I attended this school for 13 years, from my first day in Prima to graduation. It is the only…read moreschool I ever knew, and because of that, I feel I can offer a perspective that balances both the praise and criticism found in many reviews.
This has always been a demanding school. Its purpose is to prepare students for college, and that preparation begins long before high school. For some students and families, that level of rigor can feel overwhelming. However, I have also seen tremendous growth occur when both students and parents commit themselves to the challenge. There often comes a point where students either learn to thrive within those expectations or struggle to keep pace. The potential for growth is there, but it requires effort from everyone involved.
That said, rigor alone does not make a school perfect.
My least favorite period was Logic (middle school). During those years, I often felt less like an individual and more like a number. The environment sometimes felt focused on monitoring, correcting, and containing students rather than understanding them. Discipline was extremely strict--even something as small as chewing gum in class was prohibited--yet Logic was still the least well-behaved division in my experience. While the curriculum was strong and prepared students well for high school, it was also the least enjoyable stage of my education.
Rhetoric (high school) felt like a more refined, though sometimes stranger, version of Logic. Freshmen and sophomores were often treated similarly to middle school students, while juniors and seniors were given considerably more freedom. In my graduating class, nearly everyone already knew each other, which made it difficult to form new friendships. I also noticed a sharp difference in how students were treated as they got older. Students who were trusted more often behaved better, while those who felt heavily policed tended to push back. That dynamic sometimes created tension between grade levels.
As for special education services, my experience varied depending on the year. During my time at the school, education as a whole was experiencing significant staffing challenges, and several teachers either left or were removed from their positions. My experiences in Grammar and Rhetoric were very positive, while Logic was more turbulent. The staff members I worked with were caring people with good intentions. While I cannot speak for every student's experience, my needs in high school were met and often exceeded.
Overall, this is a strong school. If your primary goal is a rigorous education that prepares students well for college, it delivers. However, the social environment can sometimes create unnecessary stress for students who are already facing significant academic demands. It is neither a perfect school nor a deeply flawed one. More than anything, it is a lifestyle choice--a decision about how you want your children to be educated and influenced during the years when you are not around.
