As a graduate of The Hyde School I have to say that a day doesn't go by that I don't reflect on things that I learned at this school. It has had a positive influence on my life as well as my family's. As with everything in life you either get it or you don't. And that defiantly applies to the experience you have at this school. You have to want to work for the positive changes in your life otherwise it won't happen. The teachers and staff work hard at their jobs and give attention to all students. The academics weren't as challenging as the other prep school I attended but I went to Hyde for the character development so it really out weighed anything else. The sports facilities are now top notch. I am a happy alumni and support the school whenever I can -- there is never a time when I close enough that I don't go visit. I still talk with teachers and staff today because they will be forever a part of my life. read more

I attended Hyde in the 1990s. I was not a troubled teen, just a kid with self-esteem issues and childhood trauma. We were told it was a therapeutic program that would help build confidence. That turned out to be a bait and switch. After a summer challenge, I entered the school year expecting support. Instead, I found a brutal, one-size-fits-all system where questioning authority meant punishment. There was nothing personalized or healing about it. You either got in line or were labeled broken. The kids who conformed quickly were rewarded and are still, decades later, defending the place like it's a cult. The school's marketing included slogans about "character," "truth," and "brother's keeper," but it's all surface. The truth is that Hyde used emotional control and public shaming to keep students in line. And they called it growth. I've connected with others from my class through the recent lawsuit. We were all told we were the problem. Turns out the problem was Hyde. If you're a parent, look past the marketing. Ask why so many former students are speaking out. Notice that there are (at the time I've writing this) in addition to all the negative reviews Yelp is showing you, there are also 36 one-star reviews that are hidden because they're "not recommended," and something like 40 more one-star reviews removed because someone flagged them as being 'in violation of Yelp policy'. Long story medium, the overwhelming majority of reviewers here are warning you: do not send your kids to Hyde. read more

My parents sent me here over 15 years ago, and while I've gone on to build a successful career in the IT field within the government sector, I can say with complete honesty that none of that success came from this school. To me, this place felt more like a cult than an educational institution. In my experience, it was an abusive program. I still remember being harshly punished simply because I didn't report another student--someone I didn't even know--for having cigarettes. Even as a teenager, I knew it wasn't my place to police other students, but I was still placed on what they called "2-4." That meant being woken up at dawn and forced to run and work out until I threw up. At one point, they even made me use a sickle to cut grass that nobody would ever use--completely senseless. To top it off, they had us perform staged "presentations" for parents to make it look like the school was helping us. It was manipulative and deeply unsettling. If you truly care about your children, do not send them here. read more

Reflections on Hyde School - I'm the first person to not give a 1 or 5 review Hyde School is polarizing. For many people, it's the worst or the best -- with very little in between. That alone says something important: it's a place with a rigid philosophy that either fits you perfectly or leaves you feeling out of place, that alone can tell you that you are rolling the dice with your kid. In my experience, it didn't work for me. I left with a new set of issues and found that difficult conversations were often dodged with subtle cleverness. There's a clear contrast between the school's caring, character-driven image and the day-to-day reality of life there. For me, it felt less like support and more like manipulation. That said, I know many who had positive, even life-changing, experiences. Hyde clearly works for some families. But to me, the fact that reactions are so extreme -- either glowing or deeply critical -- raises red flags. A school that insists it can't be compared to anything else may, in reality, be unwilling to adapt or self-reflect. Ironically, my time there still made me stronger. It wasn't the growth they intended, but the struggle itself shaped me into a more resilient person and, ultimately, a better father.. read more

