5 E Main St
New Salem, MA 01355

The school has some issues and as a student who goes here it takes the faculty a while to do anything for their students when they’re struggling, noted there are some decent teachers however there are also a few that aren’t so great , as for some letting their personal views slip into teachings and them grading you based of their own opinions and views because the assignment would depend on the persons. As for good things when it comes to students who need a little more help than others , and they offer decent help, however it took awhile personally for them to actually do something which is bad on their part because it shouldn’t take until the end of the school year for them to finally take action on IEP’s. As for other issues they don’t do well on vaping issues in the school and they decided to take away the gender-neutral bathroom to decrease the amount of vapers in school which is saying something on their end, not to mention there is still a large amount of students who vape in bathrooms and don’t get caught which affect students as a whole. The school isn’t all bad it can be a good experience yes there are ups and downs but to know there are some faculty who take it as more than just a job and actually teach instead of just handing out papers it’s a good experience some teachers will bond with there students which I personally deem as a good thing because that bond with students will get them to do their work and enjoy doing it , not all teachers and faculty are like throw but when they are it definitely is helpful. The school itself is seemingly trying to get better and there are nice faculty. Depending on who you are whether you be a student or teacher your opinions of the school are different i can’t say much from a teacher standpoint but from a students it also depends, some teachers would treat some students golden and others they would ignore , however that doesn’t seem to be a major issue anymore , I figured it should of been mentioned. That’s all I can really say from my own opinion, other people with have other opinions and views on Mahar whether it be good or bad, this is just mine. The school has definitely gotten better and they are there for their students and it used to be not as great before but Mahar has definitely gotten better over the years. Overall I’d say the school is about a 3/5

I just want to say that the reviews of this school that claim it's "too laid back" are really puzzling to me. Maybe the school has changed, because I don't find it lax at all... kids get appropriate (but not ridiculous) amounts of homework, the work is presented in a fun and enjoyable way, and kids are excited about learning. And they have recess, which is important (on a beautiful, well-equipped playground by the woods). They are encouraged to be kids but also to learn... and to CARE about their learning. Yes, they address some teachers and staff by their first names, so what? They respect them a great deal and what's more, there is actual caring, personal concern and affection in this school community, and kids ENJOY going to school. More likely, I think parents used to very traditional, rigid schooling models may just not be used to kids who are learning because they WANT to... if it looks like "fun" instead of "work" they are suspicious? Well, I am all for that apparently very novel concept that school and learning SHOULD be fun, not agony! This school accommodates many learning styles, not just the left-brain, sit-still-for-hours type. But they are learning!