Ravenscroft

My daughter has had an outstanding middle school experience at Ravenscroft. Her classes have a strong sense of community and support from other students and faculty. The teachers provide a top-notch education along with guiding students to lead themself so that someday soon others will look to them to lead others. The process allows her to be a self-disciplined learner where she pours her heart and mind into learning! Ravenscroft has exceeded all of our expectations.

Terrific faculty and great learning environment. The school partners with parents and kids to prepare graduates for success in college and life. Very small class sizes, typically less than 10 students per class. The advisory program has a family feel and provides a network of ready-made friends.

We just changed from a religious, independent school to Ravenscroft for our 6th grader. While we are blessed to be able to send our child to private school, this move has been a substantially better experience. Our daughter is being challenged even more and the resources to help the kids excel are phenomenal. There are far fewer tests here because they place a strong emphasis on collaborative discussion to see how the kids actually know and understand the material. My daughter is engaging deeply in every class and feels like she`s valued and included. I`ve never seen her so excited about her education. She was a straight A student and Duke TiPster and is being pushed academically even more here. This is what we wanted. Her other school administered standardized testing that made it seem like she was excelling in all areas. 2 standardized tests later, 6 mos apart revealed her old school had not challenged her nearly enough and left her at a strong disadvantage. Top notch experience.

I have 3 boys that started Ravenscroft in Kindergarten. They are currently in 6th, 8th and 10th grade. My boys are all very different-whatever their passion, whether playing the in the string orchestra, being involved in athletics, or nurturing their interests in a school club, Ravenscroft has been a wonderful fit for all three. Their academics are excellent and the teachers are enthusiastic about their subject areas which shows-they make learning fun. It's a huge drive for my boys to happily attend each day. The Lead From Here framework has taught them to be resilient, empathetic, inclusive and growth-minded, which I can see firsthand as they encounter everyday problems. Their partnership with the Social Institute has taught them how to be responsible on social media. Whether it's through academics, fine arts, athletics, or character building, Ravenscroft is truly nurturing the "whole child" and we wholeheartedly recommend it.

My daughter has been a student at Ravenscroft since 9th grade and is a senior this year. The school has lived up to it's reputation for having an excellent curriculum and facilities. We are visiting colleges now and every admissions counselor we have met is familiar with Ravenscoft and it's high placement percentage and history of producing students ready for college.Also, knowing where our daughter would be going to school each year brought a great deal of peace of mind considering that in Raleigh some of the public schools can have a waiting list or be capped.On March 14, 2020 when the governor of North Carolina ordered that all public schools be closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with no plan going forward, Ravenscroft had already prepared the week before to utilize online classes and on March 16 my daughter was able to be in class and learning from home. That is the difference with Ravenscroft, the leadership and faculty are forward thinking and that is what our kids need to learn as they are going out into the real world.

My son has been attending Ravenscroft since kindergarten. He is currently enrolled in the fifth grade. Every year we have been increasingly impressed with Ravenscroft`s commitment to excellence. The class sizes are small, the teachers truly understand each student, and character development is incorporated into the curriculum. The teachers willingly partner with parents to ensure students realize their potential in the classroom. Ravenscroft diligently follows pedagogical research and is not afraid to implement changes based on findings. I highly recommend Ravenscroft.

My youngest child graduates from college this weekend. I'm writing this review today as I realize that today he is a reflection of the experience he gained at Ravenscroft after attending k-12. His college major developed out of an independent study senior year of HS supported by his college advisor. He played a sport all four years of college that began with an introduction on campus in 9th grade. Leadership skills cultivated at Ravenscroft are evident along with a comfort for public speaking, collaboration and resilience in the face of challenges. This weekend's college graduation is further validation of the positive experience gained at Ravenscroft.

2 high school kids - fantastic experience and opportunities for our kids. Ravenscroft has been a blessing. Great academics and teachers who are truly vested in their students. Great fine arts and athletics. Head of school is a visionary leader. Lead From Here is incredibly unique and has had a huge impact on the lives of my kids.

The review says it all: 5 stars!! Best school for addressing and engaging the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical potential of ALL students AND families.