A Transformative Experience at Hyde I cannot express enough gratitude to Hyde, the school to which I owe the immense joy of seeing my son enter university. Our journey was not easy. Since second grade, we faced many challenges. It was then that my son was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), making his academic path even more difficult. As he progressed, particularly into junior high, the challenges intensified, and things began to spiral downward. Finding Hyde was truly a miracle from God. I was in a moment of desperation due to the struggles we were facing as a family, especially with my son. However, Hyde and its extraordinary curriculum slowly started restoring my hope that everything was possible. Beyond academics, there was a strong human element that was both felt and embraced. My son began to gain confidence in himself, appreciate his family, face his fears, and discover sports as a healthy way to break free from bad habits. He had made poor decisions that could have led him to failure, but thanks to Hyde's guidance, he found a new path. I will always be deeply grateful to Ms. Laura Gauld, an exceptional human being who is committed far beyond academics. In my most desperate moments, she reassured me that she would not fail my son--and she kept that promise, even when I, as a mother, felt like I was falling short. Her dedication and unwavering commitment were life-changing. As long as I live, I will support Hyde so that other families can receive the same guidance and transformation that we did. Thanks to Hyde, we are now a happy home, and my son continues to apply everything he learned there. He has grown into a young man with the strength and determination to help others make good choices in life. Thank you, Hyde, for changing our lives. read more

We felt we were in a difficult situation with our son that we knew was smart, motivated and a person of integrity that went off track when we reached out to Hyde School. They accepted him , worked with his weaknesses, strengths, and stubbornness and helped instilled an incredible value system that today is serving him as an incredible employee, student , friend, and son. I feel very proud of our son and think Hyde gave him the tools to rethink his life to be the best self he can be. He is such an incredible man because we changed as a family and how we interacted with each other. read more

Hyde School is like none other. It is a scholastic and life style education based on character and effort. We attended Hyde school with our son for three years and when I say WE I mean our son, my husband and I. Unlike other boarding schools parents do not drop their student off at the school's door step and expect the school to fix anything that it hampering any student's achievement. Parent are very much involved in the process. Our son asked us years after graduating, if we knew how much we would have to be involved during his 3 years there. I said no but it was absolutely worth it because he is our son and he is part of us. The school brought our son from below level academics to above and qualified him for acceptance to some fine colleges. It was a hard ride for him. Hyde required accountability, self-evaluation and a true evaluation of personal strengths. Perhaps the one flaw the school has is accepting students who need more of a therapeutic setting than a family based school which strives to give kids the confidence to value who they are and involve families in the process. Hyde is not equipped to address challenges that require therapy of one kind or another and we understand the administrators are addressing this issue. read more

This place destroyed me! I will never be okay from the abuse and trauma this school will forever break my soul and heart! Don't send anyone you love here it is not worth the risk! If I could rate it 0 stars plus decades of trauma I would I attended in 1995 and many years later still recalling the worst experience in my entire life! I'm forever broken from HYDE ! I will never forget! read more

Hyde pretends it's a school. It's a cult. I went to the Hyde summer program and half the staffers were caught on acid and had to be booted. The staffers were unnecessarily cruel. They were graduates and presumably placed in leadership positions as examples of the success (or lack thereof) of their program. My parents were never told about this. I didn't know that until years later. They teach the virtues of tattle-telling and punish kids who question the logic of their system with mind numbing physical activities meant to psychologically torment them. They must have a whole propaganda program to entice parents because no matter what I said, my parents were locked in for me to return. I adamantly refused to ever go back and left my home for refusing with 100% conviction. To this day I would instantly choose sleeping in a parking lot again before ever setting foot in that awful place. Hyde was psychologically abusive. I hated it there and judging from the comments, it looks like nothing's changed. I'm surprised theyre still in business but I guess there's no shortage of desperate parents to prey on. read more

Our son graduated Hyde this year starting as sophomore and finishing as a senior. It would be impossible to articulate all the wonderful things we are taking away from our experience, but ultimately we are a happier and healthier family because of it. I would never want to discount someone else experience, but it is hard to reconcile some of the negative experiences shared here with our own. We had ups and downs, but felt supported at every turn. We had doubts about the process, but were rewarded again and again with positive outcomes. Successes far outweighed failures and our son graduated Hyde with a strong sense of who he is, what he is capable of and pride in knowing he met the challenges put before him. I have and will continue to recommend Hyde to other parents looking for an opportunity to grow; not just for their child, but for themselves. read more

