Kirby Hall School

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These reviews make me sad as there are so many extraordinary benefits to sending children to Kirby Hall. Our oldest child attended Kirby from Kinder to 7th grade, and our second is still attending. Although all aspects of Kirby are not perfect for everyone.........the main and most important attribute it has is AMAZING teachers. The owner/headmistress has an unique ability to hire gifted educators, and our children have benefited from this immensely. Because of the small class size (usually no more than 14 per class) the teachers have the time and ability to create interesting lesson plans..........and then implement them. The students are bright, polite and kind children with parents that are very involved and committed to their education. Our oldest child has had the opportunity to enter and win many academic contests with Kirby and because of her studies she was easily accepted to Kealing Magnet Middle School in 8th grade and has been accepted to the Liberal Arts and Science Academy for high school. She has excelled at Kealing because of her excellent background at Kirby Hall. The middle school Math teacher (actually 5th thru 8th grade), Mrs. Horan, is exceptional, as are Senior de la Llata, Spanish teacher and Mr. Rumrich, History teacher. All three have been at Kirby for 20+ years. This school is best for bright kids who are committed to working hard on their studies in school and at home (30 min to 2 hours of homework Monday thru Thursday evenings). Commitment from parents is also key, as your child must be kept on task each night to complete work or study for weekly tests. This is an amazing and unique school, especially for elementary and middle school children. Sending our children to Kirby has given them a wonderful and strong academic foundation for future studies.

As some have stated, students are left unsupervised quite often. They can be found playing online games upstairs, making out in the "senior lounge" (where they spend most of their day), and most concerning is the terrible curriculum. Just walk around on your own, without their tour guide. People have to understand, the Shirley Method is a home school method in which the students simply recite back what the teachers tell them. There is NO critical thinking taught in any grade. No one uses the Saxon Math anymore either, simply more recitation. Look at the drop rate, nearly no student continues beyond 8th grade, and most drop before middle school. Just ask about the curriculum committee (there is none), how long the curriculum has been used, and if it is EVER reviewed. Please just be concerned and ask questions.