As a parent with more than one child at Mark Day School, what continues to stand out most is how…read moredeeply the school truly knows each student. Beyond academics, teachers take the time to understand who children are--their strengths, challenges, interests, and values--and help them discover how they want to contribute to the world around them. Mark Day School builds on basic structures of academic knowledge acquisition and focuses on something far more meaningful: developing thoughtful, reflective, engaged humans. The culture encourages students to think critically, speak confidently, and act with empathy and purpose. Public speaking, collaboration, and self-awareness are woven naturally into daily life, not treated as add-ons. The result is a community of children who are not only capable learners, but genuinely wonderful people--curious, grounded, and a joy to be around. Mark Day has a rare ability to shape students who will contribute to society in meaningful, positive ways, and as a parent, that gives me tremendous confidence in the education my children are receiving.

We were a new 6th grade family joining the MDS community. Our son was previously at Highlands…read moreChristian Schools in San Bruno from 18 months old (They have a wonderful toddler daycare) to the 5th grade. It was great for our son to be entering the 6th grade at a new school with another dozen or so new children from outside schools. The summer buddy family program gave us an opportunity to meet other rising 6th graders and their families. We cannot thanks these parents enough for the warm welcome prior to the start of the school year. In the 6th grade the kids are given their own laptops to be used throughout Middle School. The 6th grade 4 day Outdoor Ed trip to Pinnacle National Park fell on our sons birthday. It was his first time away without any parent chaperones and he loved it. The school dealt with COVID-19 by following the science and took great precautions to ensure the safety of the children. In late March 2019 there was a 2 week teacher training then the kids were back in school via Zoom. We continued to use distance learning in the 7th grade until the winter break when he returned to the classroom. He is now in the 8th grade and we feel grateful to MDS for keeping our kids and community safe. The teachers, administrators and staff are 100% vaccinated as are the students age 12 and older. The kids ages 5-11 are now catching up to reach 100% vaccinated. The high level of education and life experiences our son is getting at MDS has exceeded our expectation. He has made new friends and is excited to be looking at the next chapter of his education, High School. We highly recommend this independent school.

If I could give 6 stars, I would! Like so many Bay Area families we have no family support…read morestructure here, so choosing a preschool became as much an exercise in researching early childhood education philosophies and the quality of the staff and facilities, as finding an environment that aligned to the type of community that we wanted to foster for our family. Who would become our adopted FR-AMILY, if you will. ;) RVNS is unparalleled in this respect imo. There is a true sense of inclusiveness and belonging, of high-touch/low-pressure engagement between the teachers and staff, the children, and the amazing families who enroll. RVNS has that special something that is so hard to put words to so I encourage you to schedule a tour and experience it for yourself. Just be forewarned...if your child is anything like mine you'll have a hard time getting them to leave after that tour! :) Also worth noting that during the Covid-19 era RVNS has masterfully embraced the heightened safety guidelines without losing any of their special sauce. They've made adjustments to their programs to allow for small pods, maximum time outdoors, and implemented new mask and cleaning protocols without in any way alarming the children. The level of thought, care and communication with parents has been top-notch, and we feel safe and comforted in these uncertain times.

We LOVE this school! Our son has spent the last three years there and we feel so lucky to be part…read moreof such a wonderful community. Not only are the teachers exceptional, but so are all the other families that attend. Our son has flourished at RVNS with their play-based approach and we feel confident that RVNS has given him the foundation to thrive next year in Kindergarden.

Montessori in Motion is truly a gem. From the moment we walked in, I could feel the calm, nurturing…read moreenergy of the school, and it has been nothing short of magical for my daughter. The teachers -- Crystal, Josh, Tracy, Alyiah, and Ashley -- are amazing. My daughter transitioned mid-year, and the way they welcomed her made her feel comfortable and excited to be there. The classrooms are filled with a diverse set of activities and materials to explore, and they have the best play yard I have ever seen. As a mom, the biggest gift was peace of mind. I could leave each morning knowing my daughter was not only cared for, but genuinely thriving. She has grown in confidence and independence, and came home excited to share her day and look forward to the next morning. The contrast from other schools we've experienced was night and day. At MIM, I felt supported as a parent, informed, and confident knowing my daughter's overall well-being was prioritized. It is a wonderful community. Montessori in Motion isn't just a preschool -- it's a magical place where children flourish.

