Stanwich

I have two children at The Long Ridge School, and it has been a wonderful experience for our family. The community of teachers and staff is warm, attentive, and deeply committed to nurturing and supporting the students, creating an educational environment that kids genuinely get excited about. From day one, my children have come home eager to talk about what they learned and what they experienced each day.The school and faculty are exceptionally communicative and truly partner with parents. Weekly updates from teachers outlining curriculum and classroom experiences provide transparency and meaningful insight into the day-to-day life of the school. Community events broaden the experience to the families as a whole.Everyone—from the faculty to the staff—is kind, thoughtful, and invested in the students. Long Ridge is a special place for children to grow and learn during their most formative years. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Mead has overcommitted and underdelivered with their Nexus program. My child's class had only one neurotypical child. The rest were students with autism and/or ADHD who were not getting the support they needed. There were regular behavior issues that the teachers were not trained to handle and many parents in the Nexus program complained about a lack of adequate support for their children. Some children never got the services they were promised, after parents paid an extra $20K for the program. Teachers are rigid about their teaching methodology, failing to provide basics like visuals and scaffolds for learning. The Mead way is that the child must advocate for what they need, but even when my child advocated, the teachers did the bare minimum to get the child through that assignment and did not change their approach with the child or develop strategies moving forward. Teachers regularly kick out half the class as a classroom management technique. Administration protects their teachers and get very defensive if you point out issues with how behavior is being managed. Students are able to take breaks and not get work done and the teachers won't tell you until the progress report comes out and you realize how behind your child actually is.

Whitby is a wonderful little school tucked away in backcountry with the most amazing faculty and staff. The school's campus is intentionally unassuming and most importantly, my children wake up excited to go there each day. The Montessori Children's House may be Whitby's crown jewel - from the moment my children enrolled (at around 2 years old) their worlds expanded, as they were offered control of choices that as parents we don't consistently have time to give them at home. From their toddler years and now on to pre-school and Kindergarten, I've had the joy of watching this independence grow. Our family is excited for Whitby's bright future and our children's place in it.