Hi, does anyone have recent experience with these schools? Kents Hill, Gould Academy, Cushing Academy, or Winchendon? My DD is athletic and social and curious but needs a supportive school. She will be entering as a 10th grade student after transitioning from an anxiety treatment center. We did a search before 9th grade and she loved Governor’s Academy, Brooks, Lawrence Academy and Tabor but we are focusing on a different list now and working with a consultant.
@mass2020mom - Jump onto the pinned post in this section “Schools with Academic Support”. We had all of those schools on our list in the beginning. I’d love to hear what your consultant says about them. Drop me a PM if you’re comfortable.
Have you considered Brewster and Pomfret? We visited Brewster and it seems like it could be a match for what you are looking for. We have not visited Pomfret, but I know they are putting a lot of resources into their new student health center.
We were really impressed with Gould and Kents Hill on paper, but LizardKid is not into winter sports and we thought that might be limiting for him at those schools.
To the OP: You should also look at the Forman school in Litchfield, CT - the school offers individualized learning programs and each student is assigned a designated learning specialist. I think there may still be a PG program there. The Darrow School (in New Lebanon, NY - Berkshires area) has a unique program and there are some folks here on CC who can tell you more about it (look at some old threads). Also, did you check into Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, MA?
@vwlizard—I was trying to PM you but your name doesn’t pop up. Can you PM me and I will reply?
Have you considered that sending a child to boarding school from an anxiety treatment center (assuming this is residential) is maybe just too much? Why not keep her home?
Actually all the therapists she’s worked with recommend a supportive boarding school for the structure and community aspects, and our particular family dynamics. It’s not something I am taking lightly, and have definitely considered other options, but am looking at this path now.
I would definitely follow their recommendation then. I hope you find a great school.
If your child is coming from an anxiety treatment center, I’d put emotional support at the top of my list. There are a lot of schools that offer learning support but wouldn’t have the emotional support that you’ll need. I really wouldn’t think a school like Pomfret would be appropriate.
My kid went to a school that provides learning support (if needed) and every year there were a few kids who came in where parents assumed this meant emotional support and hadn’t been fully transparent with admissions about what their kid really needed. It usually ended with the kid leaving.
My advice would be to be very honest with admissions and maybe look into getting an educational consultant who can help you navigate this.
Thanks! We are working with an educational consultant, and she also said to be very open about what supports my daughter needs and what she has struggled with. I am hoping one of the schools she suggested will be a good fit!
@mass2020mom , I think you need a minimum number of posts to be able to PM people. I just sent you one that you can reply to.
@mass2020mom I think I can help - my 2020 daughter has made a similar transition and we worked with a consultant. I will PM you. Do you need support for learning differences as well as emotional support? @CCtoAlaska while not every child coming out of treatment is a good fit for a traditional boarding school, lots of kids make this transition successfully and Pomfret is a school that frequently succeeds with these types of students. Suffield is another. With the high rate of anxiety in teens today, I think you will find more and more schools offering support even if they don’t make a point of advertising it. Working with a consultant is key as they know first hand which schools have a good track record and getting the right fit is especially important for these students. I agree with @Momof7thgrader that learning support and emotional support are two different fish. In our case an all LD school would not have been a good fit for our student who needed some emotional support and minimal academic support.
@mass2020mom I know a family whose daughter attends Marvelwood School in CT; their daughter struggled tremendously with anxiety in 9th and 10th grade and is now thriving in Marvelwood’s small environment.