Our children have had an amazing year at CELA! They have thrived in academics, leadership and their confidence levels have increased dramatically. I have been very impressed with the teachers, the curriculum and atmosphere this year. My children have developed great cohesiveness with their classes, and they look forward to going to school each morning. The head of school has done a phenomenal job and has an outstanding reputation. I would highly recommend CELA.

I cannot begin to express the positive impact CELA has had on our sons lives. One of the many features of CELA is their chapel buddy program. Simply, it allows an older student to take a younger student and be apart of their week at school. Our son and his chapel buddy had a fantastic connection (they still do). When does a 14 year old and a 6 year old able to not only entertain each other but give the importance of true friendship, love and inclusion? As a father, I was proud to say I saw it first hand in many ways. Here is but 1 photo that sums it up so well.

We have found a great fit at CELA. CELA provides our middle school son the environment to continue his love for learning while providing opportunities to grow academically, personally and in his faith. The smaller class size allows one on one interaction with teachers in a small family like environment. Our middle school daughter has found CELA to be a refreshing restart. Her classmates have made her feel welcome right from the start, as if she was with them from the beginning. Finally, we have been blessed by the teachers and the staff at CELA. We manage a nut allergy and the entire staff has been supportive and they work with us to keep our child safe.

My son absolutely loves CELA and is so happy there. He came from a public school and there is no comparison to his old school and CELA. He is being challenged academically and all of the students are kind and respectful to eachother. The parents are very involved and are wonderful. The Christian values and leadership development he is learning is amazing.

This school is a great Christian school. The school is beautifully designed. All the teachers care and the curriculum is phenomenal. The amount of homework students get is just the right amount and the teachers give the students great opprutunitues to be leaders. I recommend to send your children here.

My sons experience at CELA has been quite positive. I have read some of the other reviews, and while I agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, some of the things said were a bit unChristian-like.I can only rate the middle school and its teachers since this is my youngest - but overall this was a good move for him. Coming from a public middle school, CELA is breath of fresh air. The teachers care, the other students are respectful and the administrators are always there to greet students and parents with a smile. Yes, there were some growing pains the first year, but this is a new school that was literally built from the ground up I think the administration has done a wonderful job of planning and preparing the teachers in advance and have addressed issues quickly as they arise.I know that some parents were disillusioned by the change in the Christian curriculum early on - they switched to a values based program versus strict Bible based - but we have found that teaching Christian values backed by the Bible has worked well for our son. The most important thing is that the students are respectful of the teachers (and their fellow students) so that learning can occur.Our main reason for switching was the lack of challenge and discipline at his former school. The CELA middle school teachers have presented a much higher level of learning and work hard to ensure that every child is working to his/her potential. I wont name teachers specifically, but there are several EXCELLENT teachers here that actually excited to teach! CELA has challenged my son and I believe he will be well prepared for a rigorous high school education.If you are looking for a Christian values based education that provides academic challenge and encourages leadership this might be a good option.

Currently, the youngest of our four children is in the 5K program at CELA, and she had the privilege of attending for her 4K year as well. Our three older children also attend CELA (and love it), but they attended 4K and 5K through a variety of public and private school settings; and, although our experience in those environments was good, the experience at CELA is truly unique. CELA’s youngest learners are challenged in a fun, age-appropriate way and develop as individuals in their academics and leadership abilities. The growth we have seen in our youngest daughter’s academics as well as in her confidence of who God has created her to be has been exciting to witness.

I have 2 grandchildren at CELA, and Im thrilled with the education theyre getting. The small class size is a great help to students who would otherwise be overwhelmed with noise and commotion. I love the way they teach leadership and mentoring. Each student is assigned an older student buddy, and the relationships Ive seen are amazing - the older kids learn by leading, and the younger kids feel valued and look forward to being a mentor. The technology will set students up for success in todays world. Ive been to several programs that are totally student led - the kids all learn how to speak on stage. Ive been so impressed with the headmaster, who seems to know every student and parent, and even knows which kids are my grandchildren! I also appreciate the Christian world view theyre learning, and the way God and the Bible are incorporated into every subject.

Our son is currently in 5th grade at CELA. He started there the first year it opened. We have nothing but good things to say about this school. Academically, our son is thriving and his attitude towards school has dramatically improved. The pace of teaching and breadth of learning is deeper than he was exposed to at his previous school without being a pressure cooker environment. Of course any brand new school is going to have kinks to work through, but in our opinion these were small issue problems that have been resolved or addressed quickly. We have met wonderful families are we are impressed by the Christian values our son has embraced seamlessly since attending CELA. I agree with other reviewers that you should not let one bad review taint your opinion of this school. The vast majority of families are extremely happy. I have never once written a google or yelp review before, but felt compelled to write one on behalf of CELA. If you are interested in seeking out other schools for your child, you should definitely check CELA out. Highly recommended.

Thank you CELA! The educational and Christian values foundations that you provide for your students shine through not only in the academics but in every aspect of your school. Every time I attend an event, I continue to be amazed. Your staff is exceptional! Everyone goes above and beyond to work towards the success of your students.My two grandchildren attend CELA and I have seen the benefits that the schools vision to learn, lead and excel has had on their lives. So often you hear the words, but you dont see them put into action. I have helped my grandchildren with their homework and am impressed at the strong academic curriculum. I have been to a morning chapel and have seen how Mr. Hays brought scripture to life in a way that reached all the students from the very youngest to the very oldest -so inspirational. It was amazing to see the students not only perform at the Christmas concert but also handle some of the technology at the concert. The play last year was spectacular- to involve the entire school was indicative of the inclusive atmosphere of the school. I was in public education for 37 years and couldnt be more pleased with my grandchildren’s education. You have achieved so much in such a short time. Thank you for all you are doing to provide children with the skills they need to be successful in their future.

