Khalsa School

Our family LOVES Khalsa. My Son and Daughter go to the Camden campus and we couldn't be happier. Teachers and staff are incredibly focused on the children they are very attentive to the children's needs, emotionally, mentally and educationally. The teachers and staff are just incredible. My children are always excited to go to school and we always feel welcome.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is in kindergarten at the Camden campus. The teachers are genuine and communicative. My daughter has enjoyed every day at school and she considers every child at the school her friend. While it isn't easy to adjust to a Montessori education, it is very rewarding. The students develop a strong sense of discipline, work ethic, and compassion. I think the best part is that each child starts where ever they need to start and works at their own pace with the guidance of the teachers. No child is held back because the rest of the class is catching up. Similarly, no child is forced to struggle along feeling embarrassed that they don't understand. To write this review, I asked my daughter what she thought of her school. Here is her response: "I like Khalsa. My teachers are very nice to me. The math is fun. The boys and girls are nice. I also like the play structures, and playground. I like the sandbox the most. I like it here."
—Submitted by a parent

We were very pleased overall with this school. Gorgeous campus, kind-hearted teachers and staff, great student teacher ratio, peaceful atmosphere all add up to a great place for a child to flourish and develop. I do agree that academics is not emphasized as much as I would like at the Kindergarten level, but I think the upper levels make up for this. The dietary requirements are restrictive (no meat, most classes don't allow peanut butter if students have allergies, no refined sugar) however most restrictions do promote healthy eating habits and are more of a hassle for non-vegetarian families such as our family. The fact that they do not have a hot lunch option at school means that parents must invest A LOT of time in preparing kids' meals. For kids first grade and older, several after school activities such as yoga, kung fu, chess, painting, mad science, and girl scouts and more are offered for a fee. This makes it easy to have your child involved in extra-curriculars without having to drive them to another activity. Overall, great school, we are very pleased.
—Submitted by a parent

Khalsa Montessori (Camden Campus) is the ideal place for my 7 year old son. He comes home from school with a sparkle in his eyes and tells me about the amazing things he is learning, and the friends he has made. On weekends he actually cries because it is not school day! The teachers in the K-1 classroom are keenly observant, creative, organized, experienced, and fantastic. Beauty, calmness, and order set the foundation for children to thrive as students and human beings. As a parent, I feel totally supported and energized by the community. My family is deeply grateful for access to this progressive, enlightened education.
—Submitted by a parent

Khalsa has been great for my son, and my daughter will start Kindergarten there next year. I like the atmosphere of structured learning yet freedom and lightness in the classroom--as opposed to the oppressive atmosphere in some classrooms. They get to do their work on the floor or a desk, whatever they choose. And they get so much work done in the classroom that they have hardly any homework (until 4th grade). My son has been more or less allowed to go at his own pace, which has been different for different subject areas--within a structure that doesn't let him fall seriously behind what would be expected at his age. With the Montessori method children are not all taught the same thing at the same time and then expected to keep up to one pace. The community of parents at Khalsa is great! Not to mention that children are not exposed to unhealthy food, a major plus.
—Submitted by a parent

A great school for babies ($1000/mo though), but children at an academic age should go elsewhere. I will start by saying that it has the kindest students, afluent/nice families, and caring knowledgable teachers and staff. My child went for kindergarten. At the end of the year I went to Sylvan and got a reading assessment done. My child was pretty much a full academic year behind the national average!!! I never felt that my child was where it should have been, but the teacher assured me it was. The teacher did not encourage children to do a lot of academic work, but would suggest they do free work (at least I saw it with my kid once). The children spend a majority of the day playing on the playground. I feel that even the smart kids at this school could go farther if they were in an academic environment. This school is good for teaching social skills.
—Submitted by a parent

Fantastic school. My daughters used to feign being ill all the time at their last school - now on those rare occasions when they do get sick (I saw a marked difference in my daughters' health at this school - likely because it's cleaner and the parents don't send their sick kids to school) they beg to go. They are both excelling (got the AZ test scores back this summer) and the teachers and staff are all top notch. Highly involved parents and community organization (Khalsa's version of the PTA). Love this school!
—Submitted by a parent

