Disconcerting old(ish) Hollis/Bedford school threads! (talk me off the ledge pls?)

[avlis13013]

Like riddei63, I also have two vastly different students in Hollis Elementary. We moved from Nashua 3 years ago.
My older one is on an IEP with para support in HUES and the younger has been an overachiever in the lower elementary. The quality of the teachers and support staff at both schools has been great. Notably, the SPED team has been nothing short of amazing. The amount of time, effort, patience, and caring they have shown is remarkable. If you have a "good student" they will probably do well anywhere but if you have a student with special needs, I would HIGHLY recommend Hollis.

[Yac]

Some meandering in a discussion is only natural. Switching the topic completely (here, to transgender kids and social justice) is not ok. Multiple posts have been deleted. If you continue, further punishment will be more severe.
Yac.

[TClif]

So, this is our second year living in Hollis-Brookline. Have lived all over the country. Husband works in MA so Hollis-Brookline was really our only NH choice. I can say that Bedford is more surrounded by all the suburban comforts, although it is only a 10 minute drive to a pretty good strip of conveniences and an 18 min drive to just about anything you'd ever want.

As for schools in Hollis-Brookline, they are pretty good. Being a smaller school system means there aren't quite as many choices as a larger system, typically, but there are quite a few. I have a 7th grader and an 11th grader. We found the Upper Elementary to be quite good. Math was differentiated, and at the last School Board meeting we were given a presentation showing that the math class flow had been changed to provide more accelerated options at the Upper Elementary and Middle School level and more places where students can jump in to higher levels during Middle School and High School. The district also utilizes a Virtual Learning program (VLACs) for students to advance by themselves in math, and take many different classes, as well. Coding is taught at all levels, and there is a movement to build a STEM lab area at the high school (although it WAS voted down just recently, at least for this coming year). One thing that we have been quite pleasantly surprised with, is the number of field trips the district supports. Both my kids have gone on at least 2 per year. Both principals have been wonderful, and seem to have the students' overall well-being at heart. We find the school rigorous, yet not so overwhelming that kids can't be involved in other activities like sports or work. The kids all seem to be quite down-to-earth, well-behaved, and involved in their communities.

As for AP classes. There are quite a few AP classes at the high school, but not as many as at our previous high school. My daughter is taking her first one this year, so we will see how she does on the test. I do know that my son took 9 AP classes (in PA), scored 5s on all but 3, and was given enough credit to start college as a sophomore in Computer Science at UCSB. My reading of the reason some colleges are not giving credit for AP is that they want students to take THEIR courses and sequences, as well as being a way to ensure much needed tuition monies. I am not a huge AP proponent as I see them as covering way too much material, way too quickly...of being too rigorous in some ways, but they were what my son wanted to take.

As to your last statement....you will probably be happy to note that the school district voted NOT to follow Common Core curriculum, although the state does use a CC based standardized test, which can have a lowering affect on test scores. And NH has about a 50/50 D/R make-up, so there's that.

Hope this helps.