St. John Academy

If your child does not have an IEP, this is a good school. If your child has any issues at all or is on an IEP, do not attend this school. There is no support for sp ed students who are not cookie cutter (clearly only one learning disorder diagnosed, etc). Also, small town politics run the discipline, PTA, and room parents. So if your kid is not a perfectionist and doesn’t fit in, it is a terrible experience. Some teachers are supportive.

We had high expectations from this school. But our child has not received much social/ emotional support. Love diversity and ignoring bullying remarks is an issue. Parents are reluctant to share issues with teachers. Victim kids are often blamed. Our child is not willing to go to school.

Kent Gardens is an excellent school with caring teachers and a welcoming environment. Highly recommended!

As a parent, I’m really disappointed in the direction Country Day has taken. This used to be a strong school with a great reputation, but it’s clear that reputation is from another era. There’s been three heads of school in as many years over the time our family has been there, and the constant leadership changes have created real instability. Teachers leave constantly, and there’s no consistency from year to year. Some of the new hires have very little experience — we’ve even seen teachers as young as 19 leading classrooms. Basic vetting of teachers seems to be bypassed, with things coming to light months into teachers' tenure that a google search would have revealed. The school psychologist lives in Richmond and is only on campus three days a week, which just isn’t enough to meet students’ needs. Meanwhile, it feels like the admissions office actually runs the school, picking classes, and having a huge amount of sway over decisions that seem to prioritize optics and high amount donor families over the broader community.What’s even more frustrating is the defensiveness and lack of transparency from the administration. Questions are often brushed off or met with vague, polished answers rather than genuine communication. Parents who raise concerns are treated as problems rather than partners.The families and kids themselves are wonderful — truly one of the only bright spots — and there are some long term, really great teachers, but donor families are prioritized when it comes to who gets those teachers. Overall, it feels like you’re paying for playgrounds, marketing, and appearances, not for high-quality teaching or academic rigor. Like the other posters said, the campus is truly beautiful and the kids who don't have any extra needs seem genuinely happy (because they are playing all day). However, for the price point, parents should expect much better. Country Day seems to be running on the fumes of its reputation from 20 years ago, and it’s hard to see where meaningful improvement will come from under the current leadership, who has no experience in leadership at the Pre-K level.