Roycemore School

This place really understands middle schoolers. They give them the autonomy they desire in a supportive environment. They value relationships; student-student and student-teacher. They inspire excellence by giving students opportunities to participate in a larger community (PK-12). Every child should have a school experience like Roycemore delivers!

Roycemore is a truly unique place where my kids are thriving. I have 2 children in Roycemore's Lower School, one of whom struggles with learning differences and other of whom is far above grade level. It amazes me that both of them are doing amazingly well. THIS is true differentiation (a word I hear but do not see often). All that, plus they get 40 minutes to eat lunch, 45 minutes at recess and 30 minutes of PE, each of these EVERY DAY!!! Best of all, they LOVE going to school each day. I could not be happier with our experience at this wonderful, loving place.

Going to Roycemore for high school was one of the best decisions I ever made. Five years ago, I began looking at schools that were academically rigorous and had a supportive teaching staff. Roycemore had both and something else no other school around had; a genuinely kind and happy student body. During my prospective student visit, most students went out of their way to interact with me and to ensure that I felt welcome. At Roycemore, I took, and succeed in, eight AP classes, had a sufficiently strong academic résumé to get me into my first-choice college (Haverford), but most importantly, I was happy. Roycemore is a home and its community a family. It was the place I rushed to in the mornings, and that I was reluctant to leave at night. I am writing this review in the hopes of more students experiencing what it feels like to actually enjoy going to school, to be an equal member of a family, and to not just a name on an attendance sheet.

We love Roycemore ! After extensive research on schooling options across the North Shore, my husband and I decided to apply to Roycemore for our then five-year-old daughter. This probably was one of the best parenting decisions that we have made so far. Now a second grader, our daughter has been thriving academically, socially, and emotionally at Roycemore. Here is why we are so happy about the school: The faculty: The teachers are incredible. I cannot believe how much attention, care, and sheer love goes into their relationships with the children. The teacher student ratio is excellent (1/14) so the teachers know exactly where each child stands and what her needs are. Diversity: the school operates on a sliding tuition model that allows kids from a variety of social and ethnic background to benefit from a splendid education and learn to know and respect each other. According to the most recent statistics, 48% of Roycemore kids come from non-Caucasian families. In addition, the school models a sense of social responsibility by taking part of several community-oriented projects throughout the academic year. Differentiation: The pedagogical approach at Roycemore is all about differentiation, and their ability to meet each child where s/he is one of the school’s greatest strengths. In the lower school, the kids break up into skill-based groups across two grades (first and second, third and fourth) for reading and math. Additional faculty (including a great gifted coordinator) join the regular classroom teacher at those times, which must bring the adult/student ratio to an amazing 7:1 for reading and math. Approach to homework: So far my daughter has got very little homework: almost none in first grade, and a weekly take-home project in second grade, which has left her time to unwind and enjoyed unstructured activities at home. The homework that she got emphasized quality and creativity. I am very happy with that approach, which aligns with recent research on the benefits of decreased amounts of homework. Leadership: In 2016-2017 Roycemore was led by a warm and caring interim head who managed to bring about some very positive initiatives (including the switch to a fully organic food provider) in a short period of time. The new head of school seems fantastic. I relish her inspiring weekly messages to the community and am most impressed with her dedication and commitment to getting to know each child and family individually. Ethics and values: the lower school participates in a wonderful social and emotional program called “Leader in Me” that emphasize “seven habits” including collaboration, respect for others, self-motivation, organization, etc. The teachers are very imaginative at designing activities that prompt the kids to apply those seven habits in real life. The kids have daily class meetings and weekly lower school meetings where they learn to work together and address conflict in a positive and a respectful manner. The space: The facilities are bright, clean, and colorful. I feel happy each time I come in. Also the location in down-town Evanston near the Metra, the L, the post-office and a range of shops has turned out to be super convenient. ROYCEMORE ROCKS!

Roycemore is The School that gets it on the North Shore. This North Shore gem cultivates a strong academic environment while emphasizing the social/emotional development of the children. It is small (one class per grade), which fosters a high degree of responsiveness to kids and parents alike. On the academic front, although Roycemore is not a gifted school, the faculty use a gifted model of education and differentiate the instruction according to kids’ needs with the help of a gifted coordinator. For English, they combine 1st and 2nd graders, and separate them into four (mostly skill-based) groups. This allows kids to focus on what they need most, including phonics for those who benefit from it. In Math 1st to 4th grade, the classes are grouped by skills (after merging 1st with 2nd grade, then 3rd with 4th grade). In addition, the gifted coordinator will spend time as needed to challenge kids 1 to 2 grades ahead while keeping the topic engaging and fun. At the same time, kids’ free time is respected: they are not given tons of homework for the sake of it. For social and emotional development, they use the “7 habits of happy kids” by Sean Covey. Young age is the best time to build lifelong habits of success. They also have Aristotelian virtues painted on the walls. The teachers are amazing. In first grade, Ms. Vanchieri is nurturing and calm, but also firm and structuring. In second grade, Ms. Taylor-Pines is energetic and full of enthusiasm. Ms. Orzoff, the head of lower school, is firm with would-be bullies, but always has kids best interest at heart, and has her door open for parents. In addition, the school just hired a new Principal, Adrianne Finley Odell, who aims to keep the school’s strong values, while injecting new energy. Last year, there was a big improvement with the quality of the food, which is now provided by HandCut foods. It is mostly organic, and the kids love it. The small size allows the school to listen to parents. In our experience, it has been very responsive, and the opposite of the stubborn bureaucracy you will often find at many public (and even private) schools. The motto seems to be: if we can do it, we will. Instead of: we will first say no, wait for our lawyers’ opinion, and make you feel our power. The small size also allows for flexibility in how the school incorporates recent research of what is effective in education. For example, research at Princeton has shown that handwriting helps memorization, and they encourage it including the teaching of cursive. On the other hand, computers help for differentiation and are used for that purpose. They are also careful to provide enough time for sports and outdoor recess, which help kids develop gross motor skills, have fun, and keep better eyesight. As you may have noticed, I am quite detailed oriented. My wife and I visited all the schools of the North Shore and more (Central Elementary, Avoca West, Sears, Baker, Chiaravalle, North Shore Country Day, Lycée Francais etc.), and this is the best by far.