Good school nice gym and it's in a square! Nice Day too many times you really to be…read morethe best of luck win with a few eubu to win this year to w the best w the same as a whole bunch a new phone and I don't know why how I feel like watching a show on my umind and a few weeks ago when I see a w the same as I have a nice dream and I have ever seen the in every way and eto eeeww and a few weeks and I I'm not going o I love the nice

I spent only my freshman year in upper school here, as a day student. My family has sent a lot of…read morerelatives to 'Town, back to Hannah Hunt, 1799 (a founding student). My dad didn't want me joining the cool group at public school, ripped me away from my friends, & plopped me at W-town! It was framed as a punishment, which did not set me up for success. AT THE TIME I WAS THERE, this is how it was (may be different now, years later): - Very diverse student body, all over the world, all over the country, all religions (or lack thereof), several diplomats' kids - No prom b/c it's tacky - Good college advisor program - 600-acre campus is breathtaking! - Lots of tradition, joining a community, sense of continuity through many years - Boarding was mandatory for Juniors & Seniors, but not Freshmen & Sophomores (busses from local school dists transport day students for free) - Mandatory Meeting for Worship every Wed (mandatory on Sun, as well, for boarders) - Mandatory Quakerism classes - Academics taught like college courses (at a small liberal arts school, at least) - Westtown is not brash & obnoxious like many Main Line private schools. It is ranked well nationally, but it's for down-to-earth people, not snobs. It's not very Quakerly to be a snob. - Students have mandatory community service. They have outreach programs, from which you can choose, but it's part of your education to learn how to give to your community. - There were monthly assemblies with various messages, & speakers. Westtown is very politically & socially liberal, so this will always be the tone of their morals & missions. It was definitely preparatory for college with the lectures & talks we got. - Field Trips & outings are more sophisticated, like college - Sports mandatory all year b/c they do not have gym class. Underclassmen had to play 2 team sports out of the 3 seasons, +1 club sport, IF you got in before all the spaces filled up, otherwise, it was 3 team sports. - No football b/c a student had died from it before use of helmets - Stealing among boarders? Yes - Drug culture? Yes - Sneaking to co-ed's dorm for sex? Yes - Bullying? Yes PERSONAL REFLECTIONS Where Westtown benefited me: It is mandatory to have UNPAID campus jobs. Yup, Mom & Dad will pay tens of thou for you to go be a janitor. At the time I went, these jobs included everything from vacuuming classrooms, to doing dishes in the dining room. Humility is part of being a well-rounded, decent human being. W-town will teach it to you. I had a classmate who tried to pay off our advisor to get himself out of his work job. Guess what that got him? The crappiest job available. I had a hard time donning the bright yellow gloves & a rubber apron, & I whined & "ewwwww"-ed my way through it, but the kids who took it in stride, & did a good job, were the ones everyone liked. You learned a lot about how to grow the heck up, & take care of yourself & others at this school. I had a drama class, that made a huge impression on me. My art class introduced me to acid etching when I was a mere 14 years old! We did some amazing projects, with equipment I never would have had access to at public school. Going deeper... I met a lot of really cool people here. The international students were AMAZING people, for the most part. I was fascinated by their worldliness & chutzpah. My two close freshman friends by the end of the year were from Manhattan & Tanzania. I also really related to upperclassmen tennis teammates from China & VA. A great mix of kids! I was exposed to diversity & culture (literature & arts) that I would not have been at public school (although my AP ps education was exceptional), & I am forever grateful. I was on a step squad, & I sucked, but I still know my routine! Where W-town failed me: - Faculty brats in my class were mean & entitled. The daily putdowns (making fun of me for being a priss), were ironic/hypocritical at Quaker school, & a HUGE factor in making me not return. - A number of kids there were expelled from other schools, & had a lot of problems, which some of them took out on others. I had a really bad incident with one of these kids, which was a trauma I had to deal with in years of therapy. - Faculty was hit or miss. Some teachers did not have teaching certs, just majored in that subject. For example, my history teacher was so awesome, I still remember his lectures, but my French teacher was TERRIBLE & had no teaching skills or certs! Also, I could not take two languages in my schedule (but did at ps with no prob). The kids who'd been there a while knew which teachers to request, & got them, while others suffered. ------- In the end, the bad apple faculty & students spoiled things for me, & the trauma event I endured (which I did NOT report to the school), sent my OCD out of control. I returned to ps, for better & worse, but dealt with it. FUN FACT: Famous alums? Bob Marley's daughter attended (you can look up all the famous alums on Wiki).

