RANSOM EVERGLADES SCHOOL

Main difficulty: I give this school 5 stars for academics but 1 star overall. That distinction captures my experience: the academics were excellent, but the personal cost was far too high.

Looking back, I believe the school placed extraordinary emphasis on academic achievement, prestige, and future success, while giving far too little attention to students’ emotional well-being, character, kindness, and how they treated one another.

I was a year ahead academically, developed physically later than many classmates, and came to the school with a foreign accent. I was frequently mocked and bullied. I also experienced some students of a particular religion looking down on me and others from my country of origin.

What troubles me most is not only how I was treated, but what the environment brought out in me. I was treated brutally by other students and, in turn, treated another student brutally. I owe that person a sincere apology. Years later, a former student who had bullied me called to apologize for how he had treated me. That call meant a great deal and reinforced how damaging the experience had been.

The school unquestionably provided an excellent academic education, and I eventually attended one of the top universities in the country. I understand the value of high expectations and academic opportunity. But achievement should not come at the expense of a child’s psychological and emotional well-being.

What I remember most is the lack of warmth and kindness among students and an overwhelming emphasis on achievement and success. Schools change, and I can only speak about my own experience. But knowing what I know, I would not send my own child there. Out of love for them, I would place their emotional health, sense of belonging, and development as a decent and secure human being above the prestige of the school they attended.
Area: Behaviour support, Inclusion / SEND
Impact on my child: Stress/anxiety, Confidence, Behavioural changes
School responsiveness: Limited or unclear response
Summary: Excellent academics, but at far too high a cost to students’ emotional well-being.