The Green Vale School

250 VALENTINES LN

Old Brookville, NY 11545

26 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on June 25, 2024

The school should come with a warning sign: beware. It boasts about its small class sizes yet seems overwhelmed by the expectations of providing extra help or encouraging your child to excel. The administration is unapproachable and cold, often appearing overwhelmed. Many teachers and parents work there in exchange for free tuition, which compromises both your privacy and your child's. The school's environment is highly gossipy and toxic, with catty children and cold parents. Academically, the school year is short, and half-day Fridays further reduce instructional time. The kids frequently watch movies watching during school hours in stead of receiving tuition. Many children are held back and still struggle, with numerous students requiring reading assistance, resource help, or regular visits to the school psychologist. The school seems more concerned with landscaping and after-school social events than academic achievement.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2021

Our Family is very happy at the Green Vale School, we joined in 4th grade and Pre-k , its now been three years at school. We have found high academic standards, with the advantage of space and lots of green fields where the children can develop not only on the academically but also on their physical developmental age needs, and care and respect for nature. The school truly cares about the success of each child and they are open for communication with the parents at all times!
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2021

We love school here. It's a close knit community and even the wake of the pandemic, the school makes a converted effort to bring the families together. We had a welcome back to school drive through with balloons and teachers standing outside cheering. There have been multiple Zoom sessions with speakers relevant to families concerned about students' mental health, COVID protocols, etc. Each grade has a representative that has been organizing regular (online) events to keep the kids engaged, even at home.Academically, they are very accommodating. When my children needed enrichment, the teachers step above and beyond to provide activities and ideas interesting to them, not just more worksheets. There were opportunities to use the Maker Lab outside of organized classes. The teachers are what separate this school from the rest. My son's homeroom teacher would stop by his after school robotics class to see how he was doing before she left for the day. They are so dedicated and focused and they create an environment that makes the kids love to learn. Culturally, there is a big focus on character and character building. How amazing is it when you have a school that preaches the same values you share at home? Various grade appropriate activities teach the children to take care of their school and the surrounding communities. Bagel sales to raise money for shared causes, a focus on recycling to help the environment, weekly good citizenship awards during morning meetings, etc. The heads of school are outside every morning, greeting each child individually as they come into school. The Green Vale School has been so good for our kids and our family. We love it!
Submitted by parent on January 07, 2021

We have had a terrific experience with the Green Vale School in the early childhood division. The faculty and teachers are extremely dedicated, warm and nurturing. There are so many fun activities planned for the children. My child loves going to school every day and literally asks if she can go to school on the weekends. The curriculum is well balanced with significant play and social emotional learning components. The school has handled the covid pandemic really well and inspired confidence for in-person learning.
Submitted by parent on January 06, 2021

Our son has attended The Green Vale School since he was two. While we were never planning to send him to private school, the caring and supportive atmosphere we experienced has kept us here for over ten years and he will graduate from the school next year. We find the academic offerings and teachers to be incredible and he is certainly, appropriately, academically challenged. The facilities are top notch, especially the new upper school. We believe our son will be well equipped to attend high school and are pleased with his Green Vale experience.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2020

Our family has two children at Green Vale. Both of them started at the very beginning in pre-nursery at age two. The early childhood program provides loving, nurturing and engaging education and childcare. Both of our children love going to school each day. They are excited to learn from their teachers and play with their friends. As a parent, I love the open dialogue that I have with my children's teachers and with fellow parents. Green Vale fosters a strong sense of community.
Submitted by parent on December 07, 2020

Green Vale is a warm and welcoming environment for children. My experience with my children's schooling has been more than I could have asked for. The teachers take the time to get to know each child and provide what they need to thrive.
Submitted by parent on December 05, 2020

The Green Vale School has served as a second home for my children for many years now. We were lucky enough to begin our time at Green Vale in the Early Childhood division, an extremely nurturing and caring place where the faculty have proven to identify and cater to the individual needs of each of my children. That solid foundation has helped them to grow to become more flexible, independent and confident as they navigate their way through the learning process. I would also add that particularly in these challenging times, our school has done everything possible to continue robust learning - first online and now in person. Green Vale met the challenges of COVID head on, and the product definitely shows.
Submitted by parent on December 11, 2017

The caliber of teachers is amazing. They are responsive to different needs of different children and ensures each child reaches their full potential.
Submitted by parent on October 09, 2017

Exceptional school environment all around! A lot of thought and effort goes into everything.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2017

My son has just entered the 6th grade at the Green Vale school. I was so worried about the transition from public school but i cannot believe the ease with which he has adjusted. He was previously in a blue ribbon district on Long Island. He was the invisible, average student. With much debate, we decided to put out trust in The Green Vale school and are thrilled with the results thus far. He is transforming before our eyes in such a short period of time. He is completely engaged academically as well as socially. The administration and directors at the school are true professionals and terrific communicators. Every question we had was answered before the first day of school. Our objective for our son was to "learn how to learn". The small classroom size encourages class participation and keeps his attention in a way that his elementary school(ranked #1 in the state) simply could not offer. We are grateful that we made the choice and feel compelled to share our opinion with anyone searching for the answers to their child's academic success.
Submitted by parent on September 12, 2017