My son has attended Khalsa Montessori School for the last two years and planning to continue because this school has such a great learning environment that we love it. He started 1st grade with very basic reading skills(very basic, almost none) and now that is finishing 1st grade he is a voracious reader. For those parents feeling behind, please, respect the individuality of each kid.
—Submitted by a parent

My 2 children have attended Khalsa Montessori, both Camden and River campuses, for the past 3 years. We have been very happy with the quality of the school. Both children are thriving academically, socially, and emotionally. Each child is respected and honored as an individual and receives very individualized instruction and attention. Any problems or challenges that we have encountered have been dealt with very well through good communication from the teachers and administrative staff. I'm amazed by how much this school accomplishes on a limited budget. The arts are valued highly alongside the academic subjects--spanish, music, choir, strings, art, pe. In additon, great emphasis is placed on the development of compassion, understanding, communication, working things out in the classroom amogst the children. Overall, our children are blossoming in a very well rounded manner because of the environment this school provides.
—Submitted by a parent

All of my children have attended Khalsa Montessori Elementary school. It has taught them to be inquisitive and the joy of learning. They are able to learn subjects from several different methods instead of memorizing the material and regurgitating it back.
—Submitted by a parent

My kids are known as individuals at Khalsa, and that has made a huge difference in their development. We've had better teachers some years than others, but overall our experience has been wonderfual. My kids are thriving accademically, socially and emotionally. I have to add that the extra curricular teachers are fabulous. Very well rounded program.
—Submitted by a parent

We have had our children at Khalsa for 5 years and we are so glad we were able to get them into such a high quality education institution. My daughter is just next to me right now telling me she could never imagine going to any school other than this. The teachers are really interested in each of their students' performance both academically and socially. The Montessori method makes so much more sense. The families feel compelled to get involved. The kids learn to respect and care for each other and the environment. I highly recommend this school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a wonderful school. The community is so tight, and the school staff love the kids. My children feel happy, safe, loved, and are learning very well.
—Submitted by a parent

The primary program at the River campus leaves little to be desired. I trust the Montessori method, but think some of the teachers may be lacking in commitment and work ethic. I think they need to take a hard look at where this program is headed. My child is now very far behind.
—Submitted by a parent

The pre-school here was wonderful. However, the elementary school at the River campus was not satisfactory. My daughter basically learned very very little in grades 1 and 2 here. She has spent the last two years trying to catch up and it is very hard work for her. I feel incredibly bad for putting her in a situation that she was not learning what was necessary in grades 1 and 2. I would advise parents to be very cautious.
—Submitted by a parent

Khalsa has 2 campuses which differ greatly in administration and teacher training. At the River campus teachers are not given the proper backing and training in order for them to be able to handle students appropiately. I see this as more a failure on the part of the Admin and not a reflection of the teachers' abilities. All of the teachers seem caring and willing to deal with any issues that arise, they just are not provided the proper support to do so. The teachers and staff at Camden are wonderful! They are knowledgable, patient and supportive to the children, families and one another. They tactfully and appropiately deal with behaviorial and learning issues in methods that are true to Montessori education. I just cannot say enough good things about Khalsa Camden. Unfortunately Camden only goes through 3rd grade. I would love to see Camden expanded through Upper El.

This school achieves great results on a low budget! The teachers are phenominal. My kids love going to school. The school is a close community that works as a team.The focus on independence, responsibility, respect and compassion is wonderful! We feel blessed to have our children at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

If you look at how much the administration and teachers care about these students, you would be astounded. Each student is treated with respect and such a good deal of interaction between parents, teachers and administration takes place continually working towards the best possible for their child.
—Submitted by a parent

We've had a great experience at Khalsa School. Our children are thriving there. The teachers get a lot of support from administration and parents. Administrators and teachers are available and I talk to them a lot.
—Submitted by a parent

If you look at how much the administration and teachers care about these students, you would be astounded. Each student is treated with respect and such a good deal of interaction between parents, teachers and administration takes place continually working towards the best possible for their child.
—Submitted by a parent