There are no perfect schools as we are imperfect humans. However, SCDS is one where children are taught using various and fun methods, they are known by name to school leadership, there is general respect of teachers in all classrooms which translates to healthy behavior amongst kids and adults. I highly recommend.

I am a former student of this school. I really feel this school is not suited to be called a full school, at least not for middle school, their is no mandarin or drama, the art and music are for little kids and the Spanish and P.E. are not good. You don’t learn anything good in P. E., you just play games. In Spanish you just do worksheets, the teacher doesn’t even teach you! Also, during one of my years there, I only had one science lesson the whole year! SCDS is good for small children, but not for anything above 3rd grade. Please take this into consideration before enrolling your child.Mr. Steve and Mrs. Kathy, please read this.

Horrible School - I would never recommend any child to go there after the experience we had.- pretentious- racist- uses false agendas to raise money for revenue disguised as events- claims kids have learning issues when the lack teaching skills, patience, and are quick to give up..... Doesnt sound like teaching to me- after your money- does not pay attention to their students- held students back before assessing issues- not willing work with a student that does not understand- focuses on computers not fundamentals- makes students cry- makes faculty cry- expells a student then lies to school saying the student left to cover up wrong doing- asks for family members to give them money- bribery- lies- two faced- not interested in teachingTake this information how ever you want but I would not wish my worst enemies kid to go to this school

On February 12, 2019, I attended a meeting with Mr. Steve (the school headmaster) and my husband concerning our son’s behavior and to determine how to best support him. I am a Social Worker and my husband is a Marine Veteran. As concerned parents, we attempted to share our thoughts and concerns with Mr. Steve. Mr. Steve did not listen to us, instead he was rude, disrespectful and very unprofessional. Mr. Steve’s unfriendliness and lack of class escalated our meeting and increased our frustration. Mr. Steve behaved argumentative and confrontational. Our meeting was poorly handled and we did not see a genuine interest in what we had to say. I expected the headmaster at least to remain calm and pleasant, but he did not. We were not advocating letting my son off the hook or giving him additional chances. We were trying to figure out how to steer my son in the right direction since he seeks attention from his peers whether its positive or negative. I suggested getting a school counselor to help the kids connect through participation of a social skills group. Mr. Steve didnt even consider it and said there were no other kids except our son that would benefit from a social group. As a Social Worker, I’m a strong believer that the leaders of the schools should figure out and make it their job to help kids like my son thrive instead of alienating them further. Children who aren’t successful at fitting in begin to have self-esteem problems and their desire to go to school declines. Our son now has to receive therapy to help him cope with the feelings this school has stirred up inside him. We then attempted to address other issues with Mr. Steve. Such as: 1. Making the children of parents that dont donate their tax credit feel left out because they were not allowed to attend a party hosted by the headmaster. We had to explain we were a Veteran Family whose resources are limited and tax-free. We explained how hurt our children felt for not being allowed to attend a party their friends were going to. Its clear Mr. Steve is unaware of his insensitivity. 2. Special treatment of certain students during school elections & bribery. We asked why his child was the only one allowed to gift “homemade slime” to classmates, in return for their vote, while other students were told “gifting wasn’t allowed and would be considered bribery” by their own teacher! When we brought this up, Mr. Steve became very defensive and angry. He began to raise his voice and sat up in his chair in a confronting manner. It is unfortunate that Mr. Steve, and his wife, Mrs. Kathy, focus more on consequences than rewards. They are quick to point the finger and refuse to take on a positive approach. The way they interact with kids that don’t meet their “cookie cutter mold” places fear in them to the point that they don’t look forward to going to school and begin to dread it. At the end of our meeting, my husband placed a couple of pages on Mr. Steve’s desk, highlighting reviews of their school by other unhappy parents to help them see that these are serious concerns. Mr. Steve picked up the pages and tore them up in my husband’s face and proceeded to tossing them in trash can!! Never in my life have I witnessed this magnitude of unprofessionalism from someone that prides himself on his extensive experience in the field. Mr. Steve and his wife Kathy certainly don’t have the skills necessary to be working with children and their families.Update: since writing this review, Kathy is now taking it out on my son and has told him his behavior is ruining their schools reputation. Mr. Steve recently gathered the children on behavior plans and threatened to embarrass them in front of their classmates if they dont improve. He is now shaming my son and humiliating him by placing his desk at the center of the classroom! I came by 25 min early to speak to his teacher and was confronted by Mr Steve instead. He stood in front of Mrs Sandler in an authoritarian manner and blocked her. He refused to let me speak to her or even be present as we spoke. I am beyond frustrated!!!

I absolutely love everything about SCDS!! My experience has been nothing but top-notch since my daughter started First Grade this past school year. The class sizes are small and allows my daughter to get individual attention from her teacher regularly. I get weekly (and sometimes daily) emails from her teacher regarding progress and areas that may be of concern for us to focus on at home. The students are so well-behaved and friendly, it made the transition to a new school very smooth. The owners/princiapal, Kathy and Steve Prahcharov, are the most genuine and caring people that I have ever met. They truly care about the success and well-being of every child at Scottsdale Country Day and it shows in their personal initiatives they take every day to keep the children engaged, happy, and challenged! I personally love the entrepreneur program that grades 2-6 participate in every year to teach valuable business concepts that will help them be successful beyond what a typical public school can offer. I also love that my daughter switches classrooms for art, music, science, and reading so that she does not get bored being in the same classroom all day and even experiences a real science-lab setting! I recommend SCDS to all my friends and family!

I went to this school 9 years ago was alright. I threw up and the teacher got me

Outstanding school with excellent staff.