Forest Trail Academy Reviews 199

I can not praise FTA enough. They saved my child. The school is rigorous, but not to the point of frustration for the student. It is an excellent school with high standards. If you are afraid to taking that leap into online school like I was, I would say do not worry and go for it. At first your child will need time for the transition from traditional school practices and routines, but this happens in a short time frame. This is my child's 6th year and he will graduate in a few weeks. I have seen reviews that say that FTA diplomas are not recognized. This is false. My child has recently been accepted into a top university and I have no doubt that he will be fully prepared thanks to FTA.

Sincerely,

Proud FTA parent and Educator not affiliated with FTA

I had high hopes when enrolling in Forest Trail Academy for my 11th grade year, however they were not reached. While the classes and curriculum were decent, the Administrative Offices and Student Services were terrible. Once I finished all my classes I was given the wrong information twice about how to obtain my transcript. Despite telling them on two separate occasions that I was not a graduate, Student Services insisted I fill out "Graduate Forms" to obtain my transcripts. Once I did this, I had to wait an entire week before receiving a response that I had filled out the wrong forms and I needed to do something else. I was also told I needed to submit a withdrawal form, 3 days before my student account expired. On top of all of this, Forest Trail Academy sends emails and closes the ticket so you cannot respond to their emails. Since correcting their mistake, I have requested transcripts from Parchment where it has been five whole days without a response from Forest Trail. Additionally, I have called the school multiple times and they always seem to be "busy". I feel as if my questions and calls were always answered when I was initially inquiring about the school, but now that I am leaving I am a low priority. On another note, Forest Trail Academy charges for every inconvenience and fee. I was told that I needed to pay if I wanted to keep my student account open and I needed to pay to obtain my transcripts. Additionally, I had to reach out to Forest Trail about every little detail of my academic interests. I was enrolled in an Advanced Placement (AP) class and I was not given any direction as to registering for the final exam. I had to reach out to my teacher who redirected me to student services when she did not know what to do. I find it surprising that an AP teacher would not know how to register for a test that most students in her class would've taken. While Forest Trail told me I would have a counselor, I have never met her because she doesn't exist. They think that replacing a school counselor with student services is an acceptable replacement. But they are extremely wrong. Many different people work in student services and there is no continuity of who is responding to your emails. For example, I sent them an email regarding leaving the school and two different workers sent me a response that contradicted each other. Forest Trail is definitely not the type of school I would recommend to anyone due to their terrible customer service. Now onto the decent classes. My classes are Forest Trail were not engaging, interesting, or informative. I was given no feedback from teachers when I needed it most. Additionally, I received more emails about my physics teachers vacation and cancelled office hours, than I did receive her support in the class. While the academics were subpar, a few teachers caught my eye and made me feel supported. These teachers are were my Health and Precalculus teachers. If Forest Trail would ever like to reach out I can go more in depth of the support they provided. Forest Trail should invest in finding more teachers like them rather than the other ones I had. Going along with the classes, there was always several links or labs that were outdated and did not work. It was very obvious that teachers copy material from the internet and use other resources in an attempt to "teach" us. Overall, my experience at this school has been less than decent and I am extremely excited to be leaving.

I was waiting for my documents to upload into the system and decided to use chat so that I could continue to work. I really dislike contacting customer service because it is a joke and hard to get a resolution. Boy, I was wrong with this chat experience. Anne took ownership of my issues and helped to resolve my concern with ease. I really appreciate how effortless she made the resolution seem. Thank you, Anne. I truly appreciate you for your help with a working mother and getting resolution right away. You really made my week. I can't thank you enough. many blessings. JC

My daughter went there for 8th grade. The course material was ok (not outstanding). Marcus in the office insisted I didn't have to notify my county (Va.) because FTA is accredited, but he evidently didn't know at the time that just because they have Cognia accreditation, many schools do not recognize it and require notice of intent to homeschool. I think most of my daughter's teachers tried to do a good job. I just felt less than satisfied with the quality of teaching and switched my daughter to Whitmore High School, which has very good course content and the feedback is more personalized.

Amazing school! Love the teachers and all the work.

Forest Trail Academy is the best online school I've ever seen! My son Michael is currently finishing 5th grade and we plan to continue studying at this school further. We are Israelis, so English is a foreign language for my son. My son goes to a regular Israeli school and is additionally studying at the FTA. However, even the most difficult subject for him - Language Arts - lends itself very well to study. The curriculum for all courses, including Math, Social Studies and Science, is very rich and interesting for the student. A very large amount of information on all courses is ideally combined with an excellent, interesting and accessible presentation for the child. My son received a lot of knowledge, and at the same time experienced great pleasure in performing experiments and making various crafts and presentations. I would like to note the very high professionalism of all teachers, especially Ms. Emeline Briley and Ms. Amanda Swan. These teachers are truly dedicated to their work, and have a professional, individual approach to the needs of each student. The school website has a very simple interface that is understandable for both students and their parents. When there are minor problems (for example, a link does not work), then the FTA staff fix it very quickly. I hope that in the future, online video lessons with the participation of teachers and students (at least partially, 1-2 lessons per week) will be added to the curriculum for greater immersion of the child in the learning environment. Thank you very much, Forest Trail Academy, for the excellent teaching of my son!

