We joined the infant class hoping to get our 6 month old used to the water early and to start her water safety journey nice and young. My boyfriend and I both work full time so we signed up for Sunday morning classes. They are FULL. There is no way to move around with your child without bumping into someone, there is zero chance the instructors can check on every child/parent, and it is insanely uncomfortable. Each class is exactly the same, there are people who sign up so they can "free swim" with their kids because the lack of structure allows for this type of behavior, and there is no learning curriculum for which my daughter has benefited from over the past 4 months. Absolutely nothing. The kids range in ages in this area and there are fathers allowing their older sons to jump into the pool, soaking those of us with small babies with no consideration of the safety of others. I did not want to make an issue of the young swim instructors hardly paying a cent of attention (it's a beginners class, there's not a ton going on) but not asking these parents to stop this behavior week after week is dangerous and the majority of the reason we won't be returning. We also never had consistent, reliable instructors so there was no opportunity for anyone to get to know our child or us in order to make it a more personal experience. We felt like cattle being rushed in and rushed out and just another body in the pool. It was not a warm and fuzzy experience for us and we are pretty disappointed. After the last class where a child jumped into the pool right next to my 8 month old and the instructors were too busy chatting with each other to notice, we chose to stop our membership immediately. Without giving notice as per the contract, we lost a month of tuition for Goldfish to keep, along with the tokens we had from our baby having chronic ear infections and being unable to attend (as which happens with infants). That in itself was telling that the fee is worth more to them than providing the best experience. While I believe Bill is very nice, I don't agree with the business model and packing people into a pool. Power Aquatics gives space to their members and their instructors are consistent. The children start learning water safety immediately and the program is much more personal. read more

The facility is beautiful, the pool is nice and warm, and the showers right next to the pool are genius. My youngest - 23 months - loves swimming with his dad in the baby class. My issue is with my older son's class. He is four years old and generally has 2-3 other kids in his group. The instructor is pretty awful. She spends most of the 25 minute class talking with other employees and generally my son actually goes into the water only five or six times per half hour class, each time for less than a minute. She evens chats with other employees while holding kids in the water, so they just wait for her while they're suspended in the water. It's extremely frustrating as a parent to watch my son sit on the edge of a pool for the better part of the lesson. Once, the regular instructor was away, and someone else was covering for her. The covering instructor was absolutely *amazing* and we finally got a chance to see how productive and fun the class could be. She was completely focused on the kids, had them in the water a ton, and spent zero time chatting with coworkers. I would love to see more of that from all of the instructors. read more

Haven't take classes here, but was invited with my little squid as guests to an aquatic birthday party, and it was a hit! Atmosphere is in stark contrast to the dull gray industrial exterior - you'll step in to a tropical cabana den with colorful murals adorning every wall. Sign in at the front desk, then make your way to one of maybe 15 private dressing rooms (two are accessible) before heading over to the single pool. For classes, there's a clever setup where the pool and showers are separated from the lobby by a full-length "glass" wall, so parents can watch their kids' tutelage without getting too hockey dad about the whole situation. For birthday parties, it's simply free swim with some balls and platforms to make for a sweet respite from winter's chill. Props for the props, but if you have a ledge jumper, be advised: kids can only jump in to the pool from the top step on one of two entry staircases. No big - my son made full use of that rule. Bonus for lots of natural light streaming in to the swimming area, and an entire blow dry bar once you're rinsed and changed. Goldfish is a very festive spot, and I'm definitely curious about their instruction based on this impressive intro to the brand. read more

See all

No instruction or learning. We have been taking our 16 month old son for two months and he hasn't learned anything. Moreover, every class is EXACTLY the same. This is more of an "activity" than it is actual swim lessons. read more

My son loves it here. Very Clean, very friendly staff and the owner is great at communicating. Heated pool makes my son love it even more!

