The Long Ridge School

My son graduated last spring from Long Ridge and I feel compelled to share how wonderfully prepared he is for middle school! He grew up at LRS starting in the Beginners program and culminating in graduation where each graduate gives a thoughtful speech reflecting on their time at the school. LRS is nurturing and creative, yet also rigorous. Each child is treated with care and communication is excellent among the school head, teachers and parents. Similarly, the community is vibrant and inclusive. With sensitive and innovative teachers and programming, LRS ensured that my shy child had everything he needed to emerge self-assured and confident academically. Thank you Long Ridge!

Long Ridge is a wonderful elementary school, grades nursery through 5th (with preschool as well). Our granddaughter now goes to Long Ridge, in her third year, and loves it, she has made a lot of close friends and looks forward to class each day and to 3 after-school activities. Both of our children also went there and really benefited from the small class size, dedicated teachers and unique programs including Spanish, music, and art. The school instilled a love of reading and learning which followed them after graduation and contributed to their lifelong success. I would suggest taking a tour and checking out the school personally.

The Long Ridge School could not be a better fit for both of my children. We came to Long Ridge from a magnet school years ago and it was a much better fit for my child (mid-kindergarten year). The transition was smooth and comforting. We'll never forget that first phone call one of our son's teachers made before he started. That same care and support has been there since day one and has not shifted in any way. Our son received the hands-on learning experience he was craving, and now our daughter does as well. The teachers go above and beyond academically, as well as emotionally for the students. They truly care about each child as an individual and as part of a community.

Before starting this school year, my son was nervous about moving up into his next class. His teacher went above and beyond by meeting with me in the middle of the summer break to help strategize how to make the start of the year smoother. Her ideas were incredibly effective and as a result, the transition ended up being very smooth for everyone!

The Long Ridge School is a wonderful community, both for the child and the parents. Just as the School focuses on the individual child and helps him/her grow and blossom, it provides a warm and inclusive community- diverse and full of opportunities to meet and interact with other parents. You feel a sense of belonging, right from the start!

Our family has been blessed to be part of the Long Ridge community! Our boys enjoy not only a wonderful interdisciplinary learning environment but also a community that reaches beyond the school buildings. There are school events throughout the year that include family picnics, ice cream socials, ice skating parties and community service. My boys are fortunate to be learning in a small collaborative environment that fosters the talents of each child.

We have two children at The Long Ridge School and we are very happy with our decision to put them in this excellent academic institution. The school has a great curriculum and is properly preparing our children not just for middle and high school, but also for the real world through an emphasis on teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving. We also love the school's focus on diversity and strong feeling of community which is evident in every class room (teachers are very warm and caring for their students and the kids clearly like attending school at LRS). The school also has a beautiful campus including their large and modern Arts & Athletic Center with a specific language (Spanish) room, music room, etc.

Our kids, now approaching their final year, have thrived exceptonally well at this wponderful elemenetary school. The teachers are exceptional, about 75 have advanced degrees in their areas of ecpertise and work closely with parents as partners to support student growth. The campus and facilities including a modern arts and athletics building and 14 woodland acres support the school's hands on approach to learning.

The Long Ridge School is a terrific school. It is warm and nurturing. It's curriculum is developmentally appropriate for every age and grade. It is academically challenging. Students learn by "doing," in theme-driven interdisciplinary lessons. The lessons encourage conversation, questioning, listening, reflecting and understanding. The teachers actively engage the students as learners and the students learn to learn. The school focuses on developing 21st Century skills such as teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and communication. The school prepares the students well for middle and high school. The school is a gem!

Great teachers that academically challenge students with individualized attention.

The school is very expensive and just horrible. The classrooms are very small and poorly equipped. Our son was in the 3-5 program and it was the worst waste of money I've ever spent in my life. The year-long experience was dreadful and, in hindsight, we should have taken him out but we didn't want to lose our money. I could go on and on about the specific concerns I had related to my son. Here are a few:

- Teachers misspelled his name all year after several corrections (we gave up).
- Teachers NEVER acknowledged him when he got to school. Never looked up, never smiled, never said hi, nothing. This was INCREDIBLY disturbing to us.
- They suggested that he had speech problems. He doesn't, he was the second youngest child in a class of 16 (he had just turned 3 and there were many 5-year olds) and taller than average for his age. They thought he was older and expected him to speak as clearly as the 5-year olds.
- He was biting his nails. This stopped immediately after the school year ended. he has never bitten his nails again
- He never learned anything - no ABCs, no counting, few colors, etc. In his new school, he can count to 100, add/subtract, knows all colors and shapes, full alphabet, count to 10 in Spanish, reads, spells, on and on. Night and day difference.