The Highlands School

2409 Creswell Road

Bel Air, MD 21015

15 Reviews

School District
Grade

2-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on June 17, 2024

Since the appointment of Claudia Nachtigal as the leader of The Highlands School, there has been a significant change in the School's culture and energy. Her leadership has brought about a sense of motivation and inspiration among staff and students. We are blessed to have Claudia as The Highlands School leader. I'm confident she'll continue increasing the number of students that "learn to learn" at Highlands giving more families and children in our community hope.
Submitted by teacher on May 15, 2024

One of the best things about The Highlands School is the ability to work with students on their level without having unrealistic expectations for learning/processing speed, many of whom get lost in a classroom of 30-40 students. The size in "large group" classrooms of approx 10-15 students 1/2 of the day, and then breaking into small groups for the other 1/2 of the day, focusing on Math, Reading Comprehension, and Phonics with a max of 4 students per class, speaks for itself. Your students WILL get more individualized attention which is proven to increase learning, comprehension, and often, we see it increasing confidence and social in many of our students that have had previous struggles in the past.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2024

This school is phenomenal! When we brought our child here in third grade, he was not reading. Highlands helped us to identify the specific learning issue and our child went on to be successful and even graduated as a member of the National Honor Society. He went on to enroll at Towson University and he is graduating this year. On several instances, he was on the Dean's List in college.I believe in this school! As a way to give back while he was enrolled there I served as the leader of the parent organization and also served as a board member. It is a mission that my family believes in. Miracles truly do happen at this school. The teachers and staff make a huge difference in the lives of their students. They help children learn strategies that help them not to lower the bar, but to jump right over it.Honestly, as a family, I am not sure what we would have done were it not for the Highlands School. They took a very challenging situation and in a very proactive and solutions oriented approach, impacted our child for life. This school is an absolute priceless gem in our community.
Submitted by other on April 29, 2024

Highlands is a great environment for all ages of learning. The passion for the school is amazing. Watching the development of these kids that started off at the school as shy, not confident and nervous. The kids change into who they naturally are immediately when at the school. It is amazing to see and the work the Highlands School does is so important for these kids future and the relationship with the families!
Submitted by parent on April 26, 2024

I am the parent of a now 8th grader who has reassimilated to Harford County Public Schools. Thanks to the two introductory middle school years we invested at The Highlands School, my son’s grades, awareness, and most important, confidence have flourished since his return to the public school system. Processing techniques and organizational tools taught by the Highlands staff were especially beneficial in my son’s growth. Our family is grateful to the educators at Highlands for the time and effort devoted to learning more about my son’s ADHD diagnosis and learning differences. My son continues to use services via an IEP, but he’s developed a voice and drive for learning again.
Submitted by teacher on April 26, 2024

As a teacher at the Highlands School, I have witnessed incredible academic and social growth in the students we teach. I'm proud to be a part of a school where student needs come first.
Submitted by other on April 25, 2024

The Highlands School builds confidence in its students! Using individualized, multi-sensory methods for skill-building and mastery, the faculty match techniques and learning methods to afford success to each student. The community of care is outstanding where students learn the life skills of navigating in a social world.
Submitted by other on April 25, 2024

As a staff member at The Highlands School, I see firsthand the positive impact that this school makes in the lives of its students. The small class size and individualized education allows students to work at their own pace and increase their confidence. Every student is known by name and is supported by a team of educators that care deeply about the well-being of their students. There is a strong sense of community within the school where collaboration and communication are emphasized.
Submitted by other on April 25, 2024

I love working at The Highlands School. The best part for me working at the school is seeing the children grow. I watch them come for testing and they are very insecure. They don't want to talk and very sad. After a short time, I see them and they are laughing and feeling good about themselves. The teachers are great and care about the students. The school has many activities afterschool and during school. Great school!!!!
Submitted by other on April 23, 2024

I have been a part of The Highlands School community for many years and I am thrilled to be able to review the school. The small class sizes allow the teachers to be able to focus on each child individually. It gives them the chance to develop a program that meets the student where they are, and allows them to focus on exactly what each child needs to take the next step forward. The Leadership and Staff at the School are excited and truly care about each student's success. This school offers so many things that other schools don't. The first thing it offers is Hope!! Parents and children come to the school looking for a different experience and all it takes is one visit to know this place is special! The Hands on Highlands program allows students to learn while engaging in real life activities like wood working or gardening. The music program is exciting and even has the Head of the School investing her time with each class. Because the school is small, the community is tight. Families get involved and support our school in a way that others do not. I'm excited to be a part of the school and I hope others can experience the reward that I feel each and every day.
Submitted by parent on July 16, 2022

We were very disappointed with The Highlands School. The academics were absolutely abysmal - the math curriculum is years behind (my children were doing 3th and 4th grade math in 6th and 7th grade.) The teachers are lacking in classroom management skills resulting in chaotic and disorganized classes - one of the teachers yelled constantly. The language arts teacher last year did not have a good command of grammar, spelling and pronounciation. Importantly, this school claims to support children with ADHD; but their teachers fail to implement even the basic techniques for assisting children with ADHD and resorted to fairly primitive approaches that were quite unsuccessful. The administration is unable to respond to any of these issues and fails to keep staff and parents informed. Additionally and unbeknownst to us during admission, they incorporate a VERY strong religious message in most of the classroom lessons. One of their classmates informed my daughter that this was a Catholic school. We do NOT recommend sending your child here.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2014

This is a wonderful school to consider when you have a child struggling in the academic area. This school offers small classroom settings thus giving your child a great learning environment. The teachers at the school are very caring and compassionate to your child's academic needs.
Submitted by teacher on August 30, 2014

It's nice to know there are still teachers who love to teach. Students graduate from the school well equipped for the next stage in their life.
Submitted by parent on July 02, 2014

This school has dramatically changed my son's desire and ability to learn in a classroom setting. This is a perfect school for a bright child who "learns differently". Very expensive but more than worth it if you can afford it.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

Highlands has transformed our son. The confidence we now see in him is astounding in just 10 short months. Since he has seen such success in the classroom, he now trusts his own abilities and this has given him confidence to succeed at riding a bike, taking swimming lessons and doing homework. This transformation has been amazing and we can't wait to see what the future now holds for our son and it is all due to Highlands.