Harvest Preparatory Academy is a charter school that opened in 1999 with an average enrollment of 700 students in kindergarten through 12th grades. The school works with students to help them succeed with a rigorous curriculum. Along with the basic subjects, the school also provides students with extra curricular activities, sports, and clubs for those that want to join. These include film production, drama, drawing, computer arts, chorus, band, football, soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, cheerleading, volleyball, physical education classes, yearbook, newspaper, student council, debate, science & technology, and community service. The school is very proud of the vocational programs they can offer which are automotive, agriculture, food service, and child care.

Parent reviews have gone downhill over the last of couple of years. A few years ago parents were very pleased with the teachers and curriculum offered. However, recently the school is focusing only on subjects in the AIMS series of tests. Science is only on the test for specific grades and history is not on the test at all. One parent complained that her child came home and stated the teacher explained that science and history were not going to be included in his curriculum and during an assembly students were told if they did not pass the AIMS exam they would not be invited back to the school for the next year. The school is being run more like a business and is not as caring as it once was therefore; students are not given the attention they need in many cases.

When looking at the percentage of students that passed or exceeded the AIMS series of tests, the school is not performing up to par with the state averages in some grades and subjects. 3rd graders were below the state in reading, writing, and math by at least 10%. 4th graders were also below state averages in reading, science, and math, but were 6% higher in writing. 5th graders did better with higher percentages in writing and math, but lower in reading. 6th graders did very well scoring higher in reading, writing, and math than the state averages. 7th graders scored lower in writing, but higher in reading and math than the average of students across the state. 8th graders scored lower in all subjects except math.

In order to graduate high school, 10th graders must pass the exam. The students at this school did not fair well with state averages with only 61% passing the exam in reading with the state at 78%, 30% in science with the state at 42%, 40% in writing with the state at 68%, and in math 37% with the state average at 60%.

With scores like these and the parent’s complaints, it would be in your best interest to thoroughly check out the school before enrolling your child in the school.

Harvest Preparatory Academy
350 E. 18th St.
Yuma, AZ 85364
928-782-2052
[google-map-sc]