Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

    4.5 (52 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

    Recommended Reviews - Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Learning to put their materials back
    Diane W.

    This is a long overdue review. We enrolled my daughter at GP when she was just 8 months old. We toured several places and after many interviews, we decided GP was the best choice for us. As a first time mama, returning to work was one of the hardest things I had to do. At the time, Jamie and Lan were the heads of school and I had great interactions with both. Ultimately though, Miss Abi, the Nido lead guide, is who truly helped me develop such a trust for the school and the Montessori program. My daughter is now 22 months and I wanted to share my thank you note to the Nido team: "Waaaaah! I am so sorry that this response took so long. It was stuck in my spam AND I think I was in denial with Vivi moving to the toddler class, haha. It seems like it was only yesterday that I dropped her off for her first day when she was 8 months old! I cannot express enough how grateful Jon and I are for you and your team. There's so much anxiety that parents go through when trying to find a daycare/school. Viv not only thrived in your class but she has grown to love each and every one of you. You kept our daughter safe and she developed such a deep connection and trust in your classroom. You and your team cultivated that connection and built upon it. We couldn't have asked for a better first teacher. Thank you for helping us raise a confident infant/toddler - we couldn't have survived the last year without you all. The transition to toddler has been a challenging one but we know that she will be okay. There are bittersweet moments because Vivi still asks for you and/or Ms. Gaby. That's how much of an impact you have on her life Please continue to do the magic you all do - your dedication and compassion for the babies shows and does not go unnoticed." Now, there has been some turnover in management and in my daughter's toddler class but, I do not feel that my child's safety or learning has been compromised because of it. Sure, we prefer consistency but, we adapt. The new heads of school, Ms. Lorine and Ms. Dora have made INCREDIBLE updates to the school: they transformed the lobby area into a cozy and welcoming space! There's light atmospheric music playing when you walk in, an oil diffuser with a clean scent, just little things that make you breathe a sigh of relief upon entering. The classrooms each have a mini bulletin board with updates. They have had technological/app updates that I feel are much better. This year they even offered extracurricular activities: yoga, gymnastics, dance, etc., and that's something I wanted for my child. Not only was she getting a Montessori education, but she had the opportunity to participate in other classes. I wanted to give Ms. Laura and Ms. Monica, the toddler's lead guide, a shoutout for stepping in when the former lead guide unexpectedly left. They have made my daughter's transition truly memorable. I can't wait to see what they have in store for the rest of her toddler journey. Finally, the community engagement has been much more fun and vibrant! The leadership team and staff have also been forthcoming with the changes and have kept the lines of communication open. The toddler teachers have also offered various parenting workshops: toileting, independence, etc. I feel like there is always a school function or workshop, it's truly amazing to see the passion they have for our children's growth and development. Suffice it to say, GP has only gotten better and I look forward to seeing their progress.

    Total Citations for Guidepost Montessori Foothill Ranch per California Department of Social Services website

