The Raleigh School

I read through the negative reviews and I am a bit surprise. As parents - do your homework before signing up your children for private schools. As part of the interviewing process it is well known that parents are supposed to be involved throughout. It is also a small school so it definitely do not have resources to handle 'exceptional cases'. On the other hands - teachers are great and my kid loves it.
--Submitted by a parent

Our family's experience at The Raleigh School was a nightmare. While the school's "educational philosophy" of child-driven learning looks great in a brochure, in practice we found that any preschooler who didn't immediately fall into line was flagged as a problem student. After learning of our two year old's moderate speech delay before school even began, the teacher was convinced he was autistic. After multiple professionals determined autism was not a concern and our son was developing normally, his teacher remained unconvinced and came to us with never-ending lists of concerns, pushing a cascade of intervention. The administration provided no support at all, condescendingly dismissing our opinions and requiring a costly and unnecessary full-time classroom aid (despite the high teacher to student ratio). After months of worry, we realized we weren't dealing with a problem child, but with a stubborn case of confirmation bias. As you can see from other negative reviews below, our experience isn't unique. We're aware of other families driven from TRS under similar circumstances. Our child is now thriving at a new preschool where the teachers have had no concerns or complaints.
--Submitted by a parent

I have over 15 child years of experience at the Raleigh School. I give it three stars because the pre school is so outstanding - rated apart, the preschool would receive 5 stars with the warning that there is a lot of volunteer time expected. The upper school was great for one of my children. My above average, first child did fine there. However, when we moved on she did need to learn grammar, how to study and brush up on fast math facts in order to keep up. In my experience, TRS did not spend quality time on these issues. Also, like one reviewer mentioned, TRS does have two to three teachers to avoid unless your child is way above grade level. One teacher condoned and supported a bullying situation which ended in the bullied child permanently leaving. That said, they have some teachers who are truly amazing and gifted. Also, the parents at TRS are wonderful. It is a culturally diverse, friendly group. -Very liberal however and not afraid to show it. Other reviewers said that the administration seemed to have a "take it or leave it" attitude. This was certainly the case in our last years there. TRS upper school is a specific school for specific children. Careful.
--Submitted by a parent

Our children attended The Raleigh School for several years. We found the preschool experience to be wonderful and on par, we suspect, with any school in the Triangle. We had generally good experiences with the teachers at elementary school, although we heard from other parents that there is significant variability among the caliber of teachers. This was not our experience. Our biggest concerns were the lack of responsiveness on the part of the elementary school administrative staff and a general "take it or leave it" tone to correspondence that we did receive. When making decisions regarding a child's education, in particular when the cost of that education is in the $10,000 range, many parents will vote with their feet when confronted with indifference or arrogance ... as we did.
--Submitted by a parent

This is the most wonderful school. The teachers are great, the classrooms are wonderful and the administration really cares. I cannot imagine a more wonderful school to attend. My son is so happy there and we look forward to all his years there. The parent involvement is a lot, but so worth it.
--Submitted by a parent

Our experience at The Raleigh Preschool was very disappointing. We found that if your child is not perfectly behaved that they do not want them. The teachers who are all supposed to be expertly trained are quick to refer to an outside counselor(at your own expense) to find out the problem. Also the amount of parent involvement is a huge amount of time and money(always bringing in food,party supplies,gifts for teachers) considering the amount of tuition is quite high. I feel that The Raleigh Preschool does a great marketing job but does not follow through with meeting the needs of individual children and helping families. I was amazed at the lack of enthusiasm and involvement the teachers provided in the classroom while the "helping parent" (a different parent in the classroom daily) played with kids
--Submitted by a parent

The Raleigh School is a special place. My children can't wait to go to school each day and are excited for the new school year to begin. The teachers are outstanding and create fabulous integrated and hands-on learning in a beautiful campus environment. The administrative leadership is thoughtful and highly qualified. There is a great sense of community with involved parents and a terrific group of kids. I would highly recommend the school to parents seeking a quality education for their children where they will truly love to learn.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is held back from its potential by its administration. The overbearing and unnecessary force used by the school administration hampers a great community of teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

My children both stared at The Raleigh School in preschool and are now halfway through elementary and we could not be happier with the quality of education they are receiving. It is a wonderful learning environment that really engages the children and fosters a true love of learning. It is academically challenging, but in an age-appropriate way that makes learning and school fun. Also a very nice set of kids and parents combined with amazing teachers makes for a winning environment in every way. I can't think of a better place to send a child to school!
--Submitted by a parent

Not worth the money or aggravation. Head of School needs to retire and allow fresh leadership and thought to carry forward. This is a school that talks about open minded thinking and diversity, but practices neither. Teachers are dedicated, but hampered by administration that is rude and arrogant.
--Submitted by a parent