Ashbrook Independent School

Our daughter began attending Ashbrook when we moved to Corvallis at the beginning of her 6th grade year. The experience has been wonderful for her. Great friends, great teachers, and great emphasis on study skills that will serve her well in later years. She'll be starting high school this fall at "honors" level in three core subject areas. The small classes (maximum 18 kids per grade level, (I think)) make a huge difference in the amount of teacher/student interaction and keep the kids on track. She has made good friends, and we have found the other parents to be involved, caring, and good people. Given our experience with Ashbrook, if I had other younger children, I wouldn't think of sending them anywhere else.
—Submitted by a parent

Project-based learning? What grade is that? In the lower school instruction is mostly via worksheets on the 3 Rs. I would love to find a school in Corvallis that offers project based learning as my child has lost a love of learning.
—Submitted by a parent

Our family is very happy with the school. Our children are thriving and being challenged --all while having smiles on their faces going and coming from school. The teachers are caring, smart and involved. We love the project based learning our children get to do! The students are lovely, bright and polite. We are pretty new to the private school environment and many of the families have reached out to us tremendously. The parents are caring, involved, intelligent, hard working and dedicated to their children and the school. And the big plus is that the school is not prohibitive like the $20- $23k per child like in Portland or California!
—Submitted by a parent

The school board, consisting of the 2 founders and 2 parents, has hired for principal a 28 year old woman with 2 years teaching experience and 2 years experience as vice principal. This after a short search and a process with no transparency. To complicate matters, her communication and social skills are severely lacking and she has had a chilling effect on the climate even as VP. Given this is the most important position in any school, why were more qualified candidates not identified, recruited, or hired? As a parent I would happily pay another 1k per child if that would allow the school to recruit a qualified, experienced applicant, and one who is well suited to the parent population of the school and the town. Other private schools spend a year or more on the search process for head of school. Why so little invested into this, most important choice? Being familiar with a school's teachers and students does not qualify someone to be head of school.
—Submitted by a parent

Most students and families tend to find friendships and positive connections in this school community, but there's a decided coldness here crowding out the warmth and encouragement I want for my child. The academic achievement at ashbrook has a lot to do with families' worth ethic and small classroom size, not enough to do with best practices, happy teachers, or unified collaboration. Retirements may eventually bring a sense of positive energy into the mix. A prior post mentioned a "joyless" atmosphere. I agree: we're moving on to greener pastures.

I love Ashbrook. It is warm and encouraging, has lots of nice teachers and good curriculum. I admit that it is a new school. But it focuses on important things, like independence and self honesty in the students. Go and check it out. The principal is awesome!
—Submitted by a teacher

Go see Ashbrook for yourself before making a decision. If we had done that when we moved here instead of listening to what non-Ashbrook parents said about it we would have put all our children there, regardless of the expense. We transferred our youngest kids to Ashbrook from public school after two other children had less-than-ideal experiences at Franklin Middle School. We found Franklin controlling and stifling to their creative natures, even though these same children had thrived at a Core Knowledge school in another state. Ashbrook equally values the Arts and Sciences and provides varied and exciting educational experiences. Three families we know have enrolled their children at Ashbrook because of our encouragement to tour the school. While it is expensive compared to public school, you save college tuition because Ashbrook kids get scholarships. There are generous programs to help with tuition, too, so do not be deterred by the cost.
—Submitted by a parent

Not what I expected for the hefty price tag. The lower school teachers are stagnant and out of touch with new methods of teaching. Too much parent involvement instead of teachers and staff doing their jobs. This school is more about money than nurturing well rounded children. If you are looking for a great school with excellent curriculum and exceptional teachers and staff look at Franklin Elementary k-8. They go out of their way to treat each child as an individual and it shows. You'll find MANY ex-Ashbrook families there and they will all tell you it was the best decision they ever made for their children.
—Submitted by a parent

I originally sent my children to the upper grades at Ashbrook for the class sizes, but was thrilled with the curriculum. It's still a young school and it feels like is still trying to find its place in the community. It's not for everyone, but it is a good college prep school. Unfortunately, it has a reputation for being expensive, which of course is true compared to public and Christian schools, but compared to comparable independent schools (like Catlin Gabel) it's a bargain (1/3 the tuition). Since it is a young school it doesn't have the endowment or FA of older independent schools, but there are substantial efforts at fundraising for financial aid so there is some economic diversity amongst the clientele. The majority of teachers are great, and the current Principal is a warm, caring leader who is improving the climate. While the teachers are caring, it's not what I would call a "child-centered" environment in that differentiated curriculum is not the norm. Differentiation comes with a large array of clever electives, but the core classes grade quite competitively. Perfect? No. But my kids are better people for their experiences at Ashbrook.
—Submitted by a parent

Ashbrook offers more academic rigor and smaller class sizes than anywhere else in Corvallis. But the cost is a level of conformity that is stifling. Individuality, creativity and experimentation are tightly controlled and children are humbled in many ways -- from the rigid and competitive grading structure to the lack of complements and even good feedback from staff. If you are looking for a rigorous and well-rounded college prep experience, then this is the best place in town. We were disappointed in the somewhat joyless culture of the place, however. Felt like Stepford.

