Connections Academy

Unfortunately, this school is not what it seems. On its main page, it says "oh opportunities to socalize and make friends, but that is not true. I am in 12th grade, finishing up my year at this school and I have been unable to make any friends since the teachers are all ways like, "We will have to close chat if you guys don't stop sharing social links and the like." The teachers and the policies of 'not being able to share outside contact information is unfortunately too strict, and this has and will lead to friendships being broken since we are unable to stay in contact with others in the school, due to the teachers explicit directions of "NOT sharing social links and other contact information." If you are looking for a great place to meet friends, then I wouldn't recommend doing this school.

Location: Lighthouse Connections Academy

Worrst online school ever, be prepared to teach your child yourself with the lesson plans they provide, expect college style lecturing with assigned reading and asynchronous work. Basically, as the "learning coach" you're the unpaid teacher and they get paid by the state.

Update: Connections Academy responded by reporting my review as not having a valid email address... I wonder how many bad reviews they get removed in an underhanded and dishonest way.

Location: Texas Connections Academy

I know everyone probably doesn't have a bad experience with them, but I can say my experience with them was awful. They are not good at communicating back with the parents and they kept rejecting the documents they were asking for, which led to my daughter missing the deadline, when I started the process a month prior to all of this. I wouldn't recommend this online school. Or at least they school better communicate.

Location: Florida Connections Academy

After months of trying to get my son enrolled, I was told he would not be accepted if his grades were low. I told them at the first contact the REASON I was enrolling him was due to COVID and the "confusion" within his current school. NEVER was I made aware this semester's grade (AGAIN DUE TO COVID) would be an issue with getting him enrolled.

I'll spare the long story but will tell this... once this was made aware to me today I asked to speak to a supervisor. After the discussion, I asked her for stats on why kids enroll in Connections Academy. She told me
1. Parents with kids in sports so their schedule is more flexible
2. Kids being bullied
3... this is the big one. Kids with special needs because they "can't function in a public school setting" I had a few choice words from her coming from this mom of another child with special needs... YES some kids with special needs can't handle the socialization to make the ASSINE statement that ALL kids with special needs can't is beyond frustrating.

I then got into the discussion of his grades and was connections academy taking into consideration COVID and realizing a lot of students grades were being affected and she then stated that
"his current academy transcripts won't change because she changes schools" So basically stating my child can't be helped by changing schools/systems... I then reminded her as she did me, that the call was being recorded and told her I was thankful it was being recorded because the statements she had just made are reasons their school should NOT be operating! When I asked to speak to her supervisor I was told that her supervisor wasn't in the office... how convenient!

I highly suggest avoiding this "option" based solely on their lack of communicating information and their statements that are clearly UNTRUE! Please take your children's education seriously and not trust it to people like this!

My daughter has been attending Connections Academy for the last couple of years, and the online school has greatly declined. Recently, they decided to make all textbooks online. Worse, the books aren't available in their entirety for download or in one location to view. The student receives it in sections per given lesson which makes it difficult to review previous sections. Science is through BrainPop, an online site. Is the site helpful? Yes, but what child wants to go back through numerous videos and/or transcripts for review? Math is completely through Mathia online. We are not a fan of this program. (Posting below an actual question from their program. I still scratching my head on who thought this would be a good question to use.) Social Studies still offers a physical book but it's completely about religion. Physical Education keys on psychology and tests are given to students on that subject. The material is very similar to what I learned in college. My daughter is 11 and needn't learn about projection, schizophrenia, and various other mental disorders. The school clearly cares more about their bottom dollar than a student's education, and it is for that reason, we will be finding another online school. I do not recommend the school.

MATHIA QUESTION: Edward's mom makes him blow his nose for 24 minutes before he starts to cry that his nose is sore. How many times did Edward blow his nose before he started to cry?

My eleven-year-old didn't need her Physical Education psychology class to know that Edward's mom is experiencing issues.

