I found it interesting how the business responded to the influx of negative feedback on their…read moreGoogle reviews - they disabled them. Each time myself or another parent shared a poor experience on there, the replies came across as cold, generic, defensive, and frankly gaslighting, lacking any genuine empathy or understanding. Unfortunately, my in-person experience matched that tone exactly. The atmosphere earns a 1/5 at best. The building feels far more like a sterile clinic or office than a warm, inviting elementary school or preschool. The outdoor play area is extremely small and limited, with very little equipment for the children. Even small details like Christmas stockings with typed and stapled staff names suggesting high turnover, and awards displayed on the walls that are all several years outdated gave the impression that things have declined and aren't improving. Those old awards seem to be up there for a reason: nothing recent to replace them with. The staff interaction was the worst part, warranting a 0/5. I found them consistently rude, condescending, and disingenuous. They gossip openly about the director and each other in front of kids and parents. If your child is remotely unsettled, you're called to do an early pickup. Staff do not seem to enjoy their jobs, and it shows. You'd see kids walk out from the day with mucus dried and crusted from never being cleaned during the day. During a visit, I observed teachers chatting among themselves for several minutes while a young child slid down the slide and hit their head at the bottom and only got attention once he started crying. My own kid was injured quite badly by the teacher which is why we disenrolled immediately. My kid used to HATE it here, cried every day about having to go, and wow I can't imagine why. What struck me was how indifferent the staff seemed toward families leaving. When we decided to withdraw, there was no curiosity about why, no attempt to understand our concerns, and certainly no effort to retain us. It genuinely felt like it didn't matter to them whether we stayed or left. That complete lack of care or investment in the families they serve spoke volumes. This similar observation was also echoed in another Google review that's also now gone. Practical issues only made things worse - parking is severely limited, turning drop off and pick up into chaos with constant car horns and aggressive maneuvering. The overall operation felt disorganized and unwelcoming from the moment I arrived. I'm genuinely baffled that this place had a waitlist. We quickly found a much better option just down the road- one that actually feels like a school, with engaging play spaces and genuinely kind, warm staff. My kid LOVES the new school and is thriving there. I'm just sad that this was our first experience in a learning environment when there are clearly MUCH better options. I didn't even get into everything like the complete and utter lack of communication. Even for free, I wouldn't consider it worth the time or stress. Save yourself the disappointment and look elsewhere.

Insensitive and unprofessional staffs (leadership), we had terrible experience at nido. They only…read morewant easy babies who start early (before separation and stranger anxiety sets in) and do not have the training, patience or resources to work with older kids. My son cried for weeks, I got calls/texts everyday for early pick up. Several times I found him sitting on the floor or on the swing, crying by himself. I felt that they are massively understaffed. Some of the teachers are kind, nice and caring but they are overwhelmed. We found the nido leadership to be rude and incompetent. They implied that something is wrong with our baby and maybe he will need special care/attention. One of them said she "has not seen a baby who has so much social anxiety in her whole career". Anyway, we moved to a different daycare, my son took two weeks to adjust, he likes the teachers there and is thriving now!! We are actually glad that Montessori One didn't work out for us.

We trusted the positive reviews and gave it a shot (after a few terrible experiences with…read moreAlbuquerque daycares). Then our child came home with a series of injuries which were either 1). Unexplained or 2). Blamed on the child. We pulled our child after a few weeks because none of it added up. Also- The space is flourescently lit, colorless and lacking in plant life or natural light. Pretty dismal, actually.

Went on a tour to this school and had a very negative experience. The website states, "Other…read moreextra-curricular programs include gymnastics, dance, and Spanish lessons." Confirmed with the director there are no Spanish classes or lessons currently, which would indicate a need for an update to the website. When I asked what language exposure opportunities are offered at the school, I was told about a teacher who "speaks another language but I don't know what it is." When I asked what their policy/procedure around name-calling in the classroom, they stated there wasn't one. If children are calling each other names, it won't be shut down and the educators may engage in the name-calling as well. When I shared our philosophy at home, that we don't call people outside of their names (that it's respectful to refer to people as they prefer)- and if people are called outside of their names, then the adults around shut down the behavior and role model appropriate/ humane treatment of other humans; I was then told that this wasn't the school for us because they would not shut down name-calling and that it would potentially be encouraged as "imaginative play." If you want a school that encourages name-calling and potential bullying, has indescrepincies on their website, and doesn't know their staff's backgrounds- this may be the place for you. If you want a school that encourages education, humane treatment, and cultural diversity- this probably isn't it.

