The Del Ray Montessori School

At the time of writing this review, we have been with The Del Ray Montessori School (DRMS) for over 4 years and, while no school is perfect, we have had a great experience. My son was in the 'primary' classroom for three and a half years, before moving to elementary this year. He had the same primary teacher and assistant for the duration, and he adores them both. As far as I know, both are still in that classroom.
The school is small, a bit short of 100 students, per design (they market themselves as "the little school around the corner") which we love. My son knows ALL staff by their name and they all know him.
When you send your child to DRMS, you know s/he is getting a true Montessori education. DRMS is accredited by Association Montessori International (AMI) for all three programs currently offered: toddler (1-3), primary (3-6), and elementary (6-12). AMI accredits only roughly 200 schools in the US because the standards are extremely rigorous and require full fidelity to the method in order to maintain.
- What we love about the school: commitment to the Montessori method excellent, warm teachers (at least those we worked with) strict "no junk" food policy summer camp educational sessions for parents.
- What we don't love: no after school programs or care during "no school" days limited outdoor space (a wonderful garden was opened last year they are working on improving their outdoor play space, so this may change in the near future) no dedicated building (the school shares a space in a church).

Small, insular, rigid and bureaucratic. Poorly run, high staff turnover. They play favorites. Teachers of varying quality. There are better Montessori schools in the area.