When we were considering Lesley Ellis for preschool, we asked around on the playground, and just…read moreabout every parent we talked to told us, "It's excellent! The only negative is the cost." That matched our experience perfectly. The tuition is steep - though financial aid is available! - but everything else was fantastic, and we were consistently impressed with the teachers, curriculum, field trips, awareness of kids as individuals, interaction with administration, and more. My mom worked for decades in early childhood education, and (as an interested and involved grandparent) was also very impressed. They welcomed/encouraged heavy parent involvement, from "come into the classroom to talk about something you're knowledgeable/passionate about" to occasional parent-meetups-over-coffee in the morning and more. But I was never, ever made to feel guilty about not being able to participate heavily, which was the norm once we had our second kid. (Who also went to LES for preschool, once old enough.) We can't speak to their K-8 experience, but for preschool/pre-K/TK they were fantastic.

Lesley Ellis is an independent school from pre-school to grade 6, but expanding soon to 8th. Our…read moredaughter is in her third year there and we have been delighted with the program. The teachers are an outstanding group and attuned to the needs of each individual student. The administration is truly exceptional as they create an environment where parents, children and the school come together to form a nurturing and vibrant community.

We chose GMS-Belmont as our son's first school at 16 months old (over a year ago) & have had such a…read morepositive experience. The teachers are so patient and loving as they help incoming children settle into a new routine. They work so hard to cultivate a deep love for learning/exploration, and a sense of confidence and independence in children. The Montessori method is put into effective practice each day through work-cycle & thoughtful, creative activities. The teachers have a lot of experience implementing healthy practices to help children with emotional regulation and social aspects of learning. During the academic year, the school has a rich curriculum spanning language, math, science, practical life, sensorial, and gross/fine motor - the teachers create this and share via monthly newsletters. Two major highlights of the year are the holiday & summer concerts where all children in the school perform together - this is a tremendous undertaking and months of preparation by the teachers for a most delightful family-oriented tradition! Director Ms. Sahar and co-director Ms. Jenn are fully present and so dedicated - they know each child by name, each family, and are always on the ground to ensure smooth daily functioning. There is little-to-no staff turnover and the teachers have a wealth of experience. Our family is super grateful for the strong foundation and core values that the teachers have given our son, and again, highly recommend GMS-Belmont!

We had a very positive experience at this school! Our son spent his first primary year of…read moreMontessori education at GMS and he so clearly thrived in the environment nurtured by his teachers and Miss Sahar/Tara. He joined at the age of 3.5 and within a few weeks made significant strides in terms of his learning & development, independence (such as dressing himself, cleaning up after play time, and helping out around the house), and overall curiosity on reading / writing / coloring. GMS still has that small community feel even as the classes continue to grow and the system becomes more mature over time. We are sad to have only learned of this school late in our time in the greater Boston area and wish we could've stayed for the full 3-year cycle.

I posted this on the original EFGB review page; it applies to EFGB Cambridge, since that's where…read morewe've been sending our children. We've been at EFGB in Cambridge with our two children since September 2017. It's been a wonderful experience. All the teachers are native French speaking and the children are completely immersed in French. They spend their days drawing, playing, singing, reading, and everything you would expect in a high quality preschool. There's even a weekly yoga session! The teachers are warm and engaged. The class sizes are small and the teachers know all of their charges very well. There's a playground attached to the school and they go out every day, even in bad weather. It's been great to get involved with a Francophone community. The parents are engaged and we see each other for holiday parties, birthdays, and playdates; we hope to still be in touch with French friends even as the children grow older and graduate to public schools. The schedule is a little less convenient than a typical daycare for working parents (more like a school schedule, no food provided though that may change soon) but for us, the loss of convenience is more than made up for by the quality of the school and unique ability to have our children's early years be completely bilingual.

The Ecole Francaise of Greater Boston (EFGB) opened its doors in Cambridge in the fall of 2017 and…read moremy daughter was lucky enough to be in its first promotion. The school outperformed my highest expectations. The teachers are top-notch, and they bring students the best of American and French educational systems -- with an emphasis on creativity matched by structured activities and clear rules. The students in our year came from a mix of cross-cultural families, representing 14 countries. The Cambridge campus, which is on the ground floor of a luminous building with warm, bright colors, welcomes kids aged two through six, while the Watertown branch of the school is open to older children. The school's location in North Cambridge was convenient to us, as we work at Harvard and MIT. They also have built in pre-school and after-school care to allow flexibility for working parents, like us. I envied my daughter's activities, which ranged from yoga, expressive dance, singing, painting, reading and numeracy to scrambling in the school's playground with a mix of kids of all ages. The crafts she brought home -- pictures of baobabs, an ant made of an egg carton, an aquarium in a shoe box -- are unique pieces that I treasure. Furthermore, the teachers created a lively Facebook page so we could stay engaged with our child's activities, for example, watching a caterpiller grow and hatch, or witnessing the joys of a group of toddlers getting their first taste of honeycomb. Whether your family are native French speakers or not, you would not regret sending your child to the EFGB. I can't imagine a better school.

