The school is not worth the $6500 in tuition. Staff expectations for the students are very low, staff engagement with the students (even with the low student teacher ratio) is non existent - the teachers could care less about the development of your child…it appears that the teachers are just clocking time until the 3pm bell rings. The administration is not progressive or nurturing and the academic standards of the school as compared to other private schools is sorely lacking. The teachers are woefully unprepared – for example my child’s teacher struggled so much with teaching the new math curriculum that I had to purchase the teacher books myself to ensure that my child was being taught the material (my child received an A). Sadly when I thought about moving my child to another homeroom, I heard the same feedback from other parents.
Also, pay attention to the colleges the seniors are matriculating too – while there is nothing wrong with the majority of them matriculating to UNC – Charlotte, or community college, when I pay tuition for a private school I am looking for a progressive, academic environment that will not only prepare my child socially, but challenge them academically to complete with other students to get into top tier schools – Northside simply does not prepare your child to that. Additionally, the only consistent use of technology in the school is that automatic billing system that drafts your tuition.
If you have different options (even a good CMS school) I would seriously consider sending your child there…Northside may have at one time been a good school – but it has long seen it’s best days – I have removed both of my children and would seriously warn anyone looking for a quality education about sending their child to Northside.
This is the first posting that I’ve ever done like this – but I feel that strongly about the experience that Northside is not providing their students. Run….don’t walk away from this school.