hi. recent alum here. my best friend and i attended this school. the teachers and education were…read morepretty good, but the bullying and exclusion of my best friend and i was not helped at all. i remember students were called homophobic slurs here and i had many racial microaggresions directed at me, but every time i tried to bring this up to the head of school there, i was promptly dismissed and it felt like nothing changed at all. i take note of this because a student there was so easily expelled when a white student complained about her sending a death threat, but when my queer friend and i complained to the school multiple times about the bullying we experienced, there was little to no punishment to the bullies. i also should mention there was no school counselor for a majority of the time i was there. skip forward to my eighth grade year, my best friend committed suicide. while i do admit there were probably other factors contributing to this awful event, bullying was one of the main issues as they had told me before their tragic passing. the bullying was mainly due to the fact that they were queer. orchard house never really brought their attention to this obvious discrimination in their school. after their passing, i had to leave for a week or two for my mental health, and the head of school there told my class the details of what happened with me without my or my family's permission. this school is okay if your child is white and cishet, but otherwise, please save your money.

OHS has been an incredible environment for my middle schooler. It's such a tight knit and…read moresupportive community that values each child's individuality and encourages them to share their voice. There is very little social issues/conflicts at Orchard House, and faculty still makes a point to discuss social issues and make it known that the school is a safe place, and a sisterhood. My daughter asked me to add this: "I can't imagine how painful it'll be to leave next year."

Best Christian school in the Richmond VA area! My daughter has been there since kindergarten is…read morenow a rising fifth grader. This Christian school has everything a family would want and more! Christ centered learning, small teacher to student ratio, college preparatory academics, and an up and coming athletic program! We LOVE Banner Christian School! Would love for your family to join ours in teaching our children to honor Christ first and their education, which is second to none!

My kid was bullied throughout the year and the school tries to hide the kids. Most of the kids are…read moreeither related to teachers or former employees of banner so nepotism is on unrealistic high level. Numerous meeting and complaints no change or action ever taken. Teachers are not helpful at all if your kid doesn't understand some concept they would not explain again. When I tried to pull my kids out they took extreme actions against our family because I had filed petition with board of directors.

Hiring educators, administrators and counselors that care more for the students than for the…read morefunding. Stop the violent fights and bullying. Stop letting kids cuss out grownups and doing as they please. Stop the inappropriate relationships between students and adults. This school is really bad.

Great High School! The teachers and all personnel involved with day to day functions are very…read moreengaging with students and parents despite how many students are enroll. They get to know the students and find ways to encourage them towards success. The only way a student could fail is if he/she does not put forth any effort. I have first hand knowledge of this and it is solely up to the student if they want to pass or fail. Teachers will let students know ahead of time if they are not meeting requirements and then will reach out to the parents to express concerns and options available if they believe the student needs extra tutoring. No, the curriculum is not easy, but the resources to pass any class are plentiful if a student needs more instructional time or understanding any particular coursework required. The opportunities are endless! The students are reminded they can excel in anything, even if they are not confident on what their goals are beyond high school just yet. For those who do have an idea or plan for the future, the early exposure towards those goals are very easy to begin working towards while being a Jaguar! It is very possible for students to graduate with an associate's degree, certification in one of the many trades the county offers, and/or early graduation! Also, with many athletic programs and clubs, it makes it very easy to establish great relationships to contribute to a healthy social environment during and out of school. My son only experienced 3 years in Glen Allen (freshmen year was virtual), but even with everyone adjusting to the new normal and us being new to the Glen Allen neighborhood, this school really surpassed all my expectations! A special thank you for Mrs. Allen! Thank you for always making yourself available and going the extra mile to help the students work towards their goals. But most importantly being creative and hands on, encouraging them from the time you work out their first schedule as rising Jaguars. We truly appreciate you beyond words! -Micah's Mom & Entire Village