Don't waste your time or money. We did not have a consistent instructor (some were definitely better than others) and my two children didn't learn anything. I unenrolled them but wanted to use our makeup classes only because I paid for them already and was told they have to be enrolled in a weekly class in order to use the makeup classes I already paid for. When I asked to get a refund for the 18 sessions between my two children that were missed I was told I can't get a refund. Awful experience. read more

We love Goldfish! My kids have been going for a little over a year now. They've shown immense improvement, the instructors really take their time with the kids and get to know them and their skills. My daughter started swimming and hated her head getting wet, they were patient and worked with her every class, now she's in Pro 2.... One step below swim force and my son just made swim force. I'm so proud of their hard work, but it wouldn't have been possible without the amazing instructors. My kids feel so proud too, every time they earn a ribbon, they light up! It can be a little pricey, but highly recommend Goldfish, especially over the dirty Y. read more

The swim lessons they give are ok, but it's more something to do than actual learning. The reason for 2 stars is they don't allow you to cancel over the phone. They'll gladly take your money when you sign up, but if you move or have a change, you have to physically go to the location to cancel. It's nothing but a scheme to take your money. read more

My daughter loves to swim so we decided go to to Goldfish for the family swim. I checked the time on the website and figured we'd get there early to change etc. We get to the Rockland Goldfish and try and check in, and the receptionist asks if we called for a spot, I said it didn't say we needed to. She says yea you need to call and book a spot and we're fully booked. My daughter cried, I felt so bad. I said they needed to update their website, since we never had to call before. I understand since the pandemic they are limited, but please list that on the website. read more

Son was assaulted by one of the guards, now my so has bruises and scratches on his back. Was told this was protocol. Would leave zero stars if I could. read more

Let me start by saying the facility is awesome and the location is great. We were at Braintree for several months but now being 15-20 minutes closer with Rockland has been so much easier for us. That being said, there are some things that can definitely be improved, hence the 3 star review(for now). With the mini 1 & 2, class size is supposed to be no more than 6 babies and parents per class. Lately ours has been 7. It's way too crowded and I feel we're losing some attention from the instructor because of the class being maxed out at 6 plus one more baby and parent to total 7. We're in mini 2, so they aren't little babies. Toddlers take up a good amount of room, especially with kicking, so you're always in each others way. It hasn't been too enjoyable in that regard. The pool has been really cool, definitely not 90°. My sons lips were turning light purple a couple weeks ago and our instructor mentioned the water felt 'chilly' to her. Yet this week it was nice and warm, the warmest it's been in weeks. Hoping it stays this way. On the way to the showers, older kid classes get out at the same time ours does and parents think it's ok to stand there and talk to the instructor in the path to the showers and exit door. This creates a huge traffic jam. They should have parents stand on the opposite side of the pool when class is out. It's been a nightmare, especially with a wiggly toddler who is ready to get going. Speaking of showers, they are WAY too hot. My son clings onto me and hides his face bc it's too hot, so we just do a quick rinse and be done with it. All the parents in our class have said the same thing that the showers are even too hot for adults. This is a simple fix, and I hope the turn the temp down bc it's easy to do, and much safer. It's been mentioned to the front desk with nothing done about it (yet). Overall it's a great place, just some kinks need to be worked out as stated above. Once they are, they'd go up to 5 stars like Braintree. read more

We LOVE Goldfish in Rockland. The facility is like the Jimmy Buffet concert version of a swim lesson. The various pastel colored changing room cabanas transport you to The FL Keys and the little tiki picnic tables just make the space feel fun. As a parent, my favorite part is definitely the total engagement and energy of the instructors along with the underwater "docks" that the kids swim to, practice their kicks at, etc. I'd be remiss not to also mention the convenience of the showers immediately after the pool. I DREAD the gross shower facilities at most indoor pools but these open showers next to the pool make a quick rinse/shampoo a breeze. We live out of town but will definitely be returning to this location next summer! read more

