Holton 8-10th grade is the hardest my child will probably ever work in her life. No joke. It is not for the faint of heart.

Holton/SR mom: Have your daughters experienced high school at each school? I'm curious about the high school rigor at both schools.

Anonymous wrote:Mean Girls.

I know that will be perceived as a snarky comment, but it is the truth that I have witnessed. Of all the girls counseled out, "mean girls" are a big group. And NO, they don't all end up at NCS.

Girls are counseled out for perceived "meanness", even if they are succeeding academically???

Mean Girls.

I know that will be perceived as a snarky comment, but it is the truth that I have witnessed. Of all the girls counseled out, "mean girls" are a big group. And NO, they don't all end up at NCS.

I think those are good descriptions of SR and Holton pp.

I have a daughter at both Holton and Stone Ridge actually so I know both schools very well. Holton is definitely more academically challenging and is more supportive of the arts (huge theater, black box theater etc). Stone Ridge puts more focus on athletics and is building a huge new turf field complex this summer, which is great. I think Holton tends to be more diverse in terms of it's student body with girls from all races, religions and economic backgrounds represented. Stone Ridge is Catholic so most people are at least Christian and it tends to be more of the preppy, athletic nice girls and less of the artsy types. Both have nice communities and Stone Ridge in particular is very warm (great head of school and staff). Holton is a place where girls are empowered to be successful but nobody is going to hand it to you - they want the girls to articulate everything they want instead of parents doing so, which is why they graduate girls who are strong leaders.

Bottom line is that SR (in my opinion) is not as difficult academically but it's a great community and still very strong in the overall program. Holton is the place you should go if you're a driven girl who wants to make her own way and isn't afraid to stand up for yourself to get it. Both can be fun, just depends on what you think is fun.

My bet is the PP is referring to a lower school teacher who lasted one year only and definitely rubbed some people the wrong way. Some think the LS head was not particularly effective in the thick of it but the teacher was replaced, if it is what I am thinking of. The MS and US run differently, by all reports MS head is amazing. Haven't had experience if the US yet.

Anonymous wrote:Kids who want to be happy and don't want to live a life of misery should not attend Holton. The worst mistake we ever made with DD. She was humiliated by her teacher daily. The principal is useless.

Can you tell me what years and what grades? Was this recently?
I am very much concerned about Holton and some of the social issues.
We are at another private school where DD is very happy, but we want more of an academic challenge. I am very much aftraid that in the quest for that academic challenge, we end up shooting ourselves in the foot with a social nightmare that we will be hearing about when she is 30.

Kids who want to be happy and don't want to live a life of misery should not attend Holton. The worst mistake we ever made with DD. She was humiliated by her teacher daily. The principal is useless.

Uh, boys?

OP asked which kids should avoid Holton and SR. The answer is those who don't want to work hard and would prefer a more casual environment w/o uniforms.

Why did this post turn into what grade levels seem nice at Holton? OP can ask if she wants but why not answer her question or start another thread instead.

I didn't mean to ask people on the Internet. Who knows what distorted world views people could pass off anonymously. Why don't you talk to the family your DD knows? Or if you have reason to know -- as in you have been admitted -- I am certain the school would provide you some contacts. And if you are admitted, you've got events to attend as well where you can meet people.

any thoughts on the rising 8th grade class? i've heard mixed things about that class but the one girl my DD knows in that grade is very nice.

I wonder if it's better for your to daughter to apply, shadow and ask questions without a lot of preconceived ideas about either school. Then after she's accepted, she could probably spend another day at each and get a better feel for the environment and the girls in each setting. I truly don't think DCUM can give you the kind of information you seem to want.