I attended Hyde School from ages 13-18. I am now 36. I still deal with the trauma I experienced at Hyde nearly 20 years of therapy later. Over 150 students have passed away after leaving Hyde, mainly from overdoses and suicides. If I could do only one thing on this earth, I hope it is to convince families to think twice before sending their children here. Look up Breaking Code Silence or any of the emerging documentaries on the Troubled Teen Industry, and you'll get a first hand view of what Hyde was like. There are so many other options for your child - choose a different one than Hyde. read more

I was class of '72 although didn't graduate until 2012. I was "exited" Hyde in 1971 and remained in the Bath, Phippsburgh area, worked and became self-sustaining. Being asked to leave Hyde was just one of the greatest things Joe Gauld did for me. Throughout the years I've known great hardship and gut-wrenching difficulties and numerous set-backs because that is life. It was in the midst of those dark, soul-crushing times words and concepts like courage, integrity, leadership, concern for others and curiosity came to the forefront of my mind and in my actions. These concepts are not merely thoughts or words or aspiration, they have great depth and significant breadth. I had to find my way to live them. Fifty-five years ago when first introduced by Joe and an amazing staff I thought, "Hell NO! Not for this kid, a tough guy from the 'burbs of Chicago!". (I wasn't tough, I was scared, just like 90% of my classmates.) I've found that I am at the center of my discontent. Always. Not Hyde, not "life", not misfortune or unfairness or what I did or didn't receive as a child or mom or dad or my job (I founded my company 41 years ago). When it comes to Hyde, there are only two types of people: those who are ready to accept and do the work that Hyde has to offer and those who aren't. I made the wrong choice early on and fortunately I've corrected my earlier blunder. Hyde is not perfect, no institution is, however the leadership is and has always had the courage to change what has not worked. To those who enjoy their victimhood and take pleasure in denigrating what Hyde has to offer take a good look in the mirror. I am proud to be of Hyde read more

This is my sons 2nd year he will be a Junior.Was very hesitant on sending my child to ANY school let alone a boarding school .But so far I have no complaints! read more

My son finished his freshman year at Hyde in May after attending the Summer Leadership program last summer. Halfway through the summer program, my son called me and said, "Mom, I HAVE to go to Hyde School this year!" And, after attending the family weekend at the end of the Summer Leadership program, I knew it was the right place for him. The focus on social-emotional learning alongside academic and athletic achievement has been refreshing and wonderful. I have also really enjoyed and found great value in the family weekends. There are seminars for families that are very thoughtful and supportive along with all of the other traditional sporting events and student shows. My son has found his stride at Hyde! Thank you a million times over!! read more

Hyde school is GREAT in the HUMAN approach for students; educational & emotional. All staff is ready to help. The sports program is also well manage with different sports & activities during all year. read more

