The motto of this historic K-8 school founded in 1784, IMPROVE BOTH MIND AND HEART, belies the…read moreinnovative forward-thinking programs at Derby. The oldest coeducational institution in the United States still teaches mandatory sewing classes to all, but also has an extraordinary STEM science center, coding classes, outdoor education, vegetable garden, beautiful sports fields, rowing program with the Hingham Rowin Center, puts on almost professional musicals every year. You have to visit to believe it. There is SO MUCH there, I wish all schools in the country could be like Derby.

As a parent, I couldn't be happier with our experience at SELA. Administrators, teachers, and…read moresupport staff are professional, warm, empathetic, and caring. The Admissions Director runs the school incredibly well and has set the tone for creating a culture of inclusivity, compassion, generosity, and excellence. The bilingual education is outstanding, and our five-year-old has progressed in Spanish due to his wonderful teachers and thoughtful curriculum. The sense of community is amazing, and we've made lasting friendships with other families at the school. SELA offers diverse and engaging extracurricular activities for students, special events, and parent meet-ups. Sending our son to SELA was one of the best parenting decisions we've made, and he's fortunate to have the opportunity to grow and thrive in such a welcoming environment.

My son and daughter both attend this school. They get the advantage of learning Spanish and are…read moretaught by really amazing and caring teachers. I would recommend this to anyone!

I disagree strongly with any negative review. I am extremely familiar with Notre Dame Academy…read more This is why NDA is superior: The education that the students receive is superior, and that includes mathematics. Teachers are dedicated and really care about the success and happiness of every student. Graduates attend the colleges of their choice and have successful careers with an above average rate of careers in math, science and engineering. They do not feel limited by gender. The peer group is universally positive. There is no bullying at the school, and no one breaks the rules, other than a uniform infraction. Young women honestly have fun together without the distraction of boys. But there are plenty of occasions to meet boys, the school sees to that! Girls graduate with friends for life. The sisterhood is not a myth. The moral teaching at NDA is something that students do not get at other schools. Students are taught social justice and tolerance without it being didactic. They are taught to respect themselves and others. And, you don't have to be Catholic to be happy at NDA. There are students of all religions. In short, I would recommend Notre Dame Academy to anyone!!

Ahh, high school. Smell the memories…read more So, I had to learn the hard way that when you leave home, you tend to idealize it. I tend to think of this place as a kind of breeding ground for radical feminism sprinkled with a little mass on the side. With my ten year reunion rolling around, I was a little too pumped up to get an email from our 'class rep' addressed to everyone. It's not that I intended to go exactly (in fact I had a conversation exactly to the opposite effect with my close friend from high school recently), but there was something about remembering all those girls. My memories of the nice nuns and the green tiled hallways (we used to refer to our school as a giant bathroom) all came rushing back. ZZzziip (you know, that record noise where you come back to reality)--- when I emailed our rep to inform her that I would not be attending, she made it totally apparent that she didn't have a *fucking* clue who I was! How dare she! I was rememberable, damnit! I did stuff! No, I didn't sleep with multiple members of the football team at our brother school, but I was there; I was. . . Yea, so high school sucks. I know I should have remembered this, but I didn't. This is just a word of caution to all of you out there who might be overly sappy about their whole experience: they won't even remember you!

The leadership team created by Annmarie Quezada is simply phenomenal. Our child has attended St…read more John School for the last 5 years and loves it. The majority of the teachers have master degrees from Boston College and are excellent teachers. The staff and other educators are meticulously chosen and contribute to the school at the highest level. St. John School is only Catholic elementary school (Age 2 - 6th grade) in the heart of Boston proper and is conveniently located in the North End - and close to all major employers for parents to consider. Many families attend from East Boston, Medford, Revere, Saugus and many Boston neighborhoods. The students are out-performing BPS schools on MAP testing and exceptionally prepared for junior high. The 6th grade students interested in exam schools opt in to tutoring and prep for the fall exams and outperform their peers in many instances. The school community is bar none the best. Families have left SJS and returned because the community of teachers, staff, parents, grandparents, and extended family are exceptional. You cannot find this level of care and community anywhere else! This is also the most affordable private school option for many families who want to instill a Catholic education. All the students participate in what's called the Tower Garden. Ms. Shay created a hydroponic garden that is tended by each class over the course of the year. After the greens and veggies are harvested, they are hand delivered by students to different local non profit organizations like St. Anthony's Shrine and ABCD. Having the option of afterschool from 2:30 pm - 6pm plus a variety of enrichment classes and music lessons, makes this school even more attractive and special. Tours are provided by appointment all year round. And parents are always willing to share their experiences. I should note that a 2 year old program begins in September. That's in addition to the 2.9 yo program. Definitely check out the social media pages too. Facebook and instagram @stjohnschoolnorthend

Where a school is more than just a great education - but an amazing community of families - who…read morevalue education and a responsibility to the world around them. The last remaining Catholic school in Boston proper one understands how it is still here 120 years later, it leads in educational programming from Greek-Latin Roots program, Scratch, Kahn Academy to language and arts. It is a wonderful place for any child to to attend from K3 to 8 - and for any family who is looking for a true sense of community. An excellent school on all levels!

Great K-12 school with small class sizes. Teachers genuinely care for the students and go above and…read morebeyond to help them thrive spiritually and academically.

