Pacific Academy - Surrey, British Columbia

S Z (ST)

Having had my son at Pacific Academy for the last few years, I can confidently say that this school is a sanctuary for those who seek a traditional, faith-based education. While no institution is without its flaws, Pacific Academy offers a refreshing contrast to the current educational landscape in our area.

Academic Excellence with Moral Foundation: The curriculum emphasizes not only academic excellence but also instills strong moral values based on Christian teachings. In a world where many schools are pushing agendas that can be at odds with traditional family values, Pacific Academy remains focused on education that nurtures the whole person - mind, body, and spirit.

A Shield Against Modern Trends: The school does not partake in the so-called "woke" culture or the push towards multi-gender education that has become prevalent in local public schools. Here, the emphasis is on character development, respect for traditional values, and a clear sense of identity based on biblical principles.

Community and Belonging: The sense of community at Pacific Academy is palpable. There's a genuine fellowship among students, parents, and faculty, all united by a common faith and purpose. Events, chapel services, and community outreach programs further strengthen this bond, making it feel like an extended family.

Affordable Excellence: One cannot overlook the affordability of Pacific Academy. It stands as a testament to the idea that quality education rooted in faith doesn't have to break the bank. This commitment to accessibility is a blessing for families seeking a private education without the exorbitant costs often associated with it.

A Place of Prayer and Thanks: I am profoundly grateful for the protective hand of God over Pacific Academy. My prayers continue for the school's leadership, for the dedicated teachers and staff who pour their hearts into their work, and for the students who are the future of our community. I pray for wisdom, guidance, and protection for all involved, that this school may continue to be a light in an increasingly complex world.

In conclusion, Pacific Academy has been a true blessing to our family, providing not only education but also a moral compass for my son's life journey. Thank you, Pacific Academy, for your steadfast commitment to what truly matters.

Jeff Cheah

Read through all the negative reviews and felt compelled to give a 5 * just to balance things out.

I believe most people need relative context and exercise some manner of graciousness. Some points to note:

1. Price of daycare for my youngest daughter cost more than tuition here at PA. For the quality of the facilities and the staff required to operate K12, $600 a month for the first child is actually a pretty very competitive price point.

2. The school is subsidized by BC government which means they have to follow the BC curriculum. It is incumbent on the parents to arrange for anything above and beyond this, especially if your child struggles with learning disabilities—which is something we can totally empathize with.

3. Teachers are humans, and share the same limitations whether it’s a private or public. Just because it’s a Christian school doesn’t mean everyone walks around with a halo. We have had the pleasure of crossing paths with awesome principles and teachers who have dedicated their life to education and the well being of children.

Sofia Daulat

Have our two kids enrolled here and have had an incredible experience so far. Not only is it an enchanting place to attend school, learn and grow in your faith, but I really appreciate that they take a holistic approach to learning. In our experience, there has been an emphasis not only on academic performance, but also our kids mental health, and of course faith journey. We have come to love our lovely community at pacific academy!

Mia Anders

Pacific Academy is a great school for Christian parents to enroll their children into. Each division (PS, IS, MS, HS) is unique to the others which makes the child's experience at this school different from others in the area.

The primary school, PS, has many fun dress-up days and activities appropriate for their age.

The intermediate school, IS, makes and hands out boxes with many different items such as toys at Christmas to kids who might not have gotten anything for that holiday.

The middle school, MS, has 4 house teams. They all participate in different activities during the year, and whichever team has the most points at the end of the year gets to go to Playland! They also have weekly chapels with opportunities for the grade 7 and grade 8 to lead worship.

The high school, HS, has many different subjects for students to learn and has many resources for them to further enhance their knowledge. They also have the opportunity to go on an outreach team and go to countries like Rwanda and Costa Rica!

This Christ-centered school also has all-school chapels every once in a while where the entire school gathers in the auditorium to either celebrate an event or send off the outreach teams.

Overall, Pacific Academy is an amazing school to go to and despite a lot of the low-starred reviews, (they actually come from students who just don't like school in general) your kids won't be able to find another school like this where they can be very well educated and at the same time be able to talk about Christ in a safe environment. I highly recommend this school!

Alt Acc

I have connections with this school, and I will say without a doubt that there are much better schools out there, and below I will state a few reasons why. I will be using an alternate account as if I use the main school account they will likely suspend me for telling the truth.

Firstly, most of the staff does not care about how they are treating their students. Many of the staff is either sexist or straight up biased, and they will brush it off as nothing. Most of the teachers & staff are female, which means you can guess how the male students are treated. One such example is that one female teacher heard one of the students say: "what the" and said that it was quote on quote: "a swear term" and was offensive. She said it was a male who said it, so she let the females go in the class. She told us that whoever said it needed to go to the principles office immediately, and they would be in big trouble. However, as soon as a girl student confessed, this teacher decided to let her go without any consequences, not even scolding her.

