Austin Montessori School

We love this school! Our children have attended Austin Montessori for the past six years and we look forward to many more. Our children love learning and have made many wonderful friends. We have found the guides and administration to be very earnest and responsive to our questions and concerns. Though our children are very different in personality, each has thrived and I feel like the school has really nurtured their inquisitive natures while helping them develop their focus and sense of compassion for others. The school has also supported the children's development as members of a community (learning to work with others, resolve differences with respect/empathy, etc.). In addition, the parent education has been phenomenal and has helped us to be better parents in so many ways. I don't think you could find an environment that is more respectful of the child than at Austin Montessori. The school has helped in the development of our children as whole people (not just academically) and that has been an incredible process to watch and participate in.
--Submitted by a parent

My two boys have attended Austin Montessori for the past eight years and they are thriving! My only regret is that my older child missed out on the Youngest Children's Community as we moved here from out of state and he was already past that age. One is now in the Adolescent Community and one in Upper Elementary and I would literally spend my last penny to keep them there. They are amazing readers, strong in math, compassionate and work beautifully in a group. They're both self-motivated and pursue interests beyond the school setting (for example, the Early El child did a report on Russia and is now teaching himself Russian at home). I wish I could take credit, but I have to hand it to AMS. Thank you, staff and guides!
--Submitted by a parent

A friend's child attended this school for a year. If you like an authoritarian preschool, devoid of emotion, this is the place for your child. The school for the youngest children employs a "Trustee System" where the older kids police the younger kids. Civility is not a basic tenet of classroom instruction and the older kids enjoy their power a bit too much. Most distressing, disciplinary problems are not effectively addressed. Expressions of concern about your child's safety will be met with bland deflections by staff. My friend felt compelled to give her child a daily warning to stay away from one particular little boy. I can only surmise that children who grossly misbehave are allowed to remain enrolled, and terrorize other children, because their parents contribute a significant amount of money to the school, over and above the over-priced "tuition". My observation is that the overheated rhetoric about the Montessori Method is just a dog-and-pony show to get that high-priced, non-refundable tuition up front. It is for parents on visitation night, not for children in the classroom.

We were so excited when our daughter got into this school - what a disappointment! Perhaps it was once a better school, but the directors are near retirement and seem to spend their time jetting around the world lecturing on Montessori methods. Very young teachers are working virtually unsupervised, especially at the Great Northern location, which is clearly an afterthought, and not the heart of the school. Worst is the arrogance of the staff. The attitude seems to be that they know best for your child, and parents are not welcome (except at the endless meetings where we are lectured on Montessori philosophy). Combine that arrogance with a healthy dose of pretension and the lack of experience in the teaching staff and you a recipe for disaster. And then there's the total lack of physical activity (walking only in the "outdoor environment"), the 30 student classrooms, and the incredibly unfriendly parents. After trying to make it work for two years, we were so happy to get out.
--Submitted by a parent

AMS is school devoid of rules, resulting in the most embarrassingly self-important group of kids I've ever seen. Our child was severely bullied for months; faculty far more interested in giving longtime bullies additional chances than protecting kids being victimized. Kids are nasty and vulgar to each other and to teachers (oops, 'guides'), spitting and yelling at adults, refusing to be removed from the classroom, etc. Further, they DON'T ACTUALLY TEACH ANYTHING! The kids hang in a room full of books and microscopes, where they supposedly suck knowledge out of the air (which they don't - my high schooler has several ex-AMS classmates; she reports their most common way of solving problems is repeatedly guessing). AMS administers state standardized tests at the end of the year, but quietly files the results away (you have to proactively ask to see them). Why? Because they prove your kid's so far behind it's ridiculous. Faculty promises remediation; but you'll see reviews going back to 2008 describing the EXACT SAME PROBLEMS, so obviously there's no bite to their bark. If the above is good enough for you, save your $10k and send your kid to the public middle school on the corner.
--Submitted by a parent

Our daughter joined AMS's Youngest Children's Community last year. It has been amazing to watch her development. AMS is not just a school but a community. We have benefited from the experience of the AMI trained guide, from the parenting classes and seminars on Montissori philosophy offered by the school and from the support of other parents who are so passionate about the Montissori philosophy. We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with Austin Montessori School.
--Submitted by a parent

My child has gone through the elementary and middle school programs at AMS, and I am sure he would not be half the person he is without that experience. Montessori claims to educate the 'whole child', and this school really delivers on that claim. They ask a lot of parents to learn their philosophy and parenting style (but give a lot of support, too), so be aware that it will be a challenging educational experience for the whole family if your family is anything like mine was when we started Montessori.
--Submitted by a parent

I think all parents would agree that no school is perfect. We have been at Austin Montessori for almost 9 years and I feel very lucky to be part of this special community. My three daughters are thriving personally, academically and most importantly they LOVE to learn!
--Submitted by a parent

Austin Montessori has been part of our lives for nearly 11 years now, and we are so grateful to have had such loving, caring & devoted teachers and administrators. The philosophy and curriculum have been a perfect fit. Thank you AMS for all of your dedication over the past years!
--Submitted by a parent

We have been in Austin Montessori for a while, and it is a great school. So much attention to every detail, such professionalism combined with a passion for educating and turning out brilliant, self-driven, mature, and compassionate citizens. Academically, the material/work is brilliant, the guides very involved. For a motivated child, the sky's the limit. And they educate parents on how to partner with the school to keep the children motivated about learning with frequent and fantastic parent education classes.
--Submitted by a parent