Montessori Academy

MA is wonderful school of choice. The Montessori philosophy proves to provide students with the tools they need to be successful independently in their academic career; allowing them to learn at their own pace. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. Each teacher genuinely cares about the students and gives them opportunities to strive for excellence! The principal is hard working and very caring of both the staff and students at MA. A great place to teach and to learn!
—Submitted by a parent

If there is an available space for your child to attend this wonderful school, race over there right now and register! This is a very unique school which continues to celebrate the curiosity and exuberance which naturally occurs in children. More than just a Montessori charter school, the Montessori spirit and philosophy thrive in this wonderful community. The classrooms are more than simply traditional Montessori. All classrooms have an assistant and technology. This is a huge benefit which lowers the student to teacher ratio in favor of the students. The teachers are dedicated to helping children reach academic and social goals. The administration is responsive to parent and student needs and will often think outside the box to challenge solve. I truly love this school.
—Submitted by a parent

Montessori Academy is such a wonderful school. I have 2 children currently enrolled and it is such a nurturing, educational and fun environment. Montessori allows the child to work at their own pace and my girls have really thrived in this environment. There is great parent involvement and since the school is small we are all like one big extended family. I highly recommend this school for preschool/kindergarten education.
—Submitted by a teacher

Our child was attending a nearby public school who made her feel like something was wrong with her when actually she is gifted and was bored and did not fit their mold to sit still and be quite after you have done your work while the others catch up. MA recognizes that children are children and they all learn differently and they appreciate the child for who they are. They provide an individualized plan for each child so they can succeed. I am so happy we found MA and look forward to many years.
—Submitted by a parent

TERRIBLE. The camous is filthy. the teacher turnover is high and it is chaos. The students (and teachers) are unkind and generally not good roles models. In short, a waste of time. It is all a sales pitch- not at all academic but simply a way for the charter holders to make money. Don't waste your time.
—Submitted by a parent

The principle had a very good sales pitch/presentation of the school which is what intially sparked my interest in having my daughter attend this school. After the first semester my daughter had to go back to Kindegarten at the new school she now attends. Not happy at all that we wasted the first part of the school year at Montessori Academy. This school seems more like a daycare than a school.
—Submitted by a parent

Actually zero stars. My happy child became quite depressed here. He never complains about anything, but did say a few things about his teacher that made me question how she was handling the children. I began to have other concerns with the school as well such as low academic standards, no communication to parents, school in poor repair, etc. One day I heard him playing school with his stuffed animals and suddenly the animals were attending "Mean Academy". When I told him he would be switching schools he gave me a big smile and asked hopefully "tomorrow?" By the way he is a good student, not a behavior problem, and has lots of friends. The stories he has since told me about MA have not been good. He is happy and excelling at his new school.
—Submitted by a parent

Sadly, this school is a joke. After almost 4 years there we pulled our kids half way through the year. It is nothing but pure chaos and disorganization. The communication between teachers and parents is awful and the parents never know what is going on. The finances are a mess, there is never any money and the students are the ones that suffer from it. Instead of fixing the problems at hand they have decided to add a high school. This is laughable as they can't properly educate the kids they have now! I know this first hand as we were just informed that our daughter is way behind the average first grade level and now requires tutoring several times a week to try and get her caught up with the rest of her class! They have no business educating children. Stay far far away!!
—Submitted by a parent

I was a Montessori Academy student. When I graduated and went on to high school I was a year ahead in all areas of study. This was quite an achievement for me. My MA teachers identified my dyslexia and i went from a 2nd grade reading level to 4th in one year because of their keen identification of my disability and there quick intervention. Now in college my GPA is 3.86. None of this would have been possible if it were not for my dedicated teachers at MA. When in town I enjoy going back to visit them. All these years latter they are still there making a difference in the lives of other children such as myself. I found MA to be an excellent school.. The school focuses on providing a scholarly, healthy, innovative environment dedicated to excellence, independence and enthusiasm for life-long learning. They seek to balance academic excellence, personal integrity, environmental awareness and global responsibility. The school emphasizes the core Montessori philosophy through the use of multi-age classrooms, authentic Montessori materials, and a Montessori-trained faculty, and expands on this with contemporary teaching and access to educational technology. MA has given me a great gift.

