Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School

I wanted to take a moment to recognize a true hidden gem: St. Nicholas. Our family has had the pleasure of having all three of our children attend this school. Our love for St. Nicholas began about eight years ago when we enrolled our twin daughters at 18 months old, and continued six years later when their little brother joined them.What makes St. Nicholas exceptional starts first and foremost with its community—staff, teachers, and parents alike. Every single person is genuinely invested in the well-being of each child. This isn’t just something that’s talked about; it’s something that’s consistently demonstrated.The second major strength is academics. Even at the young age of 18 months, the activities the children engage in are intentionally designed to help them learn and grow. I especially appreciate the early introduction and consistent use of phonics. This foundation has truly helped our children develop strong vocabularies and reading skills.Now, as parents of elementary-aged children, we continue to see the benefits of St. Nicholas’s thoughtful academic approach. I greatly appreciate that the school does not over-index on technology as the primary teaching tool. Instead, children are taught essential foundational skills—such as writing, researching, and using glossaries and dictionaries—and then later use technology as a companion, not a substitute. To me, this approach is critical in developing strong critical-thinking skills, which will serve them well throughout life.I also value the principal’s leadership, particularly when navigating challenging situations involving student conflicts. Rather than stepping in to resolve issues single-handedly, she partners closely with teachers and empowers them to guide the resolution process. This gives teachers ownership and reinforces a consistent, thoughtful approach to conflict resolution.To round this out with areas for growth, I do wish the school had more playground equipment for younger children, or a slightly larger campus that could accommodate bigger play spaces, such as a field—especially for after-school sports. I would also love to see the return of emotional intelligence courses that were offered a few years ago. Lastly, while I wish there were an easier way for parents to have visibility into homework, I also respect the balance St. Nicholas strikes as children get older—encouraging responsibility, accountability, and natural consequences as part of their learning journey.

There aren’t enough positive things I could say about being part of the community at Highland Hall! Having been at the school for three years, and having been a very active member of the schools parent community, I can say with full confidence that it is the complete staff and parent collaboration that makes the school so amazing. Both of my children are thriving in this environment, where the focus is not on technology, but in developing their creative skills in writing, mathematics, music, sports, and above all how to be wonderful humans with their fellow classmates and teachers. We see a dramatic difference from the students around the school in comparison to children who are at the same age group going to public school and for us there’s no comparison. This environment allows the students to thrive in ways we only hoped our children would experience. We truly have only wonderful things to say about our experience thus far in these last three years and will absolutely look forward to staying at Highland Hall for the remainder of their education.

I recently graduated this school, and I would not recommend it at all. If you are in the clique of people who fit in, schools great. You have great friends and your teachers love you and you can talk to them, but if you are an outsider, your years here will be heck. I happened to be one of the unpopular people, and it got a point where I would beg my mom to homeschool, or switch schools, and it severely impacted my mental health. All of my friends except one were fake, and they'd openly, purposefully exclude me and other people, and the outside people would constantly receive backhand compliments, and be told that we have to shrink our personality by teachers and students alike. If you were not an insider, many teachers would also treat you as less, and it was clear most of them had favorites, which seemed to be encouraged by the whole environment of the school. When Mr. Brough was confronted about this obvious favoritism, and clear verbal bullying, he'd dismiss it and at most, talk to the bullies. If the bullying wasn't physical, he wouldn't do anything, and couldn't care less. After you had talked about this bullying with him, or other staff of students, everyone made you feel like you were overreacting, or were stupid for feeling the way you were. I would definitely not send your children to this school but do your research.