I've been going to Connections (ARCA) for 3-4 years now, I'm in 9th-grade rn. The school is more worried about passing than anything else, they claim they care SO MUCH about the students, but they do not. If they did, they'd address the concerns that I brought up and not completely ignore them. They do not care about the students. I realized most reviews were made by parents, not students. Is it helpful to other parents? Yes, it is! But you need to also look at how the student feels. Most students I met (which was not a lot, because this school doesn't care about social interactions.) Does not like this school, most cheat because this school throws so much stuff at you. Lessons have many grammar errors, and the questions can be wrong, confusing, or have more than one correct answer, but you have to pick one answer anyway. If this school did what they claimed, I wouldn't be here. As a student with learning problems, I feel like the school does not care about me and many other students. They expect everyone to learn the same way. So if I had to say, this school NEEDS to be fixed and NEEDS to change for the better. I am going to leave after this year is over.

Edit: I want to add this. It matters from school to school. ARCA isn't good, no social interaction, no talking, nothing. At the time of making this, I was trying to do my work, but I needed to stop, there is just so much work. The weird thing is, I like reading, but for learning it's a no-go. I'm better off learning from someone talking to me, the normal school that I'm going to next year is good. No bullying, most people are nice, and it's in a really good area. If you are not good with in-person learning, your local public school is really bad, or you like being by yourself a lot, this school would be okay for you. It's just not for me. I felt like I needed to add this, so if you're fine with the stuff I said, then the school wouldn't be bad for you.

Location: Arkansas Connections Academy

They lock down lessons and mark your student absent for the 0's they give even if the student takes 9 hours to try to complete and doesn't make it! Then they will call truancy of absences even though the student is trying to complete the ridiculous amount of work they give! They change parents hours to 0 hours so it looks like student wasn't attending! AVOID THIS SCHOOL AT ALL COST! Especially if your child is disabled because it WILL CAUSE SEVERE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE DISABLED! And, good luck trying to get paperwork to transfer, as this is also a nightmare from this school! Please do not put your children in this school! From Parent!

Location: South Carolina Connections Academy

I'm a single parent. I put all my time and money into things like Web Cams and computers for my daughter and I all I got was the run around from this school. I couldn't even get through the enrollment process, they just ran me in circles.

I had been trying to enroll my son in Connections Academy for over a month. I'd sent in drivers license information and filled out the notarized document they requested and no contact or communication.
I turned in the immunization records from my childs pediatric clinic and I turned in his immunization records from his school. Those were denied without contact or communication.

When calling to try and figure out what could be done the communication was horrible, It's as if this school is going out of business and no one cares.

End of story. I had the correct information submitted but unfortunately the registration deadline has ended.

I feel like I dodged a bullet. This is not a company or school I would trust to help my child.

I submitted required documents associated with registration process Dec 2023. I was told to submit attendance report and most recent report card on 01/04/2024.I followed all required steps submitted the last 2 documents. All documents had been reviewed and verified. Kept calling for updates response was same by every agent I spoke to which was everything had been verified and received and I needed to allow time for placement to be done. I was instructed to allow email for further instructions.NEVER received any emails so I kept calling...kept being told to wait for placement to place son in classes.After waiting for so long I was devastated to be told that I had missed registration and I would have to wait until next semester.This isnt good customer service. Was made aware the error was on enrollment end and no error of my own. I placed several complaints was told I would get a update never got any updates so had to keep calling. At this point nothing has been done.Registration for low country academy failed my child. I fought so hard to get him enrolled and stayed on top of getting all required documents in. All documents were in on time there is no reason my son shouldn't have been enrolled.I AM DISGUSTED AND I AM HURT...

Location: Lowcountry Connections Academy

I have two kid that attend this school my oldest was put on a waiting list and wasn't able to log in until 10/14 but the teachers started his lesson on the 8th so he was marked absent for thoughts two days and then they expect him to just know what all the other kids know even though they started school a whole month and some days before he did and then they so cheap they only supply them with one computer to share even in public school all the kids got there own computer and it takes all day for them to finish but they claim its better because they get to do their work when they want to its a joke

