Absolutely best school in the area. Here is a school where you can tell the teachers care. The…read morestudents seem to love it and the plays they put on are amazing. The cosmetology shop does an amazing job and afterwards going to the resturant is a wonderful treat the sweets are great and the meal is done very well. Everyone at this school works hard and does a great job!

I attended GCC when I was 16 and graduated with an Associate of Arts at 18 years old. The staff and…read moreprofessors were amazing. I highly recommend this college for anyone starting out.

I went here. Honestly, the students here are the meanest people I ever dealt with. "Performative…read morecruelty" was common and I was a popular target for it. I was older, noticeably different, not the best looking guy. I let it bounce off me as much as I could. Professors seemed to support it. I was basically iced out when I never hurt anyone or did anything to deserve it. The culture made me feel unsafe and uncomfortable. I kept my earbuds in everywhere to block it all out. Professors are ableist despite being "liberal". They'll make your disability a defining characteristic. They think people with disabilities don't belong in college. I honestly believe people like that don't deserve a job teaching anything but whatever. Zero stars.

I am a parent of a recent graduate of KSC. There is a serendipitous story of how she came to her…read moreMajor and I will be happy to share it with any of you privately. Suffice it to say that my daughter had a wonderful time at Keene, graduated in 3 1/2 years and now has a great job in a growing industry and loves her work. I only wish all my children were this happy!

I transferred here in my junior year of high school in 2013 looking for a better education. I went…read moreto the public high school, Northampton High. I felt like it too easy and not enough of a challenge. It was hard for me to concentrate and take school seriously being around so many students who were burnt out and didn't care about trying. I wanted the teachers to push the students more and have higher expectations of them. I'm not a person who's really into academics, but I feel like so many students were slipping through the cracks. So I made the decision to apply to the Academy At Charlemont to try to take charge of my life and make a better future for myself. I had to write an essay in order to apply to the school. I liked this idea, because I feel like it showed that the school was selective with who they accept. This reassured me making me think they were a serious school that also had a loving, warm, accepting community and I'd make friends easily. I also thought all my strengths would be valued and cared for, but all of this I was wrong. For the social aspect of it, it was painful and confusing. When I visited, I was assigned a buddy who was in my grade that I'd be transferring into. I really loved that idea and my buddy was so sweet to me. She wrote me a little note after saying she was so excited to have another friend to sing with her and for us to become friends. But I was wrong, because when I arrived there she had no interest in me. It almost made me think that she was obligated by the school to do that. I kept blaming myself thinking there was something wrong with me. This school had dances each month, so I thought that would be a good way to ease into the social scene. But most of the times I was ignored. A lot of the students were uptight, focused on the propel they've gone to school with for years, killed themselves over academics, didn't know how to relax, and just weren't open to meeting new people. I was hoping things would get better, and they did for a little while. But a lot of times I felt left out, different, and not given a fair chance for my classmates to get to know me. Academically, this school shot me down and made me feel stupid every day. They threatened to hold me back if I didn't get my grades up, and I was always one to do pretty well in school. Teachers accused me of not trying hard enough and whenever I started to make progress and get material, they didn't acknowledge that and just said I needed to try harder. They would move so fast with their curriculum that I couldn't keep up no matter how hard I worked. I failed my finals and that's when I decided to leave. Any talents I did have were diminished and not taken seriously. They had a creative writing class and I love writing, but my writing got bashed on even there. I gradually became really depressed and didn't want to go back. I also went on a ski trip there and was really excited about it. But I got stuck on a mountain since the people I was going with said it was easy, but then couldn't keep up with them. I got yelled at by the teacher who took us on the trip, bad mouthed about behind my back by him, and scolded by the director all saying it was my fault and I kept this teacher up all night. They were shaming and cruel and don't know how to deal with problems, even though I profusely apologized. This school has ridiculously unrealistic high expectations for students to be this perfect person who doesn't mess up, is always polite, takes initiate, does community service, etc. They only accept one kind of intelligence and since I didn't exactly didn't into that box, they were taken back by it. Long story short, this school is great for the cookie cutter kid who learns fast and doesn't make mistakes. But if you struggle in anyway, I would keep looking for another school.

