Free Horizon Montessori

Our experience with our first grader has been negative. Her teacher seems unqualified and I fear she is falling behind. When I try to communicate with the dean of students and principal, my calls and emails are often not returned, or they say they will get back to me by a certain time and they don't. There seems to be a general lack of organization, and poor communication from teachers and administration. Some of the staff and teachers are great, but I hear more stories of poor teaching than great ones. Probably because this school (according to its own principal) has a high teacher turnover rate. It also has a high student turnover rate so obviously my student is not the only one who is struggling.

Free Horizon Montessori is a school where the principal, teachers, faculty, and parents all go above and beyond. My 3 year old and 6 year old are learning so much and are enjoying school immensely. Teachers are very committed to the children and do a great job with keeping them excited about the work. Highly recommend this school.

Five years ago we were looking for a school that could challenge our highly gifted child, yet embrace her as a child - Free Horizon Montessori is just that school. Each year we have been amazed at how calmly the teachers "follow the child" through the curriculum, gently nudging them on less desirable work, and giving them depth in areas of high interest. While the test scores on state standardized tests took a nose dive in 2012, other measures of academic achievement remained above average - and since then we have had thoughtful, conscious conversations on the importance of test taking and whether we are comfortable with judging our progress using other indicators of success. Free Horizon Montessori is a community - teacher, parents, administrators, and students coming together for a common purpose: enriching the lives of students and giving them the keys to global citizenship.

Free Horizon Montessori is the perfect school for our two children. The teachers and administrators at FHM are incredibly dedicated to meeting the individual needs of the students. They encourage inquisitiveness and creativity and rather than give the student the answer to a question or problem, FHM staff members teach the students how to problem solve and to think critically. If you are looking for a school where your child can develop as a whole person (intellectually, socially, and emotionally), I would encourage you to look beyond the school's standardized test scores and attend a tour to see if it is the right fit for your family.

FHM is committed to helping every child achieve their potential and love learning. Balancing the Montessori philosophy and the demands of a public school system is tricky but the teachers and administrators are up to the challenge. Our children have thrived here. If you are looking for a school where standardized test scores are a top priority this school may not be it, as there is no teaching to the test and Montessori methods do not necessarily follow the same pattern as a more traditional public school. If you are looking for a warm healthy learning environment where each child is treated as an individual this may be the right school.

My daughter went to Free Horizon for preschool and is in kindergarten there now. She LOVES school. At her age, we really want a school that will foster her love of learning and let her explore things that interest her while still having structure in her day. Her teacher is awesome, and the assistant teacher is an integral part of a fabulous classroom environment that promotes personal growth and learning. We have no experience with the upper level grades at this point.

I am a Montessori kid, and as such, was looking for a school that met my high expectations for inspired learning, while balancing my son's natural ability to learn, and very normal learning challenges. In our 5th year at Free Horizon, we have embraced a vibrant, caring community. My son couldn't be more delighted about jumping into school every day, learning and most importantly learning to function in a community. His latest parent/teacher conference reported that he had outstanding citizenship --- really, what more could we ask for? This doesn't come from a test, it doesn't come from homework, it comes from trusting calm adults who understand and support children and their natural ability to learn and thrive. Montessori is about guiding, not about cramming in facts and figures. As a Montessori kid, turned into an adult, I wouldn't give back that educational experience for anything. So glad that my son is able to share that same experience.