The Wellington School

The Pre-K curriculum is antiquated. They do the same activities year after year. It is truly lacking of any ingenuity, and it is not driven by student interest. The curriculum focuses on the Letter of the Week. Since I have worked in early education, I will tell you this is a dated practice. When our son entered the program, he could identify all of his letters and related sounds, but the Pre-K staff did nothing to foster higher level reading skills such as blending of sounds. Despite Wellington s claims, there is absolutely no differentiated instruction. It is a one-size fits all approach to education. The Pre-K staffs repeatedly assert that much is learned through play. They use this notion to justify the exorbitant amount of free time afforded to the students. By the latter part of the school year, our son s teachers were not busily preparing him for kindergarten. His instruction was limited to basically extended recess and videos.
--Submitted by a parent

As a former Wellington student, I often look back and regret attending this school. I'm currently in high school enrolled in one of the best public school systems in the country. However, I struggled through mathematics in my initial high school years. This was due to the lack of preparation on Wellington's part; I had to independently re-learn Algebra and the general math fundamentals. I also currently have a private tutor for English comprehension; again, Wellington's poor preparation. If Wellington costs around 20k to attend, and is known as a "college-prep" school, why in the world was I struggling in my initial high school years? Honestly, If you're looking to enroll your child to this school, think twice, because there's better options, including: Dublin, Bexley, and UA-all three are the best public school systems in Ohio. There are also prestigious boarding/private, including: Phillips Academy, Deerfield, Columbus Academy, and the Columbus School for Girls.

I came to Wellington in the middle of the year in 4th grade and I felt like i had been there since kindergarten. The teachers were all really nice and caring.

Best school in the city.Fabulous, caring teachers, wonderful community feel, great facilities, creating a well rounded child with progressive learning preparing my child to be a risk taker and lifelong learner.
--Submitted by a parent

I am surprised to read that a student or two have negative comments regarding the Math and Science. My family has no affiliation with this school. We do have friends (both with PhD in a Math/Science field) who sent their child to Wellington for middle school from one of the top rated public schools in the area. Their reason was the Math/Science program! I agree with the writer who says it sounds like someone has an axe to grind.

I'm a Junior at Wellington (a lifer) and I've experienced nothing but the best from Wellington. The two negative reviews I see here both appear to be from eighth grade students, one who isn't interested in an independent education and the other who just has incorrect information. When I was in 7th grade at Wellington, I took Algebra I and I successfully completed Algebra II in 8th grade. This has all prepared me for the AP BC Calculus class I take today. Wellington offers AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP AB and BC Calculus, not to mention the robotics programs offered in all three divisions. While Wellington's arts are second to none, one simply cannot say that we do not value Math and Science. And finally, to comment on the college matriculation results, that too is incorrect. Three of my friends in the Senior class have already been accepted to Cornell and I am already meeting individually with the College Counsellor who is locally acclaimed. Wellington may not have been right for you, but I've enjoyed every minute of the twelve years I've spent here.

Our child started at Wellington in Pre-K several years ago. We have been extremely happy with the school. I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews here and I have to wonder if someone has an axe to grind. Our experience has been that the school is very responsive to the concerns of students and parents. We are not wealthy and live in a working class neighborhood in Columbus, and we have never felt that our child was treated unfairly compared to children from wealthy "big donor" families. Wellington's approach to education is very different from other local schools (public and private) and it's probably not right for every student or every family, but so far it has been right for us. If you are considering Wellington, you will probably be better off actually visiting the school instead of reading anonymous reviews on the internet.
--Submitted by a parent

I was a student at wellington for 3 years, and I was very disappointed. The academics are not at all impressive when compared with similar schools such as CSG, The Columbus Academy and the local Upper Arlington school system. Myself included there were 11 students leaving the 8th grade out of a mere 45. There is a massive emphasis on the arts (especially theater), while their theater director was just arrested this year. Students who excel at math and science suffer from the poor education in these departments, and many courses that are available at other schools are not offered so students have to take courses over the summer. Until this year, Algebra 1 was not even an option for the eighth grade while it is at comparable schools. The college matriculation is very poor when compared to The Columbus Academy or CSG.
--Submitted by a parent

As a freshman at the Wellington School i found the curriculum very advanced and well taught, socially i feel that when thinking about sending your child to wellington get them in at a young age it is extremely hard to find your place socially, especially your first year
--Submitted by a student

This school was a massive disappointment. I've spent 9 horrible years here, and I can tell you. If you are possibly looking at this school. Forget it. If you are interested in your child getting a complete and full education, you can go to many of the close by high schools for free, and get a better education. Dublin, UA, Bexley, you name it. It's better. I am currently in 8th grade. So far, my friends and I have tallied up 9 people who are leaving this school. That's out of a grade of 45 kids. The administration is horrendous. I've had a different head of my school division every year except for once. Another thing to watch out about this school is the donors; a small group of rich families who donate to the school, and therefore get treated better and have advantages in class.
--Submitted by a student