Hawken Lower-Middle School

Reviews

• Submitted by other on September 16, 2016
  -a student too much focus on obedience rather than creativity. they're impersonal, and only care about grades. sad because I expected so much more.
• Submitted by parent on March 25, 2015
  Great school with amazing faculty. I have 2 very different children and they both thrive in this school as they are met and challenged to their individual needs. They are allowed to seek our their passions and they are celebrated for the unique kids they are. Also food allergy friendly!!!
• Submitted by parent on April 03, 2013
  We switched our middle schooler from Hathaway Brown to Hawken, & it has turned out to be a spectacular decision. Our daughter, an honors student, is academically challenged & supported. It has been our experience that the Hawken education is more like a college education than the other private schools our older children attended (University School, HB, & Ruffing). The education is extremely academic, in depth, AND experiential, so students retain what they learn instead of just memorizing & forgetting the info. Students are encouraged to make their own decisions so that they can move toward independence. There is an emphasis on kindness, fairness, moral responsibility, and global citizenship that is regularly discussed throughout the school year (things we found sorely lacking at the other private schools, even though they claimed to incorporate these things). Hawken walks the walk. There is an exceptionally warm and accepting social environment, so new students have no problem making friends.Teachers are thoughtful & committed, & regularly communicate with parents. My daughter is thriving. She feels smart, challenged, supported, accepted and loved. What more could a parent want?
• Submitted by parent on January 28, 2013
  I don't know what school you are describing, but its not Hawken. I receive regular updates from the teachers, notes of praise or concern and quarterly grades. My child started in sixth grade and is now taking Algebra in seventh with Geometry in the eighth grade. I honestly don't know the school you are describing.
• Submitted by parent on November 28, 2012
  Our child is in a class of 18 kids, with one teacher and one assistant. The training is not as personalized as the school claims - children are split into two groups and each group is given a somewhat different level of curriculum. Since there are no tests or grading in the lower school, kids do not have any way of knowing if they are working hard enough or if they can do even better. We do not see any incentives for kids to work hard. The atmosphere in the school is very relaxed, with very low demand - very little homework, given once a week. With any holidays, homework gets cancelled for the whole week. No or very limited feedback given to kids on whether homework is done correctly or fully. Math curriculum seems to be 1-2 years behind public and other private schools. School locks parents in for the year - there is no opportunity to get refund on tuition. For anybody who wants to move out of school, they will loose that year of tuition payments.
• Submitted by parent on October 10, 2010
  The student to teacher ratios are smaller. The math specialists and reading specialists are engaged with the classrooms so the reading and math groups are even smaller and more skill-appropriate.
• Submitted by other on May 03, 2010
  Hawken is a amazing school. My daughter is very happy there. It has an excellent balance of academics and extracurricular activities. It's great how there are only a few people per advisory. That helps the students connect with their teachers. Also not having to many kids like in public schools helps the teachers have more time to explain problems to the students. The teachers are more than happy to help the students, not like in public schools where they won't bother to help. Hawken is a wonderful choice, and in my opinion Hawken is better then Hathaway Brown and University School because it is coed.

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