Community Montessori School

I am honored to have my daughter at such a beautiful school where the love of learning is encouraged in an inspired way on a daily basis. Actual knowledge can be given through multiple modalities, books, computers, lectures, etc, but love of learning is a very hard thing to pass along, and this is priceless. The guides at the school are selfless in their love of the children and their teaching of life skills and academic ones at a high level. It reminds me of the saying, 'give a man a fish and they will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime'. CMS specializes in teaching children how to learn to learn in an independent manner, so through their guided lessons, they are shifting the impetus of learning from themselves to the children. Essentially, passing along all the tools for the students to be able to do everything for themselves, and creating lifelong inspired learners through an andragogical model where adults collaborate with children instead of ordering them around. This prepares children for the adult world so that they can be the creative leaders of tomorrow, quite literally teaching them to 'learn for a lifetime'. I couldn't be happier with my daughter's school environment or her teachers ('guides'). more

We have been with CMS for at least 7 years. My oldest son started going to Ms. Jinny when he was 2 years old and my youngest started when he was 18 months old. They are now 10 and 7 years old. They are both wonderful, emotionally intelligent, smart, very sweet and thoughtful kids. As busy working parents, we cannot take the credit since CMS continues to take very good care of our kids. I am forever grateful to this wonderful and beautiful school in Georgetown, Texas. This school is priceless. more

My son has attended Community Montessori School (CMS) for the last 18 months. He started at CMS when he was 20months, joining the Casita classroom. Since then he has moved up to the Children's House. more

The only thing this school has going for them is that they have a beautiful campus. The staff is down right rude. There are a couple good teachers at this school but the rest are horrible. The director just does not see ""the value"" of meeting with parents if they have something to talk to her about. I have heard from more than 3 people the director has said she does not see ""the value"" in meeting with them on issues that they felt were important. The new director has been a huge disappointment. Kids that leave and go to public or other private schools are way behind. So glad we got out of there when we did or we would have a child that is way behind like many of our friends that left. This is a board ran school not a parent ran school. You can get on the board if you go along with their ""agenda"". If you do not go along with their agenda you may even find yourself being kicked out of the school. Do yourself and your child a favor and steer clear of this place. These people do not care about the children. Please do not make the mistake I made by trusting these people. I also believe these new glowing reviews are from people being asked to write them or from board members. Too many in the same time frame to be real genuine reviews. Just goes to show nothing has changed over there. NOTE: It is so interesting that this school has not been reviewed this year one time and after the last board meeting the reviews have shot up like crazy!! And all with in a few days of each other. And right when the school enrollment numbers are down too. Consedience???? I think not!! CMS: If you would not treat people the way you do and be accountable for what you do wrong then you would not have to write these FAKE reviews to get business. A lesson you guys just can not seem to learn. Shaking head...... more

Our family loves this school. We moved to Georgetown specifically so that our child could have the opportunity to attend Community Montessori. We love the teachers and especially the environment that they have created for our little children. Negative energy just doesn't have a place in these classrooms and it is amazing to see the positive influence this community has had on my child's character. At 4 years old he could already read and spot the difference between an isosceles triangle and an equilateral triangle. Name a public school elementary student that can do that! Although he will likely be attending a charter school for elementary due to financial reasons, we looking forward to enrolling our youngest child when she is old enough. more

We are in our 4th year at CMS. I have never been a board member nor have I been asked to write a review. CMS has been a great place for our children. The guides and assistants are so nurturing and patient with them. They have sparked curiousity and excitement within our children about the world around them as well as give them the necessary foundations in math, science, language, culture and practical life. It is true that the school has seen many changes since we arrived. One can choose to give or take the politics of the front office and do not feel the board secretly runs the show. The only thing that matters to me is the quality of care and learning that happens behind the white gates, and so far has been wonderful. I know many families that have made financial sacrifices to afford to send their children to CMS and know for certain that Meridian has been an attractive option for those who want or need a break from paying tuition. If you can swing it, CMS is worth the fairly reasonable cost of tuition. The teachers are the best you can find anywhere and will provide your children with a safe and caring environment. more

Our child is in the fifth year of school at CMS and we could not be happier with it. It is an open, welcoming, and diverse community of people. The faculty and staff are competent and helpful. The education is second to none. In my opinion, the Montessori philosophy is far superior to our traditional public school methods. The emphasis on educating the ""whole child"" and on encouraging each child's natural desire to learn prepares students to become fully realized, responsible, productive, and loving people. more

Our family has been at CMS for over 4 years, and we have had an absolutely wonderful experience at this school. We have experience in the toddler, primary (age 3-6) and elementary levels, and have had wonderful guides (teachers) completely dedicated to providing the best educational environment possible every step of the way. more

