Manhattan Academy

I have two kids in this school for 4 years. Majority of the teachers are good but I agree that due to the meaness of the Principal, there is a high turnover among teachers. Also, I feel that this place is run more like a business than a loving school. In this difficult economy, they have raised their late pick-up fees from $2 per minute to $25 for the first 15 minute block and then $2 per minute thereafter. No one meant to be late to pick up their little ones but we do live in LA and traffic is unpredictable at times. Most parents are within 5 minutes late, if they are late, and have to pay the whopping $25 on top of the pricey tuition. Greedy!!
--Submitted by a parent

In my brief experience, it's been a pretty disappointing place. While I'd heard the teaching staff was generally strong, that has not been our experience; the teachers I've had contact with (upper primary) have been relatively inexperienced and unprofessional, and seem to lack warmth and passion for the teaching profession. The administrative staff is also a mixed bag with some of them genuinely lacking the interpersonal skills necessary to run a quality program. Although I'd read several unfavorable reviews of the school, I overlooked these comments as well as other red-flags; I wish I would have listened to my gut and avoided this place.
--Submitted by a parent

We have attended MA for 3 years now. I have 2 kids in their preschool program. We absolutely love their program, it is true Montessori experience and mos of their teaching staff is amazing. We believe it is a great option for working parents because they offer extended care after regular school hours. I'd have to agree with some of the reviews, the direction of the school lacks warmth and charisma, but when in preschool you don't really deal with the principal unless you get really involved. The parents are really involved even though a lot of them have full time jobs. Both our kids really love it and have learned so much, both their teachers are great and they saty in close communication with us. It's a bit pricey but if you need the full day 5 days a week it's a great option.
--Submitted by a parent

We LOVE Manhattan Academy! we have had the best experience there! My child has been there for 3 years and we were excited to start our second child. We are moving out of state this summer and when I told my daughter we would be going to a different school, she cried and said she didn't want to. The programs are great, the staff is happy and my children are learning so much! We love it and recommend it to all of our friends!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter loves MA, and so do we. We've had nothing but the best experiences - her teacher (UPT) is amazing. Our daughter has blossomed this year - not only is she reading, writing, doing math, speaking basic spanish, etc, she's happy. Very happy. She loves going to school. She loves the kids in her class and all the different things they do every day (art, music, PE, literature, etc). We've never had a problem with the staff - the directress has been nothing but nice to us (she even offered me her parking space one day in the garage). The main teaching staff has been the same all year - the only teacher who left was the art teacher for medical reasons. If you can afford it you should do it - its been a wonderful first year for us and our daughter will be back next year for kindergarten.
--Submitted by a parent

Our child attended M.A. for many years. The pre-school years were great so it was hard to fathom how the elementary experience could be so lousy. The person in charge, the director-M.M., lacked communication and social skills. Her extremely rude and unfriendly behavior has caused parents and teachers to leave in steady droves. While the academic curriculum is good, M.'s nasty attitude created such a negative atmosphere within the elementary school that more than half of our child's classmates had left by the time the school year ended. Fearing repercussions, teachers and parents alike often left without giving the school their 'true' reasons. Thus, the school may sugar coat their sparsely populated elementary by stating parents are taking advantage of M. Beach's top-rated public school system in this challenging economy (blah, blah). Don't believe it! My rec-Talk to parents away from the school to get the real story.
--Submitted by a parent

My children love going to school and always have a fun story to tell. They have made great friends and are receiving a great education. I alos find the director to be phony and not always truthful! I have seen her yell at parents for parking in the wrong place. You will not hear from her for weeks and then get nasty memos. She does not always return phone calls or emails. She also likes to flaunt her authority. The teachers are great though and Miss Key (secretary) and Mrs. Robley (assistant director) are wonderful!
--Submitted by a parent

The directress is focused, smart, caring, and no-nonsense! She runs a tight ship and, as a result, the students receive the absolute BEST education money can buy. My son is in his third year at Manhattan Academy and we are more than thrilled with the well-rounded education he is getting at this fine school. The primary and upper primary programs/academics are second to none. The teachers are wonderful and caring and the children are treated as individuals, not numbers. Our son could not be happier and looks forward to going to school every M-F. They offer a wide variety of enrichment classes from yoga to mandarin to chess to karate...We love it.
--Submitted by a parent

I think people have to uderstand that private school has a business side. While the directress may not be the best in her 'people' skills, look at the facility as a whole. I toured this school and stopped in one afternoon unannounced and was greated warmly. I was given an impromptu tour and welcomed. The kids at this school looked happy and busy. The teachers all were on the floor with students working and everyone was very happy. While no school is perfect, I think people have to remember what a difficult job it is to cater to parents who can sometimes be demanding and at times believe their own children are perfect and could do no wrong. Public education is changing, and I believe this school offers an affordable option to growing class sizes and no more funding for PE and Music.
--Submitted by a parent

During the tour, we were told a different story. As my husband and I were upset about several issues, we approached the directress about it. Sure enough, she was rude and very unaccommodating. The teachers have changed and good teachers don't seem to stick around for very long. We are not re-enrolling our child for this new school year.
--Submitted by a parent