We absolutely LOVE CELA. Our daughter participated in both 4K & 5K there before we moved out of state. More important than the beautiful campus is the quality of the education, the leadership skills and christian relationship values that are instilled. The size of the school allows for personalized education and feeling of family between the teachers, students, parents and faculty. Our daughter not only learned to read independently in 4K, but also to be a good friend and to seek out responsibility. We couldnt have been happier with our experience there and wish everyone at CELA all the best!We will miss you all dearly.Kristina Winterfeldt

I never write reviews, but I feel compelled to write this one, for a school that has been so wonderful for our family. My kids are thriving academically, spiritually, mentally and socially at CELA (Christian Education Leadership Academy) They are able to thrive in this environment because the top notch teachers and administrators are intentional and conscientious in tailoring the education to each childs needs, teaching and leading by example Biblical principles that will guide our kids decisions for life, and providing many opportunities for our kids to develop leadership skills and service to our community and other missions around the world. I truly couldnt ask for a better vision and model for our childrens education!!! Beyond that, the parents are great and the kids at CELA are truly kind, good kids...CELA is becoming a big family ...and we know we are sending our kids into a joyful environment every day! As expected with any new endeavor, CELA has had a few wrinkles to iron out in its first two years of operation, but we have seen them all unfold into an incredibly strong program that our children have only benefited from. I would encourage anyone looking at CELA to go visit, meet with the staff, and find out for yourselves what a truly wonderful school CELA is.

Beware, they use Gods name if its in their favor . What was the real reason The original Director left just months into the school year, why did academic director leave before the year ended also. Did God tell his followers if your not in the top 80% of the Cela class that you cant come back ? We were promised rock star teachers a term that came from them and they were far from that. The concept of this School was a great Idea until they changed the website and paperwork that took away God 1st. Dont take my word for it, look for the facts . My child was not invited back because they said my child struggled academically so went to a public school this school year and he made the honor roll . Thats a fact . Also the lie about enrollment . A school that says they follow God should not lie about putting deposits down because their is a waiting list . its not true as they are offering 500 to existing parents for referrals . If they dont want to Make God first, sell the school or change the Front boulder that is in front of the school .

I personally find it hard to believe that Brian Nahey would say he has no interest in helping any less fortunate children when CELA funds student scholarships and Mr. Nahey personally funds an ongoing Founding Family Scholarship for all current & future students. A great number of families (including our own) would be financially unable to have their children attend CELA were it not for his generosity.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21I spoke with CELA administration regarding accreditation. They are on schedule for accreditation within its first two years. Most private schools take 3-5 years.

Poor learning environment. The mascot is also quite a sketchy guy. He always seems to find his way into the bathroom while I’m in there. My son was bullied by some child named Jacob for not being good enough at Yu-Gi-Oh.

Dont let the beautiful facade or the nice front office staff fool you. This school talks a good game, but doesnt walk the walk. The head master is uncaring, uncharismatic, demeaning, condescending and quite rude. He truly does not care about the well being or personal development of the students. The environment is sterile, unfriendly, fake and self righteous. The older students talk about how much they hate it and beg their parents to leave, but their parents are rich and think it is a good education because it costs $$$.True, the class size is small . Ask yourself: why small class size? BECAUSE SMART, WELL INFORMED PARENTS DONT and SHOULD NOT SEND THEIR KIDS TO CELA. The teachers are more like tutors, just rushing through lessons to accomplish tasks. Ask yourself: why arent real degreed and experienced teachers working there? Why the staff turnover??? The curriculum is in a constant state of flux. The specials teachers are great, but homeroom is an entire different story. Our teacher is so rude and clueless, but I wont even comment on that nightmare of an educator in this review.The students are definitely odd...lack of social conscious, rude,and very self absorbed...it is like visiting the island of misfit toys. The parents are genuinely uninvolved, disinterested, socially awkward, uncaring, and snobby. Gym class and athletics are a joke...beautiful facilities but no abilities. The older grades are basically all girls. The 7th grade class is 22 girls and 1 boy (the head masters son!!!) Full disclosure: there are some nice people there, but those are far and few in between.We have seldom witnessed any Christian values from the administration, the parents or the students. SOOOO many students have left, some just recently with only a few weeks left in the school year. SOOOO much bullying; way more than most public schools. SOOOO much unhappiness and negative energy at this school. There is no sense of community, family, or meaningful friendship. The place is absolutely devoid of school pride.Drive by and admire the beautiful facility with the horrendous and poorly designed traffic flow. BUT RUN FAR, FAR away from enrolling your beloved children there!!!!This has seriously been such a bad investment in my childrens future. We are finishing the year strong but cant wait to get the heck out of there!!!!!Go ahead and take a personalized tour. Awe in the attention to detail about physical things, listen to the founders crazy speech, and think to yourself how can something so beautiful and so expensive can be so terrible. It is beyond comprehension! Lots of bad reviews, a persistent and increasingly bad reputation in the community, lack of new enrollment and lots of families not renewing for next year. This is just bad and so very sad all the way around.Be smart. Dont enroll or reenroll at CELA!