I have known the school for fifty years. Darrow gave me the space, support and opportunity to…read morediscover so many skills I never knew I had. Darrow taught me to think analytically, communicate effectively and collaborate as often as possible. There is a "safeness" that exists at Darrow that allows a student to try anything. If a student fails, he will be caught. To me there is more pride in failure than never having tried. I failed many times while at Darrow. Was I negatively judged? No. Did I try something else? I did. As a consequence, I am still trying new things. Some I'm good at. Others, not so much. But thanks to Darrow I keep on trying.

We lived in a town with one of the highest-ranked school systems nationally, yet our son was not…read moreengaged. Then we discovered Darrow: a stunningly beautiful setting in the Berkshire foothills, a warm and welcoming community, and a collaborative process that turns students into partners in the education process. It transformed our son into an outgoing, enthusiastic and accomplished student and it made his extra-curricular interests blossom. The "Mountainside" is more than a school - it's the foundation for a lifetime of achievement.

i've been here for summer camp. It is an all girls summer camp and it's absolutely amazing. They…read morehave different electives that you can sign up for and you can request to be with different friends that you wanna be with. They have showcase every two weeks on a Friday the last day and the dancers and singers perform and much more!

My mom went here and she really loved it! Beautiful campus to visit! Emma Willard is in a great…read morelocation and so easy to access. I am glad to see the places where my mom used to utilize daily.

About 8 years ago I wrote a one star * negative review about Cushing. Two other alumni with bad…read moreexperiences Yelped me behind the scenes thanking me for my review. Today, all these years later I am reversing my review to a full ***** five star positive review. The reason for this is twofold. 1) With greater age, wisdom & grey hair starting to grow, I realized that these criticisms that I had, while valid, are also very common problems. Common coin of many educational, professional & family environments. Therefore to blame Cushing alone for them, when they are common problems, was overzealous; yet in a sense also valid; with belief & hope that Cushing can do better than the average; in fact exceptional on these issues, if it wished to in the future; among the best of schools. 2) That leads to my second reason for reversing the review from one star to five stars is my belief that the new Headmaster, Randy R. Bertin, Ed.D. has the capacity to lead Cushing in the right direction, to a better future, in these, as-well-as, all sorts of other ways. I have returned to Cushing about ten times or more since graduation in 1981; including four class reunions and to speak & work with several of my professors, for years after graduation. I strongly support the concept of "community building." Over the years, along with face-to-face, as well as email communications, multiple generations of Cushing Headmasters, along with other leaders, have gradually, step-by-step, showed me how they were making Cushing Academy a better & better place. My intention is not to degrade or discredit the negative reviews of other alumni or students. No institution or for that matter person is perfect, and given the #s of students that go through such a revolving door, there are almost guaranteed to be at least a few bad experiences for one reason or another. The "big question" for every school, institution & person, including myself, is how are we going to honestly, directly & clearly look at these problems & mistakes, that one or another of us may likely make at some point, or have already made, and both make remedy, as well as do everything reasonably possible to prevent it from happening again. As well as all the fun, creative, educational, & enjoyable stuff we ask our educational leaders to create or make possible as well...In these ways, Cushing history is not perfect, but it is based on my experience, continuing to improve over the years, getting better & better with time! Lets keep on complaining & also keep on improving! Not afraid to look at the negative problems, but recognize them, resolve them, prevent them from happening again, improve beyond them! My Cushing experience was amazing because I met and was assisted my multiple teachers in and out of the classroom that were among the best I had in life and beyond my public school. Met great life-long friends, & had all the typical sports, games, getaways to Boston, each other's houses, & much more. It was over all a great, fun, amazing time!!! Thank you, Cushing! A very cultural experience that a local, yokel, from a small hick town, in Vermont, could get a worldwide view of experience, connecting with students, & people from all over the USA & the world...That to me was amazing!!! Like my backwoods' bad grammar; Cushing "ain't" perfect; but unlike my grammar; it is an awesome & amazing place not to miss!!

Decades later, I can only remember the rampant drinking, drug use, hook-ups and bullying. How sad…read moreis that? The marketing propaganda makes it looks like it evolved into a first-rate institution, but there is a deep social aspect to boarding schools - especially a co-ed. And young kids living away from home need supervision and structure. Parents, proceed with caution.

Terrific School in a beautiful place. Our daughter thrived in it's caring atmosphere, and has…read moreblossomed into the strong and confident woman we see today. She learned much more about who she was during her time at Kent School, and has carried that through to her college (UNC Chapel Hill). All in all, a great experience for her, and her education was not only academic but also social and spiritual.

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.

I cannot comment on the boarding school, though it's reputation is exceptional. My son spent two…read moreweeks here attending the Berkshire Summer Music camp in June, 2019. The campus is breathtakingly stunning! Beautiful buildings set against the backdrop of mountains. It's much like a small college campus, with several dorms, and buildings housing the different academic departments. Definitely an amazing setting for learning!

We sent our son there for one month, some may say it is a lot of money for one month. It was worth…read moreevery dime. What Eagle Hill accomplished in one month no other educator has been able to do. My son finally became motivated, believes in himself and is confident about his learning. The school and campus is state of the art. The staff and instructors know how to motivate students and get the most out of them. Only one word describes Eagle Hill and that is Incredible.

This school is absolutly terrible for all people. My daughter is on crimson and her teachers are…read morevery rude and unresponsable. My daughter has had missing work and she did all of it but her math teacher has not graded any of it! also who growls at there students????? DONT get me started on how descustingly dirty and there has been mold. My daughter has come home saying people are sagging and fighting in the bath rooms. She also says some kid so fat named garren thinks he is so good at everthing just because he plays soccer. Like you are not messi so be quit.

I wish I could put 0 stars this school sucks all my daughters teachers are mean or obese they say…read moreshe can't use the bathroom very Disappointed in this school she told me the bathrooms are not clean one time there was water on the floor for days also there was a used pad on the ground for weeks that was getting moldy never ever go to this school

It was so skibidi toilet Ohio rizz and I edged in the cafe jt was so good like I could mew and no…read moreone cared

What a fine high school. It gets top ratings for a good reason. It IS tops in the Sciences, Arts,…read morelanguages, etc. My son just started here a few months ago, and what a difference it's been since our own high school days! It's a full time job just to read up on all it has to offer. All is as it should be, since this is a VERY highly taxed area. You get what you pay for here. iPads for all students? And the facilities are huge and wondrous. Well tended and with good security. Communication is good, too. For a high school experience, I can't imagine it gets any better than this. *Note: just make sure you know where you are headed. I got lost a lot on parent night. I'd never make it to class on time!