Denver Academy

Both of my children attended Holly Ridge, and it has been the absolute worst experience we’ve had with a school. The principal lacks strong communication and leadership skills, and there seem to be little to no consequences for student behavior. Unfortunately, the assistant principal has been even more difficult to work with.This school would benefit greatly from stronger, more effective leadership. The current environment is disappointing and, at times, frustrating.The front office staff has been kind and helpful, but there has been a lot of turnover as there’s been someone new nearly every year for the past three years, which adds to the instability.Overall, I would not recommend this school. We are very eager to move our children elsewhere.

I went to this school from 1st to 4th grade, and I can confidently say that out of the many schools I have gone to throughout my entire life, this has been the best one. The attention that students receive from teachers is excellent, they dedicate time and effort into the activities they assign, and work adequately with each student according to their needs. They are also emotionally involved, being concerned about how the students feel about their school, friends, etc. The environment is safe, classrooms are clean, with many outdoor spaces to play. Bullying is also taken very seriously. In my own personal experience, I believe that this school played an important role in what values I consider important today. Teachers are helpful and attentive and ensure that parents know what their children were learning. I look back at my time in this school fondly. I would 100% recommend this school to anyone.

This school has been a fantastic place for our gifted child! The academics run at least one full year ahead, and the children are also grouped based on in-class assessments in core subjects, which has given our child an opportunity to learn with other kids who operate at the same pace. She is challenged, engaged, and most importantly, feels like a part of a community of like-minded learners. At her old school, she consistently complained of being bored and wanted to "stay home sick," or otherwise be excused from going as often as possible. Now, we have offer her emotional support for those days when she is genuinely too sick to attend! She hates missing out on what the class is learning, and loves all of her teachers. Her main classroom teacher has over ten years of teaching experience and really understands young gifted learners. Being a part of the school has also helped us learn how to support her intellectually, socially, and emotionally as we navigate the world of accelerated learning. I know that there were leadership issues before we started, but the interim director has been absolutely wonderful, and we regularly see the school founder and other school leadership at events and on campus. This marvelous gem of a school has been a gift to the community.

In our experience, the curriculum and overall rigor have not met expectations, and there is a lack of standards and oversight from the administration to ensure a strong academic foundation. While the student-teacher ratio looks appealing, it doesnt translate into a richer learning environment. Another issue that’s difficult to ignore is the level of turnover among lower elementary teachers. My child has 5 lead teachers in the 2.5 years she has been in lower elementary at MSD. We’ve also noticed a broader pattern of families choosing to leave in lower el, sometimes in the middle of the year. In our child’s current class, only about half of the students are expected to return next year, which clearly shows low satisfaction among families. Ultimately, we’ve made the decision to enroll our children elsewhere next year. I share all of this in the hope that the school’s leadership and Board take a close, thoughtful look at these trends and consider meaningful improvements, including holding current lower elementary administrators accountable for their shortcomings.