We have 2 kids here and are really happy with their student centered, teacher driven approach. The…read morestaff are excellent. Whatever you are paying these teachers is not enough!

My preschooler's classroom had four different teachers in the same year. One teacher just stopped…read moreshowing up. A replacement was hired and then quickly let go when parents brought facts about some questionable past actions to the attention of the director. That kind of turnover had detrimental effects on all the kids in that classroom. At some point in the year, my child started acting out play scenarios where she was the teacher and she would stoop wagging a pointed finger and say things like "You are a very naughty little girl! You are being so bad! You stop that right now!" She certainly didn't hear that kind of thing at our house or anywhere else she spent time. A lot of people seem to really like this school. Maybe there's more stability in the older classrooms. But our preschool experience here was negative and have since found a much better school environment elsewhere.

5 STAR REVIEW La Maripossa Montessori school is a total gem…read moreand I am incredibly grateful my 2 children attend the school.  The staff is wonderful and each member of the team is so engaged and genuinely cares for the kids creating a fun learning environment where they can accelerate at the pace that suits each child.  The environment is exceptional with a very creative playground, kids can climb, use swings, take care of live animals including goats, chickens, and horses, it's totally amazing!  The guest teachers that come through are often masters in their fields and enrich the experience with special teachers for subjects such as piano, art, Spanish, and science among many others.   I love that the class rooms include a range of ages to give children the experience of being mentored by older students and eventually becoming a mentor themselves as they progress within the class.  The internationally focused curriculum gives students a sense of their place in the world where different cultures are celebrated.  The decorations and extensive planning that the staff put into holidays is incredible, and it seems like every month there is a wonderful celebration.  The older children are very engaged in the community and go on frequent field trips to places such as animal shelters, an elderly home, and out to train service dogs.  How much fun to go and play with puppies as part of your school work, no wonder the kids are happy when you pick them up!   When the older kids test perfectly in geography, those students are invited out to lunch to a restaurant of that continent as a special treat, what a great incentive.  My sixth grade son even had the opportunity to deliver the American Creed at the roundhouse, which was a huge confidence booster and an excellent experience.  The staff also encouraged us to test him within the John Hopkins University for Talented Youth program and he passed the test with high honors which is now a great accolade going forward. I am in awe that I can honestly say my kids have been happy every time I have picked them up from school.  The level of commitment and attention to detail that is required to achieve that level of happiness within a school environment speaks volumes in itself.  I recommend this school to anyone seeking a truly nurturing, stimulating, positive, creative, dynamic, and healthy environment for their children to give them the very best start in life!

My child has been at this school for 6 years and the school has been a wonderful experience from…read moreday one. You won't find a more fundamentally amazing team as Katrina and her hardworking and caring staff. They allow the children to grow at their own rate guided by teachers who truly love and care for their students. Highly recommend La Mariposa Montessori School!

An amazing place for kids! We had our son here for 4 years, from 2005-2009, and did not have a…read moresingle problem. We felt very happy leaving him there.

I am a mother of two children currently enrolled in Montessori One and I could not have better…read morethings to say about this school. My children are 5 1/2 and almost 3. The oldest has been enrolled since he was 2 1/2 and has gained so much from his experience there. He is writing in cursive, working on fractions, has good knowledge of the continents, and writes comic books at home for fun. And he's pretty average amongst his peers. My toddler LOVES her class, friends, and teachers. Every time I pick her up I hear all about her day without even asking. She usually includes, "...and I did lots of works, Mom!" They both genuinely enjoy learning and I believe it is the Montessori method that has fostered that love. That said, they do have days where we have some sort of upset or tantrum, but the staff (and other parents) are always very understanding and helpful. The STAFF!! I love these people. I trust and truly believe that they always have the children's best interest, safety, and wellbeing at the core of their work. I am grateful for the connection I share with my children's teachers. If my toddler has a rough morning, I'll send her teacher a text later in the day to check on her and she'll respond with an update and sometimes a picture of my daughter working happily. There are several ways to reach the teachers if concerns arise. From email to text message to plain old pen and notebook in each class' cubby room area. If there is ever a behavioral issue with either of my children their teachers always discuss the incident with me along with the measures that were taken to address it. The children are always re-directed rather than punished. This is a long review but in it I must include Tina Patel, the director of Montessori One. She has an amazing vision for our children and has helped my own family in so many ways. She works hard to ensure her staff are up to date on their education and strict Montessori requirements. She has also offered parent seminars and open houses to ensure parents and families have a good understanding about what's going on in the school and how to help our children grow happy and healthy. Tina is very inclusive and, I believe, genuinely cares about the future of our children. Of course you will come to your own conclusion when choosing what's right for your own family. But I encourage you to check it out for yourself. Montessori One really is a wonderful community.

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.

My child started kindergarten at the Carmel location. My child has been crying and not wanting to…read morego to school because of bullying from other children and yelling from the teachers. My child was reading when they left preK and has since significantly regressed. All concerns brought up to the teachers have been ignored. No disciplinary actions have been reported to me, and there are no incident reports being made about injuries. No parents are allowed in the building and the teachers are unable to tell me what kind of " science" they're learning. I have no way to support my student at home without proper communication. What I'm told by my student is that all lessons are done with videos. This is not the Montessori way! 14 + years experience teaching and you don't have curriculum to share? Very odd.

Our daughter attended this school for 3.5 years. While the first year was good, we pulled her out…read moredue to concerns over her physical, emotional, and academic well-being. She was physically assaulted 3 times during one school year by male classmates, some of her teachers and administrators were unprofessional, and her academic performance was deteriorating. The school was found by the state to be in violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and we've been made aware of multiple FERPA violations as well. In addition to concerns for her well-being, we had concerns over the school's use of taxpayer funding. They recently settled a lawsuit arising from the ousting of their previous director. The school's insurance paid over $200k, and the school's taxpayer-funded premiums skyrocketed. This information is readily available from Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) requests to the school, the local court, and their insurance provider NMPSIA. The school's HR director installed his daughter as the principal without evidence of a competitive application process. This administrator additionally arranged for the undocumented and uncompensated use of 5 acres of school property, despite the excessive watering costs and farm chemical risks. The administrative assistants were fantastic, but not enough to make up for the school's bigger problems. Since then, we transferred our daughter to a public school in Rio Rancho, where she is thriving. We should have pulled her out sooner. Brian Freno, PhD