Hilburn Academy

My wife and I are retired and our grandchildren have been attending Lynn Road (LRES) for a total of 11 years so far. We volunteer several days a week because we enjoy being a part of the positive and supportive atmosphere at LRES. We tutor math and reading, monitor programs for advanced students, assist students in the library, help with the annual Student Talent Show and the annual Musical Play, and enjoy beautifying the campus with flowers and bushes. The teachers and staff are top notch and truly care about each child and it definitely shows! But the biggest asset is the active PTA and parent involvement. We know most of the parents as well as the kids because of their participation. LRES is truly like one big family. I know there are a lot of other public and private schools in Raleigh, but I guarantee you won’t find a better one than LRES!

I can’t speak to the rest of the school but beware if your child is on special education. The administration treats the teachers like dogs. At the end of 23-24, the entire CCR and self-contained teams left and so far this year as of mid-October 2024, 4 of the 6 CCR and self-contained teachers have quit, so students will not be receiving the support they are legally required to receive. The admin will tell you it was the teachers, but that is not true. A new principal was just announced, so I hope she is able to turn it around, but be aware and ask questions if your child is in sped.

This school needs to “clean house” starting with ALL front office staff! Next “special” education teachers.

Our children attended this school years ago before recent leadership changes, and we have mixed reviews. We had some wonderful teachers and experiences, and some that were terrible. The lower school teachers were a mix of nice and some of the meanest women I have yet to encounter in a school. I had a terrible experience with one of them and they have since replaced her, thankfully, and I reported her strange and abusive behavior after the fact, and I regret not handling it swiftly at the time. There was definitely some bullying which fell on deaf ears, so I will say the experience there trained me to be a strong advocate in defense of my children. In general, many parents were unhappy with the leadership most of the time and there was a lot of gossip about that, which was tiresome. The teachers who were great kept the school running and my kids had a great time in those classes. They participated in wonderful musical shows, field trips, art classes and field days. In all, you can have a good experience here, but as a parent make sure they know that you are not going to put up with anything from the staff but completely appropriate behavior. For us, that was becoming a full time job, so we left for a school with better leadership.

Our child has attended The Montessori School of Raleigh from 1st through 3rd grade, and in those years MSR has become more than a campus to our family. It has been a kind of harbor: purposeful, humane, and quietly alive with the work of becoming or perhaps rebounding - if the stories and speculation from the internet are to be believed. What MSR has given our child is not only academic growth, though we have seen that, but a steadier sense of self. Our child has learned to choose work with intention, to meet difficulty without immediate retreat, to speak with greater care, and to understand that learning is not simply something delivered, but something a student must learn to claim.MSR offers structure of a different and valuable kind. It is less a narrow road than a compass. Across 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, we have watched freedom and responsibility do their quiet work, shaping independence without abandoning guidance.The teachers we have known have been attentive, thoughtful, and deeply invested in our child as a whole person. They see more than assignments and progress. They see effort, temperament, friendship, frustration, confidence, and character. We have also valued the school’s emphasis on grace and courtesy, community, and conflict resolution. These are not ornamental lessons; they are foundation stones.MSR is a meaningful investment, and families should weigh that honestly. For us, the value has been clear: academics joined with independence, emotional growth, character, and the rare comfort of knowing our child is truly known.If I had one wish, it would be for the summer programs to become more robust and more learning-focused. For families who want continuity with MSR’s educational philosophy beyond the regular year, that would be a welcome addition.No school is perfect. But for our family, MSR has been a thoughtful and inspiring place, one where our child has been invited not merely to succeed, but to become. We are grateful for our years here and would gladly recommend MSR to families who value curiosity, independence, kindness, and an education that treats childhood as the first chapter of a life deliberately lived.

School is amazing. Competent teachers, amazing hands-on leadership. Beautiful building. Everything you want a school to be. My older daughter went to private school for elementary and I would not hesitate choosing Barton Pond over private school options.