Testimonials | Edson Forest School

"Our son has thrived at Edson Forest School.  The school is in a house that's been converted into classrooms and common spaces and sits on six wooded acres near the base of Massanutten Mountain.  My wife and I have found the school to be an exciting mix of experiential projected based learning and focused academic instruction.  Because the student body is small, it's allowed our son to feel like he's part of a community.  The teachers take advantage of the teacher to student ratios to really focus on the kids' strengths and address any areas that need improvement.  We have been impressed with the level of communication - - we frequently received detailed summaries of our son's progress.  The school is unique in terms of its size and focus on outdoor learning, but for our son it's been a wonderful match."
-Upper Elementary Parent

“Our family loves the small, nurturing community at Edson. Our children have gained confidence, independence, and appreciation for nature. Ms. Janeth provides top notch Spanish education and it has been a joy to see our children’s interest and abilities in Spanish grow.” -Lower Elementary Parent

“My kids have learned so much at this school over the last two years. They love every part of school, especially the friendships they have made and the time they have to play and appreciate the nature all around. It’s been such a great experience for our whole family!” – Anonymous Family

“Edson Forest School is an awesome school with a really cool alternative learning environment and a place that leaves kids ahead of schedule not behind when it comes to learning! My boy wouldn’t go anywhere else.” – Anonymous Family

“My daughter’s behavior regressed when she started kindergarten in the public school and she struggled with anxiety. We switched to Edson and it has been great. Her class size is small so she’s not overwhelmed anymore. She gets the personal attention that she needs. She’s grown more confidence in herself and her abilities as they get to play outside so much more. One of the teachers is from Panama so she gets Spanish every day and she’s started speaking in Spanish to people she thinks are Latinx.

Due to the combination of grades in one class she’s exposed to things she would never hear about in public school until she was much older. She has been soaking it up like a sponge! She comes home and tells me all kinds of facts. The outdoor learning is really good. Not only do they learn typical outdoor skills, the teachers blend academics into outside instruction.”
-Lower Elementary Parent

I was a student at Edson Forest School for a few years, and really enjoyed the experience. I liked that there was a lot of time outdoors, and the entire last hour of school was “outdoor exploration” which meant that we could do whatever we felt like in the woods every day. It was a lot of fun. The science themes were pretty cool, but sometimes the teachers had lessons that were new to Lowers but Uppers knew already. Although we did spend time with younger kids, it was only for part of the day.

I like how small the classes were, and really liked that the learning was mostly at my own pace. I got to learn things I was interested in and there was no set assignment that everyone had to do the same way.
-Former Student