My two children (ages 3 & 7) just began their first year at The Green Vale School. Although school has only been in session for a few days, the changes that I see in my 2nd grader are astronomical. Coming from public school, the warmth and attentive nature that these teachers all have, sets this school above the rest. Sine my daughter was born, a school environment was a place that she was use to and comfortable with. She was the little girl who waved me off and barely blew a kiss when I brought her to her first day of preschool – I don’t even think I heard a “bye mom” as she so eagerly pushed passed the other kids to get into the classroom. This love for school and learning has always been her driving force, but as her parents, we noticed this slipping away a little bit more each day. After our first parent teacher conference last year, my husband and I both walked away saying we needed to explore other options because the child that was described to us was NOT our little girl. Unfortunately the situation did not get better as the year progressed which only made us more dedicated to finding the best place for her. We knew Green Vale was the place for us as soon as we walked in the door. Upon entering the Lower School, you not only see smiling and engaged children, you feel it! The halls are bright and cheery with children’s art work and projects displayed for all to see. Teachers walk by you and say “hello” even if they don’t have you in their class (they still know who you are!). Classrooms are laid out in ways that are most effective for learning, while paying close attention to the many different learning styles. Teachers are dedicated to their students and willingly to stay before and after school to provide extra help when needed. Our daughter has finally found her love for school again! Instead of waking up to screaming and crying (yes, screaming!!) about not wanting to go to school, she now wakes up on her own, filled with so much excitement about the school day ahead of her. Instead of hearing that my daughter hides behind the student in front of her to avoid being called on, we are hearing that she participates and raises her hand several times in one class period. Thank you Green Vale for showing our daughter what a learning environment should really feel like. We are forever grateful.
Submitted by other on October 14, 2016

We moved to Long Island just two months before the school year starts. Naturally we were a bit worried whether there was enough time to get our son into a good school. The admission office at Green Vale did everything they can to arrange the school visit and interviews in a very short time, despite being in the middle of summer recess. We were quite impressed by their efficiency as well as professionalism. The school itself looks almost like a liberal art college when it comes to buildings, facilities, and surrounding greens. It has been a little bit more than a month since school started in September. Every morning our son will look forward to going to school, and every evening he will be talking about his learning and activities to us during the day. I can tell that he likes it a lot. We could not be happier about our choice.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2016

This is my twins first year at Green Vale and we are very happy so far. Although we live in an excellent school district and are told it is crazy that we pay such high taxes and never tried the public school, I have no doubt that we made the right decision. This is their first year in separate classes and the transition has been seamless. They have the ability to go to each other's classrooms to play during certain parts of the day and there is a door between the 2 rooms so that they can clearly see each other if needed. The class size and teacher/child ratio is so small that neither feels intimidated in the new, much larger school. As with most twins, their abilities vary tremendously in different areas, yet I am finding both to be learning and advancing without the normal competition that often exists between the two. I am pretty blown away by the work they are completing at school. They both tell me they love school and they have not had 1 complaint so far, which is all I could ask for.
Submitted by parent on October 12, 2016

Currently we have our two children at The Green Vale School. However, this was not our original plan! We moved to a wonderful school district on long island and wanted to be part of the community and it's school. Soon after we realized that the academics weren't what we hoped for at the public school and moved our son to GVS Kindergarten program. My daughter was enrolled in another private school on long island. After spending two years with that school with realized that the it didn't approach education they way we had hoped for. The Green Vale School is a happy place. The teachers and staff treat every student as an individual. They do not expect every child to fit into a cookie cutter mold like the other schools my children attended. Every resource you could ever want is availiable at there and if something is missing everyone gets in involved to find a solution for your child.Before we started at GVS the "local rumor mill" made it seem that the school was just full of old money snobs. This was a concerning because we wanted our kids to be in a culturally and monetarily diverse environment. The school continues to work hard to keep the school as a realistic snapshot of the outside world. Both my children's classes are diverse (not to mention the great kid to teacher ratio!) in every way!More importantly, my kids WANT to go to school everyday. They love their teachers and have both found buddies that they love to see outside of school. They are learning and are definitely ahead of their peers that are attending other schools. GVS gives the kids the tools to be successful, confident and well rounded!
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2015

