Castlehill Country Day School

Castlehill is an AMAZING school! I disagree with every point the reviewer on August 28th, 2012 made. The office staff is so welcoming and friendly, the teachers are fantastic, and it's a very diverse group of kids. We couldn't be happier at this school, it met every thing on our long list of desires for our child.
—Submitted by a parent

Castlehill turned out to be unable to live up to it's reputation. I feel the school has gone downhill in recent years and it shows with the number of parents pulling their children from the school. The arrogance is palpable yet unfounded. Class sizes are small which is nice in the beginning, but as children age they need to be around more children and children of diverse backgrounds as this is what the "real world" is all about. Castlehill certainly keeps them in a bubble. The office staff always made me feel I was bothering them when I came in to ask for assistance or to simply buy tickets for an event or make a payment. Very unfriendly! They charge $400 to register each child. The question is where is this money going? The infrastructure is crumbling with old playground equipment and modular classrooms. The entry off of Craycroft Rd. is uninviting with a vinyl sign displaying the school name and a chain-link fence running around the property covered with green landscape fabric. For a top-notch school the appearances are frankly embarassing. There are much better alternatives in this community. Constant fundraising and requests for money are another downfall.
—Submitted by a parent

We recently moved to California and we cannot find a school comparable to what we had at Castlehill. All the teachers were fantastic. My kids come home from their current school saying how much they miss all there was to offer at Castlehill. The art, music, science, spanish...everything exceeded my expectations. There is lots of parent involvement and you feel special and welcome there. Arlene was always there for me when I needed her and she continues to be a resource for me even after we have moved away. It is a wonderful place to be. Highly recommend!!!
—Submitted by a parent

Incredibly disappointed with the administration and the school. The worst private school my children attended. Do not waste your time and money and look for other alternatives. I should have listened to other disappointed parents that pulled their children from this school. I am now one of the many. Do your research and look for other schools.
—Submitted by a parent

Average at best! Do not be fooled by their geographic location they have no affiliation with the neighboring middle and high school. Their teachers are drastically underpaid. If your child is average or the status quo it is probably fine. But if your child has any issues they do not have the expertise, staff or ability to handle. If you child excels they also cannot keep up or match up and do not have the faculty to maximize your child's growth. There are so many good charter schools and other private schools in town that this should be toward the bottom of your list.
—Submitted by a parent

The preschool program is excellent. The leadership is pathetic. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the teachers are wonderful for the most part. However, the kids are not well disciplined and chaos often rules as a result of the lack of leadership. The learning environment is stifled because many of the kids cannot sit in their seats for more than five minutes. Some of the children were inappropriate in a variety of ways, and the school leadership never intervened. This is a school with solid teachers, a great preschool, and wonderful potential. We recommend public school or other private schools in the area over this unhealthy environment.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child started in Pre-K and went all the way through. Before choosing CCDS, we visited every single other school that Tucson has to offer. CCDS felt like home and we never regretted it. The teachers are outstanding and our child is now one of the most academically gifted students in high school due largely in part because of the foundation that CCDS gave to our child. NOWHERE else will you see teachers put in the extra mile for your child or for the parents either. The Art, P.D., Spanish, Music, Science and Computer courses are phenomenal as well. They have a ZERO tolerance for any bullying. Good luck finding a better school!
—Submitted by a parent

First of all I have to say right off the back that the low score has NOTHING to do with the teachers who are great but the headmaster and the exasperated cost for tuition and the "clicky-ish" demeanor and attitude that alot of the parents have. The way they act, you would think you were entering a sorority house!!!!! if I could take the teachers out of that environment and place them in another school, that would be ideal. Unfortunately great teachers alone could not keep me from continuing there, if you do your research like I did you WILL find private schools that offer quality education without having to mortgage the house!!!! don't be fooled by those who are saying how great the school is while conveniently leaving out how very expensive it is, lack of parking space, crowded halls and just a "better-than-thou" attitude so many of those parents have.
—Submitted by a parent

If you are truly looking for a great school, do your homework and talk to parents of the students attending the school. Remember that anyone can post a review here. Take the tours at a number of schools and sit in on classes, observe recess and lunch time and judge for yourself. Both of our children have been at Castlehill for a number of years and are both a grade level above their friends and peers in other schools. One of the big reasons we chose a school like Castlehill is that the classes are taught to educate the children and build their self-confidence and critical thinking skills, not so the children can pass a standardized test that the government requires to get funding. The grass is always greener somewhere else. Any private school is selling itself to get students, do your own due diligence and make an informed decision of what is best for your child. Castlehill is a great school that offers opportunities not available elsewhere. The teachers are great and seem to really care for their students progress. I've seen teachers in multiple grade levels staying late and tutoring students on multiple occasions at no charge.
—Submitted by a parent

