Ravenscroft School

I have two children currently attending Ravenscroft High school. (We moved our children from public school when they started middle school.) Overall I am very pleased with the curriculum and feel like both of my children thrive in the more challenging environment since their enrollment. The majority of the teaching is caring and have done an excellent job in preparing children for higher level classes and college. They are always available if extra assistance is needed and have after school hours daily. I have one child heavily involved in HS sports who will also play in college, but I have never felt like it to precedence over her education. Regarding the "country club" mentality, sure there are people here that have money, BUT you would be surprised at the number of people struggling to keep their kids here as well. It was the right choice for my family and I've never looked back.
—Submitted by a parent

Three examples of a good school are its alumni achievement, its academic offering, and parents feedback. I must say RC with its type of school leaders, and parents comments in the community, is clearly a showoff and more of a country club setting than a school. If you compare by Wake County standards, RC falls to the lower category of area schools. The school may think being old is good, but it has lost teaching, education, and leadership direction clearly. This downfall transition has taken place in the last 15 years and more rapidly recently, since Triangle area schools have really shinned. Take a look at Raleigh Charter on the national ranking, and look at Cary Academy, or Durham Academy, or MC Math and Science. Maybe small town of Raleigh 100 years ago had a good school called RC, but this is not the case today, as Triangle has grown and has achieved significantly. More importantly, good schools are usually in the news with measureable achievements and not hype news. We have not seen academic achievements of RC in the news in recent times.
—Submitted by a parent

Ravenscroft has been an amazing experience for our family. We are THRILLED with not only the teaching and leadership (which brings to life a rigorous academic curriculum), but also the school's commitment to providing outstanding fine arts, technology, sports, and multi-cultural experiences for its students. Additionally, for an upper-tier private school, we have been extremely impressed by the ever-growing diversity we see across campus. We feel like Ravenscroft is striking an excellent balance between nurturing our boys and celebrating their gifts, while challenging and preparing them for the world into which they are headed. I
—Submitted by a parent

What a disapointment it was-truly grass is not greener on the other side.. glad we pulled our kid from the school. Lack of direction for school academics.. no challenge for kids- just average curiculum.. just wanted to say- glad we no longer there.. there are more greater schools then this and no need to pay all that money.. unless u are a mom who never held a job and just looking to show off between your friends- uhh my kid is at Ravenscroft whil i am at the spa or Crabtree mall.. please..no wonder this school still survives- these clueless moms..i got my education and the job i know what it takes to get ahead in life and this scholl .. -NOT IT.. only regret that i didnt lesson to reviews before we joined.. wow they were right..
—Submitted by a parent

We are a 3 generation Ravenscroft family and although we are very fond of the school and feel the teaching staff is far superior to public school, we have been very disappointed in the administration in recent years; its choices and apparent lack of ethics. We will likely be removing our middle school son before he reaches the upper school if things continue along this trajectory.
—Submitted by a parent

I was a transplant to Ravenscroft School at the beginning of my freshman year, having attended another private school in the area. I chose Ravenscroft because of its amazing academics and well rounded high school experience. And on that level, it has yet to disappoint. There are so many levels of classes that any student will feel challenged, and this academic environment is further heightened by all of the extracurriculars made available. However, the social side of this school has left a bad taste in my mouth. Obviously, with such a high tuition price, Ravenscroft attracts the richest families in the area. It is very much an old money school, and cliques are an ever present idea. As both a new student and a scholarship/financial aid student, I often feeel I am greeted with a cold shouler because of my family's tax bracket. Obviously, the numbers for this school don't lie, it is amazing in almost all of its pursuits, but if your child does not fit the Ravenscroft image of a future socialite, I would think about looking somewhere else.

As a life long student I can tell you on graduation everyone could not be more excited to leave this school. I was one of those kids whose parent's started out not having to pay for my disabilities (dyslexia & a processing issues) but then was charged quite a fee. Yes teachers in the upper school will help and work with you, but as a lower and middle schooler I can remember being so frustrated & crying because I couldn't keep up even though I knew the answers. I've worked with kids in the lower school and see it quite often. This school really only cares about $$$ and sports. There is no character being built, that's something that is learned at home (at least for this school). 4-7 grade were the worst years of my life because of the awful girls at Ravenscroft that they don't even know how to handle. I only became a better person because I had parents that were incredible & instilled great morals and character into me growing up and especially during that time. Be prepared for your child to be surrounded by (& come to want) the money, exotic vacations, & designers that most every child has.

