Roland Park Country School

5204 Roland Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21210

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on August 09, 2023

My daughter has attended RPCS for 2.5 years after leaving the local public elementary school. She was testing two grades below due to significant issues within her previous school. RPCS was able to get her caught up to grade level before the end of her first year. She was caught up not only by their own metrics but also the county metrics. I am also a teacher and know what her work should look like at her age range, and she is absolutely thriving. Two years later, she continues to grow and is now excited to go to school. It frustrates me to read the other reviews on this site because of the constant comparisons to the "Academic rigor" of other area private schools. Yes, the other schools may be more "rigorous" but that also makes the experience more stressful. There is a difference between learning and doing lots of busy work. At RPCS, the academics are there, and the teachers are wonderful about communicating how their students are doing. The class sizes are very small so students cannot hide, get away with doing nothing, or go without a check in for understanding. RPCS is as rigorous as it needs to be to get quality results. However, what they don't do, at least with the elementary school, is stress your child out. The workload is balanced and carefully considered. They know your child is active in extracurricular activities and there are only so many hours in a day. As a teacher, I can tell you that a stressed-out child does not learn as readily as a student who is comfortable. RPCS has been the perfect fit for our family, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. As an aside, every time I have visited the school, the staff are smiling and happy on the elementary school side. I have not seen any sign of discontent among the staff and many of the teachers have been working at the school for years.
Submitted by parent on March 02, 2023

Why would you go anywhere else when you can get everything at RPCS under one roof. Academic rigor and social well being by educators who truly care about your child.
Submitted by parent on September 28, 2022

As a new family to RPCS we are so happy with our choice. Our daughter has blossomed into a passionate learner. The staff are amazing and the care the faculty takes to address the whole child is something I am thankful for. Academic standards are high, however they are setting the girls up for success in all-round life. They have created a safe place for children to express themselves, learn at the highest levels, and challenge themselves in so many ways. The culture at RPCS is amazing and next to none.
Submitted by parent on September 22, 2022

My daughter has been at RPCS since sixth grade. I am reading the other reviews and can't believe it is the same place. We have had nothing but a positive experience since she started. Academically she is being challenged and socially I have seen her turn into this confident child who is now not hiding out in the back. I would highly recommend RPCS to anyone who asked me. I also want to add that I am an educator and have been nothing but impressed with the teachers and academics and wish we would have started RPCS earlier than we did.
Submitted by other on June 16, 2022

Horrendous all around especially as a teacher. Crushes spirits of people especially teachers that loved teaching. Lower and early childhood administration needs an overhaul of people that actually know what they are doing.
Submitted by parent on January 15, 2022

As an alumna, who loved my entire experience at RPCS, I can tell you this is no longer the same school. What was once an academic power house is no longer. There is a reason RPCS is ranked 22nd and no longer 1st or 2nd alongside Bryn Mawr. I had my daughter tested at two other schools, including a public school, and they all said she should be a grade below where RPCS placed her. The teachers in elementary school send home newsletters that were always misspelled and grammatically incorrect. Although the facilities are first rate, the school’s energy is focused on the wrong things and because of this, academics are no longer the priority. The bullying (starting in kindergarten) was out of control and is even promoted by the school with their implementation of “safe spaces”. These groups divide the children by race and force them to see their differences as being caused by color. Do you really want to spend over $30,000 for a sub-par education?
Submitted by parent on July 25, 2021

We made the mistake of enrolling our daughter in RPCS. In our time there, we noticed how subpar the education was compared to The Gilman School and Bryn Mawr. This came to bear after our daughter wrote a national exam and we saw that although she was doing extremely well as per RPCS standards, she was 1-3 grades behind national standards. I had read RPCS reviews before her enrollment but disregarded them. If you are seeing this as a prospective parent I will advise you to think really hard and consider other schools- you are definitely going to get a better education from any of the other AIM schools in the area. If you are an African-American parent, do NOT even think about it. The culture at RPCS doesn't focus on excellence but rather girls focused on other issues young elementary school girls should not be expending their energies on such as fine cars and sex. While that might be a widespread problem, the fact that the girls have so much time to chitchat during the school day calls into question the entire curriculum. The school also falsely prides itself on being more diverse and inclusive but that is a mirage. The administration is shut off and not open to ideas from minority parents. Also, the black kids are usually put together in the classroom of the teacher who is not great. If you have the thousands of $ to send your child to RPCS, go spend that money elsewhere! We are glad we saw the handwriting on the wall fast enough.
Submitted by parent on February 18, 2021

