Barnhart School, Arcadia | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

Barnhart is my happy place. As a parent of two boys who are currently enrolled in the elementary school, I couldn’t be happier to have found a place that is such a great fit for my family. My children love going to school and are sad when they are sick and have to miss a day.

During our time at Barnhart, I have watched both of my children grow to be caring friends, inquisitive leaners and confident students. I know this is due to the incredible teachers who create a safe learning environment for all. I have always felt that the teachers truly care about my children and have a vested interest in their well-being. Teachers often email to communicate their concerns, and also to share sweet anecdotes or moments when they’ve felt proud of students. With small classroom sizes, teachers are able to give students extra support or challenges if needed.

What I love most about Barnhart is the school’s philosophy of focusing on fostering growth of the whole child. Each member of the faculty and staff act in harmony with a specific emphasis on balance, so that students receive quality instruction and also learn about what it means to be kind, accept others, and resolve conflict.

We also chose Barnhart because our oldest son is unique. He was reading by 3 years old and exhibited other advanced academic skills. During first grade, his teacher and vice principal encouraged us to have him tested for giftedness. This diagnosis has absolutely been life-changing. We feel like we understand our child and are better equipped to handle the joys and challenges that come with gifted learners. We will forever feel grateful that Barnhart led us on this journey and that the faculty and staff are well prepared and dedicated to helping meet his specific needs.

The community at Barnhart is what makes this place shine. From day one, we have felt welcomed as part of the family. We’ve made life-lasting friendships and truly love our parent peers.

We enrolled our son at Barnhart years ago as a Kindergardener, then our daughter 2 years later. We loved the school; the families, the students, the teachers and the staff. We were thrilled to be part of the community; that was until after the 2011-2012 school year. The wonderful Head of School, Joe Harper, was fired, along with many other incredible administrative staff like Carol Reiter, the librarian Mrs. Yao and many others who made Barnhart what it was. In their place, enter Ethan Williamson, a man brought in to “transform” the school… and “transform” he did… Williamson co-authored a 5-year “strategic plan” intended to market Barnhart and enforced a strict “communications policy” which prohibits virtually any speech he doesn’t approve of. Violation of this carries the punishment of “separation from the community.” I guess the Barnhart Board thinks this will help improve enrollment?! No thanks. We spoke up against Williamson’s attempts to enforce a draconian policy for caring for our diabetic daughter who had been a member of the Barnhart community for years. The result? Immediate expulsion! No, I am not kidding. Williamson didn’t like our “tone, tenor or word choice” and threw our innocent kids out of the school. Needless to say, we do not recommend Barnhart School.

UPDATE: Instead of confronting and fixing issues brought up, the school has people writing reviews. Only thing is, the issues are still very real and there is no dialogue to fix them. Not worth the money at this point.

The curriculum struggles.
The school is old and not wheelchair friendly.
They have strong issues with nepotism.
Children can go live on social media without an issue.
Diversity is there but racist costumes during Halloween are reoccurring and you are clumped into ethnocentric groups (white parents lead, everyone else follows)
They welcome drinking at school functions but have no infrastructure for intoxicated parents.
My biggest issue would be the focus on money. The familes who pay more are heard most. If you have a gifted child but less income you might as well not exist.