I enrolled my child in this school because it was presented as a strong, welcoming community…read more Unfortunately, that was not my experience. Despite the image portrayed in marketing materials and on review sites, I found very little sense of genuine family community and very poor academics. There appeared to be significant cliques, gossip, and social divisions among both parents and staff. I also observed what seemed to be political alliances among teachers and administrators, which contributed to an uncomfortable environment. Academically, I was disappointed with what was delivered for the tuition cost. My child learned significantly less in kindergarten than my other child has learned at their current school during the same timeframe. For the amount families invest, I expected a much stronger educational program and greater academic rigor. In my experience, other private schools and even some local Catholic schools provide a stronger academic foundation. The school promised stem and robotics for young students and that never Was provided. neasc has been notified of all of this yet continues accrediting the school. I was also troubled by concerns regarding professionalism. Teachers were filming a 5-year-old child and sharing the footage with other parents, which raised serious concerns about privacy and judgment. Additionally, there appeared to be ongoing challenges with teacher retention, resulting in staffing changes and classrooms being reassigned when teachers unexpectedly left. This created unnecessary disruption and inconsistency for students. The school has a beautiful campus and tremendous potential, but the overall organization felt disjointed. Too many things seemed to be handled on the spot rather than through well-established systems and planning. Frequent staffing changes, inconsistent communication, and a lack of clear structure contributed to the feeling that the school was poorly managed. Horrible horrible leadership. I also noticed that Google reviews are no longer available for the school. While I cannot speak to the reason, I believe prospective families should carefully research the school and speak directly with both current and former families before making a significant financial commitment. I would also encourage families to look beyond ratings on sites such as Niche. In my experience, those ratings did not accurately reflect what we encountered. When negative reviews are posted, it can appear that positive reviews quickly follow, making it difficult for prospective families to get a balanced picture of the school's strengths and weaknesses. As a result, I found the online portrayal of the school to be misleading compared to our actual experience.

When we were considering Lesley Ellis for preschool, we asked around on the playground, and just…read moreabout every parent we talked to told us, "It's excellent! The only negative is the cost." That matched our experience perfectly. The tuition is steep - though financial aid is available! - but everything else was fantastic, and we were consistently impressed with the teachers, curriculum, field trips, awareness of kids as individuals, interaction with administration, and more. My mom worked for decades in early childhood education, and (as an interested and involved grandparent) was also very impressed. They welcomed/encouraged heavy parent involvement, from "come into the classroom to talk about something you're knowledgeable/passionate about" to occasional parent-meetups-over-coffee in the morning and more. But I was never, ever made to feel guilty about not being able to participate heavily, which was the norm once we had our second kid. (Who also went to LES for preschool, once old enough.) We can't speak to their K-8 experience, but for preschool/pre-K/TK they were fantastic.

Lesley Ellis is an independent school from pre-school to grade 6, but expanding soon to 8th. Our…read moredaughter is in her third year there and we have been delighted with the program. The teachers are an outstanding group and attuned to the needs of each individual student. The administration is truly exceptional as they create an environment where parents, children and the school come together to form a nurturing and vibrant community.

The Phoenix School was life-changing for my son. He had really struggled at his old school, and had…read morebegun to internalize negative messages about himself. But once he started at the Phoenix School, things turned around. He came home after the first day and said, "It's like the teachers aren't even teachers--they're just people!" The caring relationship with his teachers, the community at the school, the way his teachers push him to do more than he thought he could and support him as he learns to push himself has been amazing. He loves school now and is thriving academically, socially, and emotionally. The way they integrate learning across all their activities is special. Students learn all the academic skills throughout all their activities, along with specialized practice in, say, math or writing, especially as they get older. They also use the community at large as their classroom with frequent out-of-the-classroom learning experiences that engage students far more than anything I've seen at any other school. Teachers support students as they produce high-quality work, with autonomy and ownership over their own learning. Teachers are among the most dedicated professional educators I've ever met. They work hard to create a community of students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members dedicated to the well-being and education of students as complete people. It's not possible for me to say enough good things about this school.

Phoenix is such a special school and community of people! My son is able to thrive there in a way…read morehe wouldn't be able to at any other school. The teachers and staff have supported his growth in every facet. He is more confident both in social situations and academically. Phoenix has been so amazing for our family and I can't wait to send my other son there when he's ready for Kindergarten!

Commonwealth has been an amazing school for our child. They promote a genuine love of learning and…read morescholarship. It's a small school so the kids develop strong relationships with the teachers. And the teachers are amazing... true experts in their field. The academics can be intense but we never found it overwhelming. Overall a fantastic school!

This is an extraordinary school that changed both of my children's lives for the better. If your…read morechild is the right fit for this school, it will change your child's life too. Take the time to read up on Commonwealth's history and its culture (the interactions between students, staff and teachers), because it's nothing like the other private schools in the area. It's truly unique. I cannot recommend Commonwealth highly enough.

Low-key food ain't that good, but if you like academics this is the place for you, the cheap price…read moreof 45,000 a year is a great affordable option. It has a great campus and great kids. The teachers are great as well.

We went back and forth about sending our children to public vs private school because of the high…read morecosts for private schools and the great access to public schools that we have in our community. That said, I cannot say enough about our decision to send our children to Shore. The faculty and staff are outstanding and they have had experiences that I know they never would have. It is providing them with a foundation that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Cannot recommend this school enough!