One World Montessori School

An authentic Montessori school with an extremely rich environment, including an outdoor area with animals. The head of school, Rebecca, is an absolute gem, and the kids adore her. This place is something special. Everyone who has observed it, talks about it. My 3 year old loves school and sings the songs from circle time every day. Whenever I ask her if she had a good day at school, she says "YES!"
--Submitted by a parent

I have a son and a daughter both thriving in the Primary program. We've been at this top quality school since the Infant Community and love it. Not only does the school provide high academic standard. That happens to be just a by-product of insightful way they teach our kids. The whole environment is very conductive to children's way of learning. The practical life responds to children's natural interests for physical movement and care of self and environment. The sensorial materials provide a wide range of activities and exercises to children to experience the physical environment. Then as they get older, they naturally move to more abstract materials for Maths and Lanauges etc. Most successful Montessori parents are open-minded people, willing to have their children nurtured to their unique full potential. Don't settle for 'average'.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is amazing! I love it soooooo much! All my teachers are amazing. Even without a principal, the heads of the school are amazing and kind. I have been at this school through infant community to elementary II. I would recommend this school to parents who want a good future for your kids.
--Submitted by a student

Pulled my son out of the Foxworthy location after a period of unsatisfactory experiences. A friend also pulled her son out. We ultimately both realized that this is not the ideal environment for the average boy, or any child who doesn't prefer independent seat work for hours. Not enough movement, absent group work, nothing to support the way boys tend to learn and grow, just stifling of boyish creativity. Please notice that the gender ratio of boy to girl students is maybe 1:5. Very female dominated.
--Submitted by a parent

I have observed both the Santa Clara, and the San Jose sites and am so impressed with every aspect of these wonderful organizations. If only our public schools could take a page from their book. The teachers are qualified, loving and supportive individuals. I only wish that my older children could have had the opportunity to attend. The diversity is refreshing. The children are not only taught the usual subjects, but they are taught to respect others with different culteral and religeous backgrounds. I can only 'Imagine' what the world would be like if the lessons learned here could be taught every where.

My child attended this preschool, and I have to say that I am not very happy with it. The classroom environment was adequate, but there were problems with maintaining staff. One teacher left suddenly, with only a vague explanation. The administration is not friendly towards parents. There are lots and lots of rules. There is no open-door policy for parents. You have to make an appointment to observe your own child in the classroom. Parents may not linger on the playgrund at drop-off time. Also, be prepared to be billed regularly with undocumented signing-in and -out charges. Although cursive writing is taught, I never saw any of the children actually use it to write their names. How are they supposed to learn to read when books do not use cursive? Odd.
--Submitted by a parent

My two children have received a pre-school/ Kindergarten tremendous education at One World Montessori. They have benefited from the hands one learning approach that is applied to all subjects: math, reading, writing, art, geography, life skills, science, language and earth stewardship. The teachers are very well trained and very dedicated to their job. There is a very low teacher turn over rate here. The students are taught important lessons on how to get along with other children, on being green, and on various cultures. They have a fun play ground complete with a garden, small animals, climbing trees, sand box and trikes. My children really thrived in this caring, engaging atmosphere.
--Submitted by a parent

We have two daughters in Primary at the San Jose campus and love this school. The teachers are caring and available. There are monthly parent meetings related to the methods of teaching various subjects that are very helpful esp. if you didn't receive a Montessori education yourself. Our older daughter is in her last year of Primary (equivalent to Kindergarten) and she will be attending Elementary I at OWM next year. Her reading and math skills are excellent. The parent community is an added bonus.
--Submitted by a parent

My children have attended One World Montessori for 5 years and after reading the negative reviews of the school left on this board, I question whether these parents had children enrolled in the same school! I am very familiar with the daily schedule in the primary classroom and know that most of the day is spent indoors doing work, either in small groups or independently, or participating in other group activities or special events -- not outside riding a tricycle. There are times of the day where the children are outside playing (before school starts, after lunch, and after nap), but it is not certainly most of the time, as claimed by another parent. Classroom work is child-directed, which encourages independence and fosters self-esteem. The peace curriculum is a unique component to the school, and teaches the children to resolve conflicts peacefully and cooperatively.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter is thriving in the Primary 4 classroom. Not only is she excelling academically, she is also becoming a really good person, and I think the school has a lot to do with this. While I can understand the previous parent's complaint about the expected donations ($200 annually), it is clearly spelled out in the handbook and contract. I found the handbook to be completely agreeable and in fact serve to uphold the my family's values. We've never been 'in trouble' for not following all the 'rules' all the time. The teachers are incredibly compassionate and understanding to what my daughter, as well as my family's needs are and have been flexible. My only complaint is too many days off/half days for working parents, but we figure out a way to make it work b/c the school is so wonderful.
--Submitted by a parent