Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 16:37     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:

Make your frustration known!




Yes, please, make your frustrations known on this anonymous forum that has had no impact on anything except the other anonymous posters on this forum.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 16:33     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:
there now many classes in the US with 20 or more students.


Anybody considering Holton, please know this is a complete fabrication and verifiable. There are no US classes with 20+ students in it.

That might change with the increase in enrollment they are seeking, but right now, there are no 20+ class sizes.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 12:30     Subject: Holton Truth?
Penny Evins doesn't take student safety seriously. Not someone that should be leading a school.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 12:00     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As an FYI, 4 new jobs posted today on the AIMS website for Holton in the communications department. Something is going on there. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but when you’re hiring four people in a department it’s telling.


Holton parent here. I just checked out the job postings and am fuming that our tuition dollars are being spent on comm ppl rather than teachers!


Make your frustration known! They are hiring 4 people for comms while there now many classes in the US with 20 or more students. There shouldn't be any classes with more than 18 as an absolute maximum.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 08:28     Subject: Holton Truth?
This administration is big on control over messaging, driving its staff and students crazy, restricting their options. The arts have suffered due to censorship, and there has been a ton of turnover in the comms department.

These issues start from the top.
Anonymous
Post 11/07/2025 08:06     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:As an FYI, 4 new jobs posted today on the AIMS website for Holton in the communications department. Something is going on there. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but when you’re hiring four people in a department it’s telling.


Holton parent here. I just checked out the job postings and am fuming that our tuition dollars are being spent on comm ppl rather than teachers!
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 20:41     Subject: Holton Truth?
As an FYI, 4 new jobs posted today on the AIMS website for Holton in the communications department. Something is going on there. I don’t have a dog in this fight, but when you’re hiring four people in a department it’s telling.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 20:26     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My daughter graduated from Holton, not too long ago, and enjoyed most of our time there. The HOS is having a definite and negative impact on the staff (turnover and morale). My daughter was very sad to learn many of her favorite teachers have left, but I’m sure the new staff is wonderful.

My daughter started in lower school, and unfortunately her cohort became notoriously toxic in upper school, but overall she was glad that she chose Holton. She had amazing college options, ivies included, and is loving her post Holton life. She was very well prepared academically. She was accepted to several private schools, and Holton was the school that fit her best.


Complete throw-away line.

How can you make this statement (bolded) when your daughter is no longer there?


We still know families there and that’s what they’ve shared.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 17:45     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We’re also exploring Holton LS for our DD and have heard that there is a lot of rigor when it comes to the academics. Can anyone share how manageable the rigor is? Meaning, is it generally age appropriate rigor?

We’re trying to get a sense of whether the girls who typically thrive or are successful the ones who are always on top of things, highly efficient and already have it together? Or will Holton help prepare the kids to “get it together” and be successful?


Lower school parent here and I think this is what the LS does best. We have not found academic rigor to be outsized in LS.


Agree with PP. The school does a good job at establishing executive functioning skills early. The girls are given planners and taught how to use them (and the teachers check them daily to make sure the girls write down their assignments).
The amount of HW kids get corresponds to their grade level - so 30 min for 3rd grade, 40 for 4th, 50 for 5th, etc. This obviously changes once you get to middle and high school and things become much more rigorous.
Overall I feel as though my child is being challenged in a nurturing way, which is exactly what we wanted for elementary school.


Also now that they have brought back the resource period my LS daughter usually finishes all her HW during the day which is amazing. No need to stress at night outside of the occasional day she hasn’t finished during resource period.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 11:37     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We’re also exploring Holton LS for our DD and have heard that there is a lot of rigor when it comes to the academics. Can anyone share how manageable the rigor is? Meaning, is it generally age appropriate rigor?

We’re trying to get a sense of whether the girls who typically thrive or are successful the ones who are always on top of things, highly efficient and already have it together? Or will Holton help prepare the kids to “get it together” and be successful?


Lower school parent here and I think this is what the LS does best. We have not found academic rigor to be outsized in LS.


Agree with PP. The school does a good job at establishing executive functioning skills early. The girls are given planners and taught how to use them (and the teachers check them daily to make sure the girls write down their assignments).
The amount of HW kids get corresponds to their grade level - so 30 min for 3rd grade, 40 for 4th, 50 for 5th, etc. This obviously changes once you get to middle and high school and things become much more rigorous.
Overall I feel as though my child is being challenged in a nurturing way, which is exactly what we wanted for elementary school.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 11:14     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:My daughter graduated from Holton, not too long ago, and enjoyed most of our time there. The HOS is having a definite and negative impact on the staff (turnover and morale). My daughter was very sad to learn many of her favorite teachers have left, but I’m sure the new staff is wonderful.

My daughter started in lower school, and unfortunately her cohort became notoriously toxic in upper school, but overall she was glad that she chose Holton. She had amazing college options, ivies included, and is loving her post Holton life. She was very well prepared academically. She was accepted to several private schools, and Holton was the school that fit her best.


Can you elaborate on "notoriously toxic"? What were the behaviors and what, if anything, did the school do to address them?
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 11:12     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:My daughter graduated from Holton, not too long ago, and enjoyed most of our time there. The HOS is having a definite and negative impact on the staff (turnover and morale). My daughter was very sad to learn many of her favorite teachers have left, but I’m sure the new staff is wonderful.

My daughter started in lower school, and unfortunately her cohort became notoriously toxic in upper school, but overall she was glad that she chose Holton. She had amazing college options, ivies included, and is loving her post Holton life. She was very well prepared academically. She was accepted to several private schools, and Holton was the school that fit her best.


Complete throw-away line.

How can you make this statement (bolded) when your daughter is no longer there?
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 11:04     Subject: Holton Truth?
No, actually, LS is probably too easy. Students outside of Holton seem to be jumping into more rigorous math classes especially given the weak MS math program (students can only take Algebra 1A and Algebra 1B in 7th and 8th grades). The humanities, however, seems to be excellent.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2025 10:47     Subject: Holton Truth?
Anonymous wrote:We’re also exploring Holton LS for our DD and have heard that there is a lot of rigor when it comes to the academics. Can anyone share how manageable the rigor is? Meaning, is it generally age appropriate rigor?

We’re trying to get a sense of whether the girls who typically thrive or are successful the ones who are always on top of things, highly efficient and already have it together? Or will Holton help prepare the kids to “get it together” and be successful?


Lower school parent here and I think this is what the LS does best. We have not found academic rigor to be outsized in LS.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 21:20     Subject: Holton Truth?
We’re also exploring Holton LS for our DD and have heard that there is a lot of rigor when it comes to the academics. Can anyone share how manageable the rigor is? Meaning, is it generally age appropriate rigor?

We’re trying to get a sense of whether the girls who typically thrive or are successful the ones who are always on top of things, highly efficient and already have it together? Or will Holton help prepare the kids to “get it together” and be successful?