Truth and honesty....This is a great school. There were a couple of students that left, but there were more that started at the school in January. I know one student left because he moved and was very sad to leave! Two teachers moved out of state and were also sad to leave! The school has amazing replacements! My kids have attended Montessori Academy for years and they have scored high in academics, have a love of learning, travel and are very independent. The perfect Montessori environment for us!
—Submitted by a parent

Montessori Academy is finally hitting their stride. The school moved to a new campus a few years ago, and it took some time to work out the issues with the new buildings and some new staff. But they have quickly grown this into an excellent school. They have a 9:1 student to teacher ratio, they promote respect and self direction, and they teach every student to his or her own peak level. Every kid at this school gets a custom fit education. In the 2.5 years that my kids have attended MA, I have never once seen a behavioral or bullying problem from any child. It is simply not tolerated here. On the contrary - the older kids teach the younger kids, if someone drops their lunch, there is no laughing - there are 4 kids rushing over to help them pick it up. My first grader is doing 3rd grade work, and continually blows away his cousin's parents with his drive, motivation, respectful behavior, and inteligence. If you want your kid to have a free ipad, you are going to have to send them to a public school. But if you want them to be well rounded, confident, and smart, MA is an excellent choice.
—Submitted by a parent

Our children have been going to Montessori for 3 years now. The staff is amazing and treat the children with respect. You don't see that in alot of the public schools around here. Believe me we have tried almost all of them. My son had a bad experience from another school and they were so understanding with him letting him learn to like school. I don't think any other school would have helped the way they did. I think they teach things that other schools don't it is not just about test scores it is about teaching the whole child. If you want your child to learn to respect others and love learning this is the school for you. I just hope they have the highschool ready when my kids are ready!
—Submitted by a parent

My family has been part of the Montessori Academy community since 2002. My daughter came from a public school & was transformed into a curious student who loved learning within the first semester. She has only fond memories of her school days. Not long after she graduated, my son started there. Montessori Academy is like a second home to our family. The teachers & admin are accessible and responsive through emails or in person, handling any issue with careful consideration and competence. Truly, this is a Montessori learning environment that takes a holistic approach while finding the right path to learning for each child. They are supportive & passionate about kids. The school moved from a tiny campus in south Scottsdale 3yrs ago & doubled their attendance. The dedication & determination of the admin to do great things with this transition was palpable. This permeated throughout the school community to form an organic hands on mindset among parents and teachers alike. If you are thinking about trying a Montessori school, I would definitely recommend taking a tour. Also, prospective students may spend a day shadowing a MA student to get a good feel for the school.
—Submitted by a parent

It is interesting that the person who posted the previous comment has been keeping track of how many negative posts there have been, and where they have gone. This seems to suggest that they are watching and adding negative comments as needed. This website is great, if used properly. If you are posting more than one comment on your experience, you may be giving a skewed view of how many negative experiences people have had. Please have your say and move on. Many of us love the school and staff. We will have our say once, please only have yours once.
—Submitted by a parent

Very strange. One by one most of the negative reviews MA are disappearing from this site. They are not mean but honest appraisals of the unfortunate experiences children have had with this school. Ask around at the area schools that former MA children have now transferred to, quite a few children are now repeating grades after having lost time at MA. The parents of these kids had no idea their kids were so far behind until placing them at another school. If you like this school that is great, it is most definitely not for everyone.
—Submitted by a parent

Glad to hear YOUR child is doing well at AZMA. Please try to pull your head out of the sand long enough to realize that your experience is just that, YOURS. MY experience, and that of several of our friends, was much, much different. My child went into AZMA Kindergarten performing at a high second grade level thanks in part to an amazing pre-school, and a lot of hard word at home. In our first year at AZMA, practically all the teacher did was sing songs and have the children color pictures. There was NO academic instruction whatsoever. I know this first hand because I observed the class on several occasions. So you go right ahead and be "appalled" that someone had an experience that did not match your own. I for one, am appalled that this school is allowed to "educate" children at all. As I said, I am very glad to hear that YOUR child had a positive experience at AZMA. Mine absolutely did not.
—Submitted by a parent

Our daughter's teachers at Montessori Academy are TERRIFIC! Our daughter is excelling on her AIMS test and in the classroom. We are active at the school and love the teachers and administration. They are exceptional and so devoted to the success of their students. I am appalled that any parent would write rude and untrue statements about this school. Perhaps they should look at themselves if their child isn't succeeding.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm so pleased with this school. My children attended a different Montessori School in Scottsdale and came home each day with feelings of low self esteem and worthlessness. My son is very intelligent and active. The principal at Montessori Academy along with his teachers have worked so hard to help my son. On our last parent conference I actually became emotional because of their genuine care and desire to help all students. If your're considering this school you won't be disappointed
—Submitted by a parent

I am so happy for my daughter to be at such a wonderful school!! The teachers and assistants are all so great! The administration does an amazing job in communicating to the parents on a very profesisonal friendly level. I have seen all the growth the school has been through, and is still thriving to be the top school in arizona. This is what Montessori is all about, great people all working together as a team for a better future!! Our children.....thank you Montessori Academy for everything you are doing!! All of the negative comments that people put on here are really sad to hear, but it should also make you think about the children they put in montessori. Just because they dont get their way, they think they can talk badly about a school. Instead of putting down the school focus their energy on working with teachers/administrators and their children to have a positive outcome. Really take a close look at the child, sometimes its hard to do! Thank you again to all the hard work you do on a daily basis!
—Submitted by a teacher

My kids love this school They have never been happier! we love the 2 pools and swimming lessons! Great staff also.
—Submitted by a parent