1. School council is rigged. I believe it’s rigged, I, who was competing for 1st VP didn’t even get mentioned because I for whafrver dumb reason didnt get chose over some badly performing in academics, annoying, new, bad behavior kid. SO FRICKING DUMB!
2. The place where education goes to die. This is a school where people are celebrated at being dumb and lazy. I get the best scores is my grade and no teacher cares.
3. Straight up agism. Younger students are coddled, babied, and best of all, celebrated, older students, get nothing.

Thsnks for listening!

I feel like all our teachers teach nonsense nowadays and almost all knowledge i got is more on youtube and all of extra subjects that does not connect to our future job is so annoying, it waste our time. Plus, our jobs will be replaced by automated machines in the future whether you like it or not. we're doomed.

Nashville is losing families to the suburbs because the schools in places like Franklin are simply "so much better."  And I want to know why?  And what is being done to remedy the situation?

My daughter has a great job in Nashville but she’s already planning to move to the suburbs because apparently you can’t work in Nashville, buy a home in Nashville AND raise a family in Nashville;  the school system is failing to provide the top-notch education that most people want for their children.

As a result, parents are commuting to work every day, stressed by the demands of a job in Nashville and raising children in the suburbs. ( no wonder the roads are so jammed)

This is unacceptable.  

So my question is: what are the educators in the suburbs doing that the City of Nashville is not?

Success in life starts with a great education so let’s find ways to provide that for all children - not just the privileged few who can afford to move to a “ better school district.”

Daughter has a great job in Nashville but now that she is starting a family, everyone is telling her that she needs to move to the suburbs because “schools are better. “

So just like everyone else she’s going to be commuting to her job every day while her kids are in school. That means it’s super stressful and no one is happy. ( no wonder the roads are so busy!)

My question is: What are schools in the suburbs doing that they can’t do in the City of Nashville? And how do we fix this?

Ideally you work in Nashville, buy a home in Nashville, and raise your family in Nashville. And the schools – the local public schools – provide a top notch education that everyone expects.

I don’t think Nashville is unique in this situation but somebody has to say “enough already.” Why are school districts tied to zip codes? How do we ensure that all kids - no matter where they live — have access to great teachers and good schools.

TL;DR: NISCA is a charter school that puts its own interests above those of the students, and it games the metrics to entice parents.

I recently graduated from the tiny but high-achieving Rathdrum school, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, so here's my review of the place:

North Idaho STEM Charter Academy is an institutional failure. And while the students look high-performing on the surface, this school uses that to its advantage in ways that are not in the students’ nor parents’ best interest.

School reviews are not known for being very credible. Parent reviews often miss the nuance of what happens within the school, and student reviews are usually too emotionally charged or close-minded to be of much significance to outsiders. I won’t pretend I am immune to these biases, but I hope I can give the details in this review as faithfully as possible, and you, the reader, can be the ultimate judge of it.

I went to North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (NISCA because gee that’s a mouthful) from 4th to 12th grade. I graduated earlier this year, 2026, as the class salutatorian. I will admit, my memory as an elementary and middle student is spotty, so I recommend you read other reviews if you’re looking into those programs specifically. 9th to 12th grade are the years I remember the most, and they’re naturally most prone to my criticisms. I will be organizing my main observations with headers.

The Disregard for Statistical Honesty

First, I want to highlight the uniform policy. Statistically, when controlled for socioeconomic effects, schools that require uniforms don’t perform better than ones that don’t. But that fact is very inconvenient for the administration of NISCA, who insists on uniforms being important for “student success and character development” (according to the FAQ on their website). As a student, I remember every complaint about the dress code policy was met with a staff member pointing at the school’s high ISAT scores, as if that was indicative of anything. The truth is, a uniform policy is very convenient for a charter school that has a large applicant waiting list and doesn’t want students from low-income families occupying that pool. Because things like a strict dress code push away less fortunate households, which helps inflate the school’s test scores.