My child is very well prepared for high school and life in general as a result of attending Ashbrook. The students (and parents) are like family, they've been together so long. If your kid starts lagging or having issues, they call a meeting right away to address it and help get them back on track. Very supportive environment. Currently a strong, competent administration, and an involved Board that cares deeply about providing optimal learning opportunities for kids. As for previous poster, as with any school a few kids leave and it's a transition - is more likely to happen early on. Also a parent may be concerned early on but then it all works out great within a couple years as learning solidifies. Certainly not all test in top 10% and it is not designed to be a tag school although many student are tag. I will miss the community a lot when my child graduates...
—Submitted by a parent

Ashbrook has been a huge factor in our son's personal, social and academic success thus far. We have only been at Ashbrook for one year, but already notice that it offers higher quality and more options for our children. The teachers are all unbelievably amazing and the administration puts the children first all the time, making Ashbrook a first-class learning environment. I really feel that the entire staff loves providing the right environment for the children to grow, learn and advance.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent teachers in small class room sizes. The Ashbrook community is very involved in making the school the best it can be.
—Submitted by a parent

Sending our son to Ashbrook Independent School has been the single best decision we have made throughout his academic career. Now in high school, his Ashbrook experience was phenomenal....academically, socially, and in extra-curricular activities. He was challenged, supported and cared for from each and every faculty member, staff member and administrator. The outstanding teachers are well prepared and devoted to teaching and to their students. I believe that the best Ashbrook experiences come from situations where the child is supported at home and where the school also has support from the parents. It truly is a team effort. The "Ashbrookian" alumni that we know are happy, well prepared, capable and excelling in high school and beyond. If you are considering this school, ask the administration for names of parents and kids you can talk to about their experiences.
—Submitted by a parent

As an Ashbrook parent with a middle school daughter, I can say Ashbrook is not perfect, but what school is? I CAN say from the administration, faculty, staff and parents you can expect to find people who truly have a passion about what they do, care about kids and are great at sharing their passions with the students. Ashbrook is not (and does not claim to be) a perfect match for all students OR all families. It IS one of several opttons in the Corvallis area. For my family is is the BEST option. For those reading these reviews to determine if this school is what you're looking for, I encourage to call the school and schedule a tour. If it doesn't feel like a good fit, it doesn't mean it's a bad school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my 14th year at Ashbrook. 3 of my 4 children have graduated from Ashbrook and my last child will graduate at the end of this year. Ashbrook has provided a warm, nurturing, and academically challenging environment for my children. The teaching staff and administration have prepared my children well to be successful in high school and college. The staff put in many extra hours of work to provide an exciting and stimulating education environment for the students. There are many wonderful, dedicated parents who support the school. Thank you Asbhrook for a great experience for our family!
—Submitted by a parent

My assessment of Ashbrook is from the perspective of a parent of a recent graduate, an involved school volunteer and public education administrator. Our student benefited from small class sizes, rigorous academics, outstanding faculty and effective school leadership. As a result of his time at AIS, he was well prepared for high school and is now thriving. A couple of cautions: like anything else, you get what you put into it, and this is true for both students and parents. Spectator students and parents get less out of it than involved students and parents. A second caution: an Ashbrook education places students ahead of most all of their peers in high school, so academic planning and placement into AP and honors courses is a typical phenomenon. Ashbrook is not for everyone, but for families who value strong academics, the arts, critical thinking, citizenship and student engagement, it's worth looking into.
—Submitted by a parent

My son graduated from 8th grade last year after attending Ashbrook since Pre-Kindergarten. I can say without reservation that he received a first rate education. The small class size, caring teachers giving individual attention, wonderful facility, and great community of families all added together to make for a good experience for our family. Especially for the sometimes problematic Middle School years, I cannot imagine a better environment than Ashbrook. Students from Ashbrook regularly test into advanced classes in high school.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of a first grade student at Ashbrook. I will just tell you from my past two experience that Ashbrook offers the best pre-K and kindergarten in Corvallis. Small class sizes, first class facilities, and mostly important of all, highly-qualified and caring teachers and staff. Did I mention the students have PE and Music everyday? MY son loves the music sharing time :-). Last but not the least, the principle listens to parents' concerns or feedback and constantly think of new ways to improve.
—Submitted by a parent

We have found Ashbrook to be the best-fit alternative for our child in Corvallis. The smaller class sizes enable the teachers to cater to the needs of individual students, more so than what we saw from our experience in the public schools. No kid is a stranger for long. The staff is enthusiastic and fosters a positive community atmosphere. Gym, art, music, and languages are taught multiple times per week by different teachers, enabling kids to develop a broad support network. Gym class everyday is an especially huge positive. Is it the perfect school? No, but I d argue that Oregon public schools would be and could be a lot better if they were more like Ashbrook. If weighing your options, think about what might best work for your kids. Some will thrive in public schools; some won t. If in the later situation, Ashbrook is a decent option to consider.
—Submitted by a parent