Gerstell Academy

2500 Old Westminster Pike

Finksburg, MD 21048

40 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK, K-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 16, 2024

Gerstell Academy is an amazing school. Our son flourished there and was able to take challenging classes and participate in a variety of sports and clubs.The teachers cared about his success and provided extra help when needed.The administration was visible and responsive to parents.The community is a supportive and friendly -we still see friends from our time there!
Submitted by student on October 17, 2023

Gerstell Academy is a great school. It offers amazing support for students with disabilities including an after-school program, and the learning specialist is fantastic. The learning accommodation plans are very beneficial, and the school is more than willing to help in any way they can. They take good care in improving classes and teaching styles to benefit all, and it is clear that the teachers are passionate about their student's success. Gerstell and its administration make an effort to get to know students and build a support system for them throughout their time at the school. The leadership curriculum starts at a young age and sets up students to be experienced in giving good and well-spoken presentations. The workload, while heavier than most, sets students up to become better at time-management and prepares them up for college. Gerstell's after school clubs offer a wide range of activities including diversity club, fencing club, chess club, current events club, and a club centered around community service known as falcon outreach. Athletic games are thrilling, and the student body comes together to support their team in the stand, creating a fun social environment. Overall, I think Gerstell Academy is an amazing school I have had a really good experience here.
Submitted by parent on June 25, 2023

My daughter is a special learner and at first it was ok and than they became hard on her for her disability the school threatened countless times to kick her out the school is racist and anti Jew they would make my daughter do Christian things and the school is so focused on dress code it is sick one time the kids were watching Harriet the movie a movie about Harriet Tubman and my daughter told me as Harriet was beaten the kids were laughing worst school
Submitted by parent on September 21, 2022

My wife and I are very happy with the Gerstell Academy. Despite what the previous review said the school is diverse. You can see students from different backgrounds and cultures at the school. The same goes for staff, the staff is diverse and very friendly. The school teaches children good manners and how to be respectful to adults and their peers, characteristics that children these days really lack. The school’s primary language to teach children is Spanish! which is great because Spanish is becoming a second language here in the U.S. This school has been very welcoming to us. My wife and I are an interracial couple and did our research to find a school that would best fit our family’s values while at the same time provide the best education we can give our children. Gerstell is a mix of the new and traditional, something most of us millennials appreciate and look for in schools for our children.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2022

Worse school ever. Waste of money. They do not have any diversity or experience in how to raise kids. Not recommend!
Submitted by parent on May 13, 2021

My daughter and I vetted over five schools within an hour apart from one another, after visiting and meeting with the many schools in the area Gerstell's faculty has been so helpful and amazing! Our tour of this beautiful campus was a treat! The sprawling campus sets the stage for my daughter to feel inspired each day that we drive in through the gate! From the admissions director to the President of the school have all shown to be kind and caring individuals. We are so excited to be a part of this family. I will give everyone an update winter of 2022! Stay tuned:)
Submitted by parent on December 02, 2020

This school has been great for my kids. I have a Lower School student and a Middle School student and they have been attending the school for 4 years now. The leadership attributes they are learning have done wonders and have allowed them to grow into confident independent learners. I am so thankful that there was a plan to get the students back in the class room the whole fall. They allowed families to choose they're comfortability level and even offered full distance learning for those that weren't comfortable. My kids love being there.
Submitted by parent on November 18, 2020

Our experience has been wonderful. Our son has developed into a strong young adult and the foundational leadership aspects impacted him very positively.
Submitted by other on July 31, 2020

This school puts kids, their families, their community and the faculty in harms way by forcing children into the classroom during a pandemic. It’s unconscionable.
Submitted by parent on March 04, 2019

My sons both began attending Gerstell in high school. We appreciate the academic rigor, the strong college guidance, the way leadership opportunities are given to students, the moral environment which values respect and integrity, and the way leadership is discussed and taught in every subject, the emphasis on foreign language proficiency, the extra curricular activities and the opportunities for concurrent enrollment at CCC.
Submitted by student on January 28, 2019

It is such a joke that this website says that Gerstell Academy offers a variety of AP classes. They just got AP classes last year and they only had four, and two of them were an absolute joke with teachers that are not qualified to be teaching, especially at a college level. Also, I am laughing at the fact that this website says it offers competitive music. I've never seen a school emphasize leadership so much, and yet not seem to care about programs outside of athletics and *academics* like their academics are nearly as great as they advertise or anything. And yes, they have a 100% college acceptance rate, but is that surprising when most of the students come from rich, conservative families? It's surprising how much them emphasize leadership and values and virtues, but look at how they award scholarships. A very involved student with a high academic record and excellent involvement in extracurriculars won't get a scholarship off of leadership, yet students who do well on one particular standardized test and have an athletic side get almost full rides even though they cheat, plagiarize, and cut classes as well as use derogatory and offensive language to bully other students. Does that sound like leadership to you? I HAVE PTSD FROM SCHOOL and I would never send my children there unless it seriously gets it's act together.
Submitted by other on January 28, 2019

