We have been very impressed with Foss and our now 3.5 year old has started around 1 year old. You can really see the confidence and progression. It's 4 to 1 teacher or less. Though we do find that a class of 4 can be a lot for the teacher with some waiting around in between. The water is shallow and warm. Excellent teachers! read more

Great teachers. They did all they could. We sent our kid there and all the (non substitute) teachers are very very dedicated. Admin is kind of ok. Once you enrolled in one course, they marketing email keeps coming for you to sign up the next one right away. Even we have just stated. The method is great for young children. Really great. I would recommend any kids aged below 12. No theory teaching - theory is more proper for youth and adults. It's best for young kids who learn as they go intuitively. When I was young, I was taught by phy-ed teachers at a university and I received a lot of on land theory instructions. They also check the alignment of student legs body and arms and if required they brought students to practice on land. Foss is different and it lets you get in the water and practice and learn as you go. You do it and they correct you. It is perfect for young kids. For adults or youths with history of failure prior and need a bit of theory, I would not recommend. read more

I am extremely disappointed with Foss Swim School in Plymouth. The constant rotation of teachers and frequent substitutes disrupts any sense of consistency, making it nearly impossible for students to build real progress, especially when learning challenging strokes. The evaluation process feels arbitrary and inconsistent. My child is now being asked to repeat the same "Big 4" level for the fourth time, despite already mastering much of the material. He's often left bored, waiting for others to finish, and ends up swimming extra laps just to stay engaged. The variation in technique and instruction between teachers is so significant that he struggles to find any repeatability, particularly with the butterfly stroke. Attempts to discuss these concerns with administration (specifically Stephanie) have only led to more frustration, as there seems to be little interest in improving the curriculum or accountability among instructors. For the price, over $600 per season, I expected far more structure, consistency, and measurable progress. Unfortunately, Foss Swim in Plymouth seems more focused on filling classes than on providing quality, effective swim instruction. read more

I wish zero stars was an option. They test your kid after only a few lessons to see if you can enroll them in the next level. most don't pass since teachers rarely teach the skills that are being assessed by some other person. parents aren't told what will be assessed ahead of time. feels shady to steal money that way. managers won't work with you and instead tell your kid to do better. the head manager is awful and didn't seem to care that my kid was bullied by a teacher. horrible horrible horrible place read more

I give Foss swim school a 1 star because the teachers do try. However, the school itself is un accommodating if the child is not taking to the lessons and trying to get ahold of someone who can actually help is near impossible. Its as if they just ignore the parent when their is a problem so that they don't have to actually take care of the problem. And their only compensation is crediting your account and giving you a short deadline in which to use the credit. This is not a good program. read more

Expensive? Yes. But your child definitely receives an adequate swim curriculum. Class sizes are small which really allows individualized attention from the instructors. The changing rooms are PERFECTLY thought out. No men/women's rooms where parents feel weird bringing their child of the opposite gender. Nope, just one large room with multiple changing room and bathrooms. Nice. Shout out to Emily, my sons instructor! She has a ton of energy and really gets into character for the kids. But she also has very effective tips and strategies for the parents. Love her, 5/5 for Emily! Ok now for the ugly. They determine what level your child should move up to before the sessions are finished. I could tell an entire tale to back my point, but for the sake of the reader I will just leave it at this: It is important to assess a child both during AND UPON COMPLETION of a course. And lastly, I see you Foss. With your strategically placed merchandise. Loads of adorable stuffed animals at the exit. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. And here's $17 for that Paw Patrol Plush. read more

We just found out tonight that the average child takes each level 2-3 times. At $225 per level, we have spent about $4,000 and our son is not even 5. At this rate, his swimming lessons will cost more than 1 year of college tuition. If Foss would be up front and honest about this in the beginning, maybe people would have more to consider when picking where to sign their kids up for lessons. I am disappointed with them not only because I feel like it's a pyramid scheme, but also because each lesson they "start over" and my child gets it bored. I also don't like that they test halfway through the session so if your child improves and passes at the end, they still have to repeat the class. Overall, there are less expensive options out there that are just as effective and not trying to scam you into paying for 3 sessions each level. I would rather spend my $14,000 for his college education then overpriced swim lessons. read more