It was cool to come back to my old stomping grounds and see a high school play here. My son went…read morehere too so there's a history. This isn't a very modern or well designed high school. Walking in the front doors of the auditorium, you are met with stairs... strange layout. The foyer is small and the hallway is narrow. Trying to get into the auditorium created quite a bottleneck. I recently went to a newly constructed high school and the foyer/common area was huge and spacious. Here I felt like I was in a corral. The auditorium needs a facelift. Are these the same chairs that were here when I attended? The front of the school is landscaped ok, with an arbor and some benches etc. The restrooms in the front hall could use a tidy and remodel. Now for the play/drama team. We saw Beauty and the Beast. It was sweet, a typical high school play. Most of the characters didn't really stand out, and many were miscast, with the exception of Belle, who had a lovely voice and fit the character. As mentioned, I've been to another high school which did a production of this play and it was like a Broadway Show! I know, I know, they're kids, and I shouldn't compare, but the drama teacher could kick it up a notch. The costumes didn't do the play justice. However, the one thing that made this play stand out was the live orchestra! Well done, Mr. Blankenship! My hubby (a musician) and I were totally impressed with the band, the music and the execution of the score. After the play, we could barely move, tables selling headshots, candy, flowers etc. were lost in a sea of people. They would do better sales if they extended the sales tables down the galley hallway. In any event, this was for a good cause, it was a cute high school production that provided some light entertainment on a Thursday night! Maybe catch the weekend shows!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it... you've been schooled!

First off, this entire experience was a popularity contest from the start. Basically if you weren't…read morea cheerleader, on the football team, or in the leadership center, you were nothing and you were a nobody. I was picked on and bullied all the time here. When I wasn't picked on here, I was picked on at work since I worked with some people I went to school with. My freshman and senior years here were the absolute worst. I had to make all new friends because there was a rumor going around school my freshman year that some people were calling me gay and that is absolutely not true. My senior year (2010) you cannot even imagine. Every single one of our sports programs was complete garbage. Yes, even track; the sport I was involved with... and our track team is usually amazing, but not my senior year. Our indoor AND outdoor district and regional title streaks were broken by our biggest rival, Godwin High. Also, I loved the majority of the people on the track team, but there were a select few that were so cocky, condescending, and downright rude to me for absolutely no reason. Oh and get this, when my senior prom was nearing, I asked 4 different girls out and they all said they probably won't go. My stupid self believed them. The reality was they all went...WITH DATES! One even went with her boyfriend even though her relationship status on Facebook clearly stated "single". Why they didn't simply tell me they were going with someone else already was beyond me. Needless to say I went to my senior prom without a date. Also, my last track race of my high school career ended in a disqualification for handing off the baton outside of the exchange zone. Right after that meet when I got home, still feeling awful after the DQ our relay team received, I found out a girl who said she "loved me" and I loved her just started dating a guy on the track team who was the most rude and cocky to me out of all of them, and she knew it. I really do not miss this place. The people here were so rude and mean to me that I can't even describe some of the stuff to you. These were only a FEW of the stories. This place also drained all of my self-confidence to the point where I don't feel confident in myself to complete even the simplest of things and tasks or to ask anyone out anymore. What's really sad is this place made me think I was ugly as a person. I don't think I am that great looking of a person because of my experiences here. Oh, and do you seriously think that "no" is the worst someone can say to you when you ask them out? Well, apparently you haven't gotten answers such as "Why?", "What for?", and the one that hurt the most "Gross.". Don't get me wrong, I did have some really great memories here. I really did, which is why this is getting 3 stars, but it is so unfortunate that the bad outweighed the good. I still harp on some of the things that happened here because it somewhat gave me some anxiety. One huge plus though was that we were the first senior class to ever beat the faculty in the senior vs faculty basketball game which I was a part of. Even though I didn't have a great time here, I will gladly say our motto with the utmost pride "Once a rebel, always a rebel.".

When going onto school grounds you can't help but flashback to your school days. HSHS is a state of…read morethe art school. I saw young athletes on the field practicing track and field events. I was there for a play called Drama in da church. There was plenty of parking. The auditorium had comfortable seating and was handicapped accessible.

This school is huge!…read more It is so large it reminded me of a hospital. Very upscale here and I love it! I attended the school's gym a week ago to root on our Bulldogs. But they fell short at the end. You would think, one would enter in the front of the school to attend the basketball game. But there was another entrance about a mile around the school where we needed to enter. Instead of walking in the cold, we drove around to bus ramp area and this is where the gym is located. The gym here is pretty large it definitely accommodated the large crowd on a weeknight... Varina vs Kings Fork... a rematch from last year. The Bulldogs fell short again! I am not sure if the concession stand was open because when we arrived it wasn't. As a result, minus one star. If the stand did open, they must not have offered a lot because I did not see one nacho, one hotdog... nothing... bummed! Plenty of parking. Check it out if you are in the area. It's massive. Have fun and enjoy life :)