Looking at Harbor country day school in st. James and Laurel Hill School in Setauket (Stony Brook: home)

[Cmruggieromd]

Does anyone have any experience at or with Harbor Country Day School in St. James? I am looking to send my children there and am wondering if you've had a good experience, any things that you wish were different, anything you would change? Anyone have experience with Laurel Hill School in Setauket? This is where my kids are currently (for preschool) and I am considering continuing there. I would love info on comparing the two schools. Major differences? Academics stronger at either one?

[OhBeeHave]

Several friends who had children at Laurel Hill pulled them and placed them in 3V schools. Thus wasn't a matter of affordability, rather one concerning Laurel Hill policy. I don't know of anyone who either uses or used Harbor Country. Friends with older children have used Knox, St. Anthony's, or the Stony Brook School.

[Frankie1]

I looked at Laurel Hill for pre school but we decided against it. The price was high, but that was not the primary reason. We felt like a great deal of the resources at the school were used to create an image rather than actually provide useful instruction. Impressing parents seems to be the goal.

[irisheyez1121]

Our daughter is currently in the first grade at Laurel Hill. Overall, we are really happy with the quality of education that she is receiving there. My spouse is an elementary principal, so she screened the curriculum very carefully before enrolling, and is very satisfied with what is being offered. The class sizes are small, and there is a teacher and assistant in each class. The Math curriculum is Singapore Math, which is now being adopted as part of the NYS Common Core. The kids do a lot of writing and reading, and also take Spanish starting from Kindergarten. My daughter comes home excited to talk about what she has learned, and is thriving there. Most of the parents from her Kindergarten class chose to have their children stay for first grade. Each year the kids participate in Song Fest (a Chorus type recital) in December, a Poetry Tea in the Spring, and a class play (last year was Peter Pan). The younger kids have older ones as mentors who help with school work as well. The teachers are responsive to concerns, and warm and nurturing. I feel that our daughter's teachers have really gotten to know our daughter, and so are better able to respond to her needs than would be the case in a larger classroom. Suzuki violin lessons are offered at the school (for an additional fee). The other parents I know from her class are also very happy with the school. There is not much racial diversity (but this is typical of long island as a whole), but there is cultural diversity, and everyone gets along for the most part. I like that my daughter has been exposed to children of different family structures and religions, and who have families from other countries.

Her current class size is 18. One concern is that as the kids get into the older grade, the class sizes tend to get much smaller, as more parents transfer their kids to public school. My daughter wishes there were larger classrooms and more kids, as well as a cafeteria.

I agree that some things are done for show, but its not a deal breaker. For example, there is a push to advance children faster than I believe they are ready. I think this is partly because some parents want to be able to say that their kids are advanced, and partly because the admin wants to use this as a selling point. At the end of my daughter's Kindergarten year, they wanted to place her into second grade reading, but we said no. I know of some parents who had stressed children in K they were placed into the first grade Math program when they weren't ready. However, you don't have to go along with the recommendations, and there was no resistance when we said that we wanted to keep her on grade level. As long as you know your child, and play an active role in his/her education, it is not an issue.

Another drawback is that everything costs extra money. On top of tuition, we pay for classroom party supplies, school trips, after school activities, Scholastic magazine, etc. Teachers are not given money for classroom supplies, and are expected to pay for them out of pocket. We were asked to participate in fund raising programs twice this year, and to send in money for teacher appreciation day and the Laurel Hill Parent Fund. I'm not seeing this extra money distributed to the teaching staff or for extra programs or supplies, so I'm not sure where it is going, though I have my suspicions.

Despite these concerns, we will be sending her back again next year. There is no perfect school, and for us, its a good fit. The teachers are dedicated and make up the real strength of the school. You might have guessed that I'm not thrilled with the administration, but our dealings with them are limited. I find Mrs. Stark to be somewhat elitist, but Mr. Stark seems very genuine and cares about the children. I'm on the fence about Mrs. Karchmar. One positive thing I can say about the admin is that if there is an issue, they will act on it immediately. They are extremely responsive to parent concerns.

If you have any more questions, please PM me. I'm happy to put you in touch with other parents as well.

[nalh]

I have two children; the oldest graduated from Harbor and the youngest is a current student. Great school. Academics are both challenging and supportive, as appropriate. Kids are encouraged to develop a strong work ethic and develop into leaders. Faculty and staff really care about the students, and it is truly a welcoming, caring environment. We didn't look at Laurel Hill because it is not an independent school or non-profit. Good luck with your decision.