Our three children had been attending our local parochial school since nursery. Over the past year, we realized that they were no longer getting what they needed at their school and we decided to investigate other options, including our local public school, which is very strong and top rated, and the full array of independent private schools. We felt that the Green Vale School by far offered our children the best combination of academic excellence and strong community. From our very first interaction with the school, we were immediately impressed by the kindness and attention that every member of the school gave to us. This began with the staff in the admissions office, who helped guide us seamlessly through the admissions process. Once we stepped on campus, we immediately felt this tremendous sense of community that makes Green Vale so special. We decided to move our three boys to Green Vale this fall. As parents, my husband and I were very concerned about our boys' transition as they started 7th, 4th, and 1st grades. We need not have worried. They love their new school and have transitioned beautifully. The teachers at Green Vale are truly amazing. Their enthusiasm and love of teaching is infectious. For the first time in their academic careers, my boys are genuinely excited to go to school everyday. They are being challenged academically in ways they never had been before, but because the teachers are so engaged with the boys, they are excited to meet these new challenges and push themselves even harder. Green Vale truly is the full package in terms of a school: it is academically challenging, offers a wonderful program in the arts, provides a full athletic program for the student body, and has managed to do all of this while creating a loving and warm sense of community that welcomes each new family to the school with open arms. We feel very fortunate that our boys have the opportunity to attend such an amazing place.
Submitted by parent on September 29, 2015

Our family began the admissions process for The Green Vale School filled with hope and lots of anxiety. We knew - from word of mouth and research - that Green Vale had all the qualities we were looking for in a school: strong academic program, commitment to the arts, dedicated faculty and staff. But coming from a small Catholic School and living firmly out of the range of some of the student body, I wondered if my children could be happy at Green Vale? Would putting them in an environment they were not typically used to, make them lose their sense of self? All of these worries were alleviated the moment my husband and I finished our first visit. The Green Vale School was everything we imagined it would be - beautiful state-of-the-art facilities, small class sizes, great sports programs, incredibly committed and attentive teachers. As wonderful as all of those qualities are, what fundamentally endeared Green Vale to us was the sense of community and family. That a Green Vale education was not only about giving the children a superior academic education, but moreso, a collective dedication to raising intelligent, kind, well-rounded children. It has been a source of relief and pride knowing that all the lessons I teach my children at home, will be reinforced everyday they enter Green Vale. As we begin our first year in 5th and 2nd grade, everyday my children come home from school, I see a brightness inside them. I see how their confidence and love of learning have improved. How they want to do better - not out of competiton with their peers - but out of want to excel and be their best selves. My children have adjusted seamlessly and I owe it all to the kindness of many staff members, teachers, parents and most of all – the Green Vale children. I look forward to many more wonderful years here at Green Vale. My only regret is that our time will end in the 8th grade. Much sooner than I would have liked.
Submitted by parent on February 20, 2015

My three children have been attending Green Vale for the past 5 years and I cannot speak highly enough about our experience. The academic program is truly exceptional with a perfect combination of a nurturing, yet disciplined environment. They have each developed a love of learning, a concern about their community and a respect for others that is an integral part of a Green Vale education. The most extraordinary thing about Green Vale is the outstanding, dedicated staff. Every year, my children's teachers go above and beyond what's required of them to provide both a stellar education and truly individualized experience. Each teacher has taken the time to really get to know my children, making sure they thrive by focusing on each of their abilities and strengths. Every email, phone call or meeting I've had over the years with these teachers has shown me how much they care, and that they take immense pride in my children's achievements. From coming in early to prepare more challenging, specific assignments, to even attending community theater productions my kids have performed in, these teachers are in a league of their own.
Submitted by parent on October 08, 2014

My son joined Green Vale in the Upper School (6th/7th/8th) this school year. We live quite a distance and considered a number of options--some much closer to home--and we could not be happier we chose Green Vale. The faculty, parents, and students have welcomed us warmly. What specifically attracted us to Green Vale was the promise of challenging academics, a nurturing and supportive environment, and an attentive advisory program that would allow my son to fully thrive--and the school has not disappointed. He loves his teachers, describing them as "passionate", "engaging", "supportive", and "hands on". There is emphasis on all areas that contribute to a successful student and person--academics, character, service and community awareness, arts, athletics, life skills, and personal development. Being the "new guy" during the middle school years could have been challenging; but my son's transition has been seamless, and I credit Green Vale's culture for this. He enjoys going to school. He also enjoys being surrounded by students who have similar goals - for their academics and for their life. My son is extremely happy at Green Vale, and we are very happy we made this choice.
Submitted by parent on October 02, 2014

As a parent of children that have been in the public school system, I can confidently say that I see what all the enthusiasm is that surrounds private schools. I have one child at the GVS as a transfer from public school. Green Vale has created a seamless transition for both parent and child. My daughter has never been happier and more enthusiastic about what she is learning at school. Her peers have been sweet, nice, caring and inclusive - a testament to Green Vale's strength in building character. My daughter comes home eager to talk about all the topics she is learning and tells me that her teacher makes school fun. Green Vale's interdisciplinary approach to learning has been a home run for my child. The curriculum helps to foster development and creates a well rounded student through academics, after school programs, charity awareness and participation, art, theater, accountability and rewards. I already see a difference in her self esteem, confidence and motivation. Overall, GVS delivers the perfect balance creating both a nurturing environment and fostering independence. I cannot give enough accolades to the GVS and the gift that I have given to my child.