I went to a party organized here. The cafeteria, I think, right after the entryway…read more The tables and chairs were nice furniture. The carpet, podium with microphone, and fireplace at one end were nice too. Very nice skylights along the length of the room. Very elegant (I would assume this is a private school). No dance floor, though, so you'll have to rent one if you need it. No stage, either. I didn't organize it, so I don't know the rental price, but this is a very nice venue. There may have been a sink area, as well, but I don't know.

I'm not a big Yelp reviewer, but the few reviews here leave a very skewed view of the school, which…read moreis a huge disservice to families who need an honest review of the school. Madrona was a game-changer for my kid and I can't imagine the student he would have become if he'd stayed at his public school or even gone to a different independent school. Unlike the negative review, this was the best time and money our family has ever invested. It's not for "just" bright and gifted kids - it serves neurodivergent kids who are also bright/gifted. A lot of the students come with particular challenges that are typical of people with this profile - asynchronous development (including often slower socioemotional development) is pretty common. If your child is "just" bright/gifted, it's probably not the school for you. The kids who need Madrona would fall flat on their faces at a regular independent school like St. George's (which is awesome for neurotypical kids!) because the struggles they have wouldn't be attended to sufficiently; they would just fall between the cracks. The staff at Madrona also work so hard to meet families' needs, and bend with them as they change. Will there be bumps? Of course. There are bumps at any school. If you're considering the school for your 2E child, go to an open house or ask for a tour. Everyone wants their kids to grow and do well there, and it is small enough that different personalities and needs can be accommodated. Again, nothing is perfect, but my kid and most of other kids in his classes over the years grew in ways that wouldn't have been possible in schools designed for neurotypical students. Most kids go to Madrona because their home school/other schools can't meet their needs. Madrona goes above and beyond to do this. I can't express how grateful my family is to have found this tiny school and how much it has changed my kid's trajectory in every way.

They deleted my Google review! Waste of time and money…read more Didn't meet ANY other kids who were Designated P Gifted Learners. Just mostly families who didn't like the other Ivy League private schools nearby; apparently if you have money, Madrona is easy to get into. One of our main teachers had zero knowledge of supporting gifted learners and didn't even "teach" instead resorted to having the class do online programs with no actual in person enriching lessons... Over. The. Entire. Year! Basically paid $24K for babysitting. Save yourself the time and $ and sign up for online classes like IXL etc yourself at home. Another friend of ours who's family also left this terrible school, had kids who were bullied at school and online. The head of school, Ms Lammie did nothing and took several months to even communicate to the parents about it. Frustrating at such a small school. Especially when you consider they've raised tuition to be similar to St. George's School... have a look yourself and compare the offerings - it's shocking that a school without even a playground can get away with the most expensive tuition compared to the 20 other independent/private schools in the GVRD. Perhaps if the staff at Madrona were remotely specialized in the needs of gifted learners, it might be worth it, but they failed short on everything we signed up for. Everyone I know has had Epic Failures of an experience at Madrona. There are many other options out there. Do your research and ask around. We made the mistake of making such an important decision on the scraps of online praise and the fact it is located in Vancouver which was convenient for us. Don't make the same mistake - if your kids are truly needing gifted support, this is not the place. A few of the teachers that actually were great, have left the school over the last few years. I don't usually write anything negative, but this info/experience needs to be put out there... for the sake of the kids and in the spirit of goodwill among fellow parents looking for help.

Small class sizes, experienced administration and convenient location in Vancouver's west side.read more

The IB Program at SJS has been wonderful for my two kids. The teachers and administration obviously…read morework very hard to create a well prepared and engaging environment. My experience has, so far, been limited to the junior school where the warm and encouraging (while still academically challenging) atmosphere is quite special. My son, in particular, has transformed over his three years, (and counting), at the school from a bright, though highly anxious and shy child, into a much happier confident kid.

