How to read school reviews

A single review, good or bad, tells you about one family's experience at one point in time. It's real, useful information — but it's not the whole picture. What's usually most reliable is the pattern that repeats across several reviews, not the single most extreme one.

Pay particular attention to whether the school responds to reviews. A public reply that's specific and respectful (rather than generic or defensive) often says a lot about how that school handles criticism in general — which likely carries over to how they handle other conflicts too.

Also keep in mind that experiences can vary by year group, teacher, or even year to year — a school changes over time. Give more weight to recent reviews than to ones from several years ago.

And if you've had your own experience, consider leaving a review yourself: the more families share their real experience, the more useful this information is for whoever is deciding right now.