Free Horizon Montessori Charter School

If you want to know how the school is performing academically, just read the test scores -- they speak for themselves. As for the school being "Montessori" well, don't be mislead by the school's name - it is not a true Montessori school. I will say there are some great teachers here but many have left as well. Parents are involved -- and they are greatly needed due to staff changes. Programs and classroom models constantly change; teacher/student ratio's are extremely high 1:35 -- even tho that is not how it is reported. We are looking for better options -- and yes -- we chose to be here and now we choose not to continue this substandard educational process. I hope for the sake of the students that things do improve for this school. We had hoped that things would work out but it is just not the quality of education we want for our child. Please review this school and its performance carefully before enrolling your child.
--Submitted by a parent

MY SON IS READING!!!! i couldn't wait to write a review for this school, i am so impressed and in love with it! my son has been at free horizon for a year and a half and has really thrived, at the beginning of this year, kindergarten, his teacher asked us what our goals for our son are and we said we would love to see him reading, something he was quite resistant to with us at home. low and behold, she hunkered down with him and worked on letters and words everyday with him and only 3 months into the school year he is reading like a champ. i am so proud i could cry! we will continue to support this school until they kick us out! such an amazing group of teachers and administrators to do what they do everyday with all of the challenges they face.
--Submitted by a parent

This is a school committed to meeting each child where they are at and helping them grow and excel. Teachers genuinely care about each child's success. Our daughter loves school, receives advanced scores on state assessments, and enjoys opportunities for leadership. She is learning more than academics - she is learning about social responsibility, cultural similarities and differences, technology, and arts. As parents, we love that this is a school community. As working parents, we appreciate opportunities to volunteer outside of school hours and always feel appreciated for our time. As a charter school, all families choose to send their children to Free Horizon Montessori. Montessori isn't right for everyone, and any parent considering enrollment should take a tour and ask plenty of questions to make sure it will work for their child and mesh with their parenting philosophy.
--Submitted by a parent

DON'T send your child here. Learn from our mistake! We have two children that have been going to this school for 5 & 3 years, respectively (includes pre-school). The school is not interested in teaching kids actual usable information, such as reading or multiplication. They are too busy doing yoga, learning hebrew songs, cooking and making sure nobody is bullied. The kids here are socially awkward and the administration will tell you the scores are low because they graciously took in misfits who pulled down the scores. Look at the finances of this school-they only have enough money to cover the next month's expenses and are constantly begging for money and more supplies. There is NO gym, no real playground for kids beyond kindergarten (a converted parking lot directly adjacent to I-70), and the school is always a mess. Our 2nd grader's job for 3 years has been to clean toilets every week. Both kids will be pulled from this awful, ridiculous school so they can actually learn something. Any question you may have on sending your kid to this school can be answered by reading the post from the student noting how ill-prepared they were for middle school.
--Submitted by a parent

My children have attended Free Horizon Montessori for five years now with terrific scholastic results. I have not doubt that the Montessori teaching style has aided in their develpment as this style provides avenues for learning that a traditional school setting would struggle with. The teaching style also encourages independence which is vital to self esteem and development. The parent/faculty involvement is strong and always focused on the child first!
--Submitted by a parent

I am SO IMPRESSED with this school! My two children thrive, and every time I enter, I feel warmth, professionalism, and high levels of dedication from all staff members. Teachers, leaders, and administrators share a passion for educating the WHOLE child - cognitive, emotional, social, spiritual, physical. They are facing state budget cuts with determination to keep the focus on a well rounded education for all students. I cannot believe THIS is public education! It is at its finest!
--Submitted by a parent

This is a wonderful school. Each staff member cares for every child like they are their own. Education is definitely of importance, however not the only thing focused on. The school embraces the whole child focusing on education, social skills, and the inner self. I highly recommend this school to any potential community members.
--Submitted by a parent

I am saddened by the recent negative reviews written here. Although Free Horizon Montessori is not a perfect school (no school is), I can't imagine sending our child to any other school. FHM is an amazing community. There is an extremely dedicated group of staff members (teachers, instructional leaders, and administrators) as well as highly involved parents. Parents help in all aspects of the school - PTA, Board of Directors, in the classroom, in the office, on the playground, etc. And it is not just a few parents that support the school as indicated in other reviews, MANY FHM parents support the school on a regular basis. FHM classroom sizes have gotten bigger, but this is because of declining State Education funding and it is happening in every CO public school. At FHM, the staff actually worked hard to find creative ways to maintain lower staff to student ratios despite decreased funding. I encourage anyone who is interested in this school to take a tour. You will see what a fantastic place it is and have the opportunity to decide for yourself whether or not it is the right environment for your child.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son went there for 2010 and 2011. His teachers were fantastic and he was thriving, but I gave the school only a "below average" due to the administration and parent council. The parent council means well, but is too focused on expanding rather than keeping the current elementary strong. As for the administration, the director of communication is probably the worst communicator I've ever encountered in my professional career or my kids' school career. There is almost oo much communication - but none of it is of use outside the teachers' weekly newsletters.
--Submitted by a parent

Yikes. Don't know where to start. To sum it up: It's a mess! We're moving our son at year end if not sooner. Am sorry for how this has turned out but we can't deal with it anymore. Lost some great teachers this year and as said below, we are putting money in areas that are at a detriment to younger students. There are a few parents who tend to run things and perhaps decisions were made for the best interest of THEIR children but not the whole. The big flaws for us is that the school really is not Montessori; the respect level of kids and how they treat each other is horrific and yet tolerated; scores are declining; teachers (some there a long time) are now leaving as well as families. I hate the thought of school shopping but must do the best for our child. I hope that the school admins/teachers read these comments. It might be eye opening to them as they seem to look at everything through rose colored glasses.
--Submitted by a parent