“We would like to highly recommend Athena Anthopoulos as an educational specialist to aid in your child’s placement in an appropriate educational choice of schools. We were familiar with Athena’s professional guidance, when our older daughter had Athena as one of her lower school teachers while she was working at a local independent school. We have recently used her services to help with placement of our twin nine year old daughters in fourth grade in an independent school. This was a very stressful challenging experience. Athena helped us to navigate the complexities of applying to multiple schools, evaluating, and assessing their individual needs. She attended open houses and meetings with us as well as supporting us all along the way and preparing us for interviews with schools. Without her valuable expertise in this educational process, we do not feel we would have the best decisions for our daughters. Athena is continuing to support our daughters in private tutoring to prepare them in their journey as they enter their new educational institution. She is an extremely caring and understanding individual, who plans every detail of navigating this experience.”
With offices in Rosemont, PA, serving the Philadelphia Main Line
About Main Line School Match
Athena Anthopoulos, M.S. Ed., is the founder and principal of Main Line School Match, LLC, a unique educational consultancy with offices in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. With an extensive background in early childhood and elementary education, Athena has taught and guided children and families on the Main Line for over 25 years. She believes parents can find the best school match for their children with the right knowledge and guidance.
About Athena
Athena grew up on the Main Line and received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s of Science in Early Childhood Education, specializing in policy and administration, from The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. She began her teaching career as a Kindergarten teacher at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. After being at home with her daughters until they entered middle school, Athena returned to work, substituting in both public and private Main Line schools in elementary and middle school classrooms. She went on to become the lead teacher for several elementary grades during her seven years working at the Baldwin School, and she continues to tutor Pre-K through fifth graders in reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic using strategy-based instruction.
In Athena’s Words
During my graduate school practicums, I had the opportunity to visit and work in many early childhood centers, and I began to see how many choices parents were faced with about where to send their children. Single gender vs. co-ed? Religious vs. non-denominational? Play-oriented vs. structured? How did parents begin to choose or decide what school was the best match for their child? Those questions seeded the vision for Main Line School Match.
As an educator, I have worked closely with many families, listening to their concerns about school curriculum, culture, and pedagogy. I have also found myself privately consulting parents of the students I tutor about the best school matches for their children, confirming my belief that Main Line School Match could be the key to helping even more parents make informed choices about which schools would help their children learn and thrive.
Children spend most of their waking hours at school, so finding a school that fits them well is paramount to both their emotional well-being and their ability to reach their full academic potential. I know this personally as the mother of two children and three stepchildren, each of whom attended different independent schools that met their individual needs.
With so many excellent schools in the area, parents can look to Main Line School Match as the key that helps them weigh their options and select which schools seem like the best fit for their children. As its founder and principal, I am devoted to helping parents find the right schools for their children by identifying their core values, their children’s needs and educational goals. My approach with clients is personal and nonjudgmental, and I respect and am attuned to their diversity of cultures, religious beliefs, and family structures.
Client Testimonials
“Not being from the area, my husband and I were overwhelmed by the many excellent school choices we had for our daughter and son. Athena was a great resource. She helped us to narrow down what was the best fit for each of our children. She was kind and patient and very quick to respond to any of our questions and concerns. We think she is fabulous!”
“Athena worked with us as we were considering moving our two middle school-aged sons from LMSD to an independent school. With so many great options in the area, it was hard for us to navigate this decision alone and be confident we made the best choice for them. Athena got to know our boys, their personalities and interests, and helped guide us to the school that would be the best fit for them, push them academically, and most importantly help them grow into confident, responsible young adults. She steered us right, with the whole person in mind, and we are very happy with our decision!”
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