Clonlara School

1289 Jewett St

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

22 Reviews

School District
Grade

K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 21, 2021

When we first registered our daughter in Kindergarten at Clonlara, we were looking for a school where she could learn at her own pace, enjoying growing up in a safe, personalized and creative environment. What we experienced was above expectations. The teachers have a really unique way to capture the kids's attention and interest.The kids are setting up a list of topics they want to know more about, and this serves as support for the teachers to jump into the academic practice. My daughter has started to become independent, expressing with a lot of self-confidence what she was willing to explore and taking pleasure to share with other kids. Now that she is finishing 1st grade, I can tell that she is a happy student, with a lot of curiosity and always talking about new strategies for solving problems, who is eager to keep making progress in literacy and mathematics with fun. As parents, we think that this gives her an awesome ticket to her future.
Submitted by parent on December 10, 2017

Clonlara School has been wonderful for our daughter. She loves to go to school here and is always excited about the many opportunities she is offered. There is a weekly field trip, there is a food co op where students decide on the menu and help with the preparation of the meal, there is multi age interaction and children learn in many ways from and with each other. Clonlara supports our traveling and our daughter is free to go on trips within the school year, a written schedule in hand (worked out between her, her teacher and us).We are extremely happy with this school and would recommend it to anybody.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2017

My son graduated from Clonlara in June of 2017. It is a wonderful environment for ANY student, K through 12. The education is hands-on and tailored to the interests and strengths of each student. If you or your child are looking for a unique learning experience not bogged down by written tests and memorization that will provide a high quality education and experiences that will last a life-time, PLEASE visit the Clonlara campus and see what they are all about.
Submitted by other on December 06, 2017

My nephew attended this school and graduated with knowledge of the world around him and the social competence needed to succeed in life. Before attending Clonlara he did not have that inner drive to learn. After only attending for a few weeks this love of learning that he had never before exhibited began to shine in each new endeavor he attempted. The staff are available and passionate, willing to go the extra mile for each individual student. Needless to say I am the proud Aunt of a Graduate of Clonlara School and highly recommend this school. If you are looking for a school that focuses on hands on learning, special projects and recognizes the importance of community along with being in business for fifty years I recommend that you stop by their website and Facebook pages to learn more about Clonlara School.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2017

We wrote the orivious positive review that begins "As a family that transitioned from Clonlara's homeschool program". Fast forward, we have removed our son from the program entirely. The new teaching staff is dangerously ilequipped and poorly trained. As a volunteer at the school, I personally witnessed children running off campus, 5 year olds walking around in the parking lot unattended without the teachers even being aware. The new climate not only allows for bullying but encourages it. My son was bullied and excluded almost daily and when we reported this to the administration we were met with hostility. On open house days they removed the offending students from the classroom, yet the injurious behavior towards my son was allowed to continue.The teachers failed to follow even very basic reporting laws and child safety measures. My child is a gifted student. They were unable to accommodate a course in trigonometry or chemistry. No one in the school was even working at his level in math and chemistry was being taught as, " kitchen Chemestry". A version that one might teach to elementary students. The most disturbing aspect is the frightening response from the administration. One of the teachers that made dangerous decisions is a family friend of the head of school and we were told that her dismissal was "not an option.". Both my husband and i have Ph.Ds., what we witnessed has lead us to report this school to its accrediting body and report the offending teachers for misconduct. The administration is very dishonest and the teachers lied in their incident reports. Protect your children from this dangerous and disastrously run school.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2017

My daughter graduated 15 years ago. Pat Montgomery of Clonlara said repeatedly back then that if a student wanted a government job, they should have a private school diploma, even though homeschooling is legal. Well, we just learned how true that statement was. Now that she's 33, my daughter's current career has led to a government job that requires vetting. As proud as we are of her homeschooling "diploma," it was only Clonlara's verification that allowed her to pass through the vetting process. We are so grateful for the extra layer of protection that Clonlara School gave us.
Submitted by other on April 28, 2016

