Glenfield Middle School

We love Hillside for its diversity, opportunities, and fantastic staff!

We have two children who both love their experiences here. Excellent focus on social-emotional development as well as academics.

We have two sons that went to Linden Ave and loved every year. The teachers are all warm, caring and skilled educators. There is a strong sense of community and family involvement with the school. Even during the COVID pandemic when we had to go virtual the teachers and administration went above and beyond to make sure the students (and parents!) were not left to fend for themselves. We're so grateful to have had our kids attend such a great school!

Our family’s experience with Montclair Cooperative School was devastating. After touring and being assured that our son — a twice-exceptional, academically gifted child on the Autism spectrum — could be supported, we submitted his records. Almost immediately, the admissions office reversed course and told us they would not move forward with his application because of his disability, saying he would be “better served” in public school. His academic strengths and test scores were ignored.This is not just disappointing, it is discriminatory. The school has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded grants and forgivable loans, which means it is legally bound under the ADA, Section 504, IDEA, and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination to provide equal access. Instead, it shut the door on our son because of his diagnosis.We pursued every available appeal, including with the State of New Jersey. Even though the state acknowledged the facts, they declined to pursue the case further — not because discrimination wasn’t present, but because they lacked confidence in prevailing in court.Families should know that if your child has a disability, this school may exclude them rather than work with you. For a school that markets itself as progressive and community-oriented, our experience was the opposite. Parents of neurodiverse children: proceed with extreme caution.