We have had such a wonderful experience here. Everyone is so kind and the atmosphere has been so…read morewarm. That goes such a long way with my daughter and my family. We came from La Puerta De Los Ninos (which is awful) and are so glad we made the switch.

Can't say enough about Serendipity. They were recommended by multiple people in the area, and have…read morejust been exceptional in every regard. Our 3.5yr old has been attending Serendipity since he was 2 and its been wonderful. The teachers are extremely caring, knowledgeable and experienced. They've honestly taught me so much about dealing with a toddler. Just a great vibe about the whole place. Great communication between parents, teachers and management. I don't know what we'd do without them! HIGHLY recommend!!

this school is bullying my nephew, they did not care that another student stomped on his head and…read morewhen he told the teacher she rolled her eyes at him, they did not notify his parents of the incident, and now they are withholding his transcripts to be transferred to another school

Reposting since my review seems to magically disappear everytime: DO NOT SEND YOUR BLACK CHILDREN…read moreHERE. PLEASE. All of my siblings and I were students for years and the most consistent theme we encountered was just racism. I dealt with DAILY racism from the students (ranging from making fun of my family or heritage or hair or skin when the lights turned off to just straight up calling me a N****r) that went unchecked by administration who liked calling the incidences "he said she said situations". I'm Nigerian, and I was called MamaKenya and Jujumama Gumbo for years. I dealt with way too many racist teachers too, faculty members and substitutes, especially my sophomore year of highschool, where my white male middle aged English teacher told me he would put a bag over my head and sell me if I got the chance (I eventually made a habit of walking out of classes when this happened when I figured out I didn't have to sit there and take the abuse). The same year, our NOTORIOUSLY RACIST HISTORY TEACHER SPRONG, who liked referring to black people and native Americans as darkies and r**skins started a whole tirade of drama with me when I "spoke out of turn" when he said Obama was out of his "cotton picking mind". I walked out of the room without a word, only to find myself in the principals office later that day because I was "acting like an animal" and "making grotesque sounds in class". Of course I was branded as the dramatic liar, and told by the principal they had to "support our teachers", the same line they told me after a substitute teacher who went on to try and bully my brother as well tried to get me expelled for "hyperaggressive behavior" and "threatening him in class" after I "gave him a dirty look" (blatantly lying, I wasn't even looking at him while he was talking ) while he was giving an announcement. I'm sorry 16 year old 120lb presence was so threatening to someone who spent years abroad with the military. That was real cute. Before he left the school, my brother was calling me multiple times a week during the school day to tell me about how he was being bullied and called a n***er everyday and I will never forgive this school for the extent they let racism bury itself even deeper into the very foundation of the school's culture. Years later, my sisters are still coming home telling me about how little white boys at school follow them around spewing the racist nonsense their parents teach them at home. With no consequence of course, because they're on the same page as many faculty members. And please, don't let me get started on the sexism that gets taught in class. Look below at the review detailing a teacher telling us marital rape didn't exist. He has told every class since 2015 the same thing, and trust me that wasn't the only insane thing we heard in class or chapel. "Purity Week" itself was sexist hell. My best HCS memory was leaving. It may have Christian school in the name, but the experience was very much the opposite.

My children thrived at this school. I was worried for them to start school as they had been at home…read morewith me since birth but they absolutely flourished. No school is without problems but I find the staff here do their very best to tune into the children and have activities that easily allow the children to be excited about school. My oldest just left and I wish we could've stayed longer! She was already reading in wonderful Ms. Najat's class and able to count to 1000! She's a five star teacher. All the teachers truly love what they do. The food is prepared there in the kitchen, the facility is kept clean, and the staff is very friendly! Drop off can be a doozy but I have never had to worry about my children here.