My daughter attended Clonlara's home school and online program for her high school. We found the administration and her advisor to be extremely kind and helpful in developing an academic program suited to the unique needs of a professional child performer. Not only was she motivated to learn, she also did well enough to be academically accepted to all of the colleges she applied to.
Submitted by parent on November 08, 2015

As a family that transitioned from Clonlara's homeschool program to its campus-based day school, we could not be more pleased with our experience. Unlike some other recent reviews, our engagement with the administration and teaching staff has been open and cooperative. While our son does have a learning disability, he is gifted in several areas, and both the administration and teachers could not have worked harder to address his academic strengths and weaknesses. That said, the prior criticisms that this is a "special needs school" are unfair and unfounded, as the school does not purport to provide special services: it does not advertise itself as having a child pyschologist or speech pathologist on staff, but it does provide the flexibility for outside professionals to visit the school and work with individual students. Instead, it emphasizes unique and customized programs, which are not necessarily remedial, but often complements the gifted children's interests and talents.When we went on a recent field trip, we were delighted by how courteous and well-behaved the Clonlara students were to those inside and outside the school community. We were able to see this in comparison to other school groups at the same site, where mutual respect and care clearly were not valued as they are by the Clonlara community.On several occasions, we have seen other families welcomed and warmly received, with parents and grandparents coming to participate and celebrate children's achievements and special events. This is indicative of the transparency that we have experienced from our first meeting with the head of school when we were considering our options for where our son would attend after several years of homeschooling. There has been an honest and ongoing conversation. Potential disciplinary scenarios were discussed with the teacher ahead of time, which allowed us as the parents to have a say in what would constitute a just and appropriate response if our son were to misbehave. There is an active and intentional mentoring program at the school, in which the older students take on and nurture the younger students. This already has been very beneficial to our son. For us, Clonlara has been all we could have asked for in a warm, caring and academically engaging context. In many ways, Clonlara has exceeded our expectations.
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2015

You may be thinking about attending this school because you feel like you have nowhere else to send your child. Please be warned that we found the administration and staff of Clonlara to be totally unequipped to deliver on their mission and philosophy. The student population of this school is made up of young people, who may have emotional, academic, and behavioral disabilities. Clonlara does not have the appropriate professional staff to help the environment be one that nurtures the growth of the students; for example there is no child psychologist on staff and the turnover in teachers has resulted in a very inexperienced staff. The discipline employed is odd and strife with unbelievable inconsistencies. Our experience was one where extreme amounts of time were spent on discipline issues of the students with ineffective and inconsistent approaches leaving near zero time spent on academics. If you speak out about any school related situation expect to be scorned and punished by an administration that does not like to be questioned. If the mandatory parent meetings offered any value at all Clonlara would not need to fine parents for not attending. At one recent meeting Clonlara asked the parents in attendance to leave positive reviews on the Internet to counter the negative ratings that they receive. Wow, if the school did not have problems they would not have to ask for positive reviews.
Submitted by parent on September 13, 2015

This school touts itself as creating "custom programs" for each child. My son did have special needs but no custom program was created for him. No special steps were taken to work with us as parents and; communication with the teachers had to go through the administration who clearly managed the conversations. There were also no counselors, psychologists, therapists or other certified professionals on staff to assist these special needs children.Lastly, for the last 9 months he was there, my son was severely bullied physically and/or mentally on a daily basis there by a boy 4.5 years his elder and the school did nothing to stop it. They told me they had a plan to keep the two children apart but when I saw my son's behavior turn very angry, aggressive, physical with severe bed-wetting, I started to do surprise visits and found otherwise. Nothing had changed, the boys were together frequently. When we questioned the school, they became affronted and their behavior towards us and our son became confrontational to say the least. My son attended this school for 1.5 years. During that time he actually learned LESS then he went in knowing. It was like a romper-room.
Submitted by student on August 09, 2015

there was so much wrong with it it hard to even start most people leave for a public school any way and unless this is the only choice you have i still say don't i could go on for days about poor staff terrible ran campus home program is ok.
Submitted by parent on February 04, 2015