I really do not know where to begin with this awful school! If it is not the horrible customer service lieing to you about EVERYTHING and not knowing a damn thing about anything, they seem as if they don, t give a damn about your student at all! Where in the hell do they get these teachers from?! The enrollment process is a NIGHTMARE and then they look at your file and go home and nothing is being done at all! Although they will tell you it will be handled, it NEVER gets done and you have to continue to call and call and call and call until something may or may not happen! Really ridiculous! If you are seeking homeschooling options, if I were you, I would skip the aggravation and go somewhere else. This school does not care about students and will not care about your child and if you ever get enrolled this lifetime, your child will be ignored and mot taught a damn thing! They need to be reported to the state education department and BBB, just look at some of the many bad reviews concerning the enrollment and how the students are "not being taught". I ABSOLUTELY HATE THE FACT THAT I CHOSE THIS SCHOOL AS A HOMESCHOOLING OPTION FOR MY CHILD AND WILL BE RESEARCHING OTHER OPTIONS SOON.

We enrolled our 6th and 7th grader for the 2020-2021 year. Customer service signing up was a huge challenge due to demand, I have close to 30 hours into a straight forward enrollment and over 6 hours of cumulative time on hold. Instruction is extremely fragmented. My online bachelors degree program was easier to navigate and locate information on. The curriculum doesn't necessarily follow the teachers instruction and students need to read the assignment in the lesson then sometimes refer to a bulletin board or email to get the final instructions which sometimes conflicts with the lesson. Students also cannot fill out lesson templates online, they need to download and save them, then attach or upload the completed version to their teacher. Sometimes they attach and sometimes upload, this depends on the teacher and leads to failed assignments because of upload or submission errors. My kids have been very discouraged these first weeks. So far the teachers have been good at getting these errors sorted out but this has taken hours of extra time. Some teachers use Microsoft products some use Google, there is no consistency and you must use your own accounts as there are no linked accounts to the school. On average I am receiving 10-12 emails per day, and the information from teachers and admin is fragmented. I spend about 2 hours a day in emails and review and we have hired a tutor to help out 5 hours day to assist them in navigating the software. There is virtually no interaction or instruction with the teachers. Most of the lessons are recorded and students cannot interact or ask questions. Communication is primarily through email which is ineffective. The platform is just a mess, it is like trying to work with Windows 95 in modern day. The supporting tech is at least 5-7 years behind the UI and integration you might expect in modern software. I strongly suggest you go elsewhere.

This school is the worst. Live lessons are pointless. All they do is test your kid some more! Zero teaching! If you need help, you will need to email, and set an appointment that can take 3/4 + days, whenever the teacher is available. You can't move forward until the lesson is done. They will not take the time to prepare the kid for any exam. It's all on the parent. Having a teacher is pointless. The tests are ridiculously exhausting and frustrating. Your kid will be miserable. It's been a extremely stressful. Everything they promise is a lie. My experience is with a 3rd and 5th grader. My sister has a 1st and 4th grader and it's the same thing.

I would spend over 12 hours a day with my kid on assignments and was never ending. And never caught up. Some of the answers in Math were completely wrong. Imagine math is stupid. We spend over 50 hrs on it and it states we only completed 1 percent. A waste of time. I regret enrolling with the program, it's a big burden especially for young children to be expected. Especially when when assignments don't stop piling up. I don't see why the teachers don't reach out? I'm pretty much homeschooling my kid and someone is getting paid for it and giving them grades.

Location: Arizona Connections Academy

It is 2 business days from the start of 2020 school year for my daughter and she still isn't enrolled. I have been submitting documents for 3 months and they either state there is an issue with the document or they end up not being processed by the enrollment dept. So far, today I have been on the phone with them for 50 minutes. The rep on the phone doesn't see why she shouldn't have been enrolled yet because she says all documentation appears to be correct. So I'm being transferred for the 3rd time to someone else. It is literally 2 business days away from the start of school and no one has called me to place my daughter in her classes or help us with this. I am very worried that we will not have her enrolled by the time school starts (even though this process started 3 months ago!). If by the end of this call we have not resolved the enrollment nightmare, I will be deleting her account and trying another online school. Hopefully I will be able to enroll her in another school in 2 business days. This company has completely wasted 3 months of my time, but I feel like I might have dodged a bullet. If it's this hard to enroll her, I can't imagine the problems we will have when we start trying to download completed lessons, etc.