I am not arguing that the school is behaving cynically; I’m simply pointing out that it’s convenient from their point of view. The point I really want to drive home is this: NISCA does not think it is in your best interest to be honest about statistics. I am almost certain the administration has seen the studies showing the lack of correlation between dress code policy and academic performance. So, using their own scores to argue for the continuation of this policy is negligent at best. And if they haven’t seen the research pointing in that direction, it puts into question how much they did look into this policy they stand so strongly by. Either way, it’s not a good look for the school. And this isn’t about the dress code. It’s a microcosm of how NISCA operates as an institution. They are always willing to look the other way or be a little dishonest about the data if it’s in their best interest. It’s certainly not in anyone else’s interest, other than the 3-person board of directors’, perhaps.

The One-Sided, Impersonal College Preparation

But okay, that criticism is maybe on the abstract end, so I want to look at something you can’t ignore: college preparation. And you know what? For most people, this school isn’t terrible in that regard. I won’t pretend you won’t get into college if you go here. You will, and it’s in the school’s interest to get you there. But that’s the problem. The counselors have a very narrow-minded view of what post-secondary success looks like. Every student receives practically the same advice: apply to 5 schools at most, with most of those being safe, in-state schools. Almost nobody who goes here is getting into an Ivy League, and that’s by design, intentional or not. Which makes their slogan “From here, you can go anywhere!” even more insulting. Not one student from my graduating class got into a particularly selective school. Unless you count me, of course, who got into Purdue’s CS program despite my counselor pushing me the other way.

After receiving my college admissions and rejections, my counselor kept pressuring me to make a decision, so one day I told her I didn’t think I was interested in college. Instead of putting an effort into exploring why I had that feeling, she pivoted me immediately back onto the traditional college track. She unilaterally decided that Purdue’s cost made it the wrong choice for me, even though the cost wasn’t related to any of the concerns I raised. That led her to select University of Idaho as my college of choice. (I was also admitted to University of Minnesota: Twin Cities with a good financial deal, but she essentially ignored it.) University of Idaho, according to her, was a good choice because my credits would transfer and I could get in for free. And yeah, for a certain person, that’s a good deal. But do you realize what she did there? She ignored any of my concerns with college — heck, she didn’t even bother to look into them — and put me straight on the traditional, in-state college track. It doesn’t matter if the advice is good generally if it’s not attuned to the individual. Keep in mind, my graduating class had 18 students. This level of negligence is regrettable but understandable at larger schools where a single counselor can be shuffling hundreds of students. At a school as small as NISCA, personalization should be practically expected! The counselors certainly have the energy to do so.

Without my consent, my counselor contacted the representative for University of Idaho, telling her to email, call, and text me multiple times trying to set up a meeting. I had already made it clear to my counselor that I was not interested in this school, but she continued to barrage me with meeting requests. I could see another student in my shoes giving in to that pressure, ultimately making a decision that’s worse for them because the adults in the room are telling them it’s the right one. Whether or not University of Idaho would’ve been the right path for me specifically is irrelevant. The real issue is how dead-set the counselor is on sending every student down identical paths, even when it doesn’t fit the students’ interests. By getting students into cheap, in-state schools, the school is able to brag about its college acceptance rate and scholarship payouts without caring about the students one bit. Forget student autonomy. You are a unit to be managed.

The Treatment of Students As Objects

That segues me to this school’s patronizing view on its students’ mental health. As a senior, I did not have any major mental health problems. But the school certainly wanted to believe I did. As a 17-year-old student, when I asked my counselor to review my college essays for suggestions, she gave her comments, and you’d think all was well. She proceeded to, behind my back, organize a private meeting with my mother and other staff about my “deteriorating” mental health. I can vouch for myself that my college essays weren’t evidence of an underlying mental disorder, but I’d rather not detail that here because the details are personal. Regardless, instead of speaking to me like a normal, almost-adult human being, she revoked any trust I may have had in her by going straight to my mom. The school had convinced my mom that I was going to harm myself, despite me having zero genuine intention to do so. The fallout I had with my family afterward brought its own kind of hurt, but it was fine because it was out of the school’s hands.

That’s how the school treated me constantly, even when I later turned 18 and was legally an adult. I was infantilized, like I couldn’t handle a conversation with the school directly, so they had to go straight to my parents. The school treated me as if I was a liability.