We have had 2 daughters at RPCS for many years. We are declining to renew our contract at RPCS, and have enrolled at a different private school in the Baltimore area. We feel that the administration, while seeming to listen to the concerns of parents, disregards parents' opinions and continues on as they see fit. In addition, we feel that the school has allowed the faculty to inject their own political opinions into the curriculum to a detrimental degree. Our 14 year old has expressed concern about learning more about social justice issues than actual academics. It speaks volumes that a 14 year old recognizes that this is an issue, and is looking forward to moving to a new school.We paid tuition for our daughters to receive an education. Perhaps we were naive to hope that they would be taught reading, writing, math, and science. The tuition at this school is too high to get an education that is incomplete, and does not welcome discourse from differing points of view. Beware, freedom of thought is NOT welcome at RPCS.
Submitted by other on June 04, 2016

Thank goodness they finally asked Jean Brune to leave - she is disliked by so many people and has caused such embarrassment by her drooling and falling asleep in meetings and assemblies. Over the past 10 years, the school has significantly deteriorated in academics and its ability to recruit good staff, students and administrators. It is chaotic, the bullying is pervasive and they are accepting basically anyone that applies. Even in prior years, the school offered lesser academics, especially when compared to our competitors (Calvert, Bryn Mawr), instead seemingly focusing on sports or simply unable to meet the bar. Too many alumna that have trouble teaching are still here. Hopefully now that Jean is finally gone, we have a chance to improve (or at least not continue to slide into disgrace).
Submitted by parent on January 08, 2016

The curriculum and quality of instruction are outstanding! The small classroom size ensures every child's needs are met. Many opportunities for extracurricular activities. Teachers really care about child's success.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2016

Although RPCS is a private single-sex school, the academics are poor, especially in comparison with the other private schools in the area. There is a lack of focus on the basics and there is a lot of bullying or clique-y, unkind behavior. Many of the less competent faculty and administration are alumna of the school and they do not address any of the issues.
Submitted by teacher on October 04, 2015

Very poor academics, especially compared with the abundant choices available in the area. Administration is laughable - completely unable to control rampant bullying and poor instruction.
Submitted by parent on September 01, 2015

Our daughter started with RPCS in Kindergarten and we stayed until fifth grade. We lived in an area with very good school districts, so attending RPCS was a choice. We ultimately left partly because of financial issues; the sacrifice was significant for us. We also left because we felt that the school was just not a good fit for us anymore.The experience we had over the first few years from Kindergarten through until about third grade was relatively positive.RPCS became less of a fit for us as our daughter got into third grade and beyond. Part of our problem related to our proximity to RPCS. Most of the children that attend RPCS live in and around the Roland Park area. We did not. It was a logistical challenge to organize get togethers with school friends. The school had a standing rule against children making play date arrangements in school. Our child had difficulty reaching her friends by telephone outside of school, as many parents did not maintain home telephones and cell phones were not a reliable way for our daughter to directly reach friends because of parents' busy work schedules.Our daughter became an outsider in what we felt was a very unhealthy cliquish culture that started to form in third grade, and cemented at fifth grade. The class sizes, a small pool of children that was around 35 kids in all per grade, exacerbated this problem. We think this toxic element of the culture was due in part to an abundance of social privilege that existed at the school.Having now been in the public school system for a few years, we can say with confidence that the academics at RPCS are no better than that which is offered in our community's public school system. The resources RPCS could provide as a privately funded institution were no better than the resources that our county school system offer. We feel our daughter is in a healthier social environment, and we would add that the public school children are more grounded. Our daughter is immersed in an environment that is real- with real kids from real families. She has made many friends and is turning into a well rounded young adult.
Submitted by parent on August 11, 2015

The bullying is terrible and pervasive - children were physically hurt - and the administration did nothing because the families involved either attended the school or have made substantial donations
Submitted by parent on May 22, 2015

RPCS is a private single-sex school in Baltimore. It provides very rigorous academics in a nuturing environment. Extracurricular opportunities are numerous, varied, accessible and very well supported with ample resources; very enriching. The administration is passionate, approachable and responsive to families. The College Counseling department is out-of-this-world!!!
Submitted by student on May 09, 2015

Very poor teachers (yelling in class, never available for questions, not organized), dirty bathrooms, so many cliques, very unfriendly.
Submitted by other on July 08, 2013

It was good for academics due to the coordination of classes with Gilman and Bryn Mawr. Socially it is very clique oriented and lousy. The SAT Prep Class required in grades 9-11 does not make improvements. The required tablets are also ridiculously expensive and are prone to viruses. The college counseling is stellar.
Submitted by parent on April 14, 2013

This is a really good school that cares about the your child academically and emotionally. The school balances rigorious academics in a caring and cooperative learning. They really try to get the best out of every child.
Submitted by parent on January 10, 2012

My sister and I attended RPCS, our daughters also attended and now my granddaughter is in her 10th year there. It is a very special place. The academics are superior but also, very importantly, learning how to be a person of good character, a compassionate human being and a contributor to the community are stressed. These are life lessons not taught in many schools and, I believe are vital in life. The school is concerned about the whole child, not merely the academic program. Teachers are readily available to the student and her parents for help and encouragement. The academic program is very challenging, the atmosphere is nurturing. And, you hear a lot of laughter and see a lot of smiles in the halls!