Three words describe the excellence at Ravenscroft for our family more than anything else: nurturing individual potential. As the school mission states: The Ravenscroft community, guided by our legacy of excellence, nurtures individual potential... This is done through the very strong academics, arts, sports and extra activities offered throughout the year which have a wide range from coding to macramé (for lower school). Our children have had the most loving, caring, excellent teachers. When our daughter was in second grade, her teacher said maybe she'd like to stay after school with me on Wednesdays. This wonderful teacher brought her up to speed this way for almost the whole year, to strengthen one weak area, and we never even asked! My daughter has had similar mentoring in her strong area from the wonderful lower school Art teacher. All the regular classes during the day are also excellent, but these two examples showed us how they support a child's weak areas when needed, as well as build their strengths. Although the school is 150 years old, the administration and board are looking at preparing students for the future. They show a real commitment to the second part of the school's mission: and prepares students to thrive in a complex and interdependent world. One new way is through a school-wide leadership program called Lead from Here. This was developed with consultation of the Center for Creative Leadership which works with many businesses on the subject. This was the first program they developed for a school. We would give the School Heads and the Board our highest praise for their vision, management and leadership. Communication and input from parents are welcome, carefully considered, and in my experience, often accepted. For a recent schedule change, they held six open forums to discuss reasons, explain recent research on best practices, and show data on how the school students and faculty felt about it. They invited Independent School Management (ISM) to bring its expertise on this. ISM reviewed facilities, curriculum, extracurricular activities, Fine Arts, and Athletics. They also created school culture surveys for the students and faculty. The results of the schedule analysis made it clear that the changes were a great direction and clear choice that would better meet the needs of our community. This not only showed excellent decision making process but great respect for including everyone when important decisions are made. Parents are children are very friendly and welcoming, with a vigorous parents association. We were new to Raleigh and each of our family has found so many great friends there. There are many international students and this diversity is celebrated through an International Day. All students are taught to respect differences and appreciate self through an Identity Day. One other thing -- that we take for granted now -- is that there is ZERO tolerance for any bullying, defined by the school as any repeated acts of meanness. The children are taught tools to identify it and address it, and if these fail then told to take it to an adult. At that point, the teachers, administration and related parents make sure it stops quickly and permanently. The counseling staff is exceptional and frequently provide sessions for parents relevant to children's growth and challenges.

As a new family to the area, we were welcomed into the Ravenscroft Community with open arms. Our children are in Lower School and we've been part of this community for over 5 years. The teachers at the school are excellent and with small class sizes, they are able to know the individual needs of each child. The Character Tree program in Lower School is such a fantastic compliment to the curriculum. Children are taught and able to show their understanding of words like spirit, responsibility, courage, dedication and compassion. Seeing a need to even take it a step further, Ravenscroft has partnered with the Center for Creative Leadership to develop and infuse a program called Lead from Here into the curriculum in Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. While there's no way to know what the world will look like in 10 years or types of jobs will be available then, we feel confident that by having our children attend and receive a Ravenscroft education, they'll be equipped with the tools to lead themselves, lead with others and change their world.

We are finishing up our third year at Ravenscroft (K-2) and could not be happier with our choice in sending our son there. As a former private and public school teacher in NY & NC I can say with certainty that Ravenscroft is among the best of any school in either category. Ravenscroft has a very strong Fine Arts program, even in Lower School. What is most exciting is the new Lead From Here initiative that Ravenscroft is developing with the Center for Creative Leadership. I have seen many positive changes in my son as it relates to working with others through collaboration, communication and cooperation. The goal of the program is to intertwine leadership skills into their already rigorous academic program to produce a generation of citizen leaders who will be responsible for running an increasingly complex and diverse World. Other schools in the area have strong academics, some of them strong fine art, but none of them have a robust leadership program like Ravenscroft.

Have two students in lower school and a third starting PreK in the fall. The new Lead From Here initiative is setting new standards in education, and the way it is being implemented at the elementary level at Ravenscroft is simply outstanding. This character and leadership curriculum combined with their already high-performing academic program and auxiliary services cannot be beaten in the Raleigh area. If you truly want to be a partner in your child's education and enjoy having a mutual language for discussing and cultivating excellence with faculty, staff, other parents, your children, and their friends, the Ravenscroft community will exceed all expectations.

Very happy with my experience in lower, middle and now upper school. Great academics and develops the full child. New Leadership initiative is a transformative program that reaches throughout school and faculty. My kids are thriving and feel like they will be so well prepared for life and fro college.

Academics are very poor, not a priority at all Good drama, some art, Emphasis is on athletics - giving scholarships (with tuition money) to students who rarely go to class