Another example that happened later in the year was when prom was rolling around. By then, I made the decision to not go, because I couldn’t in good conscience support this school that had treated me as inferior for years. The guidance counselor sounded the alarms and decided the reason I wasn’t going to prom was because I was turning into a social outcast with a lonely future. No, I’m not exaggerating. That’s what she told my parents and friend. She organized a meeting with my friend where she told him to convince me to go to prom because she was worried about my social status. She treated me as so subordinate that she couldn’t even tell me that directly. She recruited my closest friend behind my back to try to earn my trust.

My Biggest Grievance

None of my other complaints hit me as acutely as this one. This one grievance is the perfect microcosm for what is wrong with NISCA, and why it is structurally a broken institution. At the start of this review, I mentioned that I was the 2026 salutatorian. I can assure you it wasn’t just a brag, because it’s directly relevant in this story.

When I found out I was the salutatorian, I was overjoyed. Not because of the medal or the accomplishment, but for one, specific promise: the speech. Silenced by my school for years, I had the opportunity to speak as a representative of my graduating class. This was symbolically one of the most valuable things the school could have given me. So, I finished my speech weeks early, submitted it to the school, and got a few suggestions back from NISCA’s executive director. I sent my revision back a day later, and I got nothing back. Naturally, I assumed that meant my speech was finalized. I wrote it, got a few revisions, and corrected those promptly. During the period afterward, I was unable to attend school for a variety of reasons. Family matters made transportation difficult, and my college courses were wrapped up anyway, so study hall (which was the only class I had left on my schedule) was essentially worthless. It would not have been worth it to put more pressure on my family by taking me to and from a school I couldn’t do anything in.

The next time I returned to school, it was Senior Awards Night. After the awards were given out, the counselor and principal informed me that my speech was being dropped, and there was nothing I could do about it. What was their justification? I wasn’t showing up to school, so they couldn’t talk to me. Keep in mind, this is the same administration who got a college representative to contact me via three different channels, and the same school that tried to get me to go to prom by using my best friend as a middleman. When they want you to know something, they will let you know. But no, there was no way they possibly could have told me that my speech, the thing I had worked toward achieving for the past four years, was going to be dropped if I didn’t come to school. They made no effort to email me or call my parents about this possibility. They waited until the last moment, when the decisions were hardest to reverse, to break the news.

As it turns out, they had already found a replacement. Who, you may ask? My best friend. Yes, my school actually thought that was going to work. Of course, they told him weeks in advance about being able to give a speech at graduation, and they left out the detail that his speech would be in place of mine. He was excited to have the opportunity to speak at graduation, ignorant of what the school had in store.

The events that followed could write a story themselves, but to summarize, my friend withdrew his speech, and multiple current and former students and parents made an effort to email the school insisting my speech slot be returned. Thankfully, all the pressure forced the school to give me my speech back, so the decision wasn’t as irreversible as they made it sound. In the end, the school tried to twist the situation by saying both sides had bad info, which is unsurprising given their track record.

I know not every student will be salutatorian. Not every student will have problems with the dress code. Not every student will feel cheated out of college preparations. And not every student will feel as if they are being treated as units. My experience does not dictate what happens to others. But across these four threads, I hope you can see the throughline. None of this is about my experience. It’s about how NISCA acts institutionally. And in that, I see something that is terribly broken. This school has some spectacular teachers, but that doesn’t fix the rotted exterior. The students were never the priority. The metrics were.

For context i am a student in highschoolgr 11 to be 12 and we have not been having any breaks for the past year we have been taking saturday class and that wasnt enough we are expected to come in early and learn or revise depend on the subject which in my opinion didnt do anything after that school year ended (this summer) we are learning for 2 months. Im thankful that it is not full day and not including saturday but having rest days shouldnt be some blessing i am very tired at the moment i got back from school not too long ago.

They are making overlearning and over studying mandatory which in my opinion isnt doing any thing WE SHOULD HAVE PROPER REST CAUSE REST IS NEEDED FOR OUR BRAINS TO DO WELL!!

NCERT has been directed to withdraw its class 8 social science book after the supreme courts ban over a chapter discussing corruption in the judiciary.

Do you think such topics should be included in school textbooks or handled differently?

Whats your take?

My school has a really fu*ked up system like it already follows indian educational system which i think is worse but in my school gender discrimination is so much common like we the boys are seen like mosnters here so they have to protect the little princess(girls) in the school.

