https://www.privateschoolreview.com/the-hill-school-profile As you zero in on the best private school for your child, keep this list of reasons for doing so handy. The question you need to keep asking yourself is whether the fit is right for each of these attributes. You may not get all 15 items scoring 10 out of 10, but try to get as close as you can. Scoring these items is obviously a subjective matter. Remember that the schools which come closest to matching your requirements are the ones to which you should probably apply. Finding the right school is a process with a lot of moving parts. If you get one of these factors wrong, it won't kill the deal. It could, however, make your child's experience less than optimal. Here, then, are fifteen reasons why we think you should consider our school.
1. School size
Most preschools and nursery schools tend to be schools with a population of 75-100 students. Schools offering kindergarten through grade eight usually have a population of 200-500 students. As you search for schools on Private School Review, you will notice that some day schools show a student population of 800-1200 students. Our school includes prekindergarten through grade twelve. We have divided our student population into two divisions. Our elementary grades division and a high school division have their own administration and support staff. We may possibly add a middle school division in the future.
2. Religious emphasis
Private schools offer a wide variety of religious emphasis and education. Use the advanced search feature of Private School Review's site to specify the religion which you want your child's school to follow. For example, I found twenty Christian schools within twenty-five miles of my home here in Raleigh, North Carolina. After you make that broad cut, then examine each school to find the schools which match your specific religious beliefs and practices.
3. Educational philosophy
Schools are all the same, right? They teach kindergarten the same way in every school, right? The answer to both questions is a resounding "No!" We pride ourselves on following a particular approach to teaching our students which have used and refined over many years. To use a food analogy, investigating educational philosophies is similar to looking at a large buffet. You will have dozens of approaches from which to choose. Be sure to observe a class or two in person wherever possible. Videos on YouTube or school websites are helpful too. Just remember that those videos present the school and its teaching methods the way they want them presented. Observing one of our classes will illustrate how we teach.
4. Class size
The matter of class size boils down to this: do you want your child to just be a number in a large class of thirty or more students? Or would you prefer her to be part of our classes of 12-15 students where she will be engaged in learning? Essentially that is what you are paying for when you send your child to our school. Enrique Baloyra explains why class size matters in the following video.
5. Academics
Many parents don't understand where academics fit into the private school search process. They tend to look at the end game instead of looking at the process. Our elementary school division builds the foundations of your child's education. We think that our approach will be compatible with how you have been teaching your child since she was born. We will teach her to think critically. We will show her how to analyze facts instead of simply memorizing them. Our well-designed academic curriculum will both challenge and excite your young person. Then, when she enters our middle and high school divisions, she will be solidly prepared for the serious academic work involved in our AP curriculum.
6. Extracurriculars
We have always believed that your child needs solid academics as well as well-managed extracurricular activities and athletics. Our teachers supervise and direct the extracurricular activities as part of their contracted duties and responsibilities. Our students get to see their teachers in a different role when they are outside the classroom. Extracurricular activities foster teamwork and build confidence. This video clip gives us a glimpse of one of The Hill School's extracurricular activities.
7. Right sports
As mentioned previously under the extracurricular activities heading, we believe that our students deserve strong academics as well as robust programs for athletics and extracurricular activities. Every student participates in athletics. We set aside Wednesday afternoons for the entire school to do sports. Obviously, skill levels vary greatly across the student body. We accommodate beginner through varsity levels in the more popular sports such as field hockey, soccer, and tennis. Our teachers coach most of the athletic activities as part of their contracted duties. We enhance the supervision of our athletics with skilled professionals and paraprofessionals such as nurses and emergency medical technicians. We have doctors on call.
8. Facilities
Our school began with just grades PK-6 in one building forty years ago. Fortunately, our founder and her board had the foresight to acquire one hundred acres of property on what was then the outskirts of the city. Thirty years later that wise decision has allowed us to add buildings to house the middle school and high school divisions. Playing fields and an indoor athletic facility housing a basketball court serve our current athletic program well. We have plans to add tennis courts and a fitness facility in the near future.
9. Staff
Our teachers love what they do. They are passionate about the subjects. They love teaching young people about those subjects. They are the reason why our school has enjoyed such great success, even during tough times. Your child will never be a number in our classes. Our teachers will guarantee that.
10. Right financial aid
Over the years we have been very fortunate in attracting some substantial donations to our financial aid pool. This combined with the amount of money which we allocate in our annual operating budget allows us to offer significant assistance. In particular, we are very proud to offer a tuition-free education to students who come from families with an income of less that $85,000 per annum. We use the PFS resources to screen financial aid requests.
11. Teachers
We have teachers who are dedicated, committed professionals. Furthermore, with the rigorous licensing, background checks and screening which teachers undergo in 2017, you can have greater peace of mind than perhaps was the case forty or fifty years ago. We have teachers who have first and second degrees in their subjects. Our teachers are active in their subject areas. Our teachers will inspire your child both by what they teach in the classroom and what they do outside our school in their subject areas.
12. Right matriculations
Almost all of our graduates go on to further education and training at the tertiary level. Some pursue degrees in the culinary arts. Others go on to study quantum physics. Our graduates don't all go to the same colleges. They matriculate to institutions which are a good fit for them and the subjects which they wish to study. We have a full-time guidance counselor who begins the post-high school advising process in 10th grade.
13. Technology
We adopted laptops back in the late 90s. We enhanced our classrooms with a robust wireless network. Our library now includes a media center. However, having said all that, we believe that technology is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Our teachers encourage our students to use technology to find information. They show them how to review and analyze search results. They make sure that they understand how to use spreadsheets and slide presentations effectively. Finally, our Code of Discipline holds our students accountable for the appropriate use of technology including social media and email.
14. Reputation
We have been very lucky since the school was founded to have avoided serious misfortune and scandal. Our graduates and current families support the school. They are our most valuable marketing tool. Educating the whole child has always been an essential part of our educational philosophy. Our highly-regarded balanced approach to education has served us well.
15. Diversity
We have never waited for families to seek us out. We have always proactively made every effort to attract students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. The common denominator is that our students want to learn and they come from families which support that desire to learn. Our alumni and other donors understand our mission and have made it possible with the robust financial support of our financial aid program.
So, there you have it. We think that you should consider sending your child to our school for these fifteen reasons. We look forward to seeing you.
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