Not worth the high tuition. It's not all that bad, but it's definitely lacking a lot. Maybe once it establishes itself more and becomes a larger school, it will be better. But it also needs to become more inclusive towards other. If you want your child to grow up in a conservative environment, where the students bully others who are LGBTQ+ and many are sexist and racist, pay almost $30,000 to send your child to Gerstell Academy.
Submitted by other on September 19, 2018

Perfect. school for my son. Follows up with home work and discipline where necessary.
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2017

We have two children attending the Upper School at Gerstell Academy and we could not be happier. Our partnership with Gerstell has resulted in having children that love going to school, are playing sports, participating in clubs and serving their community. Proud is an understatement!
Submitted by parent on October 26, 2017

My children have had a very positive experience at Gerstell Academy. They enjoy middle school. They love their teachers, classmates, and coaches, and they are flourishing academically. As an educator, I am very pleased with the curriculum at Gerstell, an AIMS accredited school. More importantly, I am thankful for the school's Leadership Mission and Value System as it fits perfectly with the values my husband and I teach our children at home. It is refreshing to watch my daughter take it upon herself to shake the hand of her travel coach after practice and thank him for coaching. This simple gesture is something she learned to do while attending Gerstell as students are reminded to thank their teachers for instructing them. A wonderful practice! Gerstell also focuses on critical thinking. I have seen the ability of my children to analyze a situation and solve problems increase greatly while attending the school. My younger child's public speaking skills have improved dramatically while attending Gerstell. The teachers incorporate leadership and public-speaking into their daily curriculum, and this has helped my daughter's social confidence soar. The teachers give the students so much individualized attention and really care for the overall development of their students. We could not be more happy with the education, leadership development, and values our children are gaining from Gerstell Academy.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2017

My son transferred to Gerstell as a sophomore from the Gilman School. Gerstell was much closer to home and based upon the Gerstell open house the school appeared to be similar. For us the experience was nothing like the previous private school my son attended. Gerstell claims to be a leadership academy based upon the 10 principles established by the founder, Dr. Smith (he is a dentist). Unfortunately, few of the staff actually follow these principles. Their "leadership" actions are quite contrary to my 25 years of experience in the consulting and management. I would not hire anyone who demonstrated the attitude that many of the teachers and administrators have. This may be a contributor to the high staff turnover rate. We enrolled at Gerstell in the spring of 2016 for the Fall of 2016 academic year. Before classes started the Head of the Upper School quit (he was replaced with the ex-football coach from Loyola) and the varsity soccer coach also quit. My son's math teacher did not return after winter break and the replacement only lasted six months. My son's Spanish teacher quit at the end of the school year. My son's advisor retired. His new soccer coach quit in February. The athletic director announced he was stepping down and the Head of the School resigned in June. For a small "up and coming" school the rate of turnover is highly unusual and disruptive. My son's class had about 35 students in it, yet none of the administrators of the upper school ever made an effort to introduce themselves or greet me at any of the functions. We have sold our house and moved to a highly rated public school district to avoid returning to Gerstell.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2015

Our kids have been going here for 3years, they are loving it!! It is very challenging, but they have a lot of support for teachers. The teachers are wonderful, they care about your child's wellbeing. Live this school
Submitted by parent on April 11, 2015

An excellent school! The focus on leadership, challenging academics, and competitive athletics inspires and motivates students to excel. There are many opportunities for public speaking, exciting clubs and trips. Our son played lacrosse and soccer and was acknowledged for his inspiring community service. The teachers truly care about the students, and the 6:1 student teacher ratio helped him gain acceptance to a top university. Highly recommend!!
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2015

We loved Gerstell's lower school but middle school has been such a disappointment. We believed all students would be given the chance to participate and learn in athletics but that is not the case. Only the best athletes play and beginners are second class citizens in this school. It is also frustrating to see repeated favoritism of a select few students. Every event we attend showcases the same five or six 'stars' in the school. Some of the teachers are great in middle School such as Spanish and history, but the rest of the curriculum is just average. The administration of middle school is subpar compared to the lower school. And looking forward to upper school in 2 years is grim with very few choices in courses and they are still working on being accredited - they are not as of this review writing. We would have better opportunities for our child at the local public high school in 2 years. I would give the lower school 5 stars but the middle school gets the bottom score. It is unfortunate because as a leadership school the biggest thing the middle school lacks is solid leadership.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2014

My children have attended Gerstell since Pre-Kindergarten. They have truly benefited academically, socially, and emotionally from their experiences. The academics have been appropriately rigorous and the instruction has been top-notch. In addition to the "regular" classroom instruction, my children have taken Spanish, PE, Science, Art, Music, Library, and Technology classes each week since Pre-K, giving them a full, well-rounded education. The school's leadership focus has given both my son and daughter a sense of confidence, purpose, and a greater understanding of the world around them. I could not imagine a better place for my children to learn and grow!