Ravenscroft has provided my children with a stellar education, safe community, teachers who really care, and opportunities to shine in areas that interest them.
—Submitted by a parent

We had a very good experience with all of our children at Ravenscroft. If we did have concerns, we felt that people we open to listening.
—Submitted by a parent

$125.00 Application fee $3000.00 non refundable non tuition deductible family fee $17900.00 yearly tuition. $1500.00 "voluntary" donation that is not to your childs tuition- its just donation-try not to donate-they will call you like some collection agency! daily requests for volunteering- "non mandatory" yeah right.. Please all they want is your money and now- try to see their curiculum before you sign your child to this school. Our doughter knew more in Pre-K then she learned in K. thats why we are pulling her from school. Dont worth the money-should have lessoned to these reviews year ago but no.. it cant be true- oh yes it is. good luck for those who enter.
—Submitted by a parent

Ravenscroft has transformed itself into a school that only cares about raising money. The academics are given no focus, teachers who all asleep in class, science curricula that are factually wrong, essentially no college counseling, amazingly poor student placement at good universities. But, other, they did win a state basketball championship, and have a really, really nice new entrace. That is there legacy. If you're goal is to pay $$$ to pay for the best basketball team money can buy, and drive through a really nice entrance, this is the school for you. Otherwise, go elsewhere.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been very impressed with Ravenscroft. We have two sons attending Ravenscroft and every day they go off to school happy, eager to start their day. While no school is perfect, we have felt that when we had a concern and brought it to the attention of the faculty and administration, our concerns were taken seriously and changes were made. This is in sharp contrast to attending a Catholic elementary school where we had meetings but our concerns were not taken seriously at all. Ravenscroft has a well-rounded, diverse group of students who participate in the arts, theater, symphony and sports. If you have more than one child, this is a great school to meet all of your needs. Average children with some areas of giftedness are welcome as well as extremely bright, gifted children. Children are inspired verses held back. If a child is struggling, they can get extra help in the areas where they are struggling. Sports are strong, but that is not a bad thing. The non-athletic kids feel a sense of community and pride when they talk about supporting their team. School spirit is strong. We love Ravenscroft.
—Submitted by a parent

Unfortunately, while the school's image and campus are top notch, Ravenscroft has been very disappointing overall. We have not been impressed with the school's academic program; it is weaker than you would find at a typical public high school in the Northeast.
—Submitted by a parent

Our kids love it and our experience has been very positive. Have been attending now for 9 years and have never questioned our decision to send them to Ravenscroft. We know they are going to be well prepared for college and beyond.
—Submitted by a parent

My child attended this school and did well. We moved from the area and my kids now attend a decent public school. I have to say that althougt this was a nice school in many ways, looking back it was an expensive lesson learned about perceived quality of education. My son did well here, but he does equally as well in the public school even though there are some students who don't have the best moral and ethical of backgrounds. We thought we could socially isolate our kid from the "bad kids" in society if we put him in a private school. Honestly, because we give him a good ethical foundation at home, he avoids these kids anyway in the public school. This is a fine school, but not worth the extra $. If you are an active parent with a good grounded kid, you should save your money for college.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children in the Lower School, and each has attended Ravenscroft since kindergarten. My children are completely different from each other in almost every way, and yet, the administration and teachers have found the right formula to help both succeed. My kids are challenged, celebrated, and loved. I attribute this mostly to the faculty who deeply care about my kids and want them to reach their full potential both in the classroom and out. School is a safe, exciting, fun place for my kids, and I believe that's ultimately what it's all about.
—Submitted by a parent

Some of the teachers are excellent but there are teachers that are not best in class which shouldn't be the case since the school is very expensive.. The school's conduct guidelines focus on how the students should behave but there are no written guidelines on the administration/teachers professional conduct. Teachers have been promoted to administrative positions. While some of the administrators are good, others performed better as teachers. The lower school fine arts program is very good. If you have a late bloomer, hold off on applying to this school until your child is older. A common theme is retention in the early grades. Parents are treated like partners with the school until there is a conflict. If there is a conflict, you can easily feel alienated due to the lack of support/ cooperation..
—Submitted by a parent

The fine arts are fabulous. The academic courses are hit and miss. The teachers are given total freedom to teach however they want. Some teachers are good but there are many poor teachers and the school doesn't care. Math and science are especially weak. They track in some random way in 6th grade, then whoever got tracked high gets rigorous math and science while everyone else takes very remedial math and science. Rather than trying to prepare all the students for college majors that require sciences, they seem to believe only a few kids can learn these subjects. There is a real elitism about this.
—Submitted by a parent

If you have a child that learns 'inside the box.' This is the school for you. Choosing this school for a nurturing enviroment would be a mistake. Wheather you are an alumni with a long family history of attendees, or an active parent that devotes the majority of her time volunteering, you need to know that this schools main focus is on self motivated academic ability. The majority of the teachers teach 'one way' and move very quickly. If your child requires extra time in any area, you are immediately notified and will pay $$$ for the extra help needed. This school will not hesitate to remind you that your child will not be given a reenrollment contract if he is not achieving at ABOVE average standards. Nor will they be there when you tell a heart broken child his best was not good enough for Ravenscroft Standards!
—Submitted by a parent

It was a great fit for me in the '70's, and it is a great fit for my children today. My eldest attended from Pre-K through graduation & was incredibly prepared for college. The Lower School is nurturing, the Middle School builds independence, and the Upper School with its academic rigor prepares students for college.
—Submitted by a parent