I went to LF and I would say it literally saved my life. Everyone might have a different…read moreexperience, but my experience gave me the leadership tools I needed to succeed. My business class with Ms. English have us an opportunity to learn real life stocks and trading. Why we would buy a stock and when not to buy a stock. We also learned financial planning tools. My computer class gave me the knowledge I needed to continue to grow with the fast paced changing of paper to electronics. Mind you I graduated in 2005 so computers were just starting to take over traditional pen to paper. My teachers really looked out for me and cared. Truly cared. I went through a really tough time and was sadly very depressed. I was able to get guidance and talk to an amazing counselor who helped me achieve my goals and get me through high school. I met my best friend in high school. I was finally not being bullied and when I did get bullied Mrs. Shenk played no games. I appreciate Mr. Ronzoni for his patience with me and not just correcting a paper, but showing me my mistakes and explaining them to me. It is making me the best paralegal and writer I can be currently. I loved going to the Flossie Shop and talking to Mrs. Gallagher (R.I.P.) on my lunch and her smile could brighten anyone's day. I miss her so much! To this day LF is a part of my life and I cherish every moment. I love being a part of the Alumnae Association so that I can give back in the little ways, just like our beloved St. Therese did. For'er We Will Be True. Thank you LF, Shannon Marie Cline

I attribute my successes to the education I received at LF. I will be forever grateful to the…read morefaculty, administration and lifelong friends met at LF who made me the person I am today.

Very happy with this school, it has a culture of hard work, excellent academics, and emphasizes…read moremorals and values. We have 2 children here and love it. Kids are treated as little adults and respected by teachers and staff. This school grows intellectual, grounded, worldly and kind children. bykNyt-herboc-2kacgy

The best school in Philadelphia, hands down -- and one of the top 20 schools in the country. This…read moreschool is the sister school to Sidwell Friends in Washington, DC, where our president sends his kids -- the schools are pretty much identical in terms of mission, curriculum, and the amazing kids and teachers. I moved to Philly from NYC in 2004 and now my daughter is going there -- and I thank God that we no longer have to send her to some below average snooty private school in Brooklyn or Manhattan. This is the best school I've ever encountered. My daughter was very nervous when she first started, and now she's doing very, very well. My friends who are still in NYC lament the private schools where their children are going... places where all the millionaires and famous people send their kids. Germantown Friends blows them all off the map.

The principal and all the teachers are amazing. My daughter…read moreattends the school & loves it. The only downside the cafeteria food is like all school food - barely palatable. All in all, it has to be one of the best public schools around.

Families are looking to find schools that their child think it's best for them and for their safety…read moretoo. Parents should definitely do what's best for their children by attending them to one of the best schools in the state, not only is Lower Merion High School one of the best, but also the best at welcoming new students who move or transferred from a different school. Here at Lower Merion High school, kids and teens should be welcomed and not come in nervous or feeling like they don't belong here at all. Lower Merion High School is not all about that, but to make your children feel like they belong here and that they should have the confidence to waking up knowing it's going to be a great day at their new school!

I've called the high school several times this year just to find out information for my current 8th…read moregrader soon going into high school for 2022. No one at the school had any real customer service demeanor. The front desk lady never said her name, nor was she inviting or nice. I was then transferred to the guidance counselor and she had no customer service either. I understand that people have a bad day, but as a customer service person, you have to put those things aside and treat people accordingly. I really have to consider whether Lower Merion High School will be my son's choice of school.

I spent only my freshman year in upper school here, as a day student. My family has sent a lot of…read morerelatives to 'Town, back to Hannah Hunt, 1799 (a founding student). My dad didn't want me joining the cool group at public school, ripped me away from my friends, & plopped me at W-town! It was framed as a punishment, which did not set me up for success. AT THE TIME I WAS THERE, this is how it was (may be different now, years later): - Very diverse student body, all over the world, all over the country, all religions (or lack thereof), several diplomats' kids - No prom b/c it's tacky - Good college advisor program - 600-acre campus is breathtaking! - Lots of tradition, joining a community, sense of continuity through many years - Boarding was mandatory for Juniors & Seniors, but not Freshmen & Sophomores (busses from local school dists transport day students for free) - Mandatory Meeting for Worship every Wed (mandatory on Sun, as well, for boarders) - Mandatory Quakerism classes - Academics taught like college courses (at a small liberal arts school, at least) - Westtown is not brash & obnoxious like many Main Line private schools. It is ranked well nationally, but it's for down-to-earth people, not snobs. It's not very Quakerly to be a snob. - Students have mandatory community service. They have outreach programs, from which you can choose, but it's part of your education to learn how to give to your community. - There were monthly assemblies with various messages, & speakers. Westtown is very politically & socially liberal, so this will always be the tone of their morals & missions. It was definitely preparatory for college with the lectures & talks we got. - Field Trips & outings are more sophisticated, like college - Sports mandatory all year b/c they do not have gym class. Underclassmen had to play 2 team sports out of the 3 seasons, +1 club sport, IF you got in before all the spaces filled up, otherwise, it was 3 team sports. - No football b/c a student had died from it before use of helmets - Stealing among boarders? Yes - Drug culture? Yes - Sneaking to co-ed's dorm for sex? Yes - Bullying? Yes PERSONAL REFLECTIONS Where Westtown benefited me: It is mandatory to have UNPAID campus jobs. Yup, Mom & Dad will pay tens of thou for you to go be a janitor. At the time I went, these jobs included everything from vacuuming classrooms, to doing dishes in the dining room. Humility is part of being a well-rounded, decent human being. W-town will teach it to you. I had a classmate who tried to pay off our advisor to get himself out of his work job. Guess what that got him? The crappiest job available. I had a hard time donning the bright yellow gloves & a rubber apron, & I whined & "ewwwww"-ed my way through it, but the kids who took it in stride, & did a good job, were the ones everyone liked. You learned a lot about how to grow the heck up, & take care of yourself & others at this school. I had a drama class, that made a huge impression on me. My art class introduced me to acid etching when I was a mere 14 years old! We did some amazing projects, with equipment I never would have had access to at public school. Going deeper... I met a lot of really cool people here. The international students were AMAZING people, for the most part. I was fascinated by their worldliness & chutzpah. My two close freshman friends by the end of the year were from Manhattan & Tanzania. I also really related to upperclassmen tennis teammates from China & VA. A great mix of kids! I was exposed to diversity & culture (literature & arts) that I would not have been at public school (although my AP ps education was exceptional), & I am forever grateful. I was on a step squad, & I sucked, but I still know my routine! Where W-town failed me: - Faculty brats in my class were mean & entitled. The daily putdowns (making fun of me for being a priss), were ironic/hypocritical at Quaker school, & a HUGE factor in making me not return. - A number of kids there were expelled from other schools, & had a lot of problems, which some of them took out on others. I had a really bad incident with one of these kids, which was a trauma I had to deal with in years of therapy. - Faculty was hit or miss. Some teachers did not have teaching certs, just majored in that subject. For example, my history teacher was so awesome, I still remember his lectures, but my French teacher was TERRIBLE & had no teaching skills or certs! Also, I could not take two languages in my schedule (but did at ps with no prob). The kids who'd been there a while knew which teachers to request, & got them, while others suffered. ------- In the end, the bad apple faculty & students spoiled things for me, & the trauma event I endured (which I did NOT report to the school), sent my OCD out of control. I returned to ps, for better & worse, but dealt with it. FUN FACT: Famous alums? Bob Marley's daughter attended (you can look up all the famous alums on Wiki).