We were with Cambie Montessori for about 3 years with 2 kids. I've never been really thrilled with…read morethem. The communication and organization is haphazard. You never really feel confident they have your cheques or you are getting the right information for the month. The location is great, materials provided to the kids is great, the teachers are...fine. My kids learned stuff, but in the past year were not happy about going. We did end up pulling my kids out due to some incidents, but the licensing office at VCH was following up with them. They aren't abusive or anything, they just aren't great either. So they get 3 stars. 1 for the location, 2 for the stuff the kids learn, and 3 for the materials they use. The staff and the administration and communication with parents needs improvement We have since moved to a new preschool and realize just how unhappy the kids were here and how unprofessionally managed the place was.

Our two children have attended Cambie Montessori. The first for three years from 2012 to 2015 and…read moreour second for one year from 2020 to 2021. Our first child was admitted to a top private school in Vancouver from Cambie Montessori and our second will join them there in September 2021. We have experienced none of the issues outlined in the first review listed on yelp. I have returned to this site to write this review after being puzzled for months since reading the first review. The administration and teachers have been responsive to all of our questions and concerns. The facilities are excellent. Our children are happy and received a good Montessori education. I am happy to recommend Cambie Montessori to anyone.

This review is for Oakridge Montessori School. My child went through most of the Junior…read moreKindergarten year. Unlike teacher communication at OMS, this review was written 100% without the use of AI. OMS, if you would like to respond, please consider not using AI. Prospective parent: Unless you are ultra-wealthy and have at least one caregiver who does not need to work, stay away! (You might also like to own a Tesla). You will need all of the above to shuttle your child back and forth to many field trips and special events (not on the school calendar) that last ~2-3 hours in lieu of actual school, plus you will need to pay extra for every single one of them (plus up to $10k more for auctions...as the principal said, "It's Report Card Season!"). Essentially this is an (aspirational) feeder school for elite private schools in the area, and tries to behave like one. Oh, and you should also read/write Mandarin and have the WeChat app in order to participate in the parent group. This school has absolutely nailed their target demographic. I don't think the school needs to change, because it works well for said population. I'm writing this review so that those who don't fall within this particular demographic can go in with eyes wide open. We didn't, clearly - because who can really be that choosey about childcare in Vancouver? - but I think a heads up might have helped. OMS is a self-proclaimed "organic Montessori" school. They do screen time, and they seem a bit light on some other parts of Montessori (my kid reports that they don't really clean their environment, for e.g., though I take their report with a grain of salt). What concerned us early on was the use of reward/points systems to motivate behavior in the classroom through their ClassDojo App (which, btw, suits the school well - always asking for money - and which we hate with a passion). To the school's credit, when I raised this issue with the teacher, the school principal(?)/"Director of Education" called me and addressed it, claiming it was a communication error and that the points were not to be used with this age group, only Grade 1 & up. They did seem to stop using it after this. (Though are points really appropriate for Grade 1 & up in a Montessori school?) Continuing to give credit where it is due: Teachers and staff have taken the time to answer our concerns, and have called us during what I am guessing are their lunch breaks. While the AI responses really rub me the wrong way - because these are the people teaching my child to read and write - I acknowledge that being in charge of 16 4ish-year-olds is really no mean feat. I do believe that the staff and teachers care about the students. Moreover, my child did learn to read and write quite willingly during their time at OMS. IN SUM: Our family is an outlier at OMS - we don't own a car, we aren't trying to send our kids to elite private schools, and having to pay $55 per adult to attend my child's "Spring Tea" concert (which is 1.5 hours long with no regular school) is a bit painful. And so attending this school has been a bit awkward and logistically burdensome for us. You might say there was a mismatch in values, but of course no daycare or school is going to mesh with our family's culture completely. No irreparable damage was done, we did our best to make a few friends among the parents, my child has been mostly happy......but we will not be continuing our "OMS journey".

Expensive! 2.5 hours a day! 3 programs running a day. No wonder the teacher turnover is high. It…read morefeels like a prep school for private schools with charges for every extra detail. Fees are going up $5000 next year, insane.