I think any situation where you have a business run by a club committee, rather than a sole business owner, will have politics and personalities.
My son did his PPL at RVAC a couple of years ago and I came away with a favourable impression. RVAC is big enough to be well-resourced and managed, but not so big that a student gets lost.
The CFI and CP had been around for a long time and were very capable and respected. They were also very approachable and seemed to show a lot of care, especially for younger students.
My son had training from four instructors at RVAC. One was excellent, two were very good and one was a dud. Probably above average for a GA school.
Interestingly, the best instructor was the youngest and least experienced. Maybe he had more energy. I think at any flying school it's a matter of finding the instructor that works best for you. A bigger flying school will get you more options in that regard.
Junior subsequently went on to a big university-based course, which was more structured, disciplined and professional. RVAC in contrast was a much friendlier and fun environment to fly.
The university-based course had a fleet of brand new Cessnas, compared to the 40 years old fleet at RVAC. The prices at RVAC were almost half the price and RVAC will hire their planes to students outside of training.