5 Hays St
Rural Ridge, PA 15075

I love my school it's a great learning environment With a strong bit not harsh rules. Very good Teachers I love mine and I would never go anywhere else

The main problem I have is the people that attend the school are very, very cliquey. It’s so bad to the point where you are in a clique, or you’re not. They range from the 80-person boy clique spanning multiple grades to the small, intermediate 4–6-person girls’ clique. Most of the time, people do not even acknowledge other people outside of their clique. This makes making new friends INCREDIBLY difficult. This also leads to a lot of loneliness in the school because if you are in a small clique, you probably don’t have any friends in any classes. When teachers say to pair up, they almost always either have to assign groups or let students work alone.Another thing is the majority of students are coming from the district middle school, Dorseyville (DMS). DMS did not prepare students enough for the transition. The first week of FCAHS was incredibly stressful because of DMS. The literal first day, I had more homework assigned to me—which was due the next day—than my entire 8th grade at DMS. I am not kidding. This caused an unbelievable amount of stress and anxiety. This work could not be done at school or in class; it had to be done at home. Going from DMS, where I had a friend in every class, to not a single one in any of them was a major transition. The lunch periods, where the majority of your grade is split into different lunches, were way too sudden and severe. I went from being a straight-A student, never studying before in my life, to now, on the first day, being told to study nightly!?! A straight-A student had never been required, or even really recommended, to take any notes at DMS, and now I had to in order to just pass. The course difficulty almost quadruples, and it is just too severe.This right here is most likely the most important part of the review: course options available. The number of electives they have is absolutely insane and incredible. Ranging from dedicated business classes to dedicated video production classes, every interest is met. There are over 70 electives to choose from, offering the perfect opportunities for students.Final thoughts: Fox Chapel is an award-winning, nationally recognized high school that is considered one of the top in the state. However, it is deceiving and is very stressful with the academic pressure and the lack of preparation. If you only care about providing your child with the best education, I would strongly consider Fox Chapel.

My two children transferred to Hartwood from Arlington, VA. Far and away Hartwood has been a fantastic decision. Of course some of the teachers are better than others, but I must say, we have yet to have a bad experience. The teachers, support staff, and leadership are amazing overall. The school really does have the feel of a small community while utilizing state of the art teaching means and methods for children on the spectrum. Five stars.