Bentley vs Head Royce vs the Athenian
Our child will be entering 7th grade this fall and is currently at another private school.
Their current school used to be well known for great academics. But after the head of school changed, the focus has mainly shifted to socio-emotional learning for the past 2 years. This came at the expense of academics and now, during the pandemic, has gotten even worse. As parents we don’t see the point of paying that much money for tuition, if the academics don’t even reach California state standards.
For their next school, we would hope to find a school with: great academics, a welcoming community and a stable administration.
Does anyone have any recent experiences with above mentioned schools? TIA!
Mar 9, 2021
Parent Replies
My son is a current senior at Athenian, and he started there in 6th grade. He was accepted at all 3 schools that you listed, and chose Athenian. When reflecting, he recently said, “the middle school experience at Athenian cannot be beat. They just make it too good to pass up.” In my words, I would say that if you are attracted to their experiential Ed focus, then it really shines in the middle school. They are committed to it and they do it incredibly well- no lip service. The upper school is more traditional, although they have all the same enrichment opportunities that the other private schools have. Athenian has done an amazing job during the pandemic, FWIW. Good luck in your decision. There are no bad options!