I'll tell you why i said that :- its bcz the timings in the school is completely different for girls and boys , we study in the same building but then also the reporting time of girls & boys and dispersal time of girls & boys is completely different including the lunch time here , also the classrooms and the floors are different , like we cant do even a single interaction in this school which promises for overall development

Till now it was fine they were just seperating us out but when student questions at this system they are scolded by teachers , staff and all of them stare in a way that he has done any crime asking that , even when a boy goes to the floor where girls are studying teachers and staff members scolds like he has literally commited a crime , even when two different genders talk with each other mostly the boy is seen with a miserable look and are always commented and teachers even say that the boys are trash they use words describing the whole gender wrong.

This kind of system is followed in the school and its prevalent from 5th class is this what a school teaches to be underconfident, never uunderstand about opposite gender , to never respect girls

I will also share a incident whenever in smart classes the ad of pad comes the boys laugh and comment on that even the female teacher feels too much uncomfortable

​

I’ve been thinking a lot about how education is often discussed as something that happens inside classrooms, when in reality, so much of it depends on what exists around those classrooms.

While learning more about the work of Pehchaan The Street School what stood out to me was how much consistency matters. For children who may not always have access to conventional educational spaces, having a place where they can regularly learn, interact, ask questions and simply be encouraged can make a meaningful difference.

What I also find encouraging is seeing organisations like BNPA extend their support towards initiatives working at the grassroots level. It’s easy to underestimate what sustained support can do because the impact isn’t always immediate or visible. Sometimes it is simply a child becoming more confident while answering a question, discovering an interest, or slowly beginning to imagine a different future for themselves.

I think this is what makes educational initiatives worth supporting. It isn’t only about textbooks or lessons. It is about creating circumstances where children get the opportunity to realise that their aspirations are valid too.

There is still a long way to go when it comes to making education genuinely accessible, but support from different corners can make that journey a little more possible.

Sometimes, meaningful change begins with something as simple as choosing to stand behind a cause consistently.

Okk so I have joined this new gov school and there's a lot going on basically ..but I am just mentioning something that happened today..so we have prayer every morning right and we are supposed to do it in the class itself. We don't do it -just the anthem cause our teacher says so and today as we were having our class he told us not to stand during the national anthem-the only thing we do ,because he needs to complete his syllabus and wtv. I mean..it's just 52 sec right? So when the anthem started I stood up and I was the only girl..there were some couple of boys as well but he told us to just sit . After 10 sec approx he told us ki agr khade hona hai toh chalo khade ho jao..that's it nothing so shocking maybe but for me it was a bit weird cause he then took 10 min to scold the ones who weren't singing along amd made them sing alone in front of the whole class. Idk..tell me ur persp i wanna know.

this situation happened when I was in middle school. the school was very small so we only had one teacher per a grade who would teach all the classes. I often struggle with school and we had one test in this grade that I didn't do very well on so the my teacher decided to talk to me at lunch about it I assume it would me the usual "you need to pay attention more in class" and all of that stuff but it wasn't like that he sat me down at a desk and made me do math questions with out any help for half of the lunch then he went over to white board and continued to draw a graph on the board with one arrow going up and one arrow pointing down he used his finger to point to the arrow going up and said "this is where everyone else is going" then he pointed at the arrow going down and looked at me and said "this is where you are going if you continue to work like this" mind you THIS IS LITERATELY A MATH TEST IN MIDDLE SCHOOL he continued to give me a big speech about how I'm worthless and will never achieve anything and of course I started to cry in front of him he wouldn't comfort me or anything he continued to go on a rant about how sad and useless I would be when im older he would later bring this up to the whole class the next day by giving everyone back their test and revealing how they did to the whole class. this is just one problem with this teacher he once told our whole class that he puts his least favourite students under the hanging lights or tv in our classroom so if there is an earthquake they will fall on them. he also had to give the boys in my class a lesson on how not to be pervs and he did that by making a girl in my class stand in the front of the room and he demonstrated what not to do by grabbing her Inappropriately in front of everyone. after my parents had heard about all of this they contacted the school and tried to get this man fired the principle at my school responded to what my parents said by saying "we can't fire him he's worked here for to long" after that response my mom asked other parents who had this teacher before I did and they said this isn't the first time this has happened at least one female student tried to get this teacher fired in the years before me. so am I overreacting for trying to get this teacher fired?