We're 3/4 of the way done with our first session at Foss. I of course had super high expectations because of the $300 price tag for group lessons. Unbeknownst to me, they have a huge store area with everything under the sun for swimming AND toys. Yep, it's like a little toy store. It makes it a hassle to come to lessons once a week and explain to a toddler why they can't have a toy. Why are there toys being sold at a swim school that I pay double for my kiddo? Seems extremely financially driven and not about the overall mission. We love the instructor, she's great! However by the time it's all said and done, my 3.5 year old learned to scoop, kick and do monkey cheeks. I don't notice much of a difference when we spend time at the lake or the pool. I'll be moving to either the park district or YMCA because both are much more economical and don't have a toy store to navigate. read more

Some kids swim like a fish while others sink like a stone. My son falls into the latter category. We took a look at a few different options and determined that the most convenient venue would be Foss. I was impressed with the professionalism of the operation. Most swim schools are run like a fraternity house. The classes were plentiful and the instruction was top-notch. We've been through every leveled class at Foss and we've never had a bad instructor. A couple of things that could improve: The assessment process is a little capricious. There's a teenager with a waterproof clipboard who watches the kids for a couple of minutes and then tells you that your son is "not quite ready to move on". Seems like there must be a better way (like me bribing the owners to accelerate the kid, which has to be cheaper than paying for a repeat class). The prices are significantly higher than the competition. You do get better instruction and a more personalized experience, though. I asked my 5 year old if he'd rather go to college or learn to swim. He selected swimming. The way I see it, the world needs ditch diggers... who can swim really well. Overall, I recommend Foss. But, be ready to take out a second mortgage. read more

I've updated my review from a 2 to a 4. The manager at the Maple Grove Foss was willing to listen and spend time with me, while being honest and letting me know what my son needs to work on. The teacher was great today. Previous rant deleted. A good manager can turn an experience into a positive one. Thanks Foss. Great program! read more

Foss needs to work hard on accessibility for students with disabilities if they want to avoid the label 'discriminatory.' My 8yo son has a medical diagnosis of anxiety and what used to be called Aspergers. I started by calling Foss and explaining his situation I followed their advice for his age/beginner's ability. I enrolled him in a group class and in the process also sent a written description of his abilities and his medical diagnoses. When we arrived at the first class, the instructor was completely flummoxed by his 'low level' swim skills (for a beginner class!!!) when the other two students were perfecting their breast stroke. She told me she thought he needed a lower level class and yet there wasn't one for his age! She had not received my notice of his medical diagnoses. Inexcusable! Why provide an option to include this information during enrollment if it is completely discarded?? I could see the teacher was not a good fit and asked what my other options were. A refund was not an option, apparently, and was against company policy. But as I spoke to the manager she offered the option of a private lesson -which was much more expensive- and revealed the fact that they offer a discount for one-on-ones for students with disabilities. But, one week into the fall season, all of those classes were full. This information should have been provided to me when I first enrolled him! Why wasn't it? Inexcusable! So my only option was to wait SEVERAL MONTHS for the spring enrollment to open up --- and Foss kept our money. When sign up time came I immediately requested private lessons that did not clash with school time or bedtime - of which there were very few. Most of the offerings were morning or after 8pm weekdays - just one more way that Foss marginalizes, excludes, and creates obstacles for children that need the most help. However, two one-on-one slots WERE open and I quickly selected those --- 'pending review.' After not hearing from them for several weeks I called and was assured that the slots looked good and they would call soon with a confirmation for one of them. More time passed. Still no confirmation. I called again and was told that both of my selected times were 'booked' and that I could choose from many options which were all mornings M-F --- during school time. Inexcusable! I demanded forcefully that I be refunded my money.... which is now pending review and will take several weeks. In short, be warned if your child has ANY special needs and seek out a swim school that is truly committed to accessibility. And Foss, you need to wake up and get with the times. You can and MUST do better to serve all children in the community. Not just those who are neurotypical. read more

While Foss has great instructors and environment, the business also has an incentive to fail your child at each level as many times as possible in order to earn money. Learning to swim should not take more than 1 year. It is definitely not a 3 or 4 year process. After having sent both my kids there and having it taken close to 3 years for each child and a few thousand dollars, I would only recommend Foss for the convenience of not needing to teach your child swimming yourself. Otherwise you can most likely do it in a MUCH shorter time and save a lot of money. read more

Decent place, feels a little rushed but my 4 year old likes it a lot plus is good for him to learn how to swim. It gets busy inside and is very warm too, you better go there in shorts and flip flops:) read more

Had 2 daughters in for a few years. Was tired of them swapping out teachers mid season. My last season there, both of my daughters had 3 different teachers, in two completely different classes. Was a waste of my money, as the kids had to get used to their teacher each time. I want to have them pick up swimming again, but will never go back to Foss. read more