1,000. Days? Meals?…read moreFriends? . . . Reviews?? How to mark a relatively minor yet personally important milestone? I didn't want to just do an *average* review, nor did I want to be so aggrandizing as to create a new "listing" of my own Yelp life. [I did think about that one, though...]. Then it hit me: where it all began. Sure, I didn't start at Westminster til 6th grade (that little spurt in Chatt for preschool then another Atlanta private school came before) but it is the most formative educational experience of my life. Even - I think - more than UVA. What I learned, from the "Christian preparatory school for boys and girls" [Note: the specifically Christian part has changed since I was there in the 80s and 90s] is . . . hard to concisely explain [there are some negatives, which I will also mention]. Highlights: *How to think. My parents planted this seed early and they wisely knew I should be in a place where I was challenged, motivated, and importantly - intrigued. *How to create. So many friends have gone on to do amazingly creative, artistically or otherwise, things [see John Pringle http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=john+pringle+wednesday+with+steve+mcqueen&FORM=VRMATS&mmalsid=&mmsosid=385bcb7f-e962-3d3d-e30d-9cf6536fea31&crslsl=0 and Rob Lathan - http://www.roblathan.com/ Zach Hanks http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1189565/bio, just to name three . . .] *The dynamics of social hierarchy: put a lot of bright kids together - and I assure you not all rich WASPy kids - and you've got to learn some social skills, life tactics, motivation . . . [negatives: much like any JH and HS environments, cliques, snottiness, general *rivalries* exist] *Exposure to language and travel. From JH language classes and my first real foray abroad with my French class in 8th grade (I ultimately ended up with enough scores and credits to place out of any college requirements) to trips like Young Life's Western Tour that took us to TX, CO, Mexico, CA and back, with lots of stops in between (Have you climbed Half Dome? Pretty awesome). *The advantages to having so many interests at your use (and waiting or required, depending) - language! science! theater! oh my . . . *An athletic environment par none in Atlanta at my time, and amazingly even better now (and, frankly all "extra-curricular" outlets are as well- have you ever been forced to do a swing jump then safety catch as part of your high school curriculum? Didn't think so - oh, and I had to do mine in a cheerleading skirt). *Simply outstanding teachers (97.2% of the time) [Some pretty stern faculty members-in-charge could use a reset] *Wayyyy big preparation for college - I (and many of my classmates) say Westminster was more challenging than college (and we went to places like UVA, UNC, Dartmouth, Princeton, etc...) Negatives, so to speak, other than I have noted above? Intense competition and pressure; example: a typical weeknight for me as a high school sophomore was two hours of [cross country/cheerleading/tennis] practice, then homework from 8-11 pm, back up at 630 am. Varsity athletes who were also striving to keep being honor students did this every day, every week. Even Type As like me were . . . working hard and beyond. Social pressure - the flip side of acquiring those adult social skills. It's going to be in any Jr High or High School world, but it is amplified in such a brilliant environment. The Type Bs, so to speak - there for family reasons, because it is a phenomenal school, because . . .a really tough place to be as a kid and teen. Super spendy. A smart kid can learn well and go on to do well, regardless of their surroundings, but this kind comes at a price, which I believe is worth it, but it's a pretty big one in terms of dollars. Bottom line? I wouldn't trade it - the experience, the education, the whole shebang - for anything. As much as this smart, Type A, blonde cheerleading captain, WASP girl might have "fit in" and "excelled" - despite the expectations and challenges, on many levels, it is a privilege to go to a place like Westminster for education and way more. And a lot of other kids, different than me - can feel the exact same way. My parents didn't do everything right for sure, but they are the ones who made sure my hide was in that chair in Mrs. Norman's 6th grade English class, and taught me all about diagramming sentences. Part of why I get to write my 1,000th review. Exit, Stage Left.

The Westminster Schools is a private K-12 Christian school in the heart of Atlanta's Buckhead…read moreneighborhood. If you go on their website, you can find the facts that almost speak for themselves: stellar college placements, consistent state champions on a variety of teams, and a campus that rivals many liberal arts colleges. Beyond all of that, however, this is where I learned to study hard and grow as a human being. The religious nature of the school allowed me to gain a comprehensive education in Christianity, and the teachers here are second to none. Even five years out, I still keep in touch with many of them. The price tag is steep, and the social and academic pressure is high, but Westminster gave me a middle school and high school education that made me who I am today. For that, I thank you. Five stars cannot cover what I learned here.

Amazing K-12 institution, great family atmosphere and an Ivy league secondary education. Very…read moreexcited to be part of the school.