I entered both my children for the year 2020-21. We were new to homeschool and come from an extremely small rural school. It was a bit of a learning curve but I loved the structure of the school. Everything was right there, laid out, easy to follow. We were in 5th and 7th grades. The coarse work was very good especially for online. The teachers always responded very quickly to any questions. Math was somewhat difficult and needed a more hands on approach as a parent, and having to take up more of a role as a teacher also, but we got through it. My kids loved the science curriculum, and even had little experiments to do like in school. Online school can always be lacking in the hands-on aspect of in person school but I think this is school is very good, and the students are definitely learning. The self paced work is awesome and doesn't put a time constraint on it. We are re-enrolling for the next year.

I tried to speak with them about enrollment I’ve chat and they said the art/music were not included. I was confused because it shows on the online course 5th grade summary that it is so I called them. When I called them they said the same thing as the chat and that online is incorrect. Well don’t you think you should fix the online information? I ended up narrowing my choices down to Bridgeway and Ignite Learning Academy.

Update: they called me and have now changed their website to match what they actually offer.

During 2020 amid the thick of COVID-19, we made the decision to enroll our daughter in Forest Trail Academy's online high school programme.

Thus far it has been a very fulfilling experience for her. Being able to work from home at her own pace has really helped her to become the type of student we knew that she could be. Her grades are markedly improved and her level of interest and determination is at an all-time high.

Prior to FTA, she hated most aspects of school . Being highly anxious didn't help either. She used to be physically present at school but otherwise absent. Her grades reflected that state of being.

At the end of last semester, with FTA, we asked what were her take aways from this experience. She indicated that she surprised herself by how much she could accomplish. She also indicated that her advice to herself would be to keep trying- knowing that her efforts would be rewarded.

We are so thankful that she is an avid participant in her own success and is empowered to do her best.

Special thanks to FTA and their teachers for continuing to provide these profound opportunities to students all over the world.

My son attended Forest Trail Academy online for 7th and half of 8th grade. Overall we were very happy with our experience and have recommended it to others. We felt communication from the teachers and school was excellent. The tuition was fair. The workload was challenging, but not overwhelming. I thought the English coursework and teacher were excellent. The Science and Social Studies classes were good for an online curriculum. Math was challenging in 7th grade, but dropped down quite a bit in 8th grade. I would highly recommend a review of that course because it took a good step back. Otherwise it's a great school and I highly recommend. We would return without hesitation.

What a joke of a school! They are irrelevant in the learning process! Be careful before you put your child here!!

What I love most above Forest Trail Academy is its curriculum allows students to cultivate knowledge beyond the curriculum itself. For example, my oldest daughter, at one point, had to do course work related to drawing graphs for math and social studies classes. Together, we dove into utilizing Microsoft Excel to build tables in excel and then have excel create the graphs for her using scatter charts. She could've settled for drawing the graphs on a sheet of paper and scanning them, but instead, we partnered together, and she learned how to do the same work through automation. In short, she learned to work smarter and not harder. She was able to complete her work while simultaneously learning to use one of the most daunting and ubiquitous computer programs available, Microsoft Excel.

She consistently has had to use Microsoft Word for her Language Arts projects. One of the great features of Microsoft Word is that it has a built in references tool that auto formats referencs for the author based on the citation method required, in this case MLA. By utilizing the reference tool, and some of the other tools within word, she has, again, learned to work smarter and not harder while, simultaneously, abiding by the school's plagarism policy.

If she was in a traditional school setting, she wouldn't be learning how to utilize Microsoft Excel to do basic math functions or how to utilize the tools within Microsoft Word to organize her work and produce a quality finished products. While understanding macro economics is important, or figuring out that the meaning of life can be solved with y=mx+b, understanding how to use computer tools will serve her better into her future and make her a better candidate for potential colleges and jobs than merely completing school itself.

The second most impressive thing about the Forest Trail curriculum is that my 7th grader is being introduced to a collegiate approach to academic research. She is required to use MLA format for her homework assignments, to cite her sources, and how to read books critically. These skills will help her become a better critical thinking and assist her as she transitions into post-secondary education. In my recollection, attending a traditional in-class public school, I don't recall learning these skills in high school, let alone in a middle school curiculum. I learned them once I got into my post-secondary education. Learning these skills now will position her to be able to achieve better success in her post-secondary pursuits.

I will concur with some other reviewers, the portal used is a bit dated. It looks similar to what Blackboard was doing about 15 years ago. The school would do well to invest some funds into a mainframe overhaul of their student/parent portal, or maybe even partner with a company like Blackboard. Despite the technological deficits, they do have a great tools that allow their teachers to interact with students in online office hours, and the teachers have been excellent at helping my two children get the one-on-one tutoring they need to receive very high marks in all subjects.

My child wanted to do distance learning for her junior year while we were moving to a new state. We liked Forest Trail Academy so much, she will complete her senior year there this year!

