Maclay School

3737 North Meridian Road

Tallahassee, FL 32312

19 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-12
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by other on January 13, 2025

Absolutely first-rate education. When I arrived at Cornell University in 1985 after my excellent education at Maclay, Cornell was easy. You simply will not find a more dedicated faculty teaching a more advanced college prep curriculum. Maclay is among of Exeter, Andover, and Choate. Maclay School will prepare you for college and then the world. The brilliant and kind Paul Dickson, Cindy Boyd, Fran Sandon, Dean Gargiulo, and Elizabeth Hinson were all my schoolmates at Maclay and now teach there where they continue to raise the standard of prep school education to new and unparalleled heights of scholastic excellence. Michael Obrecht is a brilliant administrator and educator.I thank God every day that I was blessed to attend Maclay.Thank you, Maclay!
Submitted by parent on November 12, 2024

We LOVE Maclay school and recommend to everyone! My two boys have been so happy at Maclay! The school offers so much for my kids, from speech to tennis and swimming. The teachers and faculty support my kids and treat them like their own.
Submitted by parent on December 22, 2023

The school seems a lot more concerned with their finances than giving students an opportunity to attend. They would it accept state sponsored scholarships because they don’t want to be “beholden” to public funding which demonstrates lack of care when it comes to affordability. It is exclusive and excluding. They are losing on many smart and capable children, but donations and wealthy parents are what they seem to solicit. Their students should be above public school grade level, but their fear of administering the Florida Standard Assessment which could prove otherwise is very telling. It’s very disappointing, because the school could be great if ran differently.
Submitted by parent on November 01, 2022

We have three kids here in lower, middle and upper school. All 3 have been very happy. The education is great, but the small, welcoming community and caring professionals at the school are really not like any other public or private school in Tallahassee. We love Maclay!
Submitted by parent on August 11, 2022

Look at other options before considering this school.
Submitted by parent on February 06, 2020

As an alumni, I had a great experience at Maclay. I feel I received a wonderful education and was surrounded by kind friends and supportive faculty and staff. As a parent of students attending Maclay, I see those qualities continue in this school. We are very pleased with the education our kids are receiving there and the attributes of hard work, kindness, fun, and character that are being reinforced at school.
Submitted by parent on December 15, 2019

Our kids have attended Maclay since middle school (now high schoolers). Transitioning the kids to Maclay at middle school was the perfect time. We feel confident both kids are receiving an excellent education with a focus on college prep. Each kid focuses on their unique academic, athletic and extracurricular desires and strengths. Maclay is a wonderful community of staff, students and very engaged families.
Submitted by other on August 05, 2019

It was alright but I feel like I was too sheltered and it doesn't prepare you for the real world
Submitted by parent on April 19, 2019

Poor. Teacher centric. Students are entitled and the leadership focuses on one type of acedemic student.
Submitted by parent on July 19, 2018

Maclay is preparing our three children to meet and exceed the challenges of tomorrow with their programs inside, and outside, the classroom -including the application of real-world skills. The Maclay faculty is gifted in their ability to identify the possibilities within each and every child, helping them find their passion, and getting each student on their pathway to success so they are prepared to go out into the world to become tomorrow's leaders.
Submitted by student on February 14, 2017

I have attended Maclay for most of life and am currently in the 9th grade. My biggest problem with Maclay is the dishonesty!! They brag about a 100% graduation rate which is completely misleading, because all they do is kick out anybody halfway through senior year who is not on track to graduate, now having to scramble to legally join another school. This school, while impressive in areas such as English and History, is pretty overrated. I have seen faculty members put on a show while displaying the beautiful campus to families, but have seen teachers talk badly and gossip about their classes towards other classes. For the most part, teachers at Maclay generally care more about students then teachers at public schools, but they should not be displaying this school as anything near perfect, which they are doing. I guess this is a good school for you're child compared to other options around Tallahassee, but it has very little diversity and I have seen racism and examples of white supremacy every single day which is not the environment you want your child growing up in. This is not the fault of the faculty, but you can be sure you're child will live in a bubble for lower/middle/high school.
Submitted by parent on September 19, 2016