My daughter started at MIM once she turned 2 and she's loving it. So much so, she never wants to…read morecome back home when it's time for pick up. All the teachers are warm and attentive to the children. The space is cozy and inviting. And the playground is a small paradise for the little ones. She is learning a lot, from new words and sentences to putting on her socks and jacket by herself. We've seen a lot of progress in a few months! All good things. The older kids keep an eye on the younger ones and they are very sweet to each other. All in all, I highly recommend the school.

I attended the Ross Valley Charter (RVC) and it's meetings. The school itself is located in a…read moremiddle school with older kids. The Charter told me that it would work with the district to make accommodations but instead sued the school district to take space. This alone has caused me to rethink what is important for me. it's important that the school serve the community which makes a community with it's current neighbors thrive. I also don't like that the Charter told me that it was financially viable and it turns out that they are Recruiting from out of district to make ends meet. I found additional information on Facebook by joining "Only In Fairfax" community page. Or by searching a petition on the Ross Valley Charter on moveon.org I don't like that I've been lied to by the Charter Leadership and I do not recommend this school because this leadership is not honest. I will be Surprised if they're still in business in the near future.

My daughter just started there but so far it's been a really positive experience. Everyone has…read morebeen very welcoming. We had concern transferring to public school as she has been in private school (Marin Waldorf) for the past 3 years but starting day 1 those concerns have been eased. Appreciate the school and the teachers!

We started Jan 2024. I had a kindergarten boy and a 8th grade girl that started at Marin Christian…read moreAcademy. I see a huge changes in both of my children for the better. My son is now in 1st grade: He loves his school and looks forward to hearing about God and reading his bible. His reading and math skills have caught up as last year he was behind when we started at Marin Christian. We are so grateful to see how great he is doing and my son is so proud of his achievements here. My daughter was only at Marin Christian for Jan 2024 to June 2024, then transitioned to high school. She says what she learned in those few months have stayed with her and that she is much closer to God and this has helped her find her way at high school. She also was behind as she was home schooled over covid. In these few months this school was able to help with confidences and taught her what she was missing to do great in high school. She loved the middle school and we wished that we find this school sooner. Thank you Brenda

Fantastic local school that offers an alternative to public school. Great teachers and the school…read moreadministration is top notch. My children are very happy here and I feel they are receiving quality academia and being well-cared for. The MCA parents association offers ample opportunity to meet other parents and support the school.

There are many pros of Hamilton Montessori: great location and beautiful campus, it was really…read morefocused on developing life-skills and had a rich curriculum. Our 3 year old could tell us everything we ever wanted to know about the continents and dinosaurs by the time he left. But we found that the school wasn't very accepting of energetic, big-feelings types of kids. My son was sent home multiple times for incredibly normal and age-appropriate behavior (melt-downs, hitting, over-tiredness from not napping, etc.). I felt that the teachers lacked patience and understanding, and weren't very willing to help our child through these natural moments of toddlerhood. We were also not the only family to experience this, based on multiple conversations with other parents. It was suggested that we take our child for a behavioral evaluation for these "issues," which caused us so much stress as parents. This stress, on top of frequent calls to pick him up for what felt like an unwillingness to deal with a tantrum or an overtired kid, ultimately led us to realize that perhaps our child's behavior wasn't the problem. He's now thriving in a more play-based environment, and I wish we had realized the school wasn't a fit for our family sooner. FWIW, I think there were many happy families at HMS, and it seems to be a great environment for kids who are able to focus and do Montessori "work" for a large part of the day, it just didn't work for our sports-loving, energetic guy.

I wanted to give this school the benefit of the doubt despite the concerns I had heard from other…read moreparents and even staff members. After touring the school myself, however, I understand why those concerns were raised. My experience was extremely disappointing. I was shocked to learn that the school currently has only eight children overall. From the moment I walked into the classroom, it did not feel like the Montessori environment I expected or had been led to believe I would find. One of the teachers repeatedly told two children what to do instead of allowing them to choose an activity freely. This did not reflect the independence and freedom of choice that are central to the Montessori approach. Another major concern is the lack of accurate and current information on the school's website. The website lists five teachers, yet I was told during my visit that two of those teachers have already left. Prospective families rely on a school's website for accurate information, particularly when it comes to the people responsible for their children. Updating a staff page when employees leave should not be difficult, and leaving outdated information online raises serious questions for me about the school's organization and management. Catherine a previous teacher mentioned that she believed the school would go downhill after she left. After seeing the school for myself, I believe she was right. She also expressed doubts about whether the teacher who stepped into her role would be successful. The teacher who took over wasn't even Montessori trained and from what I have heard from other parents she lacked experience and was a borderline teacher and that she stayed for a year when all other staff left because she resembles the same narcissistic personality as her boss. She has since left the school as well, so that means she failed to be successful in her role and that's why she was replaced. What I initially thought might simply be one former employee's opinion now makes considerably more sense after my own visit. Based on what I personally observed, this school appears to need significant changes in its management, leadership, organization, and overall direction. A school cannot simply call itself Montessori; that philosophy should be reflected in the classroom environment, the leadership, the staff, and the experience families have when they walk through the door. I went into this tour prepared to overlook what I had heard and form my own opinion. I did exactly that, and unfortunately my firsthand experience only reinforced many of the concerns that had already been shared with me. I would strongly encourage prospective parents to tour the school, ask direct questions about current enrollment and staffing, and carefully evaluate the environment for themselves before making a decision.

