Reviews of Carolina Day School, Asheville NC (School)

Paul Hamilton

On a positive note, the teachers at CDS are truly wonderful. Ann Jennings exemplifies all of the characteristics of an excellent teacher. However, the school administration is not trustworthy. I encourage any prospective student and student's parents to speak with former students and parents to gain a comprehensive perspective of the school prior to considering joining CDS.

Michael Ellison

Having our children in the Lower and Middle school over a period of years, it is clear that this school has lost its status of “one of the best” in Asheville. We have been terribly disappointed with the lack of leadership, trust, and quality of the lower and middle school principals. It’s clear as a parent that teachers don’t have trust in these administrators either. It’d be wise to replace them despite the turn-over rate of these positions over the past few years. INSTABILITY is a key word at this school. Administration is not stable at this school in all areas, including the upper school and Key School. Don’t submit if you’re bullied to transfer your child to the Key School if s/he doesn’t truly need to be there (it’s the school’s “dirty little secret” which is their main cash cow) $34,000 for tuition! Ask to see an overview of their curriculum from PreK-12th grade if you are looking into this school. Fortunately, we realized that this school is rapidly declining in enough time to repair the damage and find truly excellent schools in the Asheville area for our children. Not surprisingly, many other schools offer far superior education: charter schools, Asheville Middle & High school, Valley Springs, and many excellent private schools in the area, which are more affordable. ANY choice is better than Carolina Day. DO NOT invest in this school and trust that you’re getting an education that’s worth the cost. The teachers are good, but they can’t make up for all that’s lacking and mask the faults of the administration enough.