I spent a year of my life at this awful place. Stay away. For most of Hyde's existence, no one with any sort of mental healthcare degrees/licenses were employed there - be it in psychology, counseling, social work, addiction treatment, etc., & most teachers were not credentialed. There's maybe one part time social worker now. The "school" is founded on an idea that the founder Joe Gauld came up with in his head in the 60's that centered around "developing character" instead of academic achievement. Many tactics used to induce compliance to Hyde's "process" involve forced confession in front of peers/strangers & Synanon-cult-attack-style confrontation/criticism (none of this is overseen by therapists), & punishment via labor, isolation & painful workouts. Gauld's theories about character development that he "tests" on Hyde victims are devoid of relevant knowledge, & have zero scientific backing. This is NOT an evidenced-based program, & it's run on the foundation that criticizing, shaming, & forcing kids to confess all their demons to large groups, perform endless hours/days/weeks of silent, unpaid manual labor, & exercise until they are crying, vomiting, shaking, & possibly injured, is how you fix all problems & develop "character". Hyde accepts many kids who have psychiatric diagnoses, trauma, neurodivergence, & who suffer from the disease of addiction, & then Hyde gives them practically ZERO evidence-based treatments/support for any of these issues. Hyde forces you to confess all of your issues in "discovery groups" that aren't actually called "counseling groups" for legal reasons bc they have zero actual psychologists, & then they have peers respond with criticism. Every shortcoming caused by the above conditions is blamed on the child if they cannot just magically overcome them via participating in the bootcamp-like schedule, peer confrontation, punishment, unpaid manual labor, & forced exercise. Over the past couple decades, over 150 former Hyde students have died post-Hyde, many from suicide or overdose. Hyde hires a lot of former students who are freshly brainwashed & want to get back into the cult. There's required peer on peer discipline. Kids make other kids do painful workouts to the point where all the kids are crying from pain. It's required to be confrontational & turn in peers who break the rules. If you don't tell on them for their transgressions, YOU will be punished equally until the brainwashing seeps in & you accept Hyde's hollow mantras as the guides for all thought. There have been numerous allegations of faculty having sexual encounters with students, & rarely are these faculty held adequately accountable. A high level male employee was asked to resign for sexual contact/harassment of at least one female student, yet they still let him hang out at the campus because his kid went there. The girl's parents sued & Hyde settled (see Hiler v Hyde School). There have been other lawsuits against Hyde, which they try very hard to cover up. There were alleged multiple student on student group sexual assaults there, & some of the victims were mocked by the student body until they left the school. Hyde faculty sent me to an island to do unpaid, forced labor (a sign of benefits/labor trafficking - another thing Hyde is HUGE on), & punished me when I reported being sexually assaulted by another student. Intense misogyny, slut-shaming of females, & victim-shaming rape survivors, are prominent features of the school's culture. Physical abuse: Before the mid 1980's faculty would physically assault kids; Joe Gauld even boasts about this in prominent news articles. After that, they started forcing kids to exercise beyond grueling pain to the point where they were sobbing, trembling, & vomiting. My friends have permanent injuries there from these "workouts", partially because Hyde is often guilty of medical neglect when dealing with injury/illness. One friend has bone spurs, another has constant joint pain, 25 years later, others have permanent frostbite damage from being made to exercise, sleep, hike, or stand in the snow/ice for prolonged periods. This place is rife with culty nepotism; the Gaulds & relatives run most everything. Many of the faculty marry each other. The academics? Mediocre at best. I hear the truth about Hyde is finally getting out after decades of abusing children & luring desperate parents, & so now to bump up declining enrollment, they're allegedly recruiting more international students from China & elsewhere, who they charge even more than the standard $60K. If you send your kid there, be prepared to pay for many more years of therapy to deal with the abuse, brainwashing, & its longstanding effects, i.e. depression, nightmares, CPTSD, etc. Hyde is on many Troubled Teen Industry watchlists for alleged human rights abuses. Google "Hyde School abuse" & "Hyde School Survivors". Search Hyde on Fornits, Reddit, & the HEAL Report. Find the truth! read more

I graduated from this school. I attended for two years and in comparison to the rest of my high school experience, the academics were very weak. There were few electives and that still seems to be the case (see the course selection on Hyde's website). read more

Hyde School changed my life. Like most teenagers, I was lost, uninspired, and had little belief in myself. My experiences at Hyde led me to understand my potential - what I never got at any previous school. And the way Hyde did that was by challenging me to try things I wouldn't have had the courage to try on my own, delve into my fears and hopes, and have the humility to learn from others. I developed life-long friendships at Hyde; the kind of people you can pick right back up with no matter how long it's been. People I respect and trust. I stand with Hyde. read more

I had one of the worst experiences in my short time here. I didn't have it as bad as other students, but I still suffered. I'm only giving this one star because I can't give it zero star. Seriously, stay away. read more

I had a really hard time catching on in college after "graduating" from Hyde. I've learned a lot about my own experience since leaving, and have since realized that I was deprived of a real education in high school. Luckily, my college had the resources I needed to catch me up to the level I needed to be at in order to move forward; I am doing really well these days after completing that program. read more

