This is strange on two separate levels. One, whoever heard of being able to do a review on a high…read moreschool, and two a high school the you actually attended...even if it was a few years ago. I have some bittersweet memories of this place. Mostly because I came there from a more rural school that was a lot more strict. For me, I needed more direction and supervision (both at home and at school) and this school, it was a bit more of a country club than I needed. The counseling at the time was very lack and seemed to cater to more of the brainy kids than someone that was middle of the road. I actually had our counselor fall asleep on me while I was in his office. And when he woke up, he actually asked me to carry his lunchroom tray back to the cafeteria. These days, I'm not sure of the discipline lever here but if your kids attend this school you as parents must meet and the counselors and talk with them in depth and on a regular basis. Look at your kids homework and get involved with what's going on in their school. You've paid the taxes, it's your school. Hold them accountable.

December 2020: We're mid-way thru Kindergarten curriculum and I can certainly say I'm loving the…read morereview of letters, along with the activities that go along with it. My daughter is learning more with this curriculum and the work I add in than she would at any other school. Why? She gets one on one lessons. So I'm able to teach at a pace that works for her. I can push her when I need to or ease back if I have to. Working in higher education for many years, I've always been a big proponent of homeschooling. When home-schooled kids came into my office, they were extremely mature, knew exactly what courses they should take, their paths to success, clubs to join, etc. I'm curious to see how the remaining school year goes. April 2021: Okay so, at this point, there are 5 more weeks before I'm finished homeschooling and I. CAN'T. WAIT to be done. This by no means has anything to do with Oak Meadow, but my oldest is too extroverted to be homeschooled. With that said, I'm still happy that I was able to go at my own pace. Fortunately, I only took 2 weeks off from homeschooling, so to finish mid-May is pretty good. The course book pretty much lays out everything that should be completed for each subject. All that was needed was 1-2 pics of the completed work. Every 4 weeks I submitted an evaluation of some sort with additional comments written in the course book. Catie Hutchins, my daughter's.... advisor(?) offered really great suggestions in the lesson comments and was fine with me adding in additional work. My daughter is reading pretty well (thanks to The Reading Lesson) and writing (Teach Me Writing). I've also picked up some math books for 5-6 y.o. Catie would offer suggestions based on where my oldest is and not just what kids "should" be doing or learning. I also like that the last week of school wasn't as heavy with assignments cause a sistah is tied! You hear me. I would also say a good amount of the projects were a bit too much in price and work. Admittedly, I didn't know how to sew or knit before, so let's just say I really had to learn. This is definitely a homeschooling program I'd recommend... if you have the coins.

My granddaughters have been in the summer performances for 4 years now. They come from out-of…read more-state to do this. It is extremely impressive what they do with such a large number of kids of all ages. They take all kids and work with them. The time is two weeks, not weekends, and it really is only 8 days that they start practice with their roles. The choreography is complicated, but the kids do a great job staying in sync. Remarkable place!!

I've usually never had a problem with this place before,but this time i had a really bad…read moreexperience. so I go to the summer workshops that they have and I've never had a problem with the choreo nor favoritism. so this time we had no stretches at all and I'm always non visible in the choreo.

honestly the atmosphere is welcoming felt like i've been here for years and it's just my first year…read moreand being straight or gay isn't a issue they don't directly shame one body kids range from beanie hats and dark makeup to richter dressed but unwanted or unwelcome isn't the right way to describe the school ask anyone where a class is they got you. the students don't discriminate or are against subjects or behavior or beliefs unless your over exerting yourself. i'm not sure if it's to relight the old attitudes of the school if you've experienced poor it's because it's looked for. they have an artsy interpretation against all students an expectation of honesty and polite behavior is extremely expected since you show up and so do the teachers. respect isn't given it's earned and if it's expected you gotta give a little to get some. I admire my peers and don't judge and that's gotten me pretty high up. I suggest you do the same.

