I regret enrolling my daughter here. Despite committing early (touring in Feb 2024, paying a deposit, and submitting all forms), the school's lack of communication, disorganization, and disregard for basic safety and hygiene created a deeply frustrating and emotionally exhausting year. From misplaced incident reports and unaddressed injuries, to administrative errors and tone-deaf leadership, this school consistently failed to provide a safe, transparent, and developmentally supportive environment. My daughter came home with swollen lips, unexplained bruises, missing shoes, and stories of peer mistreatment -- with no formal documentation provided, despite repeated requests. These were not isolated events; I have video/photo documentation, and other parents voiced similar concerns in meetings. The director's conduct was both inappropriate and hypocritical -- once sending me a photo of my 3-year-old with paper in her mouth and demanding I "talk to her about telling the truth" over a harmless joke (gum from dad), while gaslighting parents about emails that were never sent. We were made to feel like the problem, when in reality the school's tech systems, operations, and staffing plans were simply broken. Staffing was unstable -- the lead teacher left for maternity leave with no real succession plan. Parents were informed of changes through hallway gossip before any official notice. Other red flags included: * Poor nap hygiene (child's skin broke out); * No proper underwear/clean clothes sent home; * Unsafe food handling policies; * Lost orthopedic shoes due to mishandling after an accident -- only replaced after escalation; * Inconsistent behavioral reporting, with my child being singled out for normal 3-year-old behavior, while aggressive peer behavior went unaddressed all year. The school showed a lack of respect for working parents, sending critical updates (like school closures) late at night and offering no accessible options for required events (no childcare, no virtual options, last-minute notices). They ran meetings on free Zoom accounts that cut off mid-call, used free Gmail accounts, and misunderstood basic tools like unlisted YouTube links. My concerns were dismissed, incident reports were never filed, and when I reported this to the county, I was told it was "too late." Given how long and hard I tried to resolve these issues internally -- and my documentation of events -- this only added to the heartbreak. In hindsight, I should have trusted my gut and pulled my child out much earlier. If you're a parent considering this school, please ask hard questions about staff turnover, behavior policies, safety reporting, and operational transparency. And if something feels off -- trust yourself. read more

Will only state the facts that lead to this review... In preparation for our move to VA this year, my family and I have been searching for a suitable Montessori school within this area. After speaking with Cardinal several times via the phone we felt that this might be a great option. A few weeks ago, my wife had scheduled a school tour and staff meet with Cardinal's senior coordinator (not official title) to allow us to see a routine day at the school and view its operation. We scheduled the tour for a Friday, which we were told was not "normal" but would be allowed given the fact that my family had to drive 5+ hours to get there. The tour was locked on that Monday with a 0930 start time on Friday. We had no other communication from the school throughout the week and on Thursday afternoon, we hit the road after I had gotten off work and arrived in VA just after midnight. We were up the following Friday morning and arrived at Cardinal at 0910 to an empty parking lot, locked building, lights off, and no one on site... We sat, waited, and attempted to call anyone with no luck and no response. It was about 0930 when finally a car pulled up and a women was dropped off. She didn't engage us at all and simply walked into the school. My wife proceeded to knock on the door and was met by said women who appeared to be cleaning. My wife explained our situation to the women who simply laughed, nodded, and said that the school was closed due to a maintenance emergency. A few minutes later, another women arrived who identified herself as a teacher. We calmly explained how we were scheduled to meet with a Ms. Igera for our tour but had not been able to reach her or anyone else. The teacher looked surprised and quickly reiterated that the school had been closed for the last few days. She then pulled out her phone and said she would call the "school owner" who was already on her way to Cardinal. At approx. 0945 the school co-owner arrived and welcomed us inside. We explained, again, who we were and why we were there. She quickly apologized and then explained how the school closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to plumbing issues. They had sent all the students and staff home and were now back (Friday morning) in order to clean for the reopening on Monday. She didn't ask any further about the botched tour appointment, but rather tried to go right into her pitch for the school. At the end of the walk-through, we were on our way out the door when we asked for Ms. Igera to call us about the clear failure in communication. The Co-owner said she would, glorified her staff, and said she hoped we would consider them when we moved... Fast forward 2+ weeks later....we got that call.... And it was to schedule yet another tour at the school. Nothing more. The level of complete disregard, disrespect, and sheer unprofessionalism that went into this waste of time is truly astounding. For better perspective, here is a better overview of all my family and I sacrificed in order to simply VISIT the school and observe its operation. - late night drive 5+ hours after work. - pulled my 4yo daughter out of current school in order to see the Cardinal school and meet the teachers. - my wife is 7 months pregnant at the time of all this. And she had to make all these movements. - I scheduled a full day away from work to make this trip happen. - spent hundreds on gas to make the round trip. Along with paying for a hotel in order to stay overnight... The Cardinal school may do just fine in some things, but I find it hard to imagine what. The coordination, communication, and lack of accountability is frightening. To make a commitment to an outside family who is willing to spend thousands on the betterment of their children's care and education and then not even have the courtesy to communicate a simple appointment change is unacceptable. I would HIGHLY encourage any family seeking a Montessori program to move on and explore other options (military families or otherwise). I have nothing negative to post about the teachers who work here, simply the lack of efficient and effective administrative overview of the school itself. This was not a sophisticated encounter, but rather a simple and what I would image routine engagement with an interested party. If this is how they treat an unaffiliated party, how do they respond under higher stress situations? Who actually maintains the schools appointments? Who is charge of registrations? Etc... Bottom line, keep searching. There are other great options within this region of VA, as my family and I learned. So disappointed to leave a review of this manner on a Montessori related establishment, but title alone does not guarantee quality. I truly hope this review can bring about a greater awareness of the low standard practices at Cardinal. read more