Clonlara is the home we wanted for our daughter. I am sad that we are paying tuition but it is worth it to have your child thrive in a supportive environment. The public schools could no longer provide what she needed. Some of the earlier reviews talk about lack of accountability and poor leadership. The may have been true in the past. The teachers that my daughter has now (and I will say teacher turn over is a problem) are committed and well trained. Students are all accounted for and there is no "sneaking off". My daughter is a high achiever that has hit some bumps in the road. Clonlara is letting her get back on track. Clonlara is a chance to let your child blossom, not just get by. The low student/teacher ratio is great!
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2014

My daughter graduated from the campus program in 2014. She attended Clonlara for approximately 2.5 years after having to leave public school due to medical reasons and extensive absences. The staff was supportive and nurturing and helped her to catch up on her credits and graduate on time. Each student had a lot of input to their coursework within the general curriculum guidelines, which was beneficial since students were at varying levels. Some were working ahead for their grade level and others such as my daughter were "catching up". She enjoyed being in an 'all ages" school and spending time not only with her peers but with the "youngers" and "middles" as well. She was given an opportunity to mentor and tutor some of the younger children. We also appreciated the emphasis on community service and the time the students spent volunteering at various organizations.
Submitted by parent on September 16, 2014

My son transitioned from homeschooling to Clonlara at 14, where he continued to blossom at his own rate. His very creative, outgoing personality was nurtured there. The staff there is great. They help students explore their passions, as well as learn the core subjects, in creative ways. It is a safe place to be yourself.
Submitted by parent on July 11, 2014

My son attended and graduated from the campus program. My biggest wish is that we had found Clonlara sooner. The way their program worked with my son, allowing for his learning style and creativity set him up for high school success. The small, personalize environment where relationships and understanding were key for my son's education. He not only graduated but he left Clonlara knowing how to take action and get projects done, how to communicate and interact with peers/adults, and with a sense that he 'could do' things differently. We will be forever grateful!
Submitted by parent on February 01, 2014

Poorly administrated and lacking in understanding of student's needs. No counselor, social worker or psychologist on staff in a school geared towards students with emotional and/or academic disabilities. Rigid inflexible discipline approaches that are not effective. High teacher turn over rates. Low academic learning. Mandatory parent meetings that are not valuable and a fee is assessed if more than one is missed. Poor communication with parents. Not all teachers available at conferences. Seem to feel that parents should just blindly trust them.
Submitted by parent on December 09, 2013

Very kind and professional staff that cares and remembers small details about each student. Flexible program that allows students in late-age states to get a head start with education.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2013

Clonlara's home-based program provides flexibility and accountability in education. Like all educational programs, "you get out of it what you put into it". The program offers students and parents the opportunity to design a curriculum that is interesting / challenging for the student. The Clonlara staff provides honest evaluation and guidance on coursework, and it is up to the student and family to strive for excellence. Our son was falling through the cracks of a large suburban high school. He was doing nothing and learning even less. When we could not solve the problems within the framework of the public school, we enrolled at Clonlara. The burden is now on us as parents, but we are designing classes to better meet his interests, and we are enforcing performance. We are meeting our state's merit curriculum requirements while helping our son develop his interests and skills. Those who complain and/or "brag" about doing nothing at Clonlara should realize that they missed their own opportunity and cheated their own future. A school can only offer an education. It is up to the student to accept the challenge and earn an education.
Submitted by other on April 27, 2013

One of the finest schools you can attend to become a total flake. Many of the students I know who went here have ending up excelling at minimum wage employment. Enjoy!
Submitted by other on December 22, 2012

Speaking from experience as an alumni I would just like parents to know that this school is not what it seems. I have to say I love their quote, "We empower students to participate in the design of their own education." The type of education I designed consisted of smoking in the woods, leaving midday to go home and nap, chatting and gossiping with my friends in big comfy couches. Sometimes we would just take naps. Nothing was ever enforced, and we took that inch and made it a mile. I can honestly say I did nothing while I was there for 10, 11 and 12th grade and I ended up graduating. In all honesty the only reason I graduated was because the principal felt bad for me, and we literally added classes into my schedule and gave them grades so that I could graduate. With all that said, I did end up graduating from college and found a great job. I feel like I am really lucky. But I must say I would never in a million years send my children there.