    Based on our personal experience of having our child enrolled at Guidepost, I would not recommend this school to any parent. While we are extremely grateful that our child's teachers were outstanding the entire time we were there, we cannot say the same about the corporation that owns all Guidepost schools, Higher Ground Education, Inc. Our child was enrolled for 10.5 months; and during that short period there were a total of 3 Heads of School, several teachers and other administrative staff resigned, and abuse allegations were made against one teacher. On March 9, 2023, we received communication from the Head of School that a teacher's aid was put on administrative leave. The e-mail was very vague and spoke about how the individual needed a break to recharge for an undetermined period to reflect on her journey in education and take some time to herself and her family. Within a week, more information came out through other parents (not the administration) that there were allegations that several children were affected by abuse from this teacher. Trigger warning: Per the police report filed with the Orange County Sheriff's Department (Report DR# 23-008774), "On 3/9/23, [head of school's name redacted] was approached by seven of her employees who were concerned about a teachers aid named [teacher's name redacted]. The employees felt [teacher's name redacted] was being both physically and verbally aggressive towards the students. The employees stated [teacher's name redacted] would verbally abuse the children by calling them "losers" and telling them to "Hit other children because they deserve it". They also alleged [teacher's name redacted] would also slam kids down on their feet hard and slam them on bicycles seats when asked to ride a bicycle." Unfortunately, several teachers reported these allegations to the prior administration sometime at the end of 2022, but due to the administration turnover, these allegations were not taken seriously until March by the new Head of School. This negligent oversight enabled the abuse of children to continue for months after the first allegations were made. We are extremely lucky that our child was not directly affected by this teacher; however, after the abuse allegations came to light, we had severe anxiety dropping off our child to school. Every day we worried that a teacher outside of our child's two teachers would harm our child. There was one day that both the lead and assistant teacher were out, so we did not have our child go to school that day because we did not trust anyone other than our child's teachers. During the 10.5 month period my child was enrolled, the school received 3 citations. One citation was because a child was left out in the play-yard without any supervision from staff (4/10/23). Another parent, who was picking up their own child, had noticed the child was alone on the play-yard without any staff present. Please visit https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch/FacDetail/304371143 to view citations and reports filed for Guidepost (Type A Citation Total: 1, Type B Citations Total: 6). As for security, there were no working cameras. In fact, there weren't any cameras installed in the front exterior or playground area. We received communication on May 17, 2023, that front exterior cameras were installed and that two exterior cameras would be installed in the playground. It took two months after the abuse allegations to get the cameras installed and working. Also, to enter the school only a short numerical code is required to enter and most of the time, no employees were monitoring who was coming into the school. The lack of monitoring made us fearful about the ease in which someone could gain access to the classrooms. Our child's teachers were outstanding despite all the challenging events that occurred, but it was difficult to see them not being taken care of by the administration. We truly hope Higher Ground Education will provide better benefits for the teachers because they are the heart of the school. The only reason we did not leave after March was because we trusted and loved our child's teachers. They showed better leadership skills than the administration throughout those 10.5 months. The administration has demonstrated a complete and utter disregard for the safety of children. Enticing parents to leave positive reviews in exchange for raffle tickets further demonstrates that the priority of the school is rooted in preserving its reputation, and not in the safety of children. Guidepost knows no parent is going to write a bad review in exchange for a raffle ticket and intentionally uses raffle tickets as a mechanism to garner positive reviews. I am deeply disappointed at the administration for the way they handled the abuse allegations and in the way they have handled the safety of children at the school and the well-being of their teachers.

    Foothill Ranch Guidepost!
    V P.

    Carnival day at school! Thank you team for hosting. Our kids had a blast! Bouncy houses, artwork, painting, popcorn, cotton candy, were all great!

    Edgar A.

    I highly recommend this school. We have 2 little ones here and both have grown and learned so much. They teach everyday skills to help them be independent and we couldn't be happier being here.

    See all

    19 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ana A.
    0
    28
    0

    5 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Diane W.
    404
    30
    13

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sarah M.
    158
    31
    20

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Angela N.
    63
    18
    10

    1 year ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Guidepost Montessori F.

    Guidepost Montessori F.

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 4
    Photo of S E.
    1
    10
    0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Guidepost Montessori F.

    Guidepost Montessori F.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Guidepost Montessori F.

    Guidepost Montessori F.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Guidepost Montessori F.

    Guidepost Montessori F.

    Helpful 16
    Thanks 12
    Love this 4
    Oh no 11
    Photo of Ally L.
    596
    45
    21

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of B B.
    0
    65
    12

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 3
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1
    Photo of V P.
    5
    128
    79

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Guidepost Montessori F.

    Guidepost Montessori F.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Erin C.
    55
    83
    90

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Guidepost Montessori F.

    Guidepost Montessori F.

    Helpful 18
    Thanks 9
    Love this 0
    Oh no 8
    Photo of AC W.
    167
    46
    2

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Erin R.
    16
    62
    19

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cameron L.
    245
    28
    34

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Joel M.

    Joel M.

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nadia S.
    97
    141
    23

    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Joel M.

