Eagle Reflections

Grand River Academy is small but mighty. The staff, teachers and therapists care about the boys and it is clear that they want to help their students be successful. Everyone is fully committed to the mission and values of the school. The campus is very pretty, the dorm rooms are basic but functional. Most of the teachers live right on campus, which helps when the boys need special attention and help. They have a wide variety of class options, particularly around their "intensive" sessions, which last 2 weeks and focus on a particular topic – this year my son took the class on the Henrietta Lacks case. They have planned trips abroad as part of the intensive sessions as well.

There are a lot of activities on the weekends to keep students occupied and they have a student center to hang out in as well. They are always trying new ways to engage the boys and keep things interesting. On the first day of school last year, they took each grade to a different adventure – kayaking, ropes course, etc.

My son has been there for 2.5 years and has grown tremendously. His grades have gone up and he is involved in clubs and sports. The small class size and the availability of the teachers keeps him on track (for the most part) and if he needs extra help, the teachers are more than willing to spend extra time with him. They encourage him and applaud his successes; they will get on his case if he needs that too. He was failing in the public school and I was at the end of my ability to help him. GRA staff and teachers stepped in and helped start him on a more positive path.

If you have a son who is struggling in the public school environment, has learning differences, or needs help getting into college, GRA is a great alternative. This isn't the fanciest boarding/college prep school and it is about an hour from the nearest large city (Cleveland), but they get the job done and I never had to worry about my son's welfare – I knew he was in good hands.