Beautiful campus, especially in the fall!…read more Sports fields are large and spread out, but no netting so balls get lost into the woods and/or roll down the hill - away from the hill.

St. Cecilia School shines above the rest of the schools in the northeast, both public and parochial…read morealike. The teachers here are simply the best and so kind. The principal and vice principal are very heads on about everything, from clubs and choir to bullying and attitudes. Sending my daughter here was the best choice I've ever made. the classes are small...with the average class having 19 kids. definitely better learning environment for the kids.

Oh wonderful greetings, beautiful smile but it's a racist school, please don't erase my comment,…read moreThe Lord is my light and my salvation,whom shall I fear,the Lord is my strength.

The Philadelphia area has an incredible variety of great schools--both public and private--so it…read moreoften comes down to "fit"--for your child/children and for your family. My husband and I toured and researched many schools in the area when our kids were first starting school and in the end, we decided Shipley was the perfect fit for us and for our children. I'll also add that as they have grown & evolved as learners (and they are very different kids), the fit still feels right for both. We were looking for a strong academic program, but our family believes that education is not just about test scores. Preparing our children for success in life is about values, self-confidence, friendships, and respect ....as well as excellent academics. We found that educational mission at Shipley. Also, as our kids have gotten older (now in middle & high school), I appreciate the "positive peer culture" that exists at Shipley. As they begin to look more to their classmates & teammates for cues about how to behave and what choices to make, I am grateful that their circles of friends take school seriously and care about the community they are part of. It is truly the teachers and coaches and other adults in the community that make Shipley so special. Yes, there are great facilities (as there are at most of the schools in this area) but it is the faculty that sets Shipley apart. They truly know my kids--their strengths, their weaknesses, ways to motivate them, where to support them, and when to push them outside of their comfort zone... They also embrace and celebrate the many different ways children learn. The teachers are just fabulous--they are proactive and engaged in student life and they respond to each child's needs--at whatever point they are in their academic and social development. The curriculum is responsive to the needs of the students while the academic vision is always pushing the envelope. Shipley does not have one model of a "successful graduate" that they are teaching towards - rather the teachers strive to find each student's unique gifts and talents and then help them become the best versions of themselves, in a holistic way. I really like that about Shipley, and I see my kids (who are so different from each other) developing along their own tracks and finding success and confidence in doing so.

I graduated from The Shipley School in 2013 and my four years there as a student were the most…read morememorable and growth stimulating years of my life. When people think of Shipley they have assumptions of the demographics of the community. I admit I did. I myself come from the inner-city and a middle class income, and was nervous entering. Nevertheless, I never felt different. Shipley is a welcoming community, one that accepts everyone, that grants chances to those chances aren't usually given, Shipley is a community here to help prepare its students for the future. There is support beyond measure from the teachers, administration, students, families, everyone, because we are one. Before Shipley I didn't know what it meant to be selfless, however once put into the community I learned the meaning and I begin to embody it in everyday life. Growing up in the city and going to school there it was like a being a crab in the barrel, no matter how close you were to the top, someone pulled you down. I was never taught to uplift others. Instead I focused on myself and my own success. Shipley showed me to be successful I need a team and to uplift others because their success is just as important as mine. As I finish college and begin to truly embark on this journey of life I am nothing but grateful for Shipley building the foundation of the young woman I am today. I have defied statistics and because of the risks they encouraged me to take. I have gained a confidence that can never be broken. I will never again think of myself as a crab in the barrel. I am an individual who matters. Most importantly I know I am never alone in this world and I will forever use the teams I build over time to create success of everyone involved.

The school is awesome great lunch food "( sometimes raw)" and great teachers that are nice and…read morecaring towards the students and other staff the downside is that the lunch ladies is rude and mean to the students and the bathrooms are disgusting.

Love this school district. Graduated from here in June 2014. I moved to Ambler from Jenkintown…read morebecause going to Springside School was an awful fit for me so my parents and I found Wissahickon and I ended up really fitting in there and doing much better.