    Joel M.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

    My daughter's birthdate is Feb 9th,2019. We are looking for preschool during 7/29-8/9, is this timeline acceptable?

    Hi Bonnie, We can potentially assist with a short term enrollment. Can you please call our office at 949-340-1695 and I would be happy to assist you!… Read more

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch

    . I'm so grateful to be a part of the Guidepost family and highly recommend those considering it, give it a shot

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Country Village Preschool & Kindergarten

    Country Village Preschool & Kindergarten

    4.5(35 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    We definitely wish we signed our son up here sooner. Our son has learned so much and the small…read moreclass size allows our son the extra help when needed. They provide a loving environment and I drop off my son daily knowing he will be cared for and will learn. Everyone knows our son my name and he always loves to tell us about his day. They have farm animals (a pig and a tortoise) but the pig is not for play but the tortoise the kids get to feed. If you're on the fence, please give Country Village a chance. Thank you Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Yuta, and Ms, Mary I will be sad once our son leaves for Kindergarten

    I am so glad that we found Country Village! When we enrolled Onyx he was speaking very little. It…read morewas also very hard to get him to follow directions. He has been in Ms. Sucell's class for five months now and it's like he's a completely different child. He has grown his vocabulary so much, he is following directions much easier and he loves saying his ABCs, numbers and reading books. Their staff is amazing Miss Jutta and Miss Baja were so patient with him because he used to cry when it was time to go into school. They calmed my mind and assured me that this was a normal part of the transition and sure enough he quickly began walking into school without tears. Ms Jennifer is always sending me pictures and I love that! I also love that they take temperatures at the door every morning and I have no idea how they get Onyx to wear his mask but every day he comes out with it on! They are child whisperers :) I couldn't have chosen a better school to help develop our Onyx!

    Photos
    Country Village Preschool & Kindergarten - Playground fun!

    Playground fun!

    Country Village Preschool & Kindergarten - Onyx making his Gingerbread house

    Onyx making his Gingerbread house

    Country Village Preschool & Kindergarten - Lunchtime smiles

    See all

    Lunchtime smiles

    Portola Hills Elementary School

    Portola Hills Elementary School

    3.0(2 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    My daughter graduated from this school in 2015. I later found out that most of her teachers (not…read moreall) were just awful to her and her classmates/friends. Up to this day she and her friends would talk about how awful some of these teachers treated them. The teachers absolutely showed favoritism to students whose parents practically did their job by volunteering everyday and will not let any parents do so. My son was attending at this school but their Special Education is less than satisfactory because they had nothing to offer him. I ended up transferring him to Foothill Ranch Elementary and it was best thing that ever happened to him. When my son strarted attending Foothill Ranch Elementary, they sent me a letter saying that they were opening up a class accommodating my son's needs and that Portola Hills is his home school. I told them that he will never return to this school. I saw my son get bullied by these kids in front of my eyes by purposely not including him to their reading groups during Dr. Seuss birthday celebration in their classroom because he read slow. He read slow because he's autistic. My daughter is forever scarred by this school but fortunately, she overcame it with my constant re-assurance because this school destroyed her confidence. By the way, Cookie the office woman was just awful to my son. She would get upset if he comes in to the office to ask for help. If you are a brown nosing parent you will thrive in this school but if you are working mom who cannot always be there. I wish you the best but keep an eye on your children or you can transfer them to Foothill Ranch Elementary. For what it's worth, Mrs. Shanton, Mrs Morrow, Mrs Lindenhoffen (my daughter's teachers) are wonderful teachers. Mrs Lau and Mrs Franco are wonderful as well, they were my son's teachers. The rest, well...Good-luck along with the principal Mr. Ledaux (if he's still there)

    This is a great school with caring teachers. My son has been here only a few months but acclimated…read morewell. The afterschool program is great and the supervisor is amazing as well (I know this should be a separate review but it is on campus). I would love it if they allowed kids to play on the playground before school like the schools in Irvine but that is my only complaint.

    Alpha School - Foothill Ranch - Photo of Lead Guide and one of the students!