This is a fantastic school!! There is an international community that is unparalleled at other…read moreprivate schools in Atlanta. The school is adding a 3-year-old immersion preschool program in Fall 2012. They also have 4- and 5-year old Kindergarten and 1st through 12th grade following the International Baccalaureate program. It is a beautiful campus and getting better all the time!

From the owner: Atlanta International School offers all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programs to over…read more1350 U.S. and international students from three-year-old kindergarten to grade 12. Rigorous academics are enriched by a world-class language acquisition program, which begins with a full-immersion preschool program in Spanish, French and German. The school offers STEM-and STEAM-endorsed and bilingual diplomas in addition to the prestigious IB diploma. Beyond the classroom, AIS students participate in award-winning performing and fine arts opportunities, competitive athletics and global experiential learning.

If your child needs any kind of auxiliary learning services, such as an IEP, good luck. The school…read moredistrict will send a "bad cop" from HQ to deny anything you're requesting that costs a dime.

I went to Wheeler High School. It is named after Joseph Wheeler, who was supposedly in the KKK…read more While I was at school here, there were a lot of fights. One afternoon I saw a truck of guys ride into the senior parking lot holding guns. Wheeler High school is often pronounced 'WILLER HI'. On their announcement board that sits in front of the school it currently says that they were just ranked in the top 5% of all national high schools by Newsweek. I wonder how many schools are in the top 5% of all national high schools. I had some memorable teachers here. Mr Carter Ms Taaffe Ms Carter Ms Frazer. I felt like I got a good learnin' here even though I slept through a lot of my classes. High school. I would not like to go back to high school but often I dream I am and it feels like I've been fed taco love boat again and again and again. Nowadays WILLER is much bigger than it used to be. They have a huge new gym and terrarium. I go behind the school to run on their track. I see people online that also went here and I talk to them. WILLER WILDCATS say growl.

Someone found a dead raccoon in the boys bathroom. This was very disgusting. The smell was putrid,…read moreI could smell it from the upper level of the school. I would not recommend for those with hypersomia, as this school is a hotspot for rotten scents.

My husband teaches here so I'm not too objective. I love this school though. The kids are…read morerespectful. The location is great. And the teacher seem to really love what they do!

This isn't a review of the high school itself - if you're basing where to send your kid to school,…read moreyou're gonna have to look deeper than yelp - but is just about the physical school itself. It's gargantuan! My kids had a dance competition this weekend at this high school. We were driving south on I-75 and as we were approaching the exit I could see a big corporate building and thought the school had to be close by it - I had no idea that IS the school! Apparently the building used to be an IBM complex and judging from the Brutalist design was 1960s or 1970s (ah, eventual googling says 1977). Just a massive pouring of concrete - you'd think the earth will eventually give way and this thing will collapse right into the molten core of the globe. And I doubt it'd stop there. So the building is grand and imposing from the outside, and the car drop-off area into the "lobby" is magnificent with its tiles and stairs [note: I'm not an architect, just a guy who thinks this stuff is cool, so forgive me if I speak in incorrect terminology]. If you're familiar with Marcel Breuer's Atlanta public library, you'll be reminded of it here. To go to my event, I wandered down the main hall, which is nonstop glass windows to my right giving me a look of nearby woods and a pond that the building is built atop of. Gazing into the waters in the afternoon provided a mirror image of the building, and the symmetry of it made it look like the building descended deep into the earth in repetitive iterations. In summary, this is just another one of those great hidden discoveries. Short of some press a few years ago when this building was converted into the school (at no small price, natch) you don't really find much info on the utter greatness of this campus. So now you know. You don't even have to go inside to appreciate it, though it's nice if you can. I don't wish to relive my high school years, but i imagine if I went here I'd at least have one positive memory to reflect on.

The only good teachers shine in the AP and IB classes. Other than that, standard and honors…read moreteachers are mostly a prank to the Georgia Department of Education.

Our experience at Covenant was quite different than what Wonder wrote. In fact we KNOW that much…read moreof what he/she wrote to be quite untrue about the school AND the folks that are mentioned. There seem to be personal issues in that review. Hopefully, this person has found some place that is a better fit. Our experience over the last years was very positive up until last school year.(2016-2017) There were some big changes made and it was very apparent that the staff was not happy. The entire mood of the school changed. Several teachers and families left (including us) because we felt as though the school was not remaining true to its mission. Things began to feel much more corporate and political than Christian, sadly.

Recent changes are helping this school return to it's distinctive Biblical and classical roots…read more There is a warm, caring environment, encouragement to serve through chapel and community service programs, and lots of opportunities for parents and teachers to fellowship together.