Springstone staff has become like family. My son has been going to Springstone since he was a year…read moreold. He started out with Mrs. Julie then had Ms. Karissa and then moved up to have Ms. Eva. My son is now 5 and he has graduated but each of these employees are still with Springstone. The employees are amazing and go above and beyond to teach the kids lesson needed for everyday. Their Montessori curriculum is taught daily, in all ages. Kids are taught love, respect and discipline. The classroom sizes are small and the teachers all work together. Ms. Melissa, Ben, and all other members of the staff have always been there to help. I highly recommend Springstone and would choose this school over any other school.

I can't say enough good things about Cottonwood. It is a gem in every way. The teachers are…read moreutterly dedicated to the kids and to providing an exceptional learning experience. The format encourages creativity, independent thinking and problem solving skills, artistic ability, confidence and fun. It is a loving, supportive community of parents, teachers and administrators and the kids thrive there. The students are encouraged to self-motivate, manage their own workload and be self-sufficient, all of which are the skills we all need to be truly successful in life. The school focuses on community service, equality, tolerance, peace, and a global perspective. The teachers teach and talk "up" to the kids (not down). Beyond incredible academics, the kids do the most amazing things, from learning musical instruments and music, to writing their own plays and creating the sets and costumes, to learning about the local eco-system, to learning organic gardening, to learning to give back to the community through multiple events throughout the year (we sponsor families in need during the holidays, recently volunteered as families at a local food bank, and do a food drive in the fall). The kids come away from Cottonwood not only light years ahead of their peers in all academic disciplines, but they also come away with an open-minded, global perspective, the ability to empathize, to control their own actions and reactions to the world, and to be clear and confident about who they are no matter what is going on in the world around them. The buildings are a bit less than stellar (nothing like a fancy school with a big endowment), but I like it that way because the focus in on the quality of the education and of the community, not on status or prestige. That said, the school has a very high percentage of kids that get into the top middle and high schools in the area. If the buildings were fancy, I think it would attract a very different kind of parent. That is why I'm almost afraid to share all of this because it is such a special place - I don't want the secret to get out! :-) We are so lucky that we found this very special school.

Letting my son post under my account…read more I went to school here for a year in 1st grade when I was 7. I loved it! Jaiden

I highly recommend this school. Great teachers, wonderful facilities, convenient location! They…read morelove teaching.

From the owner: LEAP is an authentic AMI Montessori school for children ages 3 years (Primary) through age 12…read more(elementary).

Sunset Mesa did not have online learning during the pandemic in 2020 and we removed our child. It…read moreseems as though they didn't want to adjust their tuition. We re-enrolled our kids, hoping Sunset Mesa's policies would change for the upcoming year. One week before school starts we receive an email that masks will be optional indoors for unvaccinated elementary students. A parent asked Alan Mask what it would take for him to reconsider his decision and he said that it would take more parents complaining, which goes to show that Sunset Mesa is weighing their bottom line against your child's well being. Delta variant cases are increasing as we speak, but Sunset Mesa wants your money! Sunset Mesa is a business, and your child's well being comes second!

Since it's so hard to find good review for Albuquerque preschools, I decided to help. If you're…read morelooking for a good preschool for your kids, Sunset Mesa is an awesome choice. Why do I like Sunset Mesa? Mainly, unlike other preschools in the area, Sunset Mesa tries hard to be an actual school. Instead of me paying to have someone keep my daughter distracted with Sesame Street and sugary drinks, they try hard to teach her something. Since starting at Sunset, I've noticed that both her reading level and math skills have improved dramatically. My daughter also really enjoys the other students since the teachers keep fighting and bullying out of the classroom. The childrens' parent seen to be mostly Sandia employees or military. Also, a child has to be at least two and potty trained before the school will admit him or her. The price is steep compared to other places in Albuquerque. To me, the place is worth the money. Preschool is definitely somewhere a person gets what they pay for.