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.

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

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!!

Wow. Read the negative review and wanted to provide some balance. My grandfather went to Cushing…read morewith Bette Davis. My mom went there and graduated top of her class in the 50's. I graduated from Cushing in 1974 and on to work on-air in network radio in New York and on Madison Avenue. My nephews graduated in the past few years and both of them are achieving and growing in the arts -- one's a professional photographer and the other a musician. Without Cushing Academy, some of the high points of our lives could never have occurred. I highly recommend the school for its low teacher/student ratio and even individual attention that bring out the positive aspects of those with mild learning differences. Cushing is located in the bucolic little town of Ashburnham not far from Boston. The location is very convenient, yet far enough out to be in touch with nature and a slightly slower pace of life.

Never send your children here. They will come out depressed and suicidal. They don't care about…read moreyour feelings unless you're a "normal, unproblematic" person. They do have good arts I can't lie but its not worth the struggle

A great school, with amazing exposure to the arts! The school is 7-12th grade and has an amazing…read moreculture. Students and teachers are nice and caring

This is strange on two separate levels. One, whoever heard of being able to do a review on a high…read moreschool, and two a high school the you actually attended...even if it was a few years ago. I have some bittersweet memories of this place. Mostly because I came there from a more rural school that was a lot more strict. For me, I needed more direction and supervision (both at home and at school) and this school, it was a bit more of a country club than I needed. The counseling at the time was very lack and seemed to cater to more of the brainy kids than someone that was middle of the road. I actually had our counselor fall asleep on me while I was in his office. And when he woke up, he actually asked me to carry his lunchroom tray back to the cafeteria. These days, I'm not sure of the discipline lever here but if your kids attend this school you as parents must meet and the counselors and talk with them in depth and on a regular basis. Look at your kids homework and get involved with what's going on in their school. You've paid the taxes, it's your school. Hold them accountable.

honestly the atmosphere is welcoming felt like i've been here for years and it's just my first year…read moreand being straight or gay isn't a issue they don't directly shame one body kids range from beanie hats and dark makeup to richter dressed but unwanted or unwelcome isn't the right way to describe the school ask anyone where a class is they got you. the students don't discriminate or are against subjects or behavior or beliefs unless your over exerting yourself. i'm not sure if it's to relight the old attitudes of the school if you've experienced poor it's because it's looked for. they have an artsy interpretation against all students an expectation of honesty and polite behavior is extremely expected since you show up and so do the teachers. respect isn't given it's earned and if it's expected you gotta give a little to get some. I admire my peers and don't judge and that's gotten me pretty high up. I suggest you do the same.

An amazing school. No bullying…read more The only thing is that there is a new principle every 2 years but I don't know if that's true.

This school is horrible! The staff yell and Belittle the children and disregard them. Their only…read moreconcerns are their expectations, they do not care about the children.

My alma mater is one of the other 4 colleges in the area but I did take a class her as part of the…read more5 college consortium. My oldest followed 2 generations and went to that school as well but my middle son marches to the beat of a different drum. So I was not too surprised when he applied to Hampshire College. My son was very carrot and stick orientated so very focused on grades and he was accepted to 9 of the 10 schools he applied for ... RPI being one of his top two choices with Hampshire being the other. I was intrigued how he would deal with a evaluation based classes. He has adjusted pretty well. So far I am thrilled with his experience and he seems to be fitting right in.

I attended Hampshire from Fall 94-98. Bridging the years where Hampshire went from the grads who…read moretook 10 years to get a diploma (LOTS of "student sabbaticals" which weren't allowed after some school changes) and the "new kids" who fell under stricter guidelines. Pre-2000, a lot of Hampshire students were left with a "sink or swim" style of education. The faculty were amazing (Marion was excellent with Tai Chi and other classes and the outdoor programs were excellent, David Kerr and others were supportive and definitely helped me stay on track. Being one of a small number of financial aid students, the feeling at the beginning of each year was incredibly stressful (if you couldn't prove you had the funds, sometimes making the difference up in cash before matriculation, you couldn't start the school year). Financial stresses aside, it was one of the best times of my life. Hampshire College gave me insights into the way I work and strengthened my belief in self worth and my ability to achieve whatever I set myself up to do. Hampshire is a direct reason why I was able to take more risks after college, pay off a tremendous amount of debt in just a few years (yeah business consulting!) and achieve a lot of the successes I have now. I learned the undergrad education wasn't so much about what I studied, but how I set goals, researched, learned, and achieved whatever I set out to do. Those lessons have given me more than any piece of lambskin was worth. Yes - there were Hipsters at Hamp before Hipsters were a "thing" and there will continue to be the trust-fund babies who opt to float through four years of f-ing around and not really doing anything but spend money and get high. There are more, way more, motivated students who are pushing themselves to be more than what most colleges and universities expect. I'd argue there are more alumni from Hampshire (graduates or drop outs) who've succeeded because they were real examples of what a Hampshire student is - motivated, dedicated, self-assertive, risk-taking, and willing to fail several times to achieve success at whatever they're doing than there are from other more "normal" schools. I loved Hampshire and while it still definitely needs to improve its alumni relations, it's a constant work in progress and it's great to see awesome kids coming and going from there still...