Kirby Hall School

07/21/07

Nobody knows what they are doing at Kirby Hall.

by marie_r at Citysearch

The majority of Kirby teachers aren't actually trained to teach and have little to no experience as classroom teachers. Additionally, the high teacher turnover rate poses a problem. Each year, Kirby loses at least three teachers (at least). Teachers leave in the middle of the school year as well. No continuity or stability! Kirby Hall uses outdated public school curriculum.

The administrators make decision based upon personal whims. There is no "vision" or direction for the school, and certainly no "captain at the helm" to carry it out. Communication with parents is nil at Kirby Hall as well. They do what they want when they want. This school year (06-07), Kirby Hall admins allowed a camera crew to film on campus while school was going on. Nobody consulted the parents about this. A crew member told small children to "shut up", and parents who complained were brushed off by administrators. I don't send my children to school to be verbally abused by strange adults, thanks.

Kirby Hall offers no real challenge for academically advanced students. Because of low enrollment numbers, Kirby Hall recruits and retains students requiring remediation. Advanced students are given extra worksheets and slower students monopolize teacher attention - and Kirby Hall admins consider this appropriate individual attention. Ridiculous.

Kirby Hall offers no extra curricular activities other than having the kids do homework in the library after school. Seniors have several hours a day assigned to "independent study", which consists of Kirby seniors sitting in the senior lounge. No tuition or fee breaks for this "luxury", either. No teaching going on, either. The "independent study" practice is glorified babysitting (but with no babysitter).

• Pros: the school has potential
• Cons: high teacher turnover rate, irresponsible administrators, outdated curriculum, no continuity

07/16/08

Kirby Hall School is a mess

by Anonymous177 at Citysearch

This school is rediculous. The two "great reviews" you see listed are from an administrative flunky who is desperate to keep her job and her tuition break, and a student who is the daughter of another flunky at the school. Thy are going around to all the sites and puting in "great reviews" of the school to manipulate potential parents and bolster their floundering enrollment problems. They are down 60 kids alone this year- over 25% OF THE SCHOOL.

Here is the real scoop. The school is run by a autocratic old biddy that is capricious, and vindictive. They run a "great dog and pony show" to get you in the front door- but once you are there you realize it's a mess. 14/25 staff and faculty have been fired or quit this year alone. Teachers have their benefits cut off, teachers are fired without reason, kids are thrown out without reason. There is no parent association or teacher association to curb Beverly Rase and her craziness. Instead Mrs. Rase makes snap judgments based on gossip from one or two nasty parents. This year a a few parents complained about a boy in kindergarden who (a student of color) was "too rowdy and unmanageable". Beverly then threw the child out of school along with his brother in second grade. No warnings- no meetings, no nothing. It was only the intervention of the second grade teacher and some parents like myself that enabled the second grader ( a wonderul child ) to return. This is typically behavior at Kirby Hall. Someone in administration admitted that there are even unmentioned race quotas - that Beverly "doesn't want too many kids of color and their parents in the school because... well you know how they are". Kirby Hall may look like a cheap alternative to public school- but trust me. Save your money .

06/10/08

Turnover/home school method/unsupervised

by concerned1parent at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: some teachers care, but few
• Cons: teacher turnover, curriculum, administration

05/12/08

Kirby Hall is a stellar school

by schurig at Citysearch

We have been at Kirby Hall since 2000 and now have all 4 of our children at Kirby Hall. We couldn't be happier with the faculty, education, relationships, and programming at the school. Our oldest child is our only daughter and we have seen her blossom every year in the nurturing but very challenging environment that is Kirby Hall. The curriculum is based upon fundamentals - fundamentals that pay off every year when Kirby Hall wins the state Private School Interscholastic Competition and when students apply to colleges boasting extremely high standardized test scores. In addition to academics, the samll, nurturing environments has allowed our older children to develop their own character free of bullying, clicques, or peer pressure, making them proud of both their academic accomplishments and their own personal charachter. It is not a school for parents who want to turn their children over to a planned and prescripted educational situation however. Rather, it is best suited for families who want to tailor their children's education and to play an active, committed role in the devolopment of their children. We can not endorse this school highly enough. It is an amazing, and rare, institution and we feel very lucky to have found it.

• Pros: curriculum, teachers, class size, students

11/23/07

Bad, bad bad!

by mo_campbell at Citysearch

Unqualified teachers, ridiculously high staff turnover, unsupervised students, lack of evidence-based curriculum, and no continuity in any set curriculum (changes mid-year are common) make for a lousy school. Bad administration is at the core of the problem with Kirby Hall. The few ladies "in charge" simply have no idea what they're doing, and that has made this school a joke. Kirby Hall is not an appropriate school for your every day average child, and certainly not a child who is bright and/or gifted. Not at all! Kirby Hall is the least academically challenging school I've encountered in my years as an education professor. Utter chaos.

• Pros: lovely historic building
• Cons: unqualified administrators, unqualified teachers, no stability in curriculum or faculty

07/25/07

Narcotic, alcohol use and sexual activity take place inside the building.

by j_a_w at Citysearch

The senior lounge is a den of inequity.Narcotics, alcohol and sexuality are rampant within the school building. Why? These seniors are unsupervised for several hours a day. They have 'independent study time' where they go to the senior lounges and do anything but study. Administrators turn a blind eye (but don't decrease tuition for the luxury of un-manned babysitting.

1/3 new faculty this year. Sad. Kirby Hall cannot hold onto it's teachers.

• Pros: if new administrators replaced the ineffective ones presently working, things could be better
• Cons: no supervision, weak curriculum, high teacher turnover rate

07/18/07

A big mess.

by julieneumar at Citysearch

Understaffed administration, teachers holding undergraduate degrees and little experience, no extracurricular activities, public school curriculum, lack of individual attention, lack of serious academic challenge, and high teacher turnover are some of the reasons why this 30 year old program just isn't working. Look elsewhere for quality education in Austin. There are so many options. This is one of the worst schools in the Austin area, in my opinion.

This school is supposedly for academically able students, but since numbers continue to plummet, Kirby admits and retains students who would be in resource classes at any other school. This drags down the classes and the honestly academically able students suffer. I do not recommend this school to ANYONE.

• Pros: beautiful exterior, good location for people who work downtown or at UT
• Cons: everything else...and it all stems from the visionless administration