Not sure about the school but the many playgrounds are great for toddlers. There a couple to choose…read morefrom that are very close to each other. They are usually very well maintained and clean. They are probably not open during school hours since the students might be using it.

This school has been the worst experience for both our children. If you are looking for expensive…read moreknitting lessons, then this is the school for your child. The standard of education is very poor. Our children were not allowed to read until 2nd grade. This alone makes it hard for your child to get into any other school if you try to leave this school. I do not recommend this school to anyone.It's been BEYOND PATHETIC for our family.

My daughter is in her second year at the Richmond Waldorf School. We have had nothing but extremely…read morepositive experiences with the school and the school community. What drew me to RWS was their philosophy around educating the whole child. The skills that children learn in a Waldorf program are designed to build a healthy, educated whole individual. You can teach a child very specific skills at any school. Waldorf is helping to develop and nurture children's natural curiosity which is something that can't be found in a textbook. A curious child that is nurtured becomes a life long learner. Not everyone is familiar with the Waldorf education and it's fundamentals. CNN did a nice overview here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LgA3jX8VPwc

Great school. Friendly environment for all where learning is fun & organically instilled.read more

Veritas is a great school for people who value a classical, humanities-based education. It is a…read moreprivate school with uniforms and expects a high level of engagement from parents and kids. When my daughter came back home several weeks into her freshman year, she said, "I'm so grateful I went to Veritas. I know how to think and am prepared for college." There is an emphasis on critical thinking, rhetoric, and Latin. We have made a lot of great friends from the parent community.

My 7th grade child has THRIVED at Good Shepherd Episcopal School. We have been a part of the…read morecommunity since he was in kindergarten and could not have asked for a better education or more safe, nurturing, and familial environment. It's the most affordable fully-accredited (VAIS) school in Richmond. It offers all of the academics (including Spanish starting in kindergarten) as well as a diverse range of extra-curricular classes and activities. Perhaps most importantly, there is a maximum class size of fifteen. The average class size is ten, the ideal for maximizing individual attention. You would be remiss were you not to research and visit Good Shepherd while shopping for your elementary and/or middle school child's perfect school home.

My son has been at Good Shepherd for three years and we've been very happy. He has had made great…read morefriends in the small classes, and gets plenty of attention from the dedicated teaching staff. He also loves the "perks" like the outdoors program, where they walk over to nearby Forest Hill park and down by the James River to learn about nature and Richmond. We also like that, even though it's small, there kids from all kinds of different backgrounds, which was different from what we found in a lot of the other schools we looked at.

We have been sending our children to Saint Benedict School for years now. This fall we will have…read morechildren in 4th, 6th, 1st, and preK. Not every year has been easy for us - and our children really run the gamut with academic abilities/attention issues, etc. However - If your Catholic faith is a priority for you, I could not recommend this school highly enough. It's small. It's traditional. It's classical. That does not really suit everyone, of course. But my husband and I understand that we have a very small window of time to fill our children's minds with philosophy, theology, literature, logic, morals, etc... eventually they will be on their own and can study whatever they like, but these early years are foundational. Saint Benedict's gets that. It's not perfect, of course. But we love it.

Saint Benedict School is not good at all the music teacher is very vicious and aggressive. As for…read moreshe told me to go down to the principal's office for raising my hand then one of the teachers walked me up to her and and she said I was aggressive and mean to her since the beginning of class and throwing chairs .I talked ever-so-slightly in history class and the history teacher moved me where I can't see the board and when my parents send email to the school he just said I'm not moving and back you have to give people second chances.

An amazing school full of great people. I love it…read more Sorry it made me put more

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."

While I have not attended this school myself, I am confident in saying that it is not a good…read moreenvironment for your children. I have heard through numerous of my friends who have attended this school in the past and present that they have faced intense discrimination and bullying at OHMS. When they have approached the principal about it, she simply told them that they should have come sooner or that they couldn't do anything about it, even when the bullying was explicitly racist and queerphobic. A previous student had suffered homophobic bullying that eventually led to their death by suicide. The news did not report on this death, and the school has taken zero responsibility. My good friend left a review simply stating her experiences at this school, leading the principal to send an email to their parent implying they were mentally unwell just for leaving an honest review. Now, through my own and most recent experience, I attended the 8th grade graduation. When a student went up to speak and mentioned hurtful, discriminatory comments she had experienced in class, she was shushed promptly by a faculty member and told to "Hold." She continued her speech anyway, but whether to her own accord or through permission I am not sure. In addition, OHMS is far too expensive to be having these problems. If you want to pay good money for your child to go to a good school, do not choose this one. I promise it will do more harm than good. I do not doubt that some students have experienced goodness here and have made good memories, my own friends have made lifelong relationships through this school. But that does not excuse the unabashed discrimination. My friends have described their experience at this school as the worst years of their lives. You do not want that for your child.

Fantastic summer camp for kids!read more

Our daughter came to St. Catherine's in the 8th grade, and her experience has been nothing short of…read morefantastic. The learning environment is so welcoming and inclusive. The consistent message from faculty is "thank you for trusting us with your child's education- we are so glad that you are here." This positive energy sets the tone for our entire experience. Our daughter has always been a hardworking student. But the incredible depth of experiences and resources offered, combined with the empowering atmosphere of the school, are clearly promoting leadership qualities. It is evident to us that she is thriving in the all-girls setting, and she is much more willing to be assertive, take risks, and be herself. I'm sure there are many great academic programs to choose from in our area, but seeing our daughter develop into a confident leader... we could not ask for more. The amazing list of extracurricular choices- many sports teams to choose from every season, dance, theater, music- it really can't be beat. We are also amazed at the group of girls in her grade- friendly, kind, out-going kids. We're so grateful that we chose St. Catherine's (and they chose us!).