their children's education. The average class size is 13 at the public school portion of the day.”