Holton Truth?
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Anonymous
| I need a straight answer – what is happening at Holton? Before I send my DD there, I need to hear the truth. Not even sure it’s that’s possible in this forum, but I am trying. I know it’s a good school, but the posts on this site (revolving door, skirt lengths, communications taking over clubs posts, and so much about the HOS) are concerning. Not sure what to believe. |
Anonymous
My two cents of advice: all schools have haters and you will find bad comments for all of them. If you want to select a school based on DCUM posts, you might not like any private school. |
Anonymous
| Hi OP. My daughter is in her 9th year at Holton (Almost done!) and believe me when I tell you there's nothing out of the ordinary happening at Holton. My daughter has been very happy there though of course there have been some bumps -teachers departing mid year (this was with the old head before anyone freaks out), middle school academics that I think weren't up to par - but all in all a very good experience. You didn't specifically ask but if I had to identify my one favorite part of Holton it would be how they shape girls into confident and assertive young women. I would send her to Holton again for that reason alone. |
Anonymous
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I was worried about all the DCUM posts as well (we are new this year) but I couldn't be happier with our choice so far.
My daughter is happy and thriving and I'm impressed with all of the communication and support we are receiving from teachers and the school. Seek out current parents off this forum to get their opinions. You can't believe everything you read on here. |
Anonymous
This. I'm not a Holton parent and this is the answer. |
Anonymous
“On here?” |
Anonymous
| Go to an open house or try and meet a parent and speak with them or even a current student. DCUM is full of holton haters. We all saw the skirt slut shaming thread |
Anonymous
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It’s easy to get caught up in this forum but also realize it’s not real life and some people are miserable and like to complain.
Like people have already said, go to events and talk to parents, admin, and faculty |
Anonymous
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This is my point exactly! Where are there so many “Holton haters,” an disproportionate amount it seems compared to any other school, on this forum? Sure lots of posts have their share of haters, but I can glean the truth within most threads.
I am not paying north of 50K for my DD to go to a school filled with drama. Can’t someone give me some nuggets of truth? |
Anonymous
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Former Holton parent here: I think part of what is driving this is that the current Head of School is a polarizing figure. In part, this is not her fault, Susanna Jones was always going to be a tough act to follow. In part, though, it kind of is, I can see why many find her off-putting. It also got kind of politicized, there are those who think her selection was motivated by anti-DEI kinds of considerations, and while I think this is greatly overstated there are those who see it very differently and have been pretty vocal about that on this board. Where some see a sinister purge by the new Head, others see a natural process where the new Head wants her own people in senior posts. Full disclosure: I personally preferred Susanna and think the new head is a downgrade, but Head of School is not a role that really affects a student’s day-to-day experience all that much.
The truth, as I see it after a lot of time around these sorts of schools, is: 1. Holton was and remains a really great school; 2. When comparing among Holton and its peer schools, they are much more alike than different; 3. In my experience, random variation among class year cohorts has a much greater effect on the students’ experiences than anything else. Some classes are filled with delightful kids, some are infested by mean girls, and you just never know. |
Anonymous
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Current family and we love it. DD is very happy, families in general are nice, and teachers are excellent. But most importantly, daughter is HAPPY and really likes school.
This board has 2-3 Holton trolls who just won’t quit. Go to an open house/tour and see the magic of the school yourself. |
Anonymous
| Same. Current family, love it. Girls are happy and excited to be at school. |
Anonymous
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Another current Holton family. Our experience has been a mixed bag. Our DDs are generally happy there, have nice friend groups, and feel engaged in the community. They loved the previous HoS and are not fans of the current one. Neither are we, the parents.
The quality of language education has definitely declined in recent years. And the athletics department is a hot mess. Many wonderful teacher left at the end of last year. |
Anonymous
| For those that said their students are happy, what grade or division are your kids in? Are high school kids happy? |
Anonymous
| DDs in middle school and upper school-both very happy. Glad they are making changes in the athletic department. |