After evaluating schools in the area, we opted to put our son at Community Montessori School. He was three and Mom's Day Out just wasn't providing the level of stimulation that he needed. Within six months, we had pulled our daughter from an exemplary elementary school (public) and put her at CMS, too. She is in first grade and is flourishing there just as our son did from the beginning. The enthusiasm and compassion among the students and staff are compelling and the academics are superior to that of even the best public schools in the area. CMS is run by a school board (elected by the parent body) and appropriate items are voted on by either the board or the parent body. I have served on many civic boards and CMS runs theirs in a professional and fair manner. The staff are professional yet friendly and always eager to help. The decision to go public or go private as far as education goes is one that every parent must make. For those who are opting to go the private route, CMS provides an enriching and mature environment with certified instructors and administrators. more

Wow, what a living nightmare!! It started while I was out on the Georgetown square raising funds for the yearly fundraiser and a parent pulled me aside and asked me about the school. She explained to me that she would love to put children in school there because it is close to her home but the school would not let her read the 5 Great Lessons they would be teaching her children about creationism. I was shocked and called the director and asked if this was true. She told me this was in fact true because these lessons were ""protected"". ""So you are not going to let me see what you are going to teach my child about creationism?"" The answer was,"" no"" they are protected."" Protected? We continued taking our child to this school until one night at a board meeting(I was there supporting a family that had been kicked out of school out of the blue) a man turned to me and threaten me by making a throat slashing gesture and said, ""F*** Y**!"" He continued you stare at me with a evil stare. I had never seen this man before. The teacher that was sitting next to me raised her hand and said to the board, ""hey this man just made this gesture to a parent and cursed at her."" The board acted as if nothing had happened. That was curious. Come to find out the man is the assistant director's husband at the school. There had been a breech of confidentially made by the school's director. She accused me of making a CPS report on this parent's child for inappropriate behavior with other children. The director admitted in writing to me, without knowing who called CPS, that she told the office staff and families at the school that I had called CPS. Either way the behavior that was tolerated at this school towards me by this man was unacceptable, in my opinion. Furthermore, a police report was filed on this incident and the charges were not pursued even though the man went to the police department at told them he did threaten me but only because he wanted me to ""shut up"". Well, it is curious to me that an assistant district attorney in Georgetown happens to also be the board president of this school. The police came to my house to warn me of this man because he did say he came to this meeting to threaten me. Funny the courts didn't pursue something that the police department found so concerning to drive to my house and warn me about. Curious if you ask me or just plain corrupt! And the very next morning after this happen the director walked up to the teacher and told her not to worry because that was not aimed towards her. hmmmmm? WOW!!! Well, who was it aimed towards? And does that make it acceptable? I pulled my daughter out of the school. I have tried to talk to the director of the school about this and she told me she didn't see any value in meeting with me. My daughter was heart broken about leaving her friends and teachers and you don't see any value in meeting with me after your staff's husband threaten me at a board meeting? This school is not about the children. They ask parents to leave the school without any regard of how it will effect the children and they had no concern that my child was having nightmares about changing schools. And I have made attempts to speak with them. They have never made an attempt to make things right. Thousands of dollars they made from us and not even an apology? If you do go this school please be aware that a core group of parent's run this school. And now you MUST sign the handbook stating you may be kicked out for any reason no questions asked as many parent's have experienced. In other words if we don't like you then you may be just asked to leave. And we don't care how this will effect your child!! Beware of this what appears to be perfect environment. There is a dark underlying group of people that run this school. more

All of our children attend Community Montessori School and it has been a wonderful experience. Many of the guides (teachers) have been at the school for ten or more years. The three-year cycle enables the guides to really get to know the students and focus on their individual needs and the children don't have to readjust each year. Our children are thriving in reading, math, arts and sciences. It's amazing how combining all three together in the curriculum really helps the kids understand the material quicker and at a greater depth than just reading it in a book. The campus is very home-like with animals, trees and a very natural landscape. The only down side of the school is that it currently only goes through sixth grade. I would highly recommend this school to any parent wishing to create a love of learning in their child. more

I have had my child in this school since she was 2 1/2 yrs old and she is now 7 and she has mastered cursive and reading chapter books. I trusted the process and didn't push my agenda on what I thought the process should be and the results have been fabulous. I can't say enough how wonderful this school! more

We enrolled our son, now 4, in CMS in the fall of 2009, and we?ve been impressed with the school. CMS exemplifies and excels at everything we love and appreciate about the Montessori method of teaching children, fostering creativity and a love a learning while nurturing a child?s sense of exploration and discovery. Not only has our child grown more independent and socially involved, but we believe CMS has contributed to his sense of self-worth and confidence. Further, CMS is a community of families which are all involved and committed to making the school the best it can be. CMS is accredited with the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Pros: Rich Learning Environment, Strong Parent Involvement, AMI more