Cardinal Montessori School has been a wonderful learning environment for my friend and I. We have exceeded the public school learning system by a long shot. The teachers are exceptional, guiding us to become smarter. We thank Cardinal Montessori School for helping us so much! My friend and I highly recommend this school as its academic system is exemplary! read more

My 5 year old started at their Montessori school last summer at 4 and is making progress . What I do like about the school: small classes, uniforms, structure and safety montessori curriculum in the pre - kindergarten student and teacher diversity Social-emotional Social-Emotional Development family activities throughout the school year personalize support impressive language arts and social studies in the upper levels student engagement in all levels I love Ms Williams at the kindergarten level . She's an excellent example of what a teacher should be. What I'm still on the fence about is sciences and math curriculum especially at the upper level grades No Stem program technology use for students No PTO for parent input and support Building is dated Guidelines Parent- Student handbook need to be updated to reflect the current owners/administration. Would I recommend? Definitively for the pre and kindergarten Montessori program . Students will leave here much more advanced than their peers. read more

Both my children attended CMS and excelled. The teachers/staff are caring and supportive.

Our children have been attending CMS since 2011. We love the school! Its a small school where our girls get a great education. The staff is super attentive and the teachers are wonderful and caring!! read more

Our son has been attending the primary class for over a year now and we could not have been more satisfied with the school, the teachers and the staff members. read more

Excellent Montessori School! We've had three children attend and all have made amazing progress. The staff and families at Cardinal are wonderful. Highly recommend! read more

Great small school. Family environment, caring staff. Kept my kids striving and ahead of the curve.

My son has attended this school since he was 3 years old. We have nothing but great things to say about this school. All of the staff is caring, compassionate, and treats the children as if they were their own. My son is starting 2nd grade and is doing extremely well academically and socially. He is reading, writing, and doing lots of math and other lessons on a daily basis. The setting is small, nothing fancy, yet very comfy. If you are looking for a private pre-school, or elementary school I highly recommend it. Our son is an only child and we feel completely at ease leaving him in the care of these teachers and staff every single day. read more

Not a great school. It's unsanitary, as the bathrooms are often out of supplies (gross for a place with kiddies and germs). The playground doesn't have enough mulch for impact protection. My child's educational progress stagnated, or fell behind while he was there. The school has a great reputation, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's a wonderful place for others, but not for us. Simply paying for private school doesn't make it great. You have to ask yourself what you are getting for your money. My child came home having been bullied and pushed around on the playground, even having been bitten, and in different clothes than he went to school in, all having gone unnoticed by the supervisory staff (not the teachers). Think twice before you trust the amazing reputation of this school. read more

I can't say enough good things about Cardinal. We have been here for 7 years and currently have 3 kids enrolled--another will start next year. The education is unparalleled. The beauty of Montessori is that the kids go at their own speed and are not limited by a particular SOL or lesson plan or curicculum. They can have lots of autonomy within a very structured environment. There's a focus on respect, courtesy, self-control, sportsmanship, kindness, and service to others. They focus on the basics of character and learning without a lot of bells and whistles and amenities. And the academics are just incredible. It is a true family environment--wonderfully diverse, caring, and above all safe. The staff are incredibly responsive and really work with you to make sure everything is working for your child. It's hard to describe what an important part of our lives Cardinal has become! I've recommended it to several neighbors and friends who have been just as thrilled they chose to come to Cardinal. I can't recommend it highly enough. read more