My son has been enrolled in Minnesota Connections Academy for 6 years. I did not think that it would be difficult to transfer to Coastal Connections when we moved to Florida last month. Enrollment was closed for the fall, but we were told we could enroll him for the spring semester. His immunization record was refused because it was not on a Florida form (funny, Minnesota does not use Florida forms). I made him a pediatrician appointment to get a new physical and the immunizations transcribed to the Florida form. Just this week I confirmed with the enrollment department that Coastal Connections did not have a student cap and I was fine to wait until his scheduled appointment next week. Imagine my shock to get an email yesterday that the school had placed a cap on enrollment and no more students could enroll for the next semester. However, I was graciously provided an invitation to enroll my child in Pearson Academy (the private Connections program) at a generous 50% off. The 50% off value leaves me paying a tuition of $2,000 for spring semester to keep my son enrolled in a program we have attended for the past 6 years. The private school will not provide any of the IEP/IHP services my son has received from Minnesota Connections. I will now have to pay for those too. All of this when the enrollment office confirmed with me last night that they could indeed see all of the conversations I have had with them regarding my son's transfer. And still, the answer is too bad for me. I will have to pay up to stay with the program. Let me reiterate. I was told Monday I was fine waiting to submit the last two forms until after my son's appointment with the pediatrician next week. "The school does not have a student cap." The very same week I get an email that the school has implemented a cap and I must pay to keep my son enrolled in online classes. They further acknowledge that they can see the documentation of this conversation, but will not honor their word. I am now writing a check for $2K plus what his support services will cost throughout the semester, and the response is "Tough luck. We changed our minds." We have always been so happy with Minnesota Connections. This has really shattered our trust in Coastal Connections.

Location: Coastal Connections Academy

I've been attending WACA since September, ITS GONE TO TRASH! THE TEACHERS DONT CARE, THEY JUST WANT THEIR MININUM WAGE! IT KEEPS REASIGNING LESSONS AFTER BEING COMPLETED AND WHEN THE SCHOOL THINKS THERE IS A ISSUE THEY BLAME THE STUDENTS! AND THEN I GET A F ON A PORTFOLIO BEACUSE I DIDNT INCLUDE SOMETHING THAT WAS NEVER ON THE LESSON LIKE WHAT THE HELL? NEVER SEND YOUR KIDS HERE 0/10

Location: Washington Connections Academy

My child was ignored or muted by teachers. Wasn't given the educational materials she needed. Her assigned laptop didnt work for 90% of the assignments and online textbooks. We gave them 100 days before giving up. The teachers are poor and uninvolved. I cannot speak to their materials because here we are in February, we enrolled last July, and we still dont even have all the books. Shame on you Connections. My bright 1st grade child has to be in remedial classes now, when she started the school year ahead and full of hope.

I enrolled my son in this school almost a year ago, I should have known and read the reviews before I actually went through with this. They pile work on top of work. My son is Special needs, his grade dropped from an B average to a low D. I'm very dissatisfied, and will be looking for other schools for my son. Also you will never have any type of time for yourself or family.

I have two students that were straight A and B students, Now they're failing because this school wont grade work on time and they do not Participate in anyway to help the students. My daughter was in Beta Club and now she is failing. I'm really considering placing them back in regular school. I'm starting to dislike this school. I forgot to mention how much hard work they give kindergarden students, its ridiculous My 3 children are suffering all because of these lazy $#*! teachers.

Don't waste your time! After getting all the enrollment paperwork done and sitting through a pre-enrollment meeting, for an hour, I got a phone call to let me know that my son would not be excepted this semester due to them not meeting the enrollment time. Then they proceeded to try and turn it around on me if this is how the school is run, I wouldn't want my child there anyhow. What a waste of time.So mad!

This school is horrible and unfortunately, I have been here since the 3rd grade (in 9th now) and I have always hated it. They give you way too much to do in one day, I remember they gave me 10 assignments in a single day which all took a decent amount of time to complete so I wound up finishing school at 7 PM giving me barely any time to do things that I want to do.

Location: Texas Connections Academy