Geist Montessori Academy

GMA was once a good Montessori school until about 2 years ago when the school ran into management problems. They lost ALL the Montessori teachers, and moved to the current location. Most of the newly hired teachers are fresh college grads. Not only do they have no knowledge and experience of Montessori, they have no teaching experience. Since then it is one crisis after another; every month someone quits: teachers, special ed. staff and support staff. This is a strong indicator of substandard management of the school. The ISTEP test may still look OK, but it is trending downwards from previous years. Check their NWEA scores for the last few years too. Because the students do not have to sit at their desk all day and the school has a more relax curriculum, it seems to work well with kids with autism or ADHD. Most parents with special needs kids are happy with the school. Got Montessori? I got it at GMA is the slogan for the school. A marketing campaign using incorrect grammar to draw attention to a product is one thing, but a SCHOOL doing that? It just sums up the academic standards of GMA.
--Submitted by a parent

I have gone to nine schools in my life, and I transfered over to GMA in eighth grade. GMA was my favorite of all nine schools. The middle school program was wonderful; a great alternative to your average public school. I feel that GMA's middle school prepared me for high school very well. I learned many skills not taught at most middle schools- leadership, teamwork, and independent learning, to name a few. The middle school took monthly trips to help out at a farm, and had many other hands on learnig experiences at other field trips. Academically, GMA is very strong. We worked very hard to do our very best in all subjects of school. The eighth graders passed all of their ISTEP tests. This was all thanks to the encouraging environment created by the teachers. All of the teachers at GMA care a great deal about their students, and love to teach. The other students are all very friendly, and never leave anyone out. I thought of the other students as family. Overall I highly recommend this school to everyone. I love GMA!
--Submitted by a parent

Awesome is the best word to describe this school. Our son has a great teacher and assistant. We have been so blessed to find this school. We wouldn't think of going anywhere else at this point. Our son loves school. He is very active, so being ENGAGED in learning is fun for him. He would struggle with busy work because it doesn't tax his mind. I do not understand the negative posts because everything in our experience has been positive. As for the staff, I would like to know what a previous poster is talking about. I've been to many school meetings where the head of school answered many questions well. Her answers were very detailed and accurate. I have never heard her "talk in circle's". By the way, our son's teacher keeps us involved with regular updates on progress. As for academics, our son is reading 2nd grade material and is half way through 1st. He excels in many area's because of the learning environment that has been created. Please, don't take my word for it. Come tour Geist Montessori Academy and see for yourself.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at GMA. I could not ask for anything more! It has been the greatest experience. My child's teacher is so dedicated! My child loves going to school and learning! The entire staff works together to make sure that students and parents are known and welcome at all times! We are truly bessed to have found GMA!
--Submitted by a parent

I really appreciate this school, particularly after being bullied by his teacher the previous year at a different private school. This year at Geist Montessori Academy, the greater faculty have not only treated my son with loving kindness, but has helped the wounds of bullying heal from his previous school, something that I really do not feel would be tolerated at this school, from our experiences thus far. Thank goodness, my son LOVES to go to school this year and has a genuine fondness for his teachers and specialized staff. I also think that he has academically flourished, without the stress of heavy loads of monotonmous homework each night. He is writing some lovely English compositions at school, as writing and reading are very heavily stressed in the Lower Elementary classes, as well as conventional Montessori works. There is also a defined, but rather sizable group of parents that are truly committed to GMAs success that give it the feeling of a private school.
--Submitted by a parent

We are so pleased with GMA! There are a lot of new teachers but my son who has some learning difficulties has flourished. We gave regular public school a chance k-2 and this is not public school with montessori materials as another suggested. It may stray a little from hard core montessori education but they are doing something right! My son's reading level jumped a full grade in 3 months and he looks forward to school everyday instead of breaking down in tears. Looking forward to Upper Elementary next year!
--Submitted by a parent

Not a horrible school but not montessori and not much different than regular public school. Most of the teachers are new and most don't have Montessori Certification. Probably better for younger students or older students that don't need much instruction. If you have a different learner this is also probably not the best choice. I heard that previous years were much better and a google search of Istep scores support that.
--Submitted by a parent

I am glad that some families have found this to be a good option, but it is NOT Montessori. The administrator cannot answer the most basic Montessori questions and tries to cover her ignorance by talking in circles. Clueless about how to run a Montessori school and uses we are a public school as an excuse not to try. The teachers have the materials, but they still use lots of worksheets because that is all that they know. It might be better than a regular public school and may include some Montessori instruction, it is not even close to a Montessori atmosphere.
--Submitted by a parent

We feel so lucky to have found a FREE Montessori Education! I have two kids in this school. They are all doing great and love going to school and learning. Their teachers go above and beyond. I also love that everyone knows thier name and they know mine. It is hard to find a small school with this strong community feel now days!
--Submitted by a parent

We have had a wonderful experience this year at GMA. I'm so glad we found this school!
--Submitted by a parent