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.

As a proud parent of an 8th grader who is in his 3rd year at Hill Top, I will tell you this school…read morehas had a profoundly positive impact on our son and our family. After serious issues in public school and being enrmilled at HTP, he has been given the space to heal, grow, and start to like himself again after a long time. He is excelling academically, has made lifelong friends, and has discovered many new hobbie. I sincerely and without hesitatio, encourage paren to consider HTP.

Okay, I'm gonna be as honest and objective as I can. This school has some major upsides to it. Most…read moreof the teachers there are fun to be around, easy to talk to, and hard working when it comes to getting their students to succeed. The fun Fridays are a genius idea where you pay once a month to go on a field trip with all your friends and classmates. The spirit of the hawk is a basic yet catchy way to remind students of the expectations of the school. Most importantly, the reason why many of you are either at the school currently or looking at this school, they have excellent programs in place to help students with ADHD, and Autism. That is all surface level. This is exactly what Hill Top Preparatory School wants you to see. It's all true. When you go past this surface level though you uncover an iceberg larger than you could ever expect. Disclaimer: I started here in 9th grade and cannot speak for the middle school. At Hill Top Preparatory School I was alone. I graduated in 2023 bitter, badly traumatized, and angry. To spare all of the details I will try to quickly explain all of the reasons why I will never allow my future children anywhere near this school. As a queer black male, I was subjected to bullying worse than I could have ever imagined. I spent 9th grade with very little human interaction as all it took was 2-3 unchecked kids to get the entire school to believe I was a r*pist with no knowledge or reason to indicate that I actually was. While rumors spreading is common amongst highschoolers the problem lies with how it was handled in such a small school. David Vandyke is by far the worst person on staff and unfortunately serves as the head of discipline and student life. When I had gone to him about these rumors I was told nothing could be done, no one could be punished, everything was just "he said she said". After losing all of my friends to rumors and false allegations that had gone unchecked by authority I as a 14 year old boy was left to fight for myself and eventually get everything cleared up. 10th grade skipped due to lack of space. Just racism towards my mixed races relationship. 11th grade comes and by now Mr Vandyke had threattened to expel me twice now. Once for pushing a kid that was bullying my girlfriend and causing him to hit his head (he bled a little but was fine), and a second time for a "cyberbullying incident" in which several people had come forward saying it was just an argument and I was the one getting attacked in the first place. A third incident happens (that was actually my fault this time) and I am once again threatened with expulsion. It was always this looming blade held over my head as a way of scaring me into line. It actually worked with my mother. Every time I came to her asking advice on my mistreatment or the mistreatment of a friend by the school administration my mom would say to just drop it for fear of me getting expelled. 12th grade is finally here and its probably tied with 9th for the actual worst schooling year of my life. I'm running out of space so I'll go over the rest quickly. I befriended an 8th grader and a third of the staff assumed I was grooming him, I came out as a femboy and was told I was looking for attention by mr vandyke (a year later I'm now transgender), I was threatened with expulsion one final time because I started to open up about my hallucinations and dissociative identity disorder (yes my trauma was that bad), and the staff actively encouraged a relationship between an 18 year old and a 15 year old (they're both white). Just another day at Hill Top Prep. Now I will admit it wasn't all bad but there were definitely a LOT of very avoidable things, questionable bordering on racist action being taken, and honestly a lot of dark things going on when you look past the happy atmosphere this school projects. I will be back as an alumni to visit the few teachers who were unconditionally good to me through my hardships and the administration is lucky I don't sue for negligence and discrimination.

The Haverford School is one of the premier educational organizations anywhere, providing its…read morestudents with a top notch education and emphasizing the importance of being a strong writer.

Class of '95 here…read more What can I say about this place? A decade plus removed from it, I don't keep in touch with many of the people, though not for their own fault or mine. I value the education I got here tremendously - from Mr Duffany's excruciating but valuable sentence diagram the the late Señor Laserna's Spanish, which lasts with me still. I loved rowing crew and Doc Kinney's art class/introspective therapy sessions, could have done without some of the cookie-cutter jackasses and senses of entitlement. But all in all it was a good school for the area, one I think of with mostly fond memories, and I wish only the best for this place.

The girls r mean and cheaters. They have no sense of humor and they are really rude. They are also…read morerude to the teachers.

Baldwin is a school where the faculty consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty for their…read morestudents. Students here are more than classmates, they are sisters. This school changed my mind about private education, these students continuously impress, push boundaries, and excel in every facet of life. Long live Baldwin.

It was great when I went in the early 90's. I went onto to get a PhD from Harvard. Thank you…read moreGateway! I still remember hammering nails into pieces of wood.

This is a great school with loving caring teachers. Exciting curriculum for children ages 2.7…read morethrough kindergarten. Love all the after school activities and programs they offer, huge help for working parents!

Out of all of the excellent area schools, both private and public, we chose Friends School…read moreHaverford (FSH). Initially, we were drawn to the play-centered learning approach for the younger children, however, there was so much more from which to benefit. The teachers and staff consider the whole child, their social, emotional, and intellectual development. Guided by Quaker principles, the community is at the heart of its mission. The children are taught to discover and appreciate the uniqueness of themselves and others. I always feel informed with weekly updates, class newsletters, and monthly breakfast meetings with the principal. Lower student-teacher ratios increase children's engagement and allow for individual needs to be more easily met at FSH. Hearing my child say he loves school is the way it should be for all kids!

We have been apart of the Friends School Haverford Community since 2018. Our son joined FSH in the…read more2nd grade. Over the last four years we have witnessed his growth both academically and socially. The relationships that he has developed with the teachers, staff and his classmates has help to mold him into a kind, intelligent funny kid. As parents we too have developed long standing friendships with the parents of FSH. FSH not only poured into our sons life but ours as well. The Griers

Better off going to Merion - constant switching of head of school and seem to only care about money.read more

I went to school there a year and immediately left. The kids were not nice at all, the classes…read moreweren't academically challenging, and the environment was not healthy.

My children have attended the center. I cannot say enough good things about the program. Most…read moreimportantly, I know that my child is safe and loved. The bonus is that they come home every day having learned something new. Thanks

Figured I'd post a review since I wish there were reviews when I was looking for them. Bottom line…read moreis, among other centers in Bryn Mawr, this is probably a better one just because of large rooms and fairly small number of children in those rooms (as compared to Cambridge school in Baldwin where those kids are like sardines in a can). But that's about it. The teachers were not engaging, every time I dropped my kid off, sometimes as late as 9.15am, they were yapping with each other. Every time I came to pick up, again even as early as 4.30-5, the kids were playing on their own while the girls were chatting. When they actually did circle time, I'm not sure. Apparently there was a time because my child learned Apples and bananas song in one year! And in comparison to our new daycare, the kid has mastered sooooo much: songs, letters, numbers, games, space, anatomy - you name it. I believe the 3 year olds had a nice teacher, we would always peek in their room and get jealous of the kids that actually do something. And I think the infants teacher knows what she's doing, but 1 and 2 year olds - you'd be better of to keep looking, preferably outside of a Bryn Mawr if logistics allow. Unless they switched up the teachers and got some that actually care about kids.