We love Hyde School for all the support and guidance our family received there. Hyde provides a perfect blend of discipline and freedom to the students, helps teenagers to figure out priorities and to take responsibility for their choices. Hyde is a place that offers families tons of educational, psychological, emotional and physical support on a very personal level, paying attention to specific needs and challenges of a student. We were amazed to discover ourselves as a part of very vibrant community, concerned with personal growth and wellbeing of every members, including students, parents and Hyde stuff. We as a family keep learning and implementing the interpersonal skills and guidelines that we are learning at Hyde seminars - it is definitely a valuable experience for each one of us, quite relevant at various strata of life. read more

I went to this school 15 years ago for 2 years. Many of my peers who I attended Hyde bathe campus are still deeply traumatized from the abuse we suffered there. also almost 20+ of my classmates I was there with are now dead from drug overdose and suicide. Hyde did not save any of us. Many of my peers are still on drugs and traumatized from things that happened before Hyde. Hyde has no counselors or anyone with any expertise in dealing with mental Health. We were punished and told we needed to build character. Most of us needed therapy Instead. read more

I graduated from Hyde in the early 2000's. This was my 5th high school, and without it I'm not sure I would've graduated or even survived those years. Hyde was not the end of my journey in recovery, but it was a buoy that kept me alive and allowed me the first real chance to discuss and search for who I was. My niece graduated from Hyde in the late 2010's, and has always considered her time there as her best years of school. I have 3 wonderful daughters, and would be proud to send any of them to Hyde (so long as I could afford it, ha). read more

Everyone has there own experience at Hyde. As an adult and a mom now I am so grateful to so many things I experienced at Hyde. I was not an easy teen. I wanted to do life my way and wasn't going to listen to anyone. This didn't stop when I left Hyde I've spent over 10 years trying to get my life together. I wanna speak on the bonds I made at Hyde. I left Hyde at the age of 18. I still have so many connects with people from when I was 16. I feel ridiculously lucky to have them in my life and am thankful for the Hyde experience. read more

This school does not adequately supervise its students or their access to medications. While at Hyde my daughter was given Adderall and other dangerous medications by other students. When I pulled my daughter upon learning of this dangerous situation they refused to give me even a partial refund of our tuition. read more

I graduated Hyde in 2003 (3.5 year student) and the character I developed there remains at the center of who I am. It's about simple things: be an honest and caring person, challenge yourself, approach life with discipline, and have the courage to share honestly of yourself. Life, of course, isn't simple, but Hyde taught me the simple things to come back to. To listen to my inner voice, persevere, and figure it out. Hyde also changed my family, particularly my father. He struggled with not meeting his own expectations of himself (which I now do at times as an adult), and this made him tense. At some point in his Hyde journey he accepted his life as it was and relaxed. The change remains amazing. One comment on the negative reviews: some people are not ready for Hyde when they arrive. Many are too emotionally off balance to explore themselves honestly. Instead of listening to them, pick up the phone and call Hyde, see what you think. They are great people and would love to chat. read more

I love Hyde and its family program. Principle-based guidance for students and families, personal attention, and a truly caring community.

I graduated from Hyde in 2017 and am extremely grateful for the love and support I received over the course of the 3 years I attended. When you're a student there, it is so hard to truly appreciate just how special Hyde is, but upon leaving the "Hyde bubble" and entering the "real world," the appreciation grows. Hyde prepared me for dealing with difficult personalities, and tackling my challenges head on. But most importantly, Hyde gave me the work ethic to succeed in life. As a student, you dont understand why you are graded on effort as well as accomplishment, but once you get to college it becomes evident that the truly successful students are the ones that dedicate their time to studying. They are they students that put in the time and the effort. Overall the best thing my parents have done for me is force me to go to Hyde. If they hadn't, I wouldn't be the hardworking and mature woman I am today, and I wouldn't have met some of the best most important people in my life. read more

We have had a rewarding and transformational experience at Hyde as a family. Our son is doing great there.

