It is true that people are concerned with the new head of school due to affiliation with Whittle. Otherwise, the stuff on this thread is not reflective of most Maret families' views. Maret's athletic programs are not weak other than basketball. There are plenty of strong athletes. In fact, 20 seniors (of 85) are continuing their sport in college. I think football is the most represented sport. Teaching has been strong overall and the work is rigorous. I feel my kids will be incredibly well prepared for college in both humanities and STEM classes. The teachers get to know kids well, and the kids are incredibly well spoken and poised as a whole. College admissions this past year were excellent with about 25% attending Ivies, UChicago, NW, CalTech, etc.

The one complaint about Maret that I think is legit, but haven't heard it so far, is that the school is very small and can feel stifling for some kids. It can be hard to break into groups who have been together since Kindergarten.

Overall, however , it's an amazing school. Ignore all the haters, OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Maret and one at a different independent school. Here are some objective points to consider:
1. The school is on a block system in MS/US, with classes about 70 minutes per class. I know other schools do this as well. This type of block does not leave a lot of free time in the schedule (I think my kid has two study halls and a full day from 8:00-3:20ish). My other kid is at a school with 50 minute blocks. The long blocks didn’t work for him. 50 minutes is good.
2. Because of only having classes 3x/week, it’s really hard when you miss even one day of school, let alone two, if you are sick.
3. We have found the quality of the teaching to be wildly inconsistent (but I don’t think this issue is unique to Maret).
4. From what we can tell, there are more options for honors classes in STEM than in humanities. It looks like there is only one option for a history honors class. No options for English. This makes it harder for a kid to shine and show that he has taken harder classes if he isn’t a stem kid.
5. The sports are pretty terrible except basketball. This can be a positive in that it gives my kid an opportunity to play and have fun without pressure to win. My kid loves his sports and he tries really hard but sports aren’t his thing and he’s just happy to be on the field.
6. The school is progressive as long as you buy into their formula of progressive. If you don’t, don’t speak up.
7. I personally think Maret is more work than my other kid’s school. My kid has a lot more homework or at least takes a lot longer to do it than his older sibling.
8. The school did a large tuition hike last year. Don’t know what that means for the future.

My kid likes it there. As parents, we struggle with it.

I've seen this mentioned before. We are considering Maret for our middle schooler who loves writing. The bolded does give me pause. Does Maret give a reason why it doesn't offer Honors English classes? Seems like an easy thing to implement if there's demand for it. Does the school know there's a demand for this?

Maybe you should tour the school and ask them? You can also contact the admissions office. Some of the things said by the pp are false and I do not think the pp actually has a kid at Maret.

It would be a shame to make a decision based on a post by someone with an axe to grind. Maret is one of the few privates in the area that get the homework balance right. The vast majority of parents likely the school and the kids seem very happy. You do not see this much at schools with a 9-12% admissions rate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Maret and one at a different independent school. Here are some objective points to consider:
1. The school is on a block system in MS/US, with classes about 70 minutes per class. I know other schools do this as well. This type of block does not leave a lot of free time in the schedule (I think my kid has two study halls and a full day from 8:00-3:20ish). My other kid is at a school with 50 minute blocks. The long blocks didn’t work for him. 50 minutes is good.
2. Because of only having classes 3x/week, it’s really hard when you miss even one day of school, let alone two, if you are sick.
3. We have found the quality of the teaching to be wildly inconsistent (but I don’t think this issue is unique to Maret).
4. From what we can tell, there are more options for honors classes in STEM than in humanities. It looks like there is only one option for a history honors class. No options for English. This makes it harder for a kid to shine and show that he has taken harder classes if he isn’t a stem kid.
5. The sports are pretty terrible except basketball. This can be a positive in that it gives my kid an opportunity to play and have fun without pressure to win. My kid loves his sports and he tries really hard but sports aren’t his thing and he’s just happy to be on the field.
6. The school is progressive as long as you buy into their formula of progressive. If you don’t, don’t speak up.
7. I personally think Maret is more work than my other kid’s school. My kid has a lot more homework or at least takes a lot longer to do it than his older sibling.
8. The school did a large tuition hike last year. Don’t know what that means for the future.

My kid likes it there. As parents, we struggle with it.

I've seen this mentioned before. We are considering Maret for our middle schooler who loves writing. The bolded does give me pause. Does Maret give a reason why it doesn't offer Honors English classes? Seems like an easy thing to implement if there's demand for it. Does the school know there's a demand for this?

I don't think any of the Big 3 schools have honors English.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret has an identity crisis. No leadership from Dennis.

Just for my own professional development, what kind of displays of leadership would have been advised for his first three weeks on the job (which happens to be in July)?

If you know, you know.