Beautiful campus, especially in the fall!…read more Sports fields are large and spread out, but no netting so balls get lost into the woods and/or roll down the hill - away from the hill.

The entire staff here is amazing, from the administration to the teachers. My daughter is in Ms…read more Flanagan's Pre-K class, and the other day she literally told me, "Dad, I love school." I'm a teacher myself, and I can see how much thought and planning Ms. Flanagan puts into her teaching. She communicates constantly and I can tell that my daughter loves and feels safe with her. My daughter is four, and the other night we were sitting down at the kitchen table writing her list of favorite Christmas songs and saying words in Spanish. I feel so blessed that my daughter is able to learn here every day!

We've had the joy of sending both our children to this school--our daughter last year(Pre-K 2) and…read morenow our son (Pre-K) and the experience has been nothing short of incredible. My son wakes up excited to go every single morning, which speaks volumes about how nurturing, engaging, and supportive the environment is. The teachers are truly involved and attentive, and the academic curriculum is exceptional--it truly prepares your child for the next level with confidence. I'm especially grateful for the individualized support and regular updates we receive about our child's progress. We couldn't be happier with our experience here!

I was a student here almost 12 years ago, and the fact that they have glowing reviews on other…read morewebsites shocks me. I had maybe 2 good teachers throughout my time there, and then once I hit 3rd grade it all went down hill. I was having a difficult time learning, and wasn't a great student. I was diagnosed with a learning disability (which was actually misdiagnosed) and started an IEP. I swear, once I got the IEP, that's when things got worse. The teachers I had (from 3rd to 5th grade) looked down on anyone that had a disability, and treated them completely different from the other kids. I remember teachers talking to me more slowly because they thought I was too stupid to comprehend what they were saying, and often having a condescending tone as well. I also remember being called out in front of the whole class several times for habits I had a difficult time controlling, such as fidgeting in my chair or biting my nails (anxiety). This didn't happen to just me, this happened to other kids that they thought were stupid just because they have some sort of learning disability. Also, unless you were known to be well liked/popular, or were in the gifted program (and perhaps both), they didn't like you or care about you. Any claims of bullying were not taken seriously, and they often told victims that they bring it upon themselves. Hopefully some of the old hags I had for teachers have retired and are far away from developing today's young minds. Maybe Penn Wood has changed for the better since I was there, but I highly doubt it. If you have a child with a disability, even if it's very mild and makes them only slightly different from their peers, spend the extra money to send them to a different school where they won't be blatantly discriminated against and made to feel like they're absolutely worthless and stupid on a daily basis.

Went here for 11 years. The school was amazing. They even gave all of us a chance to speak at…read moregraduation. Out of my 363 kids, I was chosen. Palcs Makes it Possible!

The communication with the administration is non-existent; they never respond back to you. The…read moreteachers give way too much work for the students to watch via video and then complete. They refuse to modify any of the coursework, that is all regular work, for Special Needs population that are placed in regular classrooms. They accept IEP's, but don't follow them, because they don't have proper supports nor graduate on IEP goals. They don't listen to the parent's concerns, they just want to do what they want to move the child forward to their standards in their biased views. This is not an acceptable school for any Special Needs child, no support from teachers or administration.

What an amazing school. The teachers are so caring, my child loves them all . My child is always…read moreexcited about going to school & I am always amazed by what she tells me she has learned when she comes home. www.concordfriendspreschool.com

The principal is rude and unprofessional. Poor leadership by ECC director and principal. Both…read moreare judgmental and uneducated in regard to children who need educational support plans. My child came home every day sad and reporting was yelled at by teacher. Teacher also unsupportive and used punishment instead of support. Do not recommend if you are looking for a nurturing environment to support your child's emotional wellness.