This school is an amazing environment for children to learn and growing surrounded by a supportive and caring community. Our child has been at this school for a year and a half in the primary community, and we fully intend to keep our children at this school as long as possible. This school places responsibility on the parent and the guide to communicate regarding each child. It has been helpful to me to remember that the guides are extensively gifted at and trained in working with children, so I make extra effort to initiate the adult communication. The executive director is an asset to the school, and will frankly and directly address any issues presented by parents. CMS places emphasis on self-responsibility and self-care, which has really helped our son to become more independent, confident, and aware of others. One of our favorite things about this school is the amount of parent involvement. It is wonderful to be at a school where the other parents are as committed to success as you are. We will enroll our daughter in the toddler program next fall, and look forward to many more years in this community. Pros: Beautiful campus, Wonderful guides, Parent involvement, Quality of learning Cons: Only goes through 6th grade, Limited extracurriculur activities for older children more

My experience at this school was wonderful with caring, knowledgeable guides and stimulating environments. Each child has the opportunity to explore at his or her own pace. Please be aware, Montessori is not for every parent. This school gives as much emphasis on social and emotional development as it does academics. My children left this school well-equipped to be a functioning and contributing members of society, but more importantly, they left this school with a love of learning. Pros: the teachers and community feel more

Our 5 year old son is in his second year at CMS and we could not be happier. Between both our sons - they have attended 4 different Montessori schools (we have moved several times) and CMS has had the best teachers (guides) and environment of all the schools we have been part of. We hear from the guide regularly about our sons progress and even get positive comments from other parents regarding how well all the children in his class get along. The class seems to be a family in itself. A very positive environment. Our five year old is now learning cursive handwriting, just like his brother who is in the 4th grade at a public school. I was suprised by a few of the less than positive comments I saw posted and spoke to the director about them and came away satisfied that there is no reason to worry. From the very start I have found the director to be a wonderful person and she has always given me direct answers even when I have asked her tough questions about the school. This school is definitely headed in the right direction and I plan on keeping my son there as long as possible. The school is AMI certified, which I have learned by investigating Montessori schools and having had my children go to several is the premier certification; we feel extremely fortunate to have found an AMI school right here in Georgetown. Pros: Guides, enviroment, director, summer program, children Cons: does not go to high school level more

We absolutely love the school, the guides, the staff, the parent community, and all the great kids and families we have met over the last few years. Once all is said and done, we will have three kids at Community Montessori in Georgetown, TX, spanning more than 10 years of early childhood education. Pros: Guides, campus, parent community, Cons: Can't think of any!!! more

If you are looking for daycare, this isn't it. My husband and I both went to Montessori schools as children and did our research before choosing this one. Our son has just completed his first year of primary and we couldn't be more pleased. I really believe that his guide and assistant ""get"" him and genuinely like him. He's excited to go to school in the morning and happy when we pick him up. His social skills are really developing and he loves the math activities. We are a family of math/science geeks, so comprehensive exposure to math and science is important to us. The methods might not be the same as what you would see in public school programs, but I believe that they help kids develop a deeper understanding of the concepts that will stick with them longer. Pros: wonderful guides, individual pacing of education, beautiful setting, upper elementary, parent involvement Cons: none. we are completely satisfied. more

My husband and i did an exhaustive search throughout the Austin area for a pre- and beyond school for our daughter. None matched the full offering of Community Montessori School in Georgetown. In fact, we moved our family there so that our daughter could grow up in this wonderful school. She has now been there for only a year and a half, is 4 years old, and is starting to read, and has been writing for at least 9 months. Beyond this academic progress, she has learned to be a kind, incredibly generous little girl with an amazing heart for all creatures. Her guide, who has been teaching the Montessori method for 25 years, maintains an orderly, nurturing classroom that has encouraged our daughter's capabilities and self-esteem. In addition to all of these wonderful qualities, the parent community at CMS is comprised of dedicated, invlolved, and caring people whose commitment to the school is truly beautiful. Combine all this with the pastoral setting of the school and I cannot imagine my daughter anywhere else. This school is special. Pros: Faculty, environment, Montessori teaching method, parental involvement Cons: Limited extra-curricular options more

This is a great school, that has teachers that are truly concerned and interested in the development of children, and really making the world a better place. This is probably not the school for parents who just want to drop their kids at school and have them learn everything at school, but it is a wonderful environment for kids who are being raised in an atmosphere that every minute of everyday is a fun time to learn. It is a WONDERFUL place for a partnership between teacher and parent, if you have the time to work with your children at home too. Pros: campus, teaching staff, parent involvement more