The Woodhall School - Bethlehem, Connecticut

Luis Z.

Woodhall School was a safe haven where I was able to discover my strengths, both academically and personally. The structure provided by the school helped me very much once I left the school. Although it might be tough at the beginning, it gave me a great foundation to build upon, and provided me with very useful communication tools that have helped me grow, both on a profesional and personal level. It is definitely worth getting to know Mr. Woodhall, and actually visiting campus, since it is such a complex experience, that it is difficult to put in writing. I will be forever grateful to The Woodhall School and its faculty.

Holly P.

The Woodhall School was a blessing for our family. The focus on interpersonal communication, accountability and community was crucial for our son's personal growth. After searching for schools that would do more than pay lip service to social/emotional development, we found an environment where these skills are a core emphasis. At the same time, the curriculum available to the students observes the highest quality college prep standards.

It is due Matt Woodhall's leadership that the Woodhall School is an environment where young men can be vulnerable and can learn to discover their strengths in emotionally safe surroundings. The very low faculty turnover also demonstrated to us that Matt Woodhall provides a supportive work setting for his staff. The faculty truly care about the students' progress as members of the community as much as their academic achievement. Matt, with his staff, establish an atmosphere of compassion for the students that must take enormous emotional effort as well as "above and beyond" physical presence.

Working with boys who have had trouble with success at other schools is a very risky undertaking. The school's mission makes it necessarily susceptible to unhappy students and parents. It's important to keep this fact in mind when researching Woodhall. We certainly did and we never looked back.

Nancy K.

This program saved my son's life. While some of the boys may not see the value of the program while they are in (hence the mixed reviews) Woodhall is a safe and challenging school that embraces uniqueness while teaching independence and communication skills. My son would not be graduating from college, much less with friends and a career goal, without Woodhall.

Warren H. (.

Despite the few initially offputting reviews, I can fully say that without this school, I probably wouldnt have made it through high school, nor even my first year of college. Woodhall's approach is strict, but easy to live by once you get used to it. The communications programs are garuanteed open up new ways get to know your peers in an intimate and safe environment, encouraging self reflection to broaden the scope of one's mind, and foster mindfulness in one's self in order to help them greater accept the world around them. As a graduate, I know these things to be true, and I could not reccomend this school enough.

Terrill S. V. D.

Small school in a small town; 1 pizza shop, 1 gas station / grocery store, 1 pharmacy, 1 post office - that's it.

This being a review of the school; from 1988. I attended for 1 1/2 years.

Back then it "boys only". Same today !?
(Yes - a school filled with energetic testosterone filled teenage boys)

To say that this school prepared me for to attend a 25,000 student college; is a bit of a mis-statement.

Yes; The price was extremely high back then as well. They touted themselves as specializing in individuals who need extra help on developing correct study habits; preparing for college or correcting learning dis-abilities.

Two very different ends on the spectrum; they missed by compromising in the middle.

Student enrollment: 20 boys
Teachers (day only) 6 ; not including the P.E instructor
2 dorm parents; 2 cooks, 1 maintenance man (see below)

Around 12 kids were preparing for college; the other 8 had serious mental issues. Two very different issues; but here they were treated the same. Neither very well. Teachers not certified; either in psychiatry or in education.

Headmaster hardly there; not much instruction to teachers. Discipline to students consisted of copying cookbooks; (which most of us secretly liked doing, So we had detention a lot; he he he) Some teachers were good, some bad. But the nice ones only seem to be around for a short time.

Each day we had 5 hours of "Study hall"; interrupted by five 20 min. one-on-one classes with each teacher specializing in a different subject. "Study hall" was a big room filled with student cubicals; a teacher sat in a corner to answer questions. Other than that we did not have any instruction or guidance.

This was usually followed by 1 hour of soccer after class time. "Homework" was done in study hall (4 hours a day). So this left a lot of "free time" later in the day. With no supervision.

To say that this school prepared me for to attend a 25,000 student college; is a bit of a mis-statement.

Did I mention that we had 12 creative, energetic, testosterone filled boys with a lot of spare time !? For recreation we had the pool hall, poker table, band practice room, the half pipe, the secret garden, an alcoholic maintenance man, the secret path to town / path to girls houses. Supervised by only 2 "dorm parents" who never went outside. What else do teenagers need!?

To say that this school prepared me for to attend a 25,000 student college (Boston University) ; is a bit of a mis-statement.

Since then; things may have changed. I hope.

Carl H.

This school provided just what my son needed. It provided the structure and content that his previous school did not. He is on his way to a productive life. Thanks to the faculty and staff.

Charles T.

New N.