Woods Academy

[Anonymous]

We’ve had a really positive experience at Woods (we have two kids there - 1 boy, 1 girl), and for our family, the tuition has absolutely been worth it. The biggest difference we’ve seen compared to our previous parochial school is the level of attention each child gets. Class sizes are small, teachers really know the students, and they’re able to challenge them individually. The curriculum has also felt much more engaging with things like project-based learning, meaningful field trips, and daily world language have made a noticeable difference for our kids. We also appreciate that they regularly assess progress, and we’ve seen our children continue to grow each year. High school placement has also been a real strength. Recent classes have had strong outcomes across both Catholic and independent schools, which gave us a lot of confidence to stay through middle school. We'll be here through 8th grade for both kids. Like any school, it depends on what you’re looking for, but for us it’s been a warm, happy community and a great fit for our kids. We absolutely love The Woods! 

[Anonymous]

Most parochial schools have small class sizes and more hands-on learning and less screen time than the local public schools. Most parochial schools have good placement to the popular catholic schools, which I assume most of the Woods kids are going to. Again, nothing you mentioned above makes Wood’s really stand out. However, I’m glad your kids are having a good experience. I just don’t think the cost justifies the price to go to Woods. I’ve also heard it lacks in community after the preschool years compared with local parochial schools. Why pay double and only get slightly more??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most parochial schools have small class sizes and more hands-on learning and less screen time than the local public schools. Most parochial schools have good placement to the popular catholic schools, which I assume most of the Woods kids are going to. Again, nothing you mentioned above makes Wood’s really stand out. However, I’m glad your kids are having a good experience. I just don’t think the cost justifies the price to go to Woods. I’ve also heard it lacks in community after the preschool years compared with local parochial schools. Why pay double and only get slightly more??

You’re making a lot of assumptions. Woods classes are way smaller than parochial schools and the education and school placement is much better. One my kids is still at the Woods and it has been a great experience. We have a graduate as well from there and both kids are and will be lifers.

[Anonymous]

We put 3 kids through Woods and loved it. Great experience. Loving community. Good education (and getting better with the new head of school who is the real deal).

[Anonymous]

OP- curious, what did you decide? We have an incoming 6th grader.

[Anonymous]

Didn’t accept. Didn’t like the admission process, head of admissions or the vibe of the school. Good luck though, maybe it just wasn’t the right fit for us.

[Anonymous]

I was a member of the Woods community, and I can provide a bit of insight. However, I should note that my experience was before the current head of school began her tenure, so it may be a bit stale.

The Woods is a small community. Some of the faculty are alumni, and some of the faculty and staff over the years have been related to each other. As well, many students’ families attend a handful of Catholic parishes in Montgomery County. This creates a bit of a “family business” environment with all of its attendant benefits and risks. While many liked the cozy social closeness, it’s easy to feel on the outside. This is also the sort of environment that makes it difficult to address challenges, be they bullying among students or conflicts between staff, because it’s easy for people to experience criticism as a social betrayal rather than a necessary aspect of running a school business. I think also that the closeness of the community has been somewhat limiting when recruiting faculty, staff, board members, and students.

It is true that girls tend to leave in the middle school years. Some of the girls who stay do well in a small peer group. Other girls have had the difficult experience of feeling socially unmoored from a clique of other girls in their grade. Years ago there was a two-fold reason for girls leaving before 8th. One was families’ concern that waiting until 8th grade put them at a competitive disadvantage for applying out to secondary schools. The other was challenges with perception of boys’ behavior. While some of the boys’ parents complained about the school having a “boy problem,” in that they believed that The Woods did not offer developmentally appropriate academics or behavioral expectations, some of the girls’ families perceived the boys’ behavior as distracting or even bullying or harassing. It’s hard for me to say exactly which is the truth, and I do not know if that is a continuing factor for the school and the gender gap in middle school enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a member of the Woods community, and I can provide a bit of insight. However, I should note that my experience was before the current head of school began her tenure, so it may be a bit stale.

The Woods is a small community. Some of the faculty are alumni, and some of the faculty and staff over the years have been related to each other. As well, many students’ families attend a handful of Catholic parishes in Montgomery County. This creates a bit of a “family business” environment with all of its attendant benefits and risks. While many liked the cozy social closeness, it’s easy to feel on the outside. This is also the sort of environment that makes it difficult to address challenges, be they bullying among students or conflicts between staff, because it’s easy for people to experience criticism as a social betrayal rather than a necessary aspect of running a school business. I think also that the closeness of the community has been somewhat limiting when recruiting faculty, staff, board members, and students.

It is true that girls tend to leave in the middle school years. Some of the girls who stay do well in a small peer group. Other girls have had the difficult experience of feeling socially unmoored from a clique of other girls in their grade. Years ago there was a two-fold reason for girls leaving before 8th. One was families’ concern that waiting until 8th grade put them at a competitive disadvantage for applying out to secondary schools. The other was challenges with perception of boys’ behavior. While some of the boys’ parents complained about the school having a “boy problem,” in that they believed that The Woods did not offer developmentally appropriate academics or behavioral expectations, some of the girls’ families perceived the boys’ behavior as distracting or even bullying or harassing. It’s hard for me to say exactly which is the truth, and I do not know if that is a continuing factor for the school and the gender gap in middle school enrollment.

Yep, this observation is spot on. I was a parent who now has a child in HS. My child was a lifer. Although he enjoyed his time overall, I witnessed many of the things the PP stated above. True, it was a nurturing environment and very supportive. But, the one downfall was having a student in my childs grade who was the child of a faculty member - a bully who never any consequences for it. My child was never targeted but knew it was happening to others.