This is an excellent school if you have an academic child who isn't super dynamic. If your kid…read moreisn't going to fit into the country pumpkin pie vibe it's not great. Some of the teachers are remarkably good. The three heads of school are pretty good too. People talk about diversity a lot these days. If you're not white, you're going to feel out of place. Not because people are seriously racist, just because you'll stick out and be a novelty. And all the well intentioned special treatment will feel a little oppressive.

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.

December 2020: We're mid-way thru Kindergarten curriculum and I can certainly say I'm loving the…read morereview of letters, along with the activities that go along with it. My daughter is learning more with this curriculum and the work I add in than she would at any other school. Why? She gets one on one lessons. So I'm able to teach at a pace that works for her. I can push her when I need to or ease back if I have to. Working in higher education for many years, I've always been a big proponent of homeschooling. When home-schooled kids came into my office, they were extremely mature, knew exactly what courses they should take, their paths to success, clubs to join, etc. I'm curious to see how the remaining school year goes. April 2021: Okay so, at this point, there are 5 more weeks before I'm finished homeschooling and I. CAN'T. WAIT to be done. This by no means has anything to do with Oak Meadow, but my oldest is too extroverted to be homeschooled. With that said, I'm still happy that I was able to go at my own pace. Fortunately, I only took 2 weeks off from homeschooling, so to finish mid-May is pretty good. The course book pretty much lays out everything that should be completed for each subject. All that was needed was 1-2 pics of the completed work. Every 4 weeks I submitted an evaluation of some sort with additional comments written in the course book. Catie Hutchins, my daughter's.... advisor(?) offered really great suggestions in the lesson comments and was fine with me adding in additional work. My daughter is reading pretty well (thanks to The Reading Lesson) and writing (Teach Me Writing). I've also picked up some math books for 5-6 y.o. Catie would offer suggestions based on where my oldest is and not just what kids "should" be doing or learning. I also like that the last week of school wasn't as heavy with assignments cause a sistah is tied! You hear me. I would also say a good amount of the projects were a bit too much in price and work. Admittedly, I didn't know how to sew or knit before, so let's just say I really had to learn. This is definitely a homeschooling program I'd recommend... if you have the coins.

When we chose Bement, we were looking for a school that would challenge our child academically but…read morealso help her grow as a person. What we found was even more than that--a community where teachers truly know and care about each student and where kids feel comfortable pushing themselves in new directions. Since joining Bement, my daughter has taken up basketball--something she would never have tried before. The team trains every day, and they take their games seriously, but what stands out the most is the way she's grown through it. She's learning to work hard, handle wins and losses with confidence, and, most importantly, enjoy the process. It's been amazing to see her build resilience and discover the joy of competing as part of a team. What we love most is that every day at Bement is filled with art, music, sports, diverse cultures, and a deep sense of care for one another. We are grateful to be part of the Bement family and encourage other families to discover the opportunities this special school offers. --- Patricia Kung

Bement is a school where the kids LOVE to learn. They also learn to socialize, play sports, eat…read moremeals together, have art and PE on a daily basis, learn new languages, and learn about different cultures. The Bement teachers truly care for each student and raise the bar so that each child stretches and reaches their potential!!!! Bement is simply amazing!!!! In every aspect!

Choosing Oak Meadow was the greatest gift my parents have ever given me. Oak Meadow's highly…read moreprogressive program and excellent leadership had the greatest influence in shaping who I am today of any of my life experiences. Oak Meadow's founders, Bonnie and Lawrence Williams were powerful role models and mentors throughout my youth. I cannot thank them enough, and these 5 stars do not even begin to do Oak Meadow justice.