I visited this quintessentially uniquely designed elementary school by Evoke Studio Architecture in…read moreDurham NC - to watch a family member's performance. At first glance - the quality of this building is evident. The value was in being outside - enjoying the festivities while observing this location. Complimentary water -fruit & snacks available & food trucks were on the other side of the building. This school is located on an incline - seemly semi secluded for optimal security. It was a picture perfect day - sunshine - just a light jacket or long sleeve shirt day - the building is sprawled over a cleverly designed landscape- it is a multi level very large building with protected outside playgrounds spaces and a lower level walking trail.It is also authentically pleasing to the eye -generous outside spaces for children to run & jump & play for outside activities.I was told there were elevators and stairs for options for accessibility. I look forward to viewing the interior at another time. It was a beautiful experience- this location is minutes away from major interstates - a major mall- accommodations - numerous restaurants-

Both my nieces strolled through this establishment. They turned out ok, so, i guess DA has…read moresomething to do with that. Ya feel me?

Durham Academy is one of the top private schools in North Carolina. The focus is on building…read moreleaders, not in just educating. The preschool is a warm and enriching environment. The lower school starts the educational journey, which continues progressing through High School. Classes are roughly 16-20 students, with daily enrichment classes across all disciplines. 100% of graduating seniors go to college, with most going to first choice schools.

The caliber and character of Trinity School's graduates drew me to learn more about this incredible…read morecommunity. I was entrenched in the college admissions mania with a 9 year career with the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Foundation. I had the privilege of being an Advisor to three Scholarship recipients who were Trinity graduates. These young leaders were poised and successful. They had a strong sense character that demonstrated maturity and integrity in the way they interacted with others. They realized the value of reflection and had the ability to articulate their opinions in a respectful way - open to hearing and learning from others' perspectives. They had a strong sense of self and purpose about how they were spending their time. These things marked a different type of college applicant and mature young adult. Simply put, these values and motivations of these Trinity graduates reflected the young women my husband and I aspire to launch into the "real world" someday. We were impressed by current Trinity students too as it was clear they had a deep desire to explore, better understand, develop, and most importantly share their gifts with the world. But likely what we fell in love with the most was the mission-driven authenticity and warmth. There's something about knowing that the place where your children will spend so much of their childhood and young adulthood aligns with your core values as a family. It's a gift for our children and our family - and one for which I'm forever grateful. *In full transparency, I currently work at Trinity School so I won't claim to be unbiased. The impression that Trinity School made on me as a prospective parent drew me to my current role at the school. I could write another full review for what an amazing place this is to work as well!

I sent two daughters to High School at Trinity while we lived out of State. It was a truly amazing…read moreexperience for both of them. From learning Latin to reading and discussing the Classics. Science courses were rigorous and interesting. The teachers care about each student as a person.

I love this School. My kids have gone here and it is truly amazing. The teachers are so kind and…read morehave the kids best interest in mind.

Summer Camp Review: I think the young adult counsellors are not implementing the program as on…read morepaper. Such a disappointment as it really missed the mark. Of course, not all counsellors but the few we experienced have put on movies, and are kinda immature in interacting during parent interaction. Don't get me wrong nobody is mean but the place isn't worth the price at all. YMCA is running laps around Duke School summer camp in terms of fun energy and don't tell me it's educational and cut out half the stated activities b/c suzie q didn't remember. Overall Duke School is a master a marketing an illusion of what it thinks it is. Maybe 20 years ago dude...

I would give a negative star if I could. This was the worst school ever! My child was bullied and…read moreafter reporting it to the teacher absolutely nothing was done about it. My child had 4 teachers during the school year. Those teachers left and this caused too many disruptions for the students. I was so disappointed in the lack of care and inconsideration received from the principal. She showed favoritism to others while my child was ignored.

Coming from a DPS (Durham Public School) middle and elementary school RTCA has been such a blessing…read moreto my children. The teachers and staff are all committed to the children's success. Other parents are motivated. They have plenty of after school activities. (Their school band program is amazing!) The middle school is college prep. I have no problems communicating with teachers and the school is accessible to me as a parent at all times. When my children were in DPS schools they were not being assigned homework, I had practically no communication from teachers or school outside of the one call from the school principal once a week talking about irrelevant school wide news, the teachers had no control of the students, getting into classrooms to volunteer or even getting on campus was near impossible. My kids grades were suffering and they were learning nothing because teachers spent most of their time addressing behavior issues in the classroom. I have none of the above named issues at RTCA. My children have plenty of homework. I can track their progress online through the parent portal. Parents are always welcome on campus. The teachers do a wonderful job of communicating regularly. My children are now actively engaged in their education and literally earning their grades. They have some unique ways to address behavior issues in the classroom and hold children accountable. Beyond academics, I have found the teachers and staff are very aware and in tune with children's personal issues and have been able to nurture "the whole child" The demographics of the children in RTCA is not much different than the local DPS schools. However, their approach and level of commitment to the students is effective and they are impacting the children of our community in a great way! If I would of judged RTCA off some other reviews online I would of missed such a great opportunity for my kids. I love the city of Durham and our level of diversity in this community, but my experience with the public school system scared me. RTCA gives me hope for our wonderful community and the future of the children who call Bull City home.

