Ridgeview Classical Schools

Excellent education, fantastic faculty! Love everything about RCS!

I transferred from Ridgeview after my first semester, for a variety of reasons, mainly based around mental and social well-being. I am writing this review because I want to help prospective parents and students in whatever way possible. I do not think that I am blinded in my viewpoint on Ridgeview by the negative experiences I've tried to represent my opinion of the school as accurately and non-provocatively as possible in this review, and I hope the negative (and the positive!) rings true.

One of my favorite things about Ridgeview is the level of academic success they aspire to achieve. I have never been to a school that focuses so well on educating students in a meaningful way. Academically, the school is astounding. Although I may disagree at points with the implementation of their values, I agree strongly with the core values I hope the school continues to foster the capacities for deeper learning and meaningful discussion in its students.

Not everything at Ridgeview is as impressive as the academics, however. By far, the least impressive aspect of Ridgeview has been the workload, along with the burden of not being able to fully express yourself. A major reason why I found myself socially confused and repressed at Ridgeview was that the school seems to be very invested in its own vision instead of that of the students. I found Ridgeview to be far too keen in adapting the students to the school, instead of the other way around.

Frequently, I saw hardworking students who proudly reflected Ridgeview's values be disciplined for holding those same values. These values are all undesirable when they conflict with the objectives of the administration. Simply criticizing the school will cast you in a very different light in the eyes of many administrators.

Finally, I take issue with the school's expression of its philosophies. I strongly believe that reading classics really does help develop students' ability to learn. That said, it's quite disappointing how the school likes to cast itself as an oasis in the desert that is modern education and modern society. This "us v. them" mentality is detrimental to interactions both within and without the school's community - it's entitled, negative, and elitist.

My least favorite class during my semester at Ridgeview expressed all of these negative aspects, along with some more. I found that class to be completely out of line. The teacher of this class dominated conversations, talked down to students whose opinions differ from his, and made a litany of comments throughout the course that were either ludicrously unfounded in fact or highly offensive. (He expressed his disbelief in global climate change, opined that there is mass cloning in Southeast Asia, and claimed that homosexuality was against natural law, among many others.) This teacher is greatly respected by many at Ridgeview, but I found his class to be repulsive, sour, and hopelessly politically skewed.

At Ridgeview, I experienced many terrible things. I heard a faculty member reveal to students that he was "only in his marriage for the kid" during a school event, I heard another faculty member cite statistics, in his words, "black bastardization", and then attribute those numbers to the culture of that race, and I saw underperforming students who needed emotional support dealt with in a brusque and carelessly harsh manner. However, I also experienced many great things - the strength of the students' community, whether at dances or in student clubs or outside during recess the thrill of engaging in conversation with a teacher about a topic I cared deeply about, and the sense of fulfilled mental potential I almost always felt when discussing philosophy, as if I was finally fully using my mind as a tool for self-improvement.

My rating of Ridgeview is based on my personal opinion of the school after attending for a semester. No matter how strongly I stand by this opinion (and I do believe that I have explained it clearly enough to be respected as a valid opinion), I understand that other people hold different values highest, and these people may find Ridgeview to be more enjoyable. Therefore, I'll try to describe the values that Ridgeview cherishes and neglects, in the most neutral terms possible.

Ridgeview is bad for people who value:
-political neutrality
-social liberalism
-independence/self-sustainability in the modern world
-freedom of expression (not limited to speech, but also including action that is not hurtful or diminishing)

Ridgeview is good for people who value:
-respect for authority
-traditional American social structures
-religious faith (although the school, as a charter school, is not religious, it certainly caters towards a more religious base)

That is all that I have to say about that.

We are so grateful that our children have had the opportunity to be students at Ridgeview Classical School. This is our 7th year at the school and we continue to be amazed at what is offered to them here. The discussions that they have as a class starting at such a young age is astonishing. They emphasize the importance of displaying good character and discuss these expectations on a regular basis. The teachers really care about each student and want to see each student succeed in their classes. Our children really enjoy school and Ridgeview has encouraged this love of learning in both of them. We are thankful!

Consistently shown to be one of top schools in Colorado.
Rated 15th in nation by US news and world report - http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2008/12/04/best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html
Great place. Great environment for learning. All education... no social programming!