This Montessori school is highly recommended. I had to pull my child out of the public school and…read morethis school has done wonders for him. With the right support and structure provided by the teachers, my son has gained so much academically and socially, in an environment which respects his character and learning style and encourages him to grow at his own pace. I am obliged forever, my son loves his school and so do we.

Our child started at Allium this year. He is absolutely thriving and loves school. In fact, on the…read moredays he isn't at school, he tells us that the least favorite parts of those days are not going to school. The teacher-leaders at Allium are incredible. They pay close attention to our child's strengths and growth areas and very intentionally set the table for him to both succeed but also work hard and struggle through things. In a very short time, we've seen incredible growth in his academic and social skills, as well as his ability to focus and work independently. I recommend Allium without reservations - this school is a true gem and one-of-a-kind.

My daughter loves this preschool! She looks forward to going to school every morning. Teachers in…read morebear cub preschool take good care of my daughter and make she enjoy every minute there. The curriculum and kids' daily activities are really solid. My daughter often brings back her work when I pick her up. There are paintings, origami, plants, and other kinds of handcrafts. During the day, we would receive photos or videos of our daughter at school. This gives us great visibility on what's going on with our daughter during the day time. Bear cub school has good precaution against covid. When having lunch, two kids share one table with plastic shield dividing the table. In other time, everyone wears mask. Our daughter left bear cub one month ago only because it's too far from our home. We got a surprising farewell gift from the school, which is a booklet of photos and teacher's comments for every week since day 1. This records the growth of our daughter at school, and we strongly believe that teachers in bear cub care about kid's growth and will do everything they can to help kids.

We could not be happier with this daycare! For our family, the two best days of 2022 were 1) having…read moreour baby daughter and 2) getting our son into Bear Cub Mandarin. (but actually :)) Our son is 2.5 years old and as a COVID baby born March 2020. He was shy and scared in new settings. Now, he's the "big talker" in the toddler class, according the monthly newsletter that the staff sends out. He can name his feelings, friends, and interests. He cleans up after himself (most of the time...). He's more creative and shows off his art projects. Vickie the director is professional, attentive, and understanding. Each teacher in the toddler class is beyond caring. And the owner MaeLynn pours her heart and soul into the daycare, making it the experience she'd want for her own kids because they go there too! I'm Chinese American and my husband is Caucasian American. It was important to us for our children to speak Mandarin. Not only does Bear Cub Mandarin make this dream a reality, but also, and more importantly, they provide such a loving, communicative, and safe environment everyday for our newly "big talker". Thank you, BCM Team!

i got bullied here. i liked the place but the children where horrible. im now in middle school and…read moremoved away from this nonsense. mrs maza and mrs clark where my favorites. abby was my bully btw. i lwft in 3rd grade thankfully. im very disappointed that the school had done nothing even when my mom called everyone i. a meeting to address the situation. abby would kick and punch and yell and no one ever would expel or suspend her.

When my son turned 3 years in 2001 I didn't look to far mount alvernia academy was the only place…read morethat we felt comfortable to send him and to trust them with his education Long story shot we are so glad that we did he graduated 2 years ago and went to a very good high school and my daughter is graduating this year We will miss MAA Thank you for all the good memories

I had a very negative experience with the Director that does not seem to align with the website…read moregoals. I was looking for tutor and thought Fusion might be a good fit. After meeting with her, explaining how shy and anxious my kid is, she wrote him off within 5 mins for not being enthusiastic enough about going to a tutor and said Fusion could not help. (He succeeded no problem at another place last year, I just wanted a shorter drive and thought Fusion's website looked good). During the 2 tours she gave, she loudly proclaimed the silent area was no talking, completely disrupting the students that were there at the time. She demonstrated her agenda was more important than the students. She seems completely disingenuous about the school's stated goals and exceptionally rigid about how kids should be. I am really glad we will not be interacting with her regularly.

I love Fusion. I have a daughter that is academically advanced but socially challenged. (High…read morefunctioning autism/ 2E) She started kinder early at 4 and then skipped 5th grade. She simply loves learning and while in traditional private schools was bored and increasingly anxious about social interaction and group work. She's been at Fusion for two years. She works 1:1 with various teachers depending on the subject and while officially in 7th again this year (we decided to have her repeat as we are worried about her being closer in age to her peers when she graduates) she was able to take HS college prep biology last year, HS zoology and psychology this year in addition to her more typical classes (English, algebra 1, French 2, and medieval history) The teachers are wonderful with her. They have a collaborative style and really keep her focused, engaged, and enthusiastic. I receive academic summaries from each teacher everyday letting me know what they covered and how she did. Looking forward to her taking science in person at the Newton campus next year so she can do the labs in person rather than virtually.

