Barrie is kind of small, and in recent years, lots of upper elementary kids seem to be applying out. As a teacher, I have had many students come from a montessori background. Only a few have had the skills needed to be on grade-level. I think montessori is can be great if your kid is self-driven. Since kids work at their own pace, it's hard to know where they are academically.

Bumping this up. Any recent lower school experiences? We are looking at kindergarten.

Barrie currently has approximately 50 students in the Middle School, 20 in the eighth grade.

“Hemorrhaging” is definitely an exaggeration. Like many independent schools over the past few years, they are experiencing challenges with enrollment.

Oops! To continue the above comment…

My experience with Barrie is excellent. Diverse and caring community. Rigorous, project based academics. We plan for our daughters to attend through Middle and Upper School.

I simply don’t understand some of the disturbing reviews that are posted on Greatschools.org…

My experience with Barrie is

Any recent updates on this?

How many kids in current MS grades there?

Anonymous wrote:Barrie is hemoraging students. Everyone is leaving there unhappy. I'd think twice.

Why?

Barrie is hemoraging students. Everyone is leaving there unhappy. I'd think twice.

I think Barrie will greatly benefit from SSFS closing. Their high school is tiny, so they will be able to take in a large number of students. Plus they have the space.This may be a life line for their high school.

The lower school is great though and is usually full or close to full enrollment depending on grade.

Do these concerns still hold?

What are college placements like?

We have been at Barrie for 3 years and love it. My children are 2 and 4. The teachers are amazing, the staff is wonderful and the student body is incredibly diverse which is one of the reasons why we choose Barrie. I highly encourage you to take a tour if you haven't already.

I enrolled my DCs in Barrie and totally agree with the posters who say the teachers are mean. They are mean to the kids and are mean to the parents. The administration staff is mean to the kids and mean to the parents. The BOD are mean to the kids and mean to the parents. One of my favorite stories is when my DCs attended evidently a teacher was having "issues". So, the parents were sent an email stating that we are not supposed to talk to her, even if we see her walking into the school buildings. And they accepted this! I taught my children to greet people when they see them and it was awkward telling my K DC to not speak to her. And the previous poster who said the Montessori classes are full is so wrong. Their numbers look high because they have infants and count them as Pre-K, but after Pre-K there is major exodus. Look at privateschoolreview.com. The grade numbers don't hit 20 and the numbers are self-reporting. So, you know they are exaggerated.

I encourage you to look at recent reviews. After Barrie was sued, they now make families sign their lives away and retain them by forcing them to pay the entire year -or the following year- if not giving notice at an early ridiculous time. However, they kick kids out at any point if they don't fit a preferred profile, and they don't care about their education or well-being, only about money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone considering Barrie should visit “Greatschools.org and read the reviews. Lots to be concerned about.

I don't know a whole lot about Barrie, but I know that lots of families of color seem to be looking to go elsewhere.

From any particular division? It's definitely not a majority-white school - probably one of the most diverse privates in the area.