Goldfish Swim School - Needham in Needham Heights

This is the only well-promoted swimming pool that is somewhat budget-friendly and accepts young children, and I have to say—it was a mistake to come here even once. There are plenty of reasons for this, which I’ll explain below, but if you have the option, I highly recommend looking for something better. We’ve been attending for eight months now, and if it weren’t for my child’s love of water, we would have quit a long time ago. On our first visit, we were given no guidance whatsoever. When we approached the staff to ask what to do, they simply pointed us to our lane and that was it. No introduction, no information—nothing. It seems like they expect you to figure everything out on your own, from finding the lanes to the locker rooms and showers. The final straw for us was when they changed our class time without informing us. When we asked what was going on, the staff at the front desk apologized—but what good does that do for us? Parking is a nightmare; there are never any spots available. Once you get inside, you realize there are no proper changing rooms. Just last week, my husband asked where he could change, and the staff told him, “In the restroom.” He pointed out that there was no light in there, and their response? “Use the flashlight on your phone.” Seriously? Is this the kind of service we’re paying for? I cannot recommend this pool to anyone. In fact, when I asked friends which swimming schools they take their kids to, many mentioned Goldfish as a terrible experience from their past. The moment they switched to a different school, their children actually started learning how to swim. And I heard this from more than just one or two people. If it weren’t for the awful customer service and dismissive attitude, we might have considered staying. But with constant instructor changes, schedule shifts without notice, no parking, and no proper facilities—this is absolutely not what we signed up for.

My son has been thriving in his swim class. He absolutely enjoys it. The swim teachers are great. Very patient. I picked goldfish because of their flexibility in the swim lesson hours. I wasn’t able to make my sons lessons at the YMCA due to my work hours, so I took him out and found goldfish. So happy I did.

Goldfish Needham does a great job getting to know the kids and meeting them at the level they are at. We have had a great experience learning to swim here!

Both my kids have been swimming at Goldfish for a few years. Their swim skills have grown exponentially with the kind guidance of their swim instructors. Goldfish is well organized and operated. They are super helpful in finding class times that work with our schedule, their lifeguards are well trained and professional, and their classes are structured to build swimmers’ skills naturally and with confidence. My kids love it!

We love Goldfish Needham ! All three of our kids take classes and we cannt say enough on how great is the team - attentive, flexible, knowledgeable. Communication is a key and they have nailed it. Thank you from our little fishes.

The staff are super-friendly and helpful. The instructors in the pool show genuine interest with their students and celebrate their progress! There is a lot of positive energy.

After two years of swimming lessons, my son still had a phobia of swimming, and I felt nothing had been achieved. I had enough and decided to stop his classes there. I then enrolled him in a different program, and within one month, he was able to swim, jump into the water, and even swim backwards. I do not recommend the Goldfish!

Tried the jump start clinics this summer and a fabulous deal for the cost per session and focused attention from expert coaches. We were also able get an adaptive swim clinic for another child and was very impressed with their list of accommodations. Facility is extremely clean and well organized; staff focuses a lot on water safety and do well with a range of children. I appreciate the pool is very well staffed and lots of supervision!