GISB is not only our three kids' school, but it is also our family's cultural home. All our…read morechildren started in GISB preschool, and by now, our oldest daughter is studying neuroscience at Boston University, our son is writing his "Abitur" right now and will decide if he wants to study in the US or in Europe, and our 8th grader can't stop talking about how excited she is to go for a school exchange with Oslo next school year. Over the 16 years at GISB, our kids have always been taken care of, both emotionally and academically. The teachers are young and committed, the principal is competent and visionary, the parent community is strong and supportive. The German International School Boston has that name for a reason. The curriculum is German based but also covers the American highschool curriculum, and our families are international. Last year we had 39 different nationalities at our school. The annual turnover is hard, many families come for a predefined amount of time to Boston and then leave (some also stay!). But that also means that you have friends all over the world since GISB by now has a worldwide network of families who help each other. Our graduates finish school with the International Abitur and the Massachusetts High School diploma, opening doors all over the US and Europe. If you want your child grow up in a warm, nurturing setting where he/she will be raised with excellent academics and a strong focus on character-building, then you should consider this truly wonderful school!

My children attended GISB for four years. Below is an honest review of our experience. I wish I…read morehad an honest review of the school before we had decided to enroll there. Hopefully this will help parents who are considering GISB make an informed decision. Location: The traffic in Allston is bad now and will only get worse as Harvard opens its new Engineering Campus in 2020. Facilities: Upper campus is an old Catholic school that is quite shabby in areas. There is no air conditioning in the summer. The heat fails in the winter. The paint is worn out in the stairwells. The parking lot has rusty twisted broken fences. Some specific spaces such as the library have been renovated recently and are OK. Lower Campus, where the pre-K and K grades are located, is a recently converted office building. The lower campus space turns out to be quite cramped when it is full of students. If you have a young active child that needs to move and get their wiggles out over the course of the day this will be a challenging environment for them. Tuition: The German International School of Boston (GISB) demands all the tuition upfront for the school year and there are no refunds for any reason. Buyers beware of any service that demands all the money up front and puts "no refunds for any reason" in the fine print. There are also a lot of various extra fees for the after school classes, ski week, vacation week camp, etc. School Calendar: The GISB academic calendar follows the German academic calendar rather than the American academic calendar. This means that there are two week breaks in February and April where parents must scramble for childcare. Teacher turn over: In the four years that my kids attended GISB they lost teachers every year (sometimes even mid-year) for a variety of reasons (disputes over pay with the administration, visa issues, pregnancy, health problems, etc.). There is no substitute teacher pool to draw on so when a teacher is sick it is a mad scramble to cover the classroom. Even when there is plenty of advance warning of a teacher's departure. (This teacher is pregnant. She will be going out on maternity leave in 4 months.) There was no planning on the part of the administration on how to cover the class room and it was an ad hoc assortment of people covering the class which was very detrimental to the students. Teacher's Credentials: Being a private school the teachers are not subject to the same credentialing criteria as public-school teachers. When I asked the administration if I could see the credentials of my kid's teachers, I was told no. What are they hiding? Why won't they share their teaching staff's credentials? Teaching style: Modern pedagogy acknowledges that students have a variety of learning styles and that teachers need to craft their lesson plans to cover different types of learners. GISB seems firmly stuck in the 19th century with one method of teaching and if your kid doesn't get it too bad. It obviously must be the kid's fault. My older child entered public school a full year behind in reading skills than his peers after we left GISB. Thankfully he was immediately identified as someone who needed some extra help with learning to read and after just one semester in public-school, he was up to grade level. Clearly there was no learning disability on my child's part. My child just hadn't been taught to read. I have talked to other parents who have left GISB for public-school and they have related similar experiences. If a school can't do something as basic as effectively teach kids to read... Social Environment: The small classes mean that the social environment is somewhat stifling. If you kid doesn't make a friend in the handful of other kids in their class, it will be a long lonely year. If your kid becomes the target of a bully, there is no avoiding the bully. The bully is right there all the time. The teachers seem at a complete loss of what to do when bullying is brought to their attention. The teachers and school administration at GISB clearly view the student's behavioral, emotional, and social development as not their responsibility. My experience so far in the public-school system is the complete opposite. The public-school system views its mandate as helping children grow as a whole person and this includes the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral development. Addressing of Concerns and Grievances: The GISB administration, parent council, and GISB board have no interest is addressing issues that are brought to their attention. There is a constant shirking of responsibility. The standard excuse they all give is "But you have to understand GISB is a young school." GISB has been around for 18 years and there are plenty of resources available on how to effectively run a school. The public-school principal of my children's current school has a clear "The buck stops here." attitude which is so refreshing after GISB.