Hyde was a transformative experience, not only for our son, but for our family as well. Our son entered Hyde uncertain of his ability to perform in school or life. He left with self confidence, and unleashed his leadership potential. He is now a junior at Texas A&M, has been appointed commander of the A&M Corps of Cadets cybersecurity team, and received a DoD cybersecurity internship. We are enterally grateful for the Hyde experience. read more

my daughter went there many years ago and we pulled her out because their way of treating the students was like a cult. they treated the students as all bad kids instead of looking at each as a separate entity. when we went to visit it scared us so much that we left with her. Roz Adenbaum read more

Terrible experience after a Summer session. Arrived to a very Cult like environment during regular year, Summer was less Cultish. Year was 1974 and in that one year a teacher was found to have had sexual relations with a student. His name was Thoreau and my first contact interviewer. He slapped me during the interview to gain approval from my Parents. It was a sales ploy no doubt, and it worked. Don't know if he was charged with his indiscretion with a minor or swept under the rug. Also personally witnessed incredible verbal and mental abuse during my Summer and 1st semester. Who am I? I'm a 62 year old retired Grandfather who has had the privilege of raising 3 children. I acknowledge I was a rebellious 16 yr old but feel quite capable of giving a fair review in 2020 of 1974 Hyde experience. I read accounts that are current that show nothing has changed, except accepting students who have more intense issues and a staff whom are not suitable to address these issues. Just a note to say I havent forgotten the experience. read more

I am currently a young professional that holds multiple college degrees and works in San Francisco. I attended the Hyde summer challenge program about ten years ago. My parents were not happy with the decisions I was making so decided to meet with an "educational consultant" to get suggestions on what they could do with me. The plan was for me to attend the summer program, then come back in the fall to finish my junior and senior year at Hyde (Hyde suggested I repeat my whole junior year there). Once I started at Hyde, I quickly learned that it was going to be miserable. "Brother's keeper" was one of the school's hallmarks that cost me countless hours of interrogation, manual labor, and forced exercise drills. The object of it is to "encourage the personal best of your peers as well as call each other out on their discretions." In reality, the goal of this hallmark was to have everyone in the school turning each other into administration for any rules/ethics they witnessed being broken. As a result, you have this chain reaction effect of students turning each other into the administration for rules/ethics they observed violated by others. If a student is brought in for one issue, the administrator gives that student an incident sheet and says to write down all the ethics they have broken and all the ethics they are aware of other students breaking. This brought a constant barrage of students into the office the whole time I was there. Some interrogated for hours about things. I want to share an excerpt from the Hyde website explaining "brother's keeper": "Hyde students are expected to encourage the personal best of their peers as well as call each other on their indiscretions. For example, if you observe Johnny smoking a cigarette downtown, you have a responsibility to do something about that. You are expected to tell Johnny to turn himself into the Dean's office and make it clear that if he doesn't, you will. If you do not, and it later becomes known that you did not - and such things have a near-magical tendency to become known at Hyde (!) - you will find yourself in the same disciplinary boat as Johnny." -- http://www.hyde.edu/blog/malcolms-blog/brothers-keeper-explained/ Long story short, after the summer program ended, I went home for a month break before I was supposed to go back in the fall. Luckily I convinced my mom that the school was insane and out of control and didn't have to go back. I can say that the three months I spent at Hyde during the summer was the worst summer I have ever had, and I experienced PTSD for a few years after! Please don't send your kids here; this school is hell. read more

I graduated from this place in the early '90s, and it was a toxic cult-like hellhole. The academics were a joke, and they screwed me on college admissions by convincing my parents to make me repeat a year because I "wasn't ready to be a senior," despite not failing any classes (a common money-grab scam by them). It took me a long, long time to forgive my parents. I certainly had issues when they sent me there, but it was not the help I needed. I forgive my parents because they loved me, were trying to help, and got taken in by their spiel. I get that some people think it's wonderful and has maybe helped some kids. But it has caused tremendous, often long-lasting emotional harm to many teens and their families. My brother went there too, and to this day will not speak about his time there. Parents, if you are considering this place, PLEASE don't do it to your child and your family. Especially if they (or you) have serious emotional/mental health/substance abuse issues. It's not a safe place for them and there are far better professional alternatives closer to your home. I suffered terribly there. Please do not send your children there (I am crying as I type this). Writing this isn't easy, but if just one parent takes a closer look and makes a better choice for their child and family, it's worth it. Some scars take a long time to heal. read more