I transferred here in my junior year of high school in 2013 looking for a better education. I went…read moreto the public high school, Northampton High. I felt like it too easy and not enough of a challenge. It was hard for me to concentrate and take school seriously being around so many students who were burnt out and didn't care about trying. I wanted the teachers to push the students more and have higher expectations of them. I'm not a person who's really into academics, but I feel like so many students were slipping through the cracks. So I made the decision to apply to the Academy At Charlemont to try to take charge of my life and make a better future for myself. I had to write an essay in order to apply to the school. I liked this idea, because I feel like it showed that the school was selective with who they accept. This reassured me making me think they were a serious school that also had a loving, warm, accepting community and I'd make friends easily. I also thought all my strengths would be valued and cared for, but all of this I was wrong. For the social aspect of it, it was painful and confusing. When I visited, I was assigned a buddy who was in my grade that I'd be transferring into. I really loved that idea and my buddy was so sweet to me. She wrote me a little note after saying she was so excited to have another friend to sing with her and for us to become friends. But I was wrong, because when I arrived there she had no interest in me. It almost made me think that she was obligated by the school to do that. I kept blaming myself thinking there was something wrong with me. This school had dances each month, so I thought that would be a good way to ease into the social scene. But most of the times I was ignored. A lot of the students were uptight, focused on the propel they've gone to school with for years, killed themselves over academics, didn't know how to relax, and just weren't open to meeting new people. I was hoping things would get better, and they did for a little while. But a lot of times I felt left out, different, and not given a fair chance for my classmates to get to know me. Academically, this school shot me down and made me feel stupid every day. They threatened to hold me back if I didn't get my grades up, and I was always one to do pretty well in school. Teachers accused me of not trying hard enough and whenever I started to make progress and get material, they didn't acknowledge that and just said I needed to try harder. They would move so fast with their curriculum that I couldn't keep up no matter how hard I worked. I failed my finals and that's when I decided to leave. Any talents I did have were diminished and not taken seriously. They had a creative writing class and I love writing, but my writing got bashed on even there. I gradually became really depressed and didn't want to go back. I also went on a ski trip there and was really excited about it. But I got stuck on a mountain since the people I was going with said it was easy, but then couldn't keep up with them. I got yelled at by the teacher who took us on the trip, bad mouthed about behind my back by him, and scolded by the director all saying it was my fault and I kept this teacher up all night. They were shaming and cruel and don't know how to deal with problems, even though I profusely apologized. This school has ridiculously unrealistic high expectations for students to be this perfect person who doesn't mess up, is always polite, takes initiate, does community service, etc. They only accept one kind of intelligence and since I didn't exactly didn't into that box, they were taken back by it. Long story short, this school is great for the cookie cutter kid who learns fast and doesn't make mistakes. But if you struggle in anyway, I would keep looking for another school.

This is an excellent school if you have an academic child who isn't super dynamic. If your kid…read moreisn't going to fit into the country pumpkin pie vibe it's not great. Some of the teachers are remarkably good. The three heads of school are pretty good too. People talk about diversity a lot these days. If you're not white, you're going to feel out of place. Not because people are seriously racist, just because you'll stick out and be a novelty. And all the well intentioned special treatment will feel a little oppressive.

My daughter is in her first year at Petersham Montessori School. We can't say enough good things…read moreabout the program. The teachers are amazing and dedicated. We have been so impressed with the things our 3yr old has learned, things I never would have thought she could do at this age, like cleaning her own crumbs off the table; her eagerness to help out with any spills that occur; correctly putting away the cutlery in the drawer when we empty the dishwasher, singing about the continents, etc. She impresses us all the time with what she has learned at school. She loves going and learning as well as having time to play with her friends and get outside. They learn real life skills and lessons. We couldn't be happier!

This is an amazing school! The teachers really care about each student and foster their…read moreindependence and individual learning styles. My kids absolutely love it, and it is far less expensive than other montessori schools and private preschools in the area.

HIlltop is SUCH a great school--on target, with the kindest teaching staff! This is our last year;…read morewe will miss everyone...

Excellent school with loving and caring teachers. children are often ahead of their peers…read moreacademically. Our children have been at the school for going on 5 years. The campus in breathtaking, there is an emphasis on art, nature, music, and fostering creativity. We feel supported and our children love to go to school at pre-k they already know the skeletal system. We love the teachers and can't say enough about them. I often see them working with children on big feelings. they continually train as teachers and love children. it's more than a school, it's a really great community. Reading the other review I'm wondering if they got the wrong hilltop Montessori as there are several in the country. It also seems unusual that a child that young could describe some of those situations in such detail but I wasn't part of the school until 4 years after it was written and I don't want to discount their reality.

We have been sending our son to Renaissance since he was age eligible. We chose Renaissance based…read moreon its proximity to UMass (a stone's throw!) and affordability. When I learned that Miss Dottie used to run the lab school at UMass, I was sold. I feel that people who teach aspiring teachers are up to date on best practices and truly dedicated to the field. We have been very pleased with the school. They have a really great staff to student ratio. There are a lot of interns from UMass, which is very exciting for the children. The class is incredibly diverse, with almost all of the children speaking different languages at home. I would highly recommend it!

My son just finished his second year at the Renaissance School and we will all miss it so much…read more Renaissance is a warm and loving place where kids get to play and learn by following their own interests and curiosity. Ms Dotty is so thoughtful and purposeful in how she puts together the curriculum, arranges the classroom, and talks with the kids about their developing social and emotional abilities. We really felt that our son was well taken care of here.