We love this school, and whatever happened with the 1 star administration, we have felt nothing but…read morekindness, respect, and professionalism from the current administration. This school us beautiful in every way, with such heart and soul. I want to invent a time machine so I can go back to being a kid and enroll myself here. Enough said.

This is an excellent Montessori school. We're sending our son to pre-school there. Although it is…read morepretty expensive ($8k+), he has really developed there and the educational staff there is top notch. Montessori schools can be a crap shoot since Miss Montessori in her infinite wisdom never trademarked her school name or philosophy. So any joker can call themselves a Montessori school. There are a few in Chapel Hill like this. However this school is a legit Montessori school. It's accredited by one of the big Montessori organizations and they take their training seriously there. I think all of the teachers are Montessori certified, most of the helpers too. What really impressed me on the tour was that all the teachers have been there for many years. They're all really dedicated to the children and letting them explore their world. The facilities are ridiculously nice. They have wonderful playgrounds and the middle school is new. They have a new music and art building which is amazingly nice. You get what you pay for in this case. They have very active parents who organize multiple fundraisers for the school. I've got no reservations about sending my son here.

Corrupt leadership and very judgmental pastor. Compassion is not something they know. If you…read moredon't fit their perfect mold and do whatever the pastor says, then you will be shunned. Pastor is egotistical and thinks He is the only one who knows anything.

Pastor Mike Green is an awesome teacher. I have found that everyone likes him, and his beautiful…read morewife. In moving from TN to Durham NC Cresset Baptist Church is convenient to my home and will be looking for volunteer work in the church and in the school. Sunday School is a learning experience with opportunity to express my opinions about the bible. Georgia Pope

We are halfway through our second year at RUMC Preschool and it has been a great experience! The…read morestaff are very kind and responsive, and truly care about all the preschool families. It's a small community, which I enjoy and which allows great accessibility. They also allow and encourage parents to be as involved as they would like to be. My daughters are well cared for, loved, and have thrived in the school. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Both of my sons attend this preschool and I can't say enough good things about it. All the teachers…read moreare so incredibly caring and engaging and the director (Amy) is amazing! My kids absolutely love going to school which is a big deal to me as a previous teacher. I knew preschool would be their first introduction to the school setting (even though the majority of their day is play based) and I could not be happier with our choice!

Tammy is the most heartless Head of School who openly shows no care for students and their…read morefamilies, neither the well being of her staff members. This school has no regards on separating families whose lives changed due to relocation and can't afford to break contract because they want parents to pay for a whole school year, even when they are not providing the educational services. Family dynamics change, families get relocated, and they have no concerns on the separation anxieties on their students about the parents, or their mental health. They have 0 empathy and unwilling to work things out to keep families together. She also mistreated staff members that she doesn't like and keep things behind parents knowledge.

Ask yourself how would you want your school to act during a crisis?…read moreHere is our experience ... On January 2020, we signed a 5 months contract with MSD for both our kids - a 20m old baby and a 4y. Despite missing half the school year, MSD refused to prorate the admission fee of $2,200 per 2 kids. We were a little surprised how much the kids struggled in the first 2 months. The 4 years old had experienced physical and emotional bulling from older boys, and we had to intervene time and again. The toddler could not express himself. However, every time we picked him up we were terribly disturbed. Our baby was waiting for us every day outside in the playground in the cold days of January and February. Standing alone, he was motionless, looking visibly cold and uncomfortable. His bib was always dirty and terribly wet, making his chin red and irritated; his hands and nose red and very cold to touch. It was so stressful to see, we had to complain several times but things improves only a bit. Sadly, just as the children begin to settle in a bit, the school had to close due to coronavirus. When it was clearly a long-term situation, the school tried to adapt the framework of higher education institutions and move to distance learning. With an email a day per each kid, the school has tried to offer its distance learning for toddlers and preschool kids as a fair replacement for in person/ class learning. And without mentioning any official change to its policy nor a discussion of the contractual agreement between us, the school began to reframe its digital effort as an interchangeable learning tool to the traditional Montessori experience. A friend described the irony to me in such elegance: "a virtual Montessori classroom is an oxymoron ..... Providing digital services to you as a parent is the exact opposite of what you paid for". We told the principal that ultimately in our case, the distance learning the school has offered fails to address our family needs. At the developmental stage of toddlers and young preschoolers, distance learning requires unreasonable level of parental engagement and it puts an overwhelming burden on working parents like us. We acknowledged that perhaps this is useful learning tools for their K-6 graders who are older and can better study and follow instructions independently with limited need for parental oversight and engagement. But it fall on deaf ears. MSD has pushed back against any claims we made for getting a refund. And with with just an email, they moved to charge us tuition for distance learning in the same rate it had charged us for its traditional 5 days schedule in-person program from 8-12pm. And so, we have now unwillingly found ourselves having paid Montessori School of Durham $18k for as little as +2 months of school. And if this not enough, now we had to worry also about next year. Having signed a 2020-2021contract with the school in Feb 2020, we have been weary of similar outcomes in the likely event of a second wave of the virus next year. Making several attempts via emails and phone calls, we asked MSD to clarify its financial policy for next year and an update to the contract accordingly. The Principal has refused to answer. So we asked to withdraw our kids enrollment from next school year 2020-2021 since we do not agree with the current change of term and their refusal to update us with next year policies. The Principal responded with a threat to sue us for the full yearly tuition of both kids as well as the school legal fees. Apply to MSD and this will be your partner in a time of crisis.