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'm reviewing the ILC as a volunteer teacher. This school is fantastic! I have been volunteering…read morehere for a few months and absolutely loving it. I am so impressed with the staff and students. The main focus of the ILC is their intensive English program for immigrants in the community. Students of all backgrounds can join the program (I believe there is currently a waitlist) and be placed into the appropriate level. I help out with the lowest level, where students started from basically zero English. The main teacher is amazing and I am truly impressed with how much the class has learned, all while having fun and creating a close community. There's also a computer lab where students do English practice while also learning computer skills. The ILC also offers other services, like an in-house social worker, workshops to teach other skills, etc. So happy we have an organization like this in Malden!

i'd definitely say that ILC is the best school to go. Awesome teachers, awesome staffs. ILC is GREATread more

My time at the friends school was mixed. I got a great education but at what cost. I was made fun…read moreof for being different. One kid called me a "stupid ugly fat cow" from 5th to 8th grade. The teacher I reported it to played it off "Oh he just likes you". This school taught me that my feelings didn't matter, made me feel like I didn't matter. This school taught me that no doesn't actually mean no, and that if you apply enough pressure they'll eventually give in. This school caused so much emotional and psychological damaged, that I've been left to fix on my own, because they didn't care to do their job. If the teacher had just done their job when I reported the other student, I would have self-confidence. my self-esteem and the way i see myself wouldn't be absolutely trashed. this school taught me that others can't be trusted and I can only rely on myself to protect myself. I started using self-harm in the 6th grade as a coping mechanism because no one listened to me, because no one cared.

So i at one point went to CFS and in kindergarten I loved it but in first grade I got a very strict…read moreteacher. She would be very unhappy if one kid was not doing their work or got frustrate. Also it was very stressful and I began to hate school. Other families have also left the community for similar reasons. Also they are quakers and want to create a diverse community which is great and all but they presented something called kids of color and becoming white ally's. They would talk for long amounts of times and usually kids didn't benefit anything good from it. Also bullying is a huge problem that nobody at CFS did something about. They would have 2 hr assemblies that were like torture when I was little. During the assemblies we'd sit on the gym floor and listen to music for 2 hrs. They also would rarely let kids get breaks. While at the assemblies the teachers would not only sit on benches against the wall but would get to take breaks whenever they wanted to get treats from the facility lounge. Do not send your child here they will become stressed.

My step son just did us this fundraiser for school. As parents who care we feel obligated to…read moreparticipate. The cost f value embarrassing. I will never do this fundraiser again and will recommend to other organizers as well to look for something better - good old fashioned candy bars even for $2 would be better. It is ridiculously expensive. not only are you paying $30 for 12 oz of popcorn or nuts, They then hit you with a service fee 1.74 and $9.99 in shipping which you don't see until the end. Not everyone especially elderly people want to or have the ability to do things online. I would have rather given the $40 to the school so they would get all the money. We had so many people refuse to do this fundraiser for that reason - if this is charity, why charge a service fee, really ! Then we don't even have an option to have the product delivered in one place and pick it up. Yes, it's convenient in this day and age but you are certainly paying for that connivance now without a choices. who pays $150 for popcorn ??? I'm in marketing and this product is so cheap to produce the mark up is close to 100%- again for Charity. Just disgusting and the product is not even worth that price! The nuts we got liked and tasted old. Try to support your kids another way go get your school to just take checks! I'd love up even know how much of that money the kids actually see!!! This organization should be ashamed of themselves taking advantage of family and char organizations! I was a girl scout troupe leader, a CCD teacher and a cheer Coach, I know about fundraising. This is not it. Try canning we did great at it!

As long-term parents of LMS, we cannot say enough good things about the school. Our children have…read morecompleted the preschool cycle, the three-year lower elementary cycle, and are now in upper elementary, and throughout the process, the highly qualified staff and teachers have consistently encouraged them to be independent in their learning. As someone who specializes in education, I recognize the importance of self-motivation, and LMS has exceeded our expectations in promoting this for our children. The academic breadth and depth of learning at LMS have surpassed our expectations. Although some may worry that the "freedom" in learning styles may lead to falling behind, LMS has a packed, comprehensive, and individualized curriculum that is tailored to the needs and skills of each child. Additionally, standardized testing is introduced starting in fourth grade. The independence fostered at LMS, instead of being a constraint, I trust that it will benefit our children for a lifetime. In addition to the excellent academics, LMS also hosts numerous activities throughout the year to build a sense of community, including culture fest, ice cream socials, a 5k, book clubs, volunteering opportunities, farming, and many more. The children have had very few conflicts, if any, during our time at LMS, as the staff and teachers are conscientious and work closely with parents to address concerns as soon as they arise. Overall, we have been extremely satisfied with our experience at LMS and would highly recommend it to other families.

We had a terrible experience with New England Chess, and specifically with Jared Becker as a…read moreteacher. My son was dismissed after two classes because he only showed marginal improvement in his ability to sit still and raise his hand. Jared showed no classroom control, was unwilling to work with my eager, excited, and happy child to help him adjust to the classroom. Jared also did not communicate with me directly, and I learned only after the second class that my son had been dismissed through the school's secretary. Terrible intolerance for different personalities and learning styles. Terrible communication. It is also in a terrible location, in a tiny dark building. Horrible experience.

Very bad experiences. Two of my kids enrolled into their program and quit deciding it is not a good…read morefit. They already charged for the following month. We requested to save credit for future use and they did not reject this when we requested this. Now after a few years, we like to use the credit for the other kid. They told us there is NO credit at all due to the late cancellation notice and refused to honor the two month's classes we have paid. My two older kids did not like their classes. We had wanted to have my younger kid who is new to chess to try a few months to see if he could like it. They told us their students are multi-year serious learner and we are not good fit. It seems that they do not care about you if you can't promise to stay with them long term.

Great School, Great location, Great traditions. Looking for superior quality preK-8 school? This is…read morethe school you want!

Most of the teachers are amazing. however, the 1st grade teacher is horrible. She labels kids, says…read morethings that are not true. I went to the principal for help and received none. He refuses to hold his teachers accountable. However, my daughter will not be in her class next year. So, thats the only thing i am looking forward too. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade teachers I heard are amazing.

Minuteman has been such an amazing place for my son's high school education. He loves the hands-on…read morelearning, the opportunities for co-op, the football coaches, everything. He especially likes the alternating weeks of academics and shop class. It gives him a break from being academically focused all the time. Highly recommend their learning environment, and he receives extra support as needed.

I graduated from Minuteman many years ago and it gave me a great foundation, I was in the…read moreHealthcare shop. My first job out of high school was a well-paying healthcare job. It prepared me for what I would become and now I work for a major global healthcare company. When I was there, there was a Mcdonald's in the school. The Academics were stronger. And we had a really good soccer and basketball team. Seems like it has had quite the downfall since then. The school was huge and clean, I don't know what happened. I came from outside the district and they gave me a chance. If they hadn't my life would be very different now, I can't say I would be this successful. Minuteman please open up your school choice program again, save the kids from the inner city and give them a chance!!!