Holland Hall School

There is no way that Holland Hall is among the top schools in the country. Those who believe so have not visited the private schools in the suburbs of Baltimore and Boston. Holland Hall is a great school for the right child. They are very good for the independent child who is self motivated. The campus is beautiful and the facilities are equally impressive. Forget finding all of those advanced placement courses or IB programs here. This is a school that focuses mainly on providing the basics and and making sure that your child will get the best preparation for the rigors of college. While almost all the graduates will go on to college, very few of the graduates go on to Ivy League colleges

Holland Hall fails tremendously when it comes to children with ADD/ADHD or children needing structure. That is not to say that these kids couldn't be successful elsewhere, but the kids need a different approach! The school pride themselves in being able to provide for these kids but they are seriously misguided in that belief! There are many parents who have had to pull their kids out because the school wouldn't make the appropriate effort to teach these kids. Nothing has disappointed me more than this!

Posted 10/14/09 | Report Abuse

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Holland Hall is undeniably the greatest school in the region -- and among the best in the nation. Striving for excellence in Academics, the Arts, and Athletics, Holland Hall successfully creates an environment that invites students who excel in any of these three categories. The schedule is a huge plus, as it allows much needed time for accomplishing homework, and receiving help from teachers. Teachers and students interact loosely with each other making great relationships. There is a huge workload, and stress is not uncommon, but the college prep received is incredible. It is not the right school for everyone, but for the right students, Holland Hall is an incredible place.

Posted 11/10/08 | Report Abuse

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Some positives: schedule allows downtime between classes, beautiful campus, helpful teachers, seniors can leave campus when not in class, good preparation for college in terms of work.
Some negatives: lack of diversity in the mainly sheltered and upper class student body, the current principal is rude in dealing with students, very demanding workload, not as wide a range of course options as found in larger public institutions, limited extracurricular choices, and the problem of gossip attributed to the schools small size. It spreads very quickly, teachers are involved in students personal lives sometimes to the extent of nosiness and gossip about the students just as badly, if not worse, than the students themselves. This can lead some students to feel as though under constant surveillance.
Holland Hall is decent overall, but its not for everyone. If you want to blend in or want the typical high school experience, look elsewhere.

Posted 02/07/08 | Report Abuse

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As a graduate of Holland Hall, I can tell you all the statistics... something like 99 percent of all graduates go on to complete college, it's one of the best private schools in the country (top 20), etc.

And it's absolutely fantastic. Your kids are going to learn a bunch. But be prepared for the "rich kid" atmosphere... there's tremendous social pressure to wear the right socks, the right shoes, etc. Even though everyone wears uniforms, the kids find a way to find out who's rich and who isn't.

At $12,000 a year, it's certainally the best school, but depending on your house finances, may not be the best school for the money. If you have a kid in K-8, Trinity is about 1/4th the cost and is a excelent school. Or other cheaper options are Victory and Bishop Kelly.

But if you want the absolute best, Holland Hall is probably it.

Posted 08/05/05 | Report Abuse

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