Probably would have had a much better experience if my son was high achieving is all academic areas. He is average in a few. The policies are very teacher centric. This allows some teachers to be very authoritarian with no grace at all. Some teachers have a very duplicitous standard for themselves compared to the students, and the leadership at the school will not contradict the teacher, ever.
Submitted by parent on February 03, 2015

Ten percent of graduating class go to community college, most others regional schools. Used to be good, but gone downhill. Public school has better academics now.
Submitted by other on October 26, 2013

I attended Maclay for 10 years (2-12th grade); my brother and sister also graduated from Maclay (11 years and 10, respectively). -Positively: The Spanish program is excellent; I was nearly fluent leaving high school. My social studies / history background had a great foundation. And, although I was terrible at Math, the personal attention from a few kind teachers helped me pass. Also, I think athletics is crucial for young women to develop both healthy bodies and minds, and I am grateful that despite not being an all-star I was on a team and played. -Negatively: I was bullied from 2nd grade on about my then-perceived, now-established sexual orientation. I recall and can count the times teachers intervened on one hand. I was different, and other than a small number of supportive staff, there wasn't acceptance of difference. As one might guess at a small, K-12 school-- the peer culture is hugely influential and clicks form early. Unfortunately the same factors lead to an embarrassing amount of gossip involving both students and parents (including gossip abt. family/marital problems). Lastly, there's a SERIOUS lack of diversity. I graduated w/ 87 kids. Three were students of color.
Submitted by other on October 11, 2013

Excellent classes, fantastic teachers, beautiful campus. If you do not succeed here then you don't have the will to do so.
Submitted by other on May 16, 2013

I've attended Maclay for seven years now. I will not specify what grade I'm in, due to teachers hunting me down for saying this. I don't like being asked why I strongly dislike Maclay. I couldn't tell you if Maclay was the best school in Tallahasse, but what I could tell you is that Maclay's education, and staff members aren't as great compared to other private schools in the U.S.
Submitted by other on November 04, 2012

I was a student at Maclay for 14 years, pre-K through 12th grade. Maclay has weak and under-funded arts and music programs (at least, they were weak when I attended, but admittedly were improving as I graduated). However, science, English, foreign language, math, and history are all very strong. I was not always fully engaged, but Maclay more than did its job preparing me for success at a highly competitive Ivy League school post graduation. Both my siblings attended Maclay and were similarly well prepared for life at and after college. The teacher-student relationships are very good; my teachers genuinely cared about my progress and wanted me to do well, both academically and more broadly as a maturing young adult (read: as a teenager who occasionally didn't know what I was doing). After fourteen years, I can say without doubt that Maclay is not perfect, but I would send my children here without hesitation.
Submitted by parent on February 05, 2012

My son attended this school for 3 years, this last year has been the WORST! he started saying he hates going to school.. and on top of that he was being bullied by an older kid during the after school care! Im extremely dissapointed! His grades have dropped from As to Bs because he is just not interested and feels intimidated by his teacher. OF COURSE they will ALWAYS come up with the ADHD story.. and ironically now a days EVERY teacher had an ADD son/dauther, so for 600$ a sicologist will do an eval to give me some "tips" on how to handle him! I was under the impression that since this is one of the best school in town the teachers probably attend great seminars about this subject and would know how to face this "problem". On top of that our sicologist said he was starting to suffer from a mild depression from this problems at school..When I emailed the lower school principal she just said " it was sad and they would look into the after school situation" NOTHING was said or done afterwards. As i said to her im a single mom that makes a huge effort to send my son to the best school.. but aparently I dont drop enough$ there to make it a priority! cant wait for this year to end
Submitted by parent on January 22, 2012

My two children attended Maclay, and it was the best investment I could have made for them. I work for the university system in Florida, so I know how important a solid educational foundation is for success in an academically rigorous college setting. My kids are now adults, and they are successful and happy. My husband and I made sacrifices, but I'm very glad we did.