Another such example of bias is mainly in the office. If a student is clearly in the wrong but the other student has a bad reputation, they will somehow turn the person in the right into the scapegoat. If a student is being harassed/bullied by the other student, and the teachers see it, then they will get sent to the office. However, the party in the wrong will lie, and the student with bad reputation will be blamed. This happened to me, and I was very much in the right because I was being physically harmed and none of the teachers cared, yet I still got in trouble.

Secondly, the school's prices for everything is just insane. From tuition to food, everything is always lacking something of effort or quality. The school does not provide sufficient learning environments for the price paid, around $600 per month. Cafeteria in the school has many options, however often made from low quality ingredients. Food is always overpriced, as a bag of fries, barely containing over 30, costs almost more than $3, and often being soggy or tasting terrible. The school also says that they are "preparing students for the future," however they are giving children with mental disabilities excessive care, and not preparing them for how they will be treated in the adult industry. I know that they need extra assistance, but not the amount of extra care they are getting. They are allowed to skip various different classes, and the school honestly does not care if they learn. They are also not required to study at all, and always get to skip exams and tests and they often give students who have no mental disabilities but rather difficulty speaking english, who can still read, the same opportunities of kids with disabilities. If a student transfers and they are struggling with english, they will be treated as if they do not know english at all, and they will be given opportunities to read Junior Kindergarten level books, not helping them at all.

Lastly, the environment of the school is just terrible, and the students are even worse. The school often has ant problems, and rarely ever do anything to help get rid of them. The ants are in almost 75% of all classrooms, and often come in numbers of over 500-600, sometimes even thousands just outside classroom doors. The students also often use vulgar language, and even though this is a "Christian" school, they students act as if they go to a public school. Often physically harming someone, or mentally harming them. One student almost became SUICIDAL on this note. They were bullied so bad yet the teachers never suspected anything. The students were too afraid to alert the teachers, as if they said one word to the teachers about the incident, they would from then on referred to as a "snitch" and would lose all friendships because this school and the students are often unforgiving. The students also often refer to EXTREMELY inappropriate terms, and will make the dirtiest of jokes. I will continue the review below (possibly on another alternate account)

Caleb Ge

It seems my review has gone rather infamous, rather than my flippant seventh grade mind would have seen coming, so I thought it's time I'd revised this. Digital footprint's tedious.

Pacific Academy is a great school with amazing teachers and education, but complaints and problematic aspects are extremely prevalent.

Certain members of the staff take the easiest way out, focusing on the worse part of a 2-sided argument and refusing to listen to different perspectives. They also refuse to listen to both sides of the story for the purpose of easier handling, neglecting to take the full picture and mindlessly punishing students despite not knowing what had happened. In cases where the office gets involved, the school prioritizes convenience over truth .There have been multiple scenarios of people leaving the school purely because of the poor staff. Essentially, the school creates an unsafe environment for bullying.

Furthermore, the school does not respect the privacy of the students, in cases such as Hangouts, Instagram, TikTok, and Discord, where they spy on our conversations, as per the Code of Conduct. Keep in mind that PA is full of minors, yet they do not care about your privacy and constantly get in people's business, and can create unsafe environments for vulnerability.

The education is incredibly easy and the school does not advocate for diligence in majority of cases, simply allowing undeserving students to pass or get higher grades, undermining the work of those who actually go there.

There are issues with homophobia; objectification of female bodies; disregarding cases of intimate misconduct. These cases are incredibly frightening, but they provide little security or apprehension for such harmful occurrences. The school does, in fact, tackle issues with certain marginalization, but neglects others.

The authorities value autonomy over the students and enforces arbitrary rules for the sake of control rather than genuine interest of the students (the school will tell you otherwise). Extremely present in exploiting its community for the sake of personal image, and strongly opposing self-expression and non-traditional authenticity. For example, the school enforces stereotypical gender roles at the expense of personal happiness.

The thing this school has going for it is its vast environment and area of opportunity, fostering many different types of passion. It is extremely helpful in allowing a student to graduate and providing unforgettable experiences as well.

TL;DR
Pros:
Christ-centered (if you're into that)
Super friendly staff
Decent education opportunities

Cons:
SOME inexperienced staff (not all)
Allowed to check devices and personal info without consent
Allows themselves to spy on your social media platforms
Discrimination

Kristoffer Ong

Our time at Pacific Academy has been amazing! Our daughter has been there for 3 years, and we're so happy. The teachers are caring, and she's learning a lot. We love the school's focus on kindness and learning. It's a fantastic choice for families looking for a warm, friendly, and faith-based education!!

Shawna Nickel

Amazing, Christ-centred school. All three of our kids go here and it’s a total privilege. We’ve had multiple instances where the administration/staff have gone out of their way to make individual accommodations for our kids; you really get the sense that they care about kids as individuals and are invested in their success (one of our sons has autism and the level of support he receives from the school is incredible). Frequent, transparent communication with parents. High level of security (the entire campus is secured behind iron gates - like, every single courtyard and random access point) during the school day. It’s a really lovely community of families. I could go on and on 😊