As a parent, I appreciate FTA's project-based approach to learning. The lessons build upon each other throughout the school year in meaningful ways. My child has learned so much more than she did in public school by learning how to do research from trusted sources, how to spot key information and patterns, and how to apply and explain what she has learned in thought-provoking assignments. She has learned HOW to learn from Forest Trail Academy; she's not just memorizing dates and learning enough to do well on standardized tests.

The materials are well-organized in the learning portal, and it's easy for me to see exactly how my child is doing in each class. The teachers and administrators are responsive, encouraging, and helpful.

I see a successful college student and adult emerging in my child. The study habits and time-management skills needed for school work with Forest Trail Academy will benefit my child for years to come.

Great school!

greatest school ever would recommend to anyone

Thank you, FTA (Forest Trail Academy) for the amazing changes I have seen in my child. My son is autistic and had nothing but problems in our county's public school system. No one wanted to take the time he needed to learn. He was on medicine for stomach problems and he came home with constant headaches. After several heated discussions with the school's principal and picking him up from school with him in tears every day I had to make a change.
I began researching homeschooling. My area does offer free homeschooling however, you still have to work on the teacher's timeline and keep up with the class. This was one of the reasons we wanted to leave public school so that would not work. Long story short we thankfully found FTA. We began 5th-grade homeschooling through FTA. I could tell the whole story but I'll make it short. It's three years later, he is finishing 7th grade with FTA as we speak. He has improved so much that he is off of ALL his medicine!
The classes are very easy to follow and the teachers are always just a message or email away. I have not had one problem with any of the teachers. They all are very accommodating. We began the first year doing a lesson in each subject a day, the next year we tried 2 subjects a day, this year we have found doing one subject at a time works great for him and he retains more. This is one example of how you can gear the entire school year into what works best for you and your child. We could take breaks when he needed them. If he was having a bad day and we had to take that day off it was no problem at all.
They are accredited. You can't go wrong with FTA.

My daughter did high school with your online school. The best thing I've ever done is enrolling her in Forest Trail Academy. Your strong curriculum helped her develop critical thinking skills, thinking outside of the box, and a strong work ethic. The first month was tough but once she got used to it, she really enjoyed all the writing and research. My husband and I am a firm believer in strong academics and also we believe in that regardless of how hard things can be, with hard work you can achieve anything. Furthermore, your staff and your teachers were always helpful. Any request I made or any question I had was addressed within 24 hours or less. I never once doubted to have her and my special need son enrolled in your school. As my daughter is preparing to go to university, I know she will have an easy transition. Thank you, Forest Trail Academy.

Sincerely,

Tunde B.

Absolutely the worst online school you could ever enroll your child in. The web portal and all facets of it look as if it were designed by a 5 year old. They are always expierencing issues with it and it’s never their fault. Uploading a document is like trying to get your drivers license for the first time, a royal pain in the a** and you have to upload 40-130 assignments per class per year so take that into consideration before you waste your money on this terrible program.

Best decision we've ever made! 6 years so far with FTA!

I have attended Forest Trail Academy for four school years (9th - 12th grade). Now, as a near-graduate, I would like to say that I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to be a part of this excellent school.

In terms of the curriculum, it is rigorous and diverse. There are plentiful unique electives (Television Production, Astronomy, and Sociology being among my most favorite), and strong core courses. There were plentiful opportunities for me to check/test my knowledge through essays, worksheets, fun projects, and multiple choice assessments. Though this may be a personal preference, I would like to note that I really like the emphasis FTA places on written assignments. I noticed that it enables me to store what I learned better, and allows me to expand on that knowledge through research, especially in essay assignments. Research is also required in many assignments, which allowed me to learn more deeply about a given topic.

In regards to the teachers and staff, I have had nothing but good experiences with them. They were friendly, prompt, and helpful. If I had trouble understanding a topic within a course or just wanted to discuss a subtopic that interested me in a lesson, my teachers responded quickly and always helped me. They held regular office hours throughout the week, usually three times a week, but were available via the Message Center all throughout the week. My teachers, in addition, also gave me positive, helpful feedback on my turned-in work. Sometimes, especially in science and history, my teachers would, along with work feedback, add fun facts about the subject we covered! I was always learning.

The staff was also always helping me, and encouraging me to do the best I could. Specifically, Ms. Ledy Scott, Forest Trail's guidance counselor, went above and beyond always. She connected me with FTA's director, Dr. Gifty Chung, so I was able to interview her for an article. She also guided me to the best courses and clubs to join.

Some additional notes I would like to mention for anyone who is considering this school, most especially if they are first-time online/homeschoolers. Keep in mind that, even with the great teacher and staff support, students will have to learn to manage their schedules and turn-ins. While it may be difficult for those new to online/homeschooling, it is very beneficial to students in the long run. Personally acquiring such a skill has helped me in managing deadlines and work in my own job as a writer. In addition, students will develop research, writing, and citation skills due to the amount of writing required across all courses. This may come off as overwhelming at first, as it did to me, but I got used to it within my first month in FTA. I found these skills an incredible asset to my learning, too.

All in all, Forest Trail was a great school! I'm glad to have taken my high school through it!