Hyde was an incredible experience for me. As a parent, I thought I was sending my child to the school to help my student. The process helped me in so many ways. It's a huge time commitment and it's not easy for either parent or student to go through the process. However, it was transformative and I continue to learn from my experience at Hyde. It's not a perfect school and it's not an automatic fit for everyone. You get what you put into it and parent participation is vital for student success. The all-in attitude of the faculty and staff is commendable. read more

My son benefits from the role models and close community of staff and students. His view of himself has greatly improved in the last two years. His grades are back on track and he has opportunities to try new things he wouldn't have otherwise which has helped him to experience himself in new ways. Personally, as a parent I find the community hugely beneficial. The weekend seminars help my son and I to know each other in a very productive way. I am grateful for Hyde. read more

Excellent school, definitely had a positive influence on my life. It does have a challenging program, but if you're looking into the school, you probably already know that. A lot of students that are dealing with issues that conventional schools don't address do get sent there, but it's curriculum will challenge any student regardless of their previous academic experience. As with anything on the internet, take what you hear with a grain of salt.....while it may not be the place for everyone, it had a profound and lasting positive effect on both my family and I (a reason why I think so many alumni willingly give to support their program). I'm very grateful to Hyde for being a big part of who I am today. read more

As an alumni parent of the Hyde School's Bath campus, I can't recommend this school highly enough to families in crisis. My student excelled at Hyde, becoming captain of the cross-country team and gaining acceptance to all six of the colleges she applied to. These are conventional measures of success, though, and what's more important is how this school's unique family education program brings parents and children closer together and challenges both to behave with character and give their best to whatever life has in store. The faculty and staff are remarkable--and the fact that their own kids are at school here tells you how committed they are. The Hyde process has changed my life as well as my student's, and I continue to benefit from what I learned there almost every day. read more

I credit Hyde school as being a truly transformational experience for me and my family. I sent both of my sons there for their final years of high school. I'm guessing that folks who don't like Hyde or think it is a "cult" were probably not prepared to deal with the level of honesty and truth required to be successful there. It's not easy at all, and every family will be challenged in the Hyde environment. But the rewards of meeting these challenges are very great. Prior to Hyde I was a pushover mom. I didn't hold my boys to their best, in fact, I did too much for them, and deprived them of the learning that comes with experiencing real success and failure. At Hyde, every kid must play a sport and participate in performing arts, even the shy, non-athletic kids. Being on team, and having the courage to be yourself and confident enough speak to a crowd of people is not something that every kid gets at a standard high school. I see the benefits from Hyde as the years go by. My son's deal ethically and responsibly in their relationships with others. They aren't afraid to look anyone in the eye and shake their hand. As far as the academics go, Hyde does offer AP classes if that is what you want, and your child is capable. My younger son took AP English and Environmental Science and did well on both AP exams, earning college credit. However, I did not choose Hyde for that. I chose Hyde for my family because of the focus on character development which is seriously lacking at most schools. read more

Hyde has been great for us and for my son. They expect the students to be honest and respectful and to support one another. Perhaps a tall order at first. This is achieved by getting them to step outside of their comfort and not hide behind the constructed facade that all teenagers have. Some kids resist this altogether, most kids resist at first, but the faculty and staff are pretty on the level and the students who have been there and have benefited are great role models and tend to cheer the newer ones on. My son would have a more tempered review because they do push the kid -- they don't have a lot of down time, but he honestly admits that he would never have seen certain strengths and talents if he had gone anywhere else. As an aside, my son was a fairly uncooperative and resistant freshman before going to boarding school, which is why we decided that boarding school would be good for him. We looked at several possible schools, but we liked how Hyde got him to speak from the heart in the interview. He did, too. 2 years hence, he is a pleasure to have around. No brain washing, they just helped him see his strengths and work through fears that were holding him back. read more