The Doane Stuart School

199 Washington Avenue

Rensselaer, NY 12144

7 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on January 14, 2025

Despite a few dedicated teachers, my experience at Doane Stuart was almost entirely negative. I did not feel safe or supported at school and was bullied my entire time there. Rather than help solve the problem, administration suggested I do all schoolwork from home without any guidance (at full tuition) until things worked themselves out. Some version of this situation happened every year I was there until my senior year when they told me it would be easier for me to just not return for the rest of the year. Drugs are also a significant issue at the school which continues to be swept under the rug because retaining full tuition students and donor families is the priority at DS, not safety. Financial instability and the constant turnover of faculty and students led to a very unstable environment and greatly affected the quality of the academics and student life. Families were always assured that there was something better around the corner, but things only seemed to go downhill over the past few years. All of this disorganization and the issues with bullying and drugs left the senior class unprepared for college applications and some people did not apply during their time at DS, but this also went unaddressed. I am grateful for the teachers that supported me, but I would not recommend this school to anyone, especially after recent changes. Students and their needs should be the priority, not public image or profit.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2022

I could not be happier sending my 9th grade son to Doane Stuart. He came in last year transferring from another College Prep school in the area. I cannot thank you enough for all of the positive differences you have made for my son. He enjoys going to school!! My son is so much more outgoing and confident because he feels so welcome and accepted going here. The education he is getting is preparing him for his best future. Thank you Doane Stuart!
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2022

My eldest daughter graduated from Doane and made a seamless transition to Berklee School of Music. She was more than prepared academically and socially. My middle daughter transitioned from male to female during her senior year at Doane. She wasn't just tolerated she was celebrated by all. My youngest daughter is still attending and considers Doane her home and community. She may only be in 3rd grade but she already feels comfortable with public speaking and working on group projects with ease. Our family feels supported by the community that is unique to Doane Stuart. We are a proud member of a school with a diverse population of families, children and faculty. Our lives are better because we found Doane and we are forever indebted to all of the families and staff who support our school.
Submitted by parent on May 23, 2022

I am fortunate enough to have all three of my children enrolled in this fabulous school. We never considered private school, as we purposely moved to a "good" district and were happy enough with their experience -- until COVID. We initially decided to enroll only the two younger children, recognizing that a fully in-person learning experience was critical to their development and scholastic experience. We fell in love with the culture of this school, and 8 weeks later our third was enrolled as well. We expected this to be temporary, but now that we see the value of a Doane Stuart education as well as the value of inclusion and community awareness that it has developed in our children, we cannot see them going anywhere else. It is a joy to have children of different ages in different grades attend the same school, have the same vacation days, and see each other throughout their day. This has enhanced our collective experience so much more. The faculty are impressive, engaged, thoughtful, and just an absolute asset to the school. The other families are welcoming, smart, helpful, and just fabulous supporters of one another and of one another's children. The young adults that graduate from this school come from different backgrounds and choose different careers, but they are supported every step of the way and hundreds of colleges visit Doane Stuart every year to recruit our students. It is a testament to the type of education and experience they receive.
Submitted by other on February 25, 2022

former student of 3 years- over the years in this school ive experienced what I can only describe as the physical representation as hell on earth, (I understand that there is a small amount of students but) I could name every African American student off the top of my head, and every Asian (American or not) along with every student of Hispanic decent. The number for all is around 27 (a generous estimate) do not go to Doane Stuart seeking racial diversity. this issue is also apparent in the teachers to the best of my knowledge ive only heard of one black teacher ever being in attendance at the school, who was let go after only a few years. Secondly there is the gender/sexual expression of students, it is healthy and nurtured at the school, BUT it is also waved around in peoples faces and used to propel the schools notoriety as a melting pot of culture. I can count the Jamaican students on one hand the African American students on one hand, and the Chinese students on two hands. I feel offended on a personal level that the school seeks to hide this issue under the rug. Also daring to enlist an African American headmaster for 1 1/2 year, showing as a poster boy then letting him go. I hope that Doane Stuart can better itself until then their price heavily outweighs the experience.
Submitted by parent on May 01, 2021

Doane Stuart has proven repeatedly that it was a great decision. Our son entered Doane Stuart as a HS Freshman and immediately found a great circle of hard working and fun peers with whom he could be enthusiastically engaged with his classes. With the shift of administration to a new Head of School things only got better. Cecil Stodghill has ushered in an even more compassionate, community centered approach to the school with significant outreach and complete engagement of the administration with the students and their daily life. When Covid demanded a pivot to remote learning Cecil and the faculty seamlessly provided continuity and quality. I will always remember my son doing his chemistry lab in the kitchen. It worked. Students stayed engaged and on track. So much so that our son elected to take a remote math class over the summer to get further ahead! When classes returned to full in person in Fall 2020, Doane’s leadership and faculty put sensible and effective covid protocols in place and classes proceeded without a single transmission and missing only 3 days in the entire year. Faculty are engaged, responsive, and innovative— showing concern and attention to students and providing frequent feedback and check ins. College advisement and counseling is beyond amazing. Prior to arriving at Doane we had already heard tales of Ms Bracken and her incredible college advisement attention. It has proven true. Sat prep class is also part of the curriculum. We have a junior who looks forward to going to classes and to engaging with the community he has found at Doane Stuart.
Submitted by parent on September 25, 2015

The school is small but this is not reflected in the attention each student gets. It seems like they do not take an interest in making sure all kids have a good experience and are supported. They focus an inordinate amount of energy on enforcing the uniform and not nearly enough on ensuring the teaching is effective. Counselors and mentors are misnomers. I have seen no counseling or mentoring take place. Being small, it is impossible to escape a bad teacher. We've seen teachers ogling girls, giving nonsensical assignments that teach nothing. Math teachers that just write work on the board and then sit down and make the students copy it. I've written to teachers and had no reply. There are good teachers but they are outnumbered. Counseling for college is non-existent - at least in our experience. I've had literally hundreds of emails about uniforms and only one about college preparation. I regret the decision.