My wife toured this daycare and did not like it. The baby room was tucked in a small room and…read morevery cramped, it's awful for babies to be in a claustrophobic surrounding. She also discovered that the building the school is in now was a mortuary for 60 years. Search online the keywords "guidepost mill valley mortuary" I was dismayed that they did not tell us this information during the tour. We the parents should be told so we can decide if it's good for our babies or not. you can also search "mill valley mortuary 270 Miller Ave" and it will show the building was a mortuary.

We started our son at Guidepost in December 2019 and we're so happy we picked this school! There…read moreare a lot of wonderful schools in the area (we looked at 3 preschools on Miller, all within a quarter mile of each other) so in my experience it's all about fit. I'm a big believer that preschool should: 1. Be convenient for parents. Pick up and drop off should work for everyone's schedule and ideally it's an easy "on the way" location. 2. Be the right cultural fit for your family and kid. If your kid needs a lot of outdoor play - great make that a priority! If your kid loves socializing, art, quiet time etc...make sure you talk about those things. My friends had given me a list of 2,464 questions to ask every preschool...which started to overwhelm me a bit. I landed on (after convenience boxes were checked) figuring out how they managed food, play and conflict. So with that in mind we toured all the nearby preschools, looked at pricing and availability, and decided on Guidepost. I knew very little about Montessori going into it, but it turns out it to a perfect fit for our toddler. He's very independent spirited and wants to do things on his own, and the Montessori environment has allowed him to practice all the "grown up" skills and helped him feel so confident and independent. We even changed a bit of our home set up (toy areas, kitchen area) to emulate and support the Montessori approach and it's been wonderful. The staff at Guidepost has been great. Ilsa, the school director, is so responsive and kind. The two main teachers in the toddler room (Currently Brittany and Ellen) are so tender and caring and they have truly taken the time to get to know my son and the things that make him tick. They feed him a healthy snack each day and give him lots of activities, indoor and outdoor, to choose from. My toddler completely adapted in a matter of days and basically shoos me away when he arrives because he's so happy to be at school. Communication from the school is fabulous. I get photos and updates every day with activities and events. Because Guidepost is a venture backed brand the operations are next level. I pay tuition and sign in/out all through an ap to keep things super organized. I can communicate with teachers and administrators over email or through the Transparent Classroom ap, and enrolling required no manual paperwork, posting things in the mail, paper checks or any of the other antiquated systems that many preschools still use. They are well built for the "millennial parent" and they offer amazing hours for working parents. We are extremely happy with Guidepost and plan to send our daughter there starting this summer. I'm thrilled with our decision to go with Guidepost, and am thrilled to have them as another option amongst the many wonderful preschools in and around Mill Valley.

I was a student at brandeis from 2021-2025 and have recently graduated so I feel like I'm qualified…read moreto review my experience. Many teachers were horrible at their job and instead of teaching would give speeches on 'growth mindset' and refuse to help while others would target specific students to get mad at and punish everyone for one kid's wrongdoings. A teacher once came to school high as hell and tried to make an explosive rocket and somehow that wasnt what fired him. School lunch is horrible and i got food poisoning numerous times. JS class Made me feel like being Jewish was nothing more than political debates and annoying packet readings. Children of staff members would get special treatment CONSTANTLY. Student body was nice but kinda cliquey. The field trips and art programs were all great tho! Also very good english and language classes. overall a 3.2/5

Let me start and say that I am grateful for the education that my kids got in Brandeis Marin…read more But all the "community " or "family " or any other big words they talking about went out the door in the minute we asked to leave the school. Don't let them fool you, this is a business and now it's clear that they all about the money. Sad and very disappointed.