We signed my son up for lessons here about 2 months ago. He is two and in a Mini 2 class. He was completely afraid of the water before and after just a few classes, he loves it!! He asks to go every week. I was concerned with paying so much monthly for one class (seems expensive!) but seeing how much he has improved and how much he loves it, it's definitely worth it for us. The Mini 2 classes are up to 6 kids but I have never seen his class any more than 5. Usually it's 3-4. The instructors are great. They have subbed out for each other a number of times and all the teachers he has had have been great. They also have weekly family swim sessions. We did one of those for the first time this week and he thought it was great. Basically just open swim for families. The only thing is even as members you have to pay $5 per person for this. I feel like with the amount you pay per month, this should be included at least a couple times a month. It was really fun though and they offered my son a floater (puddle jumper) which was great so he could have a little more freedom. The staff is very nice and we have had a few occasions where we had to switch dates and they were very accommodating. The only caveat is they only allow you to switch dates 12 times a year but I guess that makes sense so they can guarantee attendance. The location and facility is really nice and it's not usually too crowded when we go (weekend). There is always parking too. The dressing rooms and bathrooms are always very clean and each room has a bimbo seat for the babies. There is a changing table with diapers and wipes for the Littles in case you forget something (which I have) so that's nice! They also have coloring pages and weekly giveaway toys for the kids which is a nice touch. Overall, we have been very happy with everything and my son absolutely loves the classes! Just wish family swim was included even just once a month rather than having to pay more $$. read more

My granddaughter is in the last class on Sunday. She is now nine. When she started here, about a year and a half ago, they did a fantastic job. She learned to be comfortable in the water and learned different strokes. I would very much recommend this place for little ones. However, the last three or four months, I have seen a decline. The class she is in seems to have no adult supervising the teenagers running the class. The swimmers spend a lot of time standing around. There is no real instruction, just orders to swim back and forth with a certain stroke. I would like to see the swimmers continue to receive instruction in swimming form, turning at the end of the pool, etc. My granddaughter enjoys it, so we continue to go, and there are not many alternatives out there. read more

So my son who is now 4 went here for a little over a year. It's a out a 100 a month for 4 lessons. The faculty is incredible and the staff is very nice. As far as the quality of he instruction goes it seemed that every few weeks he got a new instructor and there was very little consistency. Every tome he would make some progress with one teacher they would get rotated out and he would almost start over again making very little progress. I will say he is much more comfortable in the water but little more than this. Also, keep note of the cancellation policy. If you want to end their service you need to give them 1 months notice or pay for a month of classes you will not use. I'll admit I wasn't totally aware of this when I signed up. read more

My son has been going to lessons here for a few years now and has made great progress and gained a lot of confidence with his swimming. The instructors have been shown a lot of patience with him, the facility is clean, and he loves it here. read more

"I recommend Goldfish Swim School to everyone! I think the instructors are amazing with the kids! They are not only teaching them to swim but are teaching them on how to set goals and achieve them with practice. My kids have been going for just about two months and what they have learned in that short time is just awesome! We love Goldfish Swim School!" read more

Goldfish school was recommended to me after I complained to a friend about "lessons" at another swim school in which I was aggravated that they weren't fostering independence and I was still being asked to go into then pool with my 4 year old because he was hesitant to swim with just the instructor (who put no effort forward to make him comfortable). Immediately at Goldfish School, my son was swimming by himself and loving it. I was quite pleased and enrolled my 2.5 year old who took a little longer to adjust to the pool without me (crying throughout the whole lesson for the first few weeks) but again, I was really pleased at how they helped him gain confidence. We stayed for 3 years and while I had the occasional complaint (mostly instructor turnover that seemed to stall my sons' progress) I still recommended Goldfish School to other parents I spoke to. Then, when COVID closed the school temporarily, we did a few private lessons that summer at an outdoor pool that had a deep end. My 7 year old was hooked on learning to dive and didn't want to go back to a pool that "only had shallow ends". So, I figured the time had come to move on. While I still think my 5 years old could have benefitted from staying at Goldfish, it didn't fit our schedule to have lessons at two different pools. So while we no longer go there, I still would highly recommend Goldfish School for young children or a hesitant swimmer of any age. read more

Consistent messaging. Great, high quality, and clean facility. Very engaging and kind instructors

It is absolutely the best thing we could have done for our granddaughter. Peace of mind at the beach or at our pool knowing that she is able to keep herself safe when in the water. This is without a doubt her favorite activity. read more