    Alpha School - Foothill Ranch

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    This is a brand-new campus for the Alpha School system, and I'm so grateful we decided to take a…read morechance on it for our child. From day one, everyone on campus has been warm, welcoming, and genuinely helpful. The guides are exceptional--deeply caring, highly engaged, and truly invested in each child. Even in a short time, we've already seen meaningful progress. Our child is discovering what it feels like to be genuinely proud of her work, reading at a higher level than before, and being both mentally and physically challenged in ways traditional schools never offered. Yes, as with any new campus, there are a few kinks to work out and the apps take a bit of getting used to. But the growth we've already seen gives us high confidence in the system and trust in the process. The workshops are outstanding as well. It's incredibly reassuring to know the kids are learning so effectively in just two-ish hours that they have the freedom to "play" for the rest of the day. To our daughter, school feels like one big play date with her friends--and as parents, we couldn't be happier.

    5-Star Review -- Alpha School Lake Forest…read more Alpha School Lake Forest has been a truly transformational experience for my daughter. For the first time, she found real joy in learning. Every day she came home excited, proud, and full of stories about what she explored and accomplished. The environment at Alpha nurtures confidence in such a natural, beautiful way. My daughter discovered new strengths within herself, and I watched her become more self-assured, curious, and motivated. The teachers genuinely see each child as an individual, and the level of care, encouragement, and respect they give is rare and precious. What I love most is that Alpha teaches children how to learn--not just what to memorize. My daughter developed problem-solving skills, independence, and emotional intelligence that I haven't seen in traditional school settings. If you are looking for a school where your child can grow academically and personally, feel safe to be themselves, and truly enjoy the learning process, I cannot recommend Alpha School Lake Forest enough. It has been one of the best decisions for our family.

    Photos
    Alpha School - Foothill Ranch - Interaction between Lead Guide and a student

    Interaction between Lead Guide and a student

    Alpha School - Foothill Ranch - Meditation Garden in the classroom where students learn to regulate their minds after a full day of learning and personal development

    Meditation Garden in the classroom where students learn to regulate their minds after a full day of learning and personal development

    Alpha School - Foothill Ranch - Featuring our students from their rock climbing workshop!

    See all

    Featuring our students from their rock climbing workshop!

    Oxford Preparatory Academy

    Oxford Preparatory Academy

    3.6(16 reviews)
    3.6 mi

    There's a lot wrong with this school. First off it started with a scandal from the top down, well…read moreok, these things happen, but it never really seemed to recover. The teachers are very green, full of hopes and dreams but egregiously lacking in skill. The administration doesn't seem to be much better, my kiddo was in a class with a pregnant teacher, mind you they had several months to get a replacement ready, however after this teacher went on maternity leave it still took them several weeks to replace her. The student body has a ton of delinquents apparently because they were kicked out of other schools and this place appears to be a miscreant catch-all. I can't tell you how many times bullying has occurred. Their after-school program is a mess, my kiddo was injured by one of their staff who got too over zealous during a game!! And after the first couple years almost the entire after school program staff had turned over. If your school district is half ways decent I suggest you keep your kiddo there. In most cases non-charter schools have been doing their thing for a long time and have already figured out the solutions to the problems that OPA has.

    Our son started kindergarten this year and so far we've been very pleased with the school! He has…read morebeen making a lot of progress and I love that he has Spanish, music and steam each week. The administration and teacher seem to be very caring and also very serious/reliable. The PTA is active and the school often has events for the whole family as well as an incentive program to motivate the students. The school is very diverse with many students of different cultures, which is important to us. I was a bit hesitant seeing the reviews on Yelp and Google, but glad we made the decision to send him at OPA!

    Photos
    Oxford Preparatory Academy
    Oxford Preparatory Academy - Dean's List Award (GPA 3.5-3.9), March 2025

    Dean's List Award (GPA 3.5-3.9), March 2025

    Oxford Preparatory Academy

    See all

    Guidepost Montessori at Foothill Ranch - preschools - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...