Arthur Morgan School

60 AMS CIR

Burnsville, NC 28714

11 Reviews

School District
Grade

7-9
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 16, 2023

We are grateful that our son was able to attend Arthur Morgan School for three formative years, and we will always credit the school community and its generous teachers with instilling in him a strong sense of self and a passionate desire to learn about and question the world around him. AMS's responsive curriculum and immersive field trips tapped into his natural curiosity and blurred the line between school and life. Hikes and overnight camping built confidence and community, and connected him to the natural world. Our son developed practical life skills and a genuine sense of what it means to contribute to the greater good. Most importantly, he learned a great deal about who he is and who he is capable of becoming.
Submitted by parent on January 26, 2023

We're lucky to live nearby AMS and have it at the heart of our community, and my daughter attended as a day student for all 3 years. She had a wonderful experience and spent as much time at school as possible. She was able to develop life skills, compassion for others, and self-confidence while having a lot of fun and being engaged in what she was learning. During her first winter term, they studied "Food and Power" before going on an 18-day field trip where they went to coal mines, strip mines, solar farms, and wind farms, in addition to factory farms, organic farms, and urban gardens. They basically saw all the good, bad, and the ugly sides of producing food and power. Another favorite event was when the entire school was turned into male and female reproductive systems for their Personal Growth class. They also produced a telenovela in their Spanish class. So much creativity and hands-on learning really keeps the students engaged and excited about being at school.
Submitted by parent on January 25, 2023

My son was student here for 7th and 8th grades. At this very formative time in his life, he couldn't have been at a better place for meeting his individual needs. The outdoor trips, work projects and low staff to student ratio helped him to grow and develop in such positive and productive ways that made a profound effect on him and has shaped his life even into adulthood.
Submitted by parent on June 23, 2019

My experience with school is excellent. Over the past twenty years I have the opportunity to be staff of various kinds, run the kitchen for large school reunions and most recently to be the parent of a student. I see AMS through many different lenses and I believe them to be balanced. The Arthur Morgan School is a wonderful learning environment for students ages 12-15 who are invested in their education and interested in a creative and thoughtful life. Attending school at AMS requires the students to be present and participating members of the school community. This means not only attending academic classes but also the student run All School Meetings; doing daily chores and weekly work projects; hiking, biking or canoeing for 3, 6 and 8 days; traveling across country in a van for 18 days doing service work and delving deeply into some specific topic (for instance robotics or the Civil Right movement). Not to mention the many activities that happen as games or movie watching or outings. The AMS experience is one that is all encompassing. I believe it is in many ways the same for the staff. They are there, living and working in a small, rural environment surrounded by the same dozen other adults and 28 students. They operate using a consensus model which requires time, dialogue and a willingness to have ones own mind changed. The staff dedicate their time and energy to the school and the needs of the students working many thankless hours late into the night and handling a million little details of the daily grind. Of course from time to time, as in any organization, things can be done better and I attest to watching the staff at AMS grow over the years and adjust in new and amazing ways helping to raise wonderful, intelligent, creative, thoughtful and deep thinking young people. My son loved his time at AMS and wouldn't change it for anything.
Submitted by parent on June 18, 2019

Excellent. This experience was transformative for my daughter. It was a perfect place to spend her middle school years, and strongly encouraged her to pursue her passions in life. I know that she made friends - both students and faculty - who she will feel connected to all of her life. It is really an incredibly special place.
Submitted by parent on June 15, 2019

Arthur Morgan School was the best experience of my daughter's life. I am so grateful for her experience and highly recommend it. It gave her the confidence to excel in academics and the world beyond, memories and friends to last a lifetime, and a large scholarship at a Quaker Montessori high school. The high school said they love having AMS students because they are fantastic leaders and people. The teachers are incredibly devoted and even offered to tutor her after she left. This is so much more than an education, it is life preparation. I can't recommend it highly enough. I am forever grateful.
Submitted by parent on May 31, 2019

Arthur Morgan School was a transformative experience for each of my three children! They learned to think critically and creatively, to cooperate and collaborate with others, and to live in a tight knit community. The balance of academics, work, and outdoor experiences was perfect for them at that time of their life. All three of them are independent and responsible and have been successful academically. My youngest graduated in spring of '18 and just finished up a successful first year of high school. My son took a year off after high school and at 19 is hiking the Appalachian Trail. He'll finish in time to start college this fall. And my oldest is in college in Berlin, Germany and loving it. AMS helped make my kids into the responsible, hard working, adventurous people that they are today. I know that they would not trade their time there for anything.
Submitted by other on May 31, 2019

This was a difficult review to write. The adults at AMS have the best of intentions. We still hold most in high esteem for how much they worked with our son. As an institution, though, we found AMS to be wildly inconsistent and sloppy from year-to-year. The general theme that emerged was this: the school is excellent with teaching, mentoring, and organized social time; but the adults struggle to assert themselves sufficiently to maintain a healthy campus culture. The kids largely set the tone, and the adults seemed to be reacting to the culture that the teenagers created, rather than the inverse. Our son’s first year at AMS challenged him, and it ended up being one of the best experiences of his life; however, the seven weeks that he attended his second year grew to become the worst of his life—at which point we withdrew him. The school was simply slow to act on the dysfunction that had taken hold of the students that second year, and made bad decisions that only worsened it. AMS has been a great school with a long tradition, and countless alumni have treasured their time there. However, these bad years will continue if this current version of the school doesn’t commit itself to looking inward and accepting some responsibility for managing the campus climate, rather than displacing blame onto the kids. AMS seems to have lost its way in recent years, and it needs to get back to its fundamentals.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2018

My daughters went to AMS. It has positively impacted them in different ways. As adults,they are confident, creative and successful. Their closest friends and support are their friends from AMS.
Submitted by other on June 22, 2017

Unfortunately the reviews of AMS are all old reviews. AMS was a dream for my grandson and our family for years. Having the opportunity we were able to send him this past year. We were very disappointed. There is very little accountability of the staff and their academics are limited. The lesson plans are vague if they even exist at all. The trips are definitely an experience and I would say that is the best part of the program.
Submitted by other on March 10, 2013

Two of my 3 grand daughters, Michelle and Lisa are teachers at AMS, and they and their students have been on an 18 day trip of learning and exploring. I was fortunate enough to attend a Progressive school (UCLA Elementary Training School) from 3rd-6th grades and I have such great memories of those years, very similar to those comments from your current and past students. Best wishes always, Louella Rehfield