PP, I agree.

And/but: their college admissions is nothign to be ashamed of:

Class of 2011 College ACCEPTANCES include:

American University*
Arcadia University
Babson College
Barry University*
Baylor University
Binghamton University
Boston University*
Brandeis University*
Bucknell University*
Buffalo State College of SUNY
California Institute of Technology
Cape Breton University
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
College of William and Mary
Colorado State University
Concordia University - Montreal*
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
DePaul University*
Drexel University
Earlham College
Ferrum College
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin College Switzerland
George Mason University
Georgetown University
Goucher College*
Hampshire College
Hampton University*
Harvard University
Howard University*
Johns Hopkins University
Lewis & Clark College
Longwood University*
Lynchburg College
Lynn University
Macalester College*
Marshall University
Marymount University*
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
McGill University
Miami University, Oxford
Muhlenberg College
New York University
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University*
Northwestern University
Pitzer College
Princeton University
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey at Newark
Saint Mary's University
Stanford University
Stevenson University
SUNY College at Geneseo
Syracuse University
Texas A&M University
The Art Institute of Washington*
The Catholic University of America
The College of Wooster*
The George Washington University
The University of Texas, Austin
Towson University
Tufts University
Unity College
University of British Columbia
University of Chicago
University of Florida
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Kentucky
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Maryland, College Park*
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rhode Island
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of Southern California
University of Toronto
University of Virginia*
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Intermont College
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Warren Wilson College*
Washington University in St. Louis
Western Kentucky University

Barrie is not the school to choose if you are looking to cram in lots of AP's. Just not that kind of school - and I think that's ok. I don't think every private school has to put academic rigor and competition as their first priority. People leave public schools for a variety of reasons, academics is just one. There is plenty of room for private schools that put there emphasis somewhere else.

Especially on these boards, but in our society in general, we seem to put so much emphasis and pushing kids and schools academically - like something has less value, or is not as good if it isn't 'gifted' or 'advanced' or just plain 'hard' -- difficult classes, hard to get in, long waiting lists.. We wear the "It was hard, but I did it" as a badge of honor without fully realizing it was the journey to get there that was important.

Anonymous wrote:Why is 15 in the graduating class bad? That could be great.

It’s obvious to me, but I’ll try to explain. Low enrollment means fewer teachers (if the school is properly run) and fewer class offerings. (Example: Barrie offers no AP Humanities classes and no English classes at all, hence no AP English.) Too, in a small school most of the classes are offered only once, so it increases the chance of a scheduling conflict. My DCs are in a class of ~75 kids and have had scheduling conflicts. Three, in a small school a lot of the classes listed aren’t actually offered every year. Kids today want to take a lot of electives (mostly APs) in their chosen field. Small schools can’t offer the breadth in curriculum.

I attended Barrie for a year in HS. This was in the 80's, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Back then, 75% of the kids had been attending Barrie since preschool. The overwhelming majority had very idyllic memories of the lower school. Many kids do not make the transition to the Upper school, and the class size shrinks dramatically.

The Culture:
The majority of the kids that attend lived near by- and were attending the school as an alternative to to public school. There were a few kids on scholarship there that thrived in that setting, they comprised maybe 25% of the class. It was not especially academically rigorous or competitive, but some of the teachers were fantastic and the relationships were much more authentic and deeper than in a traditional setting. They really knew all of the kids very well and the ones that needed extra attention definitely got it.

There were some very intelligent kids there that went on to Ivy League schools. There was one of these in every class. A very smart and motivated child with an easygoing temperment thrived there. Every class had a few outliers: weirdos that failed in public school due to social quirks or serious emotional issures and could not make the cut in a more competitive academic setting.

Because the school was so small, the kids were very close. The odd ones were generally accepted, even they only had one friend, there was no climate of bullying or cruelty. It was a quirky place. People that might have not been pals in a larger setting found one another. There was a lot of incestuous dating- only a small pool of people to be involved with. Everyone knew all of the details of who was sleeping with who. There were a few church-y type kids who never dated there. The others dated, drank, experimented with drugs- maybe more so than other private schools because they school attracts more liberal families.

As far a the program itself, it was creative and wonderful. Lots of walks to ponds for science, bike trips, camping trips, etc. Every Wednesday we had a very Montessori activity day.

I loved my time at Barrie but it did not fix all the problems I was having, so my parents put me back into public school...

I hope this helps!

Anonymous wrote:Why is 15 in the graduating class bad? That could be great.

I had fewer than that in my graduating class (I think it was 11) and loved it. It really is great for some kids.

Why is 15 in the graduating class bad? That could be great.

wow! just 15 in the HS graduating class! this is very discouraging. They did a lot of advertigni on NPR last year. I am wondering if this was part of the strargey withteh new head of the school. Perhaps, the jusry is out for now and we will have to still how the school staks up to other over the next 3-5 years.

OP didn't mention what age, that might help. Also, more specific questions would help too.. what are you looking for?

Both 2/3's teachers have left this year (one left in April, the other is finishing up summer camp) This is 2-3yr olds, not 2nd/3rd graders.

I think a lot of folks send their kid for 2/3's and Primary (3/4/5 yr olds) and then move on to a different school.

The campus is nice, the lower school teachers have been very nice. Communication with teachers and staff is pretty good. They make parents and students feel welcome. I wouldn't call them academically driven, they are pretty laid back.

They do have a relatively new head of school. They are having an open house on Aug 14 (6-7:30pm) dinner, moonbounce for the kids..

https://www.barrie.org/data/broadcast/201207181600-565.htm

18:13 here: Yes I’ve had DCs attend the school and very recently. @15:27 – no issues or hostility, it’s just the school’s environment. Way too many to describe. I would be wary of the HS because each grade count is in the teens (15 graduated last year). The class selections that your DCs want will become difficult with such a small school (no way to make the schedule work because the classes are only offered once).

I'd also like to know. My kids are at a progressive per-k to 8 school and Barrie seems like an interesting possibility for high school. My general instinct is to ignore any comments that some over-the-top hostile, on their theory that their authors have issues of their own. I'd be iinterested in any detailed, specific pros and cons from current or recent parents.

18:13 - that seems very specific, have you had a child attend the school? Is there any other insight you can give?

I have also been wonering about Barrie. Are there any parents out there who have kids who attend(ed) Barrie?

Culture of the school is that the teachers are extremely self-entitled and absolutely rude to parents and to kids. They do the absolute minimum. The typical parents who are happy haven’t been there that long or only plan to use the school as a 3 year pre-K M program or MS.

Lots of earlier posts re: Barrie...just google it.

Are there any parents out there with experience with Barrie School?