Many students are leaving this year, so if small class sizes are what you like, you have come to the right place at the right time. All joking aside, one of the main reasons we are leaving is the lack of testing. I had friends who had moved away and when they went to re-enroll their children or child in other schools, there children were held back a year. Unfortunately this was not an isolated incident. I know parents who are spending some serious $$$ tutoring their children trying to catch them up. We too panicked and had our child tested and also had poor results. The prior post is correct. There ARE girls wearing very short shorts and TIGHT tops, not quite the best environment for learning. Hopefully these comments will be a gift to the school and they can adjust accordingly. 5 Stars to their Music, Art, Science and Spanish programs! Best of luck Castlehill!
—Submitted by a parent

The school and the teachers are great. My daughter a kindergartener loves her teacher and adores assistance teacher. The teacher is well experienced with more than 20 years of teaching young kids and she knows how to get the best from them in learning new things , mannerisms and discipline.The learning process is well designed with lots of onsite visits for kids to lean different aspects of day today activities like banking system , broadway theater shows , fire department , different business center and even in-house visit from police officer. Teacher and the assist teacher have some much of patients,skills to handle young kids and knowledge that I generally recommend this school to all my friends. I am very happy to enrolled my daughter in this school. My daughter had best education experience , attitude and learning skills for last three years.
—Submitted by a parent

The reviews submitted October 2009 were unfortunately deceptively submitted by the headmaster of this school desperate to regain a respectable positive reputation for a faltering school that needs to be shutdown. The only credible faculty left is the art teacher the rest of the teachers are below average at most.
—Submitted by a parent

This last post says it all!!!! My experience was similar. I would not recommend this school. What you see when you tour is not the reality of what happens in the school. They put on a great show for new parents. Bulling is a real problem here as well.
—Submitted by a parent

The school has problems and they should have never hired Ms. Hall. I feel for those kids. If you want to send your child there for pre-k and K. It is a wonderful experience. The school should stick to pre-K through 3rd grade, but after that I would pull your kid(s) to a different school. This school does not address dress codes (very skimpy clothing attire on 4th and 5th graders), bullying, bad teachers (Ms. Hall), or parents who do their kid(s) work and projects (science fair). If parents want to repeat these elementary years, they can go back to school. There should be a dress code in place, too many kids wore clothing that sexualize their bodies, i.e, short shorts, mini skirts, little to no tops to strapless and flip flops. It doesn't take rocket science to ask parents to use common sense.
—Submitted by a parent

Dedicated energetic teachers at every grade level, a talented, concerned and involved headmistress and extras like Spanish, music and art program oppurtunities tha you will not find anywhere else in Tucson make this a first rate school. I cannot say enough good things about this school. My granddaughter just graduated from fifth grade my grandson is a pre-kindergartner and they both love this place. It is a safe and beautiful place to educate your children, they will leave here with the confidence and skills to make an easy transition to Middle School and everything else in life. My granddaughters description of this scholl, 'it's like going to school with your grandma, you will get into trouble if you mess up, but you know that Mrs Schlosberg will still love you afterwards' what more can you say!!
—Submitted by a parent

A very good school with a caring headmaster and teachers who challenge their students. The faculty includes a great team of teaching assistants as well. Student-teacher ratio is about 10-1 if not below in most classes.
—Submitted by a parent

Castlehill is a wonderful school lead by a dynamic headmistress who knows and loves every child there. Her mission is to have each child maximize his or her academic potential while enjoying the process of learning. She does an amazing job with fairly limited resources (the tuition is not cheap for Tucson, but it still probably less than public school per capitas and far less than schools offering comparable education in bigger cities).
—Submitted by a parent

Outstanding in every way.
—Submitted by a parent

From the Principal to the Janitor, every staff member is dedicated to giving the students a safe, enjoyable and effective educational experience. I was so inpressed with the way they treated my Grandaughter, and her effortless transition to middle school, that I have now enrolled my Grandson there too.
—Submitted by a parent

With two grandchildren at Castlehill, and a Masters in teaching myself, I am continually grateful for their excellent involved teachers, outstanding head, high academic standards and wonderful facilities.