Cornerstone Day School

10 Commerce Drive

Cranford, NJ 07016

11 Reviews

School District
Grade

6-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on June 24, 2024

Cornerstone is dedicated to students' mental health needs, and education and ensures that school is a fun place to be. The teachers, clinicians and staff go out of their way to make the students feel cared for and supported. Can't say enough about this school!
Submitted by other on June 26, 2020

Very unpleased for how they ran it. First off I was a student their for a year and a half. So here are my thoughts about it. The teachers their were very unfair. They are very rude and very Strict. Second off the therapy their didn’t help at all. I needed help with anger management and none of the things they said their helped. Third, I want to say we needed a certain level to hang out with “friends” and I was very unhappy with that too. And forth, the students in middle school were not nice at all. I I maybe liked one or two but the rest were just not nice! In conclusion I do not recommend this school and that’s that
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2020

There were times when I didn’t agree with what was suggested by therapists, the psychologist or the administration, but always tried the suggestions. Usually, they were right. Cornerstone Day School works as a team with you and your child as a team. It requires all to take part for success. My daughter’s progress has been great. There is now talk of her splitting days between Cornerstone and our County Vocational School next year. I am very thankful for Cornerstone and they are most definitely the right placement for my child.
Submitted by other on July 31, 2019

Cornerstone is a place that only fits very specific types of students. Many of the teachers are rude, overly strict, and not understanding of certain mental health issues, despite working in a therapeutic school. I was a student here, I am autistic, and many of the teachers struggled to understand the difference in my needs vs. the kids with standard emotional issues. Therapy here is mediocre at best, but they often replace therapists or add new ones, so maybe things have changed since I left. There were two staff members who really helped me, the math teacher, and a therapist who ran my process group. My own therapist was easy to get along with but her ways of therapy were not helpful in any way. The director of the school is useless and the owner seems to only care about profit, as do all the other higher level staff. Classes are often interrupted by other students having tantrums, crying, or screaming. Their "point system" is ineffective and favors students who are willing to be a doormat in the school. Many of the teachers (especially the gym teachers) play favorites.
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2018

Therapy is inadequate and inappropriate at times. This school is completely unprepared to handle kids with issues. But they are one hell of a sales people, make sure to ask about teacher turnover and speak with other parents don't fall for the pony show.
Submitted by other on May 13, 2014

Im currently in this school i just started Wednesday 5/7/14 & I'm already progressing I'm focused , the therapy is the best Shout outs to Ms.Barry & Ms.Perez the support & care is the best !
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2014

Cornerstone effectively combines academics and clinical supports and interventions to assist the students in developing academically and emotionally. The academics are tailored to each students current abilities AND current mental status (i.e. current emotional state. ) When a child is in a therapeutic school, both of these need to be considered together if the child is to make progress academically and emotionally. The school strongly encourages and supports family involvement , including weekly family sessions, and rightly considers this involvement to be an integral part of the child's programming. As a family, we have been very pleased with the school and our child's progress.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2014

Reading the other reviews of Cornerstone makes me feel I should remind readers to keep in mind why you and your child need for them to attend a school like this, and compare that to what they experience in the alternatives. When taken in that context, it is easy to appreciate the integrated approach provided by Cornerstone. Yes, there are distinct threads that need to be addressed (medical, psychological, educational, administrative) and those threads are handled by different people within this structure. You shouldn't expect to be 100% hands off because of that. If your child were outside this environment, you'd be coordinating all of those things, so it won't kill you to pay attention and have a hand in the process here. Regarding academics, this is a place where they can be challenged if they are psychologically able to handle it, so the first step is getting them to that state, and this can take some time. Your child didn't likely end up with their issues overnight, so don't expect them to be solved overnight, nor on their own.
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2014

Cornerstone Day School is like no other. Not only do they take care of the students but also take care of the families. Family counseling is provided as part of your child's curriculum which might seem to the average person overkill but it is very important to help your child. The counselling staff are wonderful. The academics are great and the administration in conjunction with your school district work very hard to accommodate each child's academic needs. If you have a child with any emotional or psychiatric conditions they would be lucky to be enrolled in this school.
Submitted by other on May 28, 2013

The academics are poor. The teachers are uneducated and most of the class time is wasted talking about irrelevant subject matter. If you want your son or daughter to have a future, as in attending college, there are other schools that will better prepare them for the world. Cornerstone does not heal the student in a holistic way. There narrow use of psychoanalytic therapy demands that a student feels 'sick' instead of motivated or confident. Overall, the school is underfunded and poorly directed.
Submitted by parent on October 07, 2011

Cornerstone Day School should be considered a very short term placement for many reasons. The education provided there (text books, intervention, teacher effectiveness) is poor and without parental involvement on a regular basis (outside 5 min meetings a few times a year). Educational policies, accommodations, and adherence to IEP's is inconsistent. The quality of psychiatric and psychological care there is HMO like in quality and access and when care is accessed, it is disconnected to the educational process even though it's under one roof. The directors are better at "marketing" the school rather than running it. Only kids with less severe emotional issues and those with little educational needs who are bright and self-directed may benefit here for a very short period.