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Maret and one at a different independent school. Here are some objective points to consider:
1. The school is on a block system in MS/US, with classes about 70 minutes per class. I know other schools do this as well. This type of block does not leave a lot of free time in the schedule (I think my kid has two study halls and a full day from 8:00-3:20ish). My other kid is at a school with 50 minute blocks. The long blocks didn’t work for him. 50 minutes is good.
2. Because of only having classes 3x/week, it’s really hard when you miss even one day of school, let alone two, if you are sick.
3. We have found the quality of the teaching to be wildly inconsistent (but I don’t think this issue is unique to Maret).
4. From what we can tell, there are more options for honors classes in STEM than in humanities. It looks like there is only one option for a history honors class. No options for English. This makes it harder for a kid to shine and show that he has taken harder classes if he isn’t a stem kid.
5. The sports are pretty terrible except basketball. This can be a positive in that it gives my kid an opportunity to play and have fun without pressure to win. My kid loves his sports and he tries really hard but sports aren’t his thing and he’s just happy to be on the field.
6. The school is progressive as long as you buy into their formula of progressive. If you don’t, don’t speak up.
7. I personally think Maret is more work than my other kid’s school. My kid has a lot more homework or at least takes a lot longer to do it than his older sibling.
8. The school did a large tuition hike last year. Don’t know what that means for the future.

My kid likes it there. As parents, we struggle with it.

I've seen this mentioned before. We are considering Maret for our middle schooler who loves writing. The bolded does give me pause. Does Maret give a reason why it doesn't offer Honors English classes? Seems like an easy thing to implement if there's demand for it. Does the school know there's a demand for this?

Anonymous wrote:Maret has an identity crisis. No leadership from Dennis.

Just for my own professional development, what kind of displays of leadership would have been advised for his first three weeks on the job (which happens to be in July)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret has an identity crisis. No leadership from Dennis.

Yes I hear it is shutting down. It is a shame all those kids, teachers and staff thrown out on to the street. Wonder who will take over the property?

All I can say is thanks Maret troll.

What made you think I claimed the school was shutting down?

I have a kid at Maret and one at a different independent school. Here are some objective points to consider:
1. The school is on a block system in MS/US, with classes about 70 minutes per class. I know other schools do this as well. This type of block does not leave a lot of free time in the schedule (I think my kid has two study halls and a full day from 8:00-3:20ish). My other kid is at a school with 50 minute blocks. The long blocks didn’t work for him. 50 minutes is good.
2. Because of only having classes 3x/week, it’s really hard when you miss even one day of school, let alone two, if you are sick.
3. We have found the quality of the teaching to be wildly inconsistent (but I don’t think this issue is unique to Maret).
4. From what we can tell, there are more options for honors classes in STEM than in humanities. It looks like there is only one option for a history honors class. No options for English. This makes it harder for a kid to shine and show that he has taken harder classes if he isn’t a stem kid.
5. The sports are pretty terrible except basketball. This can be a positive in that it gives my kid an opportunity to play and have fun without pressure to win. My kid loves his sports and he tries really hard but sports aren’t his thing and he’s just happy to be on the field.
6. The school is progressive as long as you buy into their formula of progressive. If you don’t, don’t speak up.
7. I personally think Maret is more work than my other kid’s school. My kid has a lot more homework or at least takes a lot longer to do it than his older sibling.
8. The school did a large tuition hike last year. Don’t know what that means for the future.

My kid likes it there. As parents, we struggle with it.

Anonymous wrote:Maret has an identity crisis. No leadership from Dennis.

Yes I hear it is shutting down. It is a shame all those kids, teachers and staff thrown out on to the street. Wonder who will take over the property?

All I can say is thanks Maret troll.

Maret has an identity crisis. No leadership from Dennis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The extensive discussions held here have centered around Maret's evolving reputation over the years, which no longer positions it as a "top" school, an aspect that holds significance for us. It is likely that any parent scouring these forums shares this concern, as they value factors like outplacement, academic opportunities, leadership, sports, and community when considering a top-tier school.

It appears that the consensus among parents is that they initially sought Maret as one of the top schools, but it is no longer on par with the top 3 or 5 schools. A noticeable shift occurred a few years ago during their rebranding and value reassessment process, where the opportunity to step up was missed, and instead, they took a step back. To rectify this situation will require significant effort.

Additionally, the appointment of the current school leader is widely perceived as unfortunate, and this has further contributed to the school's decline. What was once considered a "good" school is now becoming a subject of insider jokes within the community, a topic of conversation I've personally encountered.

In retrospect, many wish that Maret had selected a different school head, someone who could have provided the leadership needed to chart a new course for the school and infused the admissions team with some stronger chops for creating the student body as well as the ability to counsel out students who are not a good fit.

Current family and agreed.

Faculty is top notch so I hope new Head mends relations with them. I don’t miss the former Head.

Unless the former Head’s minions are kept on a tight leash, it won’t matter.

This seems to be the same troll as before. Sad I thought you would have moved on by now.

My suggestion would be for you to picket the school. You can make a nasty sign about the new of school and on the back a nasty sign about the old one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admission was 12.5% last year with a 75% yield. They're hanging in there.

What is your source for this information?

My neighbor's kid is joining next year and Maret was 1 of 2 schools their kid got into- the rest were rejected. That is what I believe is happening.

Well good for the kid. 9th grade had over 350 apply for 30ish spot.

Their own published magazine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admission was 12.5% last year with a 75% yield. They're hanging in there.

What is your source for this information?

My neighbor's kid is joining next year and Maret was 1 of 2 schools their kid got into- the rest were rejected. That is what I believe is happening.