Molly Stark School

The Bennington school system is appalling! We come from another state with MUCH better schools, so our experience here has been terrible. If you ever need to contact a principal, vice principal, or even the state education department, forget it! They don’t take or return phone calls most of the time! My child’s teacher this year is excellent, last year the teacher was terrible even threatening to punish my child for stating they had a crush on another student (which according to the APA is healthy and normal!). In fact, when I called the teacher on this in a communication book we had been keeping for many months, that book disappeared forever. We hope to move out of the state at some point so that we don’t have to deal with this negligence for the rest of my child’s school years. It’s quite disgusting & disrespectful. Administration obviously thinks very little of the children, families, their jobs & responsibilities, etc. I would not recommend this school, or even this town or state of Vermont for that matter. They don’t take state we came from, the state education department was also much more attentive. If I could give a zero star rating, I would.

When I was there one of the teachers made me cry and didn’t say sorry or I didn’t mean to make you cry They only “apologized” after I told someone they made 3 other kids cry that year. One of the teachers yelled at me when I didn’t hold the door for someone the person wasn’t disabled it was I wasn’t being a gentlemen I was in the 3rd grade. One of the kids didn’t do any work and was fine one kid slept the most classes and was ok. My friend was bullied for crying, the teacher didn’t do much. They banned a game for having a “bad” name. This was the 4th grade we would get in trouble for playing. My 2nd grade teacher threw a chair and broke a plastic bin they scared me and my friends at the table. There are good things like natures classroom and some field trips and going outside and the museum right by the school but that gets boring and repetitive. Some teachers are nice and that does help. There are fun trips that we went on . That’s all

Administration is more concerned with fundraising and enrollment numbers than “partnership” with parents and modeling Christ to the school community and surrounding community. Administration labels “secular” and “public school” children and families as lesser humans. Truly sickening. Staff consists of many “educators” who have no actual training or certification. Parents who question unBiblical practices are labeled and shunned. Just because this place is cheaper does NOT mean that you should waste your children’s education on this school that places the word Christian in its name. I wish there was a way for me to sit down with you and share our nightmare experiences. Board, Administrators and “teachers” are not trustworthy and focused on donations and enrollment numbers. Please use discretion and ask to speak with parents who question the administration and largely misguided policies. Please don’t allow yourself to be fooled by a purpose statement that may “check the boxes.”

Excellent school with wonderful teachers and staff! Dedicated to teaching and engaging the students with an emphasis on morals and accountability. My children love the school and look forward to being with the teachers and their friends.