Landon families

[Anonymous]

We are considering Landon for 6th grade for DS.

For current families, how are the academics in the middle school? Is it mostly in class differentiation and has that worked well for your child? Is there tracking in math? How strong are foreign languages, specifically Spanish? How are the teachers?
What would you say are the strength and weaknesses of the school?

Is admin good with communication and responsive to parents?

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Our son started at Landon in 6th grade. I will say that I thought his Math and Spanish teachers were both excellent that year - it was a pandemic year so obviously a bit different. I am not sure what you mean by in-class differentiation exactly. I do know that whenever my son needed clarification or extra help on something he would be responsible for seeking out the teacher during office hours which he did. I would recommend reaching out to Katy Harvey with specific questions. Have you been accepted and paid your deposit but are having second thoughts or are you looking to apply in the future?

[Anonymous]

We also started in 6th. It’s been a good experience overall. Spanish and Math programs are strong. Arts program is really good. Boys in big team sports seem to bond especially well; other sports not as much. Nice parent community that ranges from fancy to chill, with lots of global diversity. Alumni network is very dedicated too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son started at Landon in 6th grade. I will say that I thought his Math and Spanish teachers were both excellent that year - it was a pandemic year so obviously a bit different. I am not sure what you mean by in-class differentiation exactly. I do know that whenever my son needed clarification or extra help on something he would be responsible for seeking out the teacher during office hours which he did. I would recommend reaching out to Katy Harvey with specific questions. Have you been accepted and paid your deposit but are having second thoughts or are you looking to apply in the future?

OP here, looking to apply in the future.

Is there tracking in math and any other subjects 6-8th, i.e 2 levels of classes for different academic abilities or does the school rely on in class differentiation such as working in small groups. How do they meet the needs of kids of different abilities?

[Anonymous]

They do have honors classes. They also work in small groups on some projects. I think the point of the groups is really to get them to learn to work in groups on projects not to differentiate the teaching. Most of the boys are pretty smart and the boys who are solid A students in particular disciplines are placed in honors. Not sure that really answers your question.

For the most part once the boys hit middle school at Landon they are encouraged to advocate for themselves. Parents generally are not that involved - that being said I always felt I could reach out to administration but I never really reached out to individual teachers nor them to me. The philosophy (which I really liked) is that middle school is a time for boys to make mistakes and learn about themselves as learners so they can really advocate for themselves in high school.

The learning specialists are also very good at helping the boys if they need additional help. I really liked the middle school learning specialists who I spoke with fairly regularly.