Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori

My child had a wonderful experience at the Lake campus, it is a great loving enviroment for young children. The head of school is a challenge, and sometimes quite rude to us parents. Unfortunately the Elementry school lacks the education programme, its below standard. Although they teach the children how to function in there enviroment, they fail to keep them on grade level for Math, English. My child failed to progress in this programme. I wouldnt recommend this Elementry school.
--Submitted by a parent

I am so impressed by the elementary program here. The atmosphere of quiet focus in the classroom is so inspiring. The kids seem to be enjoying school so much, yet I have been amazed at some of the things my child has learned and then taught me. My son used to be really shy, but he is becoming more and more confident in this very accepting and nurturing environment. My child is inspired by some of the older kids in the classroom-- the students learn to be each others' role models in this mixed age classroom. I also love that the after school program here is PHENOMENAL and unique. My child looks forward to that every day!
--Submitted by a parent

This is simply one of the best schools I've ever seen. Observing children in a true Montessori environment makes me long to have a "do over" of my own early education. The students are focused and joyful in the classroom while they "work". Their choices are all self motivated which makes the reward much greater. After all the discussion about how our current educational system is failing our children, a Montessori education seems to be the obvious solution. My children love their school, teachers and parent community, and we feel lucky everyday that we found this wonderful place.
--Submitted by a parent

I have a son who is in his 3rd year of Primary and will be moving on to the elementary program next year. This school is more than a school, its an extension of family with a great director, dedicated staff and a wonderful parent community. My son is thriving in this environment becoming such a an independent & confident child. If you are looking for Montessori, TRUE Montessori, take the time to observe Oak Knoll in action and you'll be just as impressed as I was 3 years ago!
--Submitted by a parent

My son has attended this school since he was a toddler and is now in the elementary program, and my daughter is in her first year of the toddler program. I strongly encourage you to observe this school if you are interested in education with a purpose. Active learning is at the core of Montessori and you will see it in action at all grade levels. I credit the school s director for ensuring this is a true Montessori environment not just in materials and training, but in practice and behavior. This is a wonderful community to be a part of; and I value the independence my children enjoy in their learning environment and the self discipline and responsibility that comes with that. The director of the school has an open door policy and has proven to be a great resource not only to me when I ve been in need of direction with parenting techniques, but to the entire community with the parent educational meetings she holds .
--Submitted by a parent

I feel very lucky to have gotten involved in Montessori, but Oak Knoll in particular. The school has an outstanding staff, very strong leadership, and a supportive community of parents. I've gone to observe in my daughters class a few times and I am thrilled each time at the function, activities, children, and nurturing staff. These kids are doing activities, academics, and problem solving that are far beyond anything I was taught at their age! A truly amazing school.
--Submitted by a parent

We have two children at Oak Knoll and we could not feel luckier to have come across this gem. Our daughter is finishing up her third year at the school and our son is coming to the end of his second. The ease at which they head out the door each morning and the smiles on their faces as we pick them up is almost enough to highly recommend this school, but that would be selling short the great work the teachers and staff are doing inside everyday. The Head of School and the teachers are committed to Montessori and if that is what you are looking for, you need to look no further. Go observe how engaged the children are in their work, how well they interact with each other and the joy they put into all of their activities.
--Submitted by a parent

There are good point and bad points to this school. Witnessing staff members being intimated and disrespected overshadows and positive feelings I had of this school. Improvements must start with the principal becoming more aware and respectful of the staff. Once that is in place, a healthy environment will come naturally.

I once toured this school when I was looking for preschool for my son when we moved to Pasadena. One of the questions I asked was about which schools the children attend once they leave Oak Knoll? I wondered what fraction went to public vs. private schools. The person - who ran the school at the time - told me flat out that the public elementary schools were no good and "nobody really sends their children to public schools." Of course, 2/3 of Pasadena children attend public schools. And our son is thriving at our excellent public school just blocks away, Longfellow Elementary. I'm glad we avoided Oak Knoll.

I can't say enough good things about the Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori elementary program. My daughter has been attending this school for four years, and she still loves going to school every single day. Both the previous lead teacher (now devoted to taking care of her baby) and the current lead and assistant teachers are just fantastic. The entire school staff -- from the principal on down -- works closely with parents and students, and the school has a wonderful 'family' feeling. We are constantly amazed by the depth and breadth of our daughter's education. To name just a few examples, she has intensively studied the timeline of life on earth, written detailed reports on several ancient civilizations, been exposed to interesting problems in geometry and mathematics that students would not normally encounter until high school, written plays with other students, and much more. This school is a little-known treasure.
--Submitted by a parent