SASEAS is comprised of two campuses: one for K through five grades and the other for grades six through eight. With 600 students and 60 teachers, the student-teacher ratio is about 19:1 and classes are composed of 24 students on average.
Fully accredited by the Ohio State Education Department and its Catholic equivalent, the school also offers preschool and before and after school options.
According to the school's website, it is "devoted to a Catholic education." Students perform well above the national average in a standardized test that compares students with others in their grade levels.
The curriculum at SASEAS includes religion, language arts, math, science, social studies, art, physical ed, music, technology and Spanish.
Milford Success Academy was implemented in the 2000-01 school year and funded by an Ohio Alternative Education Grant in partnership with the Milford School District. It serves at-risk students from Milford Junior and Senior High Schools. The object to help them succeed academically and graduate from high school.
Serving only 20 students at a time, the school has a very low rate of recidivism, according to the school's website. The school offers students time to catch up on missed work, as well as the opportunity to recoup lost class time.
Recently, the school has added new class selections that focus on career development and community service. In addition, students who have jobs are allowed to leave school early.
Milford Christian Academy (MCA) is a participating agency for home schooling. The school provides forms for parents, as well as a link to the Home School Legal Defense Association's Curriculum Market, which sells materials for home schooling.
The website provides a notification letter, a state evaluation form, a home school transcription form, a home school curriculum form (which is blank) and a notification and evaluation only enrollment application.
Montessori Schools are known for their excellence, and there are more than a dozen located in the Milford area (Cincinnati, 12 miles away). However, be careful when looking at these schools; the word Montessori is not patented, so anyone can use it. The American Montessori Society features a list of schools on its website.
A good Montessori school will have Montessori-trained teachers, in addition to an administrator whose job is to chart each student's progress. Montessori Schools implement a mixed-age classroom, individual choice of study, and uninterrupted concentration. The aim of a Montessori School is to aid students to "learn to make intelligent choices and to carry out research in a prepared environment."
Montessori Schools often have long waiting lists, so plan ahead if you are interested in enrolling your child.
Cincinnati hosts a Waldorf School, an independent school "promoting academic excellence, artist expression, and critical thinking skills...with head, heart and hands" for infants to eighth graders.
The visual, sensory, holistic teaching approach of the Waldorf School "eliminates the need for competitive testing, academic placement, and behavioristic rewards to motivate learning," according to the "Why Waldorf Works" website. Teachers attempt to help pupils achieve her best, become enthusiasm about learning, and "find inner meaning in their lives."
Waiting lists for Waldorf Schools can be long, so plan ahead.