Montessori School of Fremont

We came from Mission Valley Montessori (sister school of MSF) where he education for pre-school is excellent. The lower elementary of this school is questionable. There are 3 classrooms for lower elementary going to only 1 classroom in upper elementary. The teacher we ended up with happened to be the worst of the 3 classrooms. During parent-teacher conferences, she talks about other kids but NOT our son. She did not take the time in the 3 years he spent in her classroom to know him. She is "supposedly" the most experience teacher of the 3 yet she is the oldest. She is in her 60s with hip surgery, so you can imagine how much energy she has for 28 6-8 years old boys and girls. No time for chats in the hall way, no email communication, no phone calls, no suggestion on how we can improve things. The office is not as helpful as in MVM. The owner actually told me that Mission Valley Montessori is their stellar school. No principal or director that you can talk to any time. Ms Tess is in front but she only manages the preschool. Accounting is nonexistent either. You need to make sure you are on top of your automatic deposit. No accident reports whenever there are accidents.
--Submitted by a parent

I taught a student that came from this school and she described treatment by her teacher which was atrocious to me. The concerns about the teachers and administration are real, and can not be determined by a visit. My advice is to talk to the older children and hear the facts. I also have a life-long friend who sent her two kids here for a total of seven years and was met with the same concerns. She finally moved her kids to another school. It's too bad that the administration is so unresponsive. The private schools I have taught at in Fremont are completely the opposite.

The families who see a problem in the school administration are quite correct. I worked there for a long time and survived by not telling the director anything! I knew pertinent info about the children would be used for gossip or to "set up" another teacher if there were problems. A sad commentary. Never the less many teachers did try hard in those overcrowded classrooms to do well by the children. By the way, I left on good terms. Please try to support the teachers [they are probably as frustrated as you], bypass the director and talk directly to the owner[s]'
--Submitted by a teacher

I have been going to Montessori School of Fremont ever since preschool and it is very difficult. However, it is a great education and all the negative comments are false teachers there do care, they arent supposed to call an ambulance to care for a cut, and the furniture is brand new THANK YOU VERY MUCH! i have known Ms. Tess and Ms. Lindsay all my life and they are excellent. They mostly focus on Academics which is good because most kindergartners, know there Multiplication Tables, Division, Addition, and subtraction by heart. Very outstanding School

I put my child here after hearing good reviews from parents. But unfortunately this school is having its downfall. I find the teachers completely not involved and not at all repsonsive to any concerns. The management also is unware of whats going on and dodnt seem to care. The furniture is old and so are its teachers. I guess this used to be good long time ago and not anymore. So parents please watch out they are only selling once upon a time brand and are really not worth for the money you pay. Moreover you dodnt want your child to be in a place where they are not cared.
--Submitted by a parent

The curriculum here excels in supporting the self-guided student. This school truly encourages the child to be self-reliant and independent and the teachers are amazing. Communication and response by the Director's Office is the major downfall. The Director, Tess, appears unconcerned with issues brought to her and is rarely in her office or on site. Assistant Director, Lindsay, is much better with communication but lacks follow through with some matters. It is unfortunate that the reputation of this truly wonderful school is marred by the few in the office that run it.
--Submitted by a parent

I rate the school one star because I failed to see the teachers or the principal respond to our concerns. My kids got hurt 3 times in 3 months and the first aid applied was washing the open wound using hand soap and water. Teachers kept tellingus that the school did not have a first aid kit, but when we finally got a chance to ask the owner, who replied that recently first aid kits were bought for the school. The other main concern we had was the poor communication skills of the teachers.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is ap 1st grader here, and we were a bit guarded in continuing w/ a montessori curriculum for elementary school. She has grown leaps and bounds this year and is well rounded in reading, math, science, social studies, etc. They do have PE once a week, and other activities after school that are extra. They do try to keep the campus clean and up to date. I have found the teachers approachable, however the director seems 'invisible' to me. My child loves her school and that says a lot! The curriculum meets her learning style and temperament.
--Submitted by a parent

The school overall is good for preschool and kindergarden . They don't have too much activities realted to sport and art but you can enroll kids to some classes that happen in the campus
--Submitted by a parent

Excellent student teacher ratio, Multicultural, excellent after-school programs
--Submitted by a parent