I cannot recommend St. Micheal's for preschool. I was very excited to have my youngest attend as…read moreit was close to home and the curriculum looked great. We toured the school and talked with the principle that our youngest has been having some tantrums, but we are actively working on them. We were reassured that this was not an issue, and in fact, her own child had the same issue. Stated that it a great environment. We took the jump and paid for the entire year (11k!). The first day was very rough. My youngest was having tantrums and not doing well. She was sent home early which I agree with. We were then "un-invited" to return to pre and post care due to the tantrums. Fine. My husband and I worked with our schedules to ensure that we would A. be at the school in a moments notice if anything needed to be corrected and B. was willing to work with school to ensure no issues arise. We have MD appts lined up to assist as well. Within 2 hours of school on Tuesday, she was sent home due to 2 tantrums. Again, I understand it is disruptive, however we were doing our best to help. THEY COULD NOT GET US OUT OF THE SCHOOL FAST ENOUGH. We were told again, to come in on Wednesday and we would try again. I took off the entire day to be ready to sit at the school and assist with behaviors and find out what was causing this. Tuesday afternoon, less than 4 hours after being sent home, being told that we could come back on Wednesday, we were no longer welcomed back at the school. 7 hours was all it took for them to reject us. Of the 11k that we spent, they returned all but $1400. That's $200 an hour for this child. We attempted to talk with them and ask for them to return all but $600 (a month tuition and pre/post care for that Monday). They declined and charged the entire month of pre, post, 1 month tuition, and 3%. $1400 for 7 hours of care. They acted like they were doing us a favor for not charging us 3 months tuition despite them not wanting us back. Ridiculous. And for those wondering, the youngest started at Everbrook Academy. They worked with her for 2 days (Wednesday and Thursday) and by Friday she had ZERO tantrums. You are telling me that St. Micheal's is not able to work with us and a 3 year old on self calming? But Everbrook was able to come in with loving arms to assist. Just ridiculous. TL;DR: Don't send your small kiddos here.

Terrible place. Staff is unprofessional and incompetent (I just about died when I came to pick up…read moremy daughter to find that a young high-schooler whom I was sure had zero experience taking care of infants, taking care of my daughter). There is also a high turnover rate with staff (a sure sign of a bad business). I took my daughter out after only 3 months.

One of the better Prince William County High Schools, partially because it is newer, the other part…read moreit is located in the middle of residential neighborhoods in Haymarket so it is very family oriented.

We've been at the school for over 2 years, and my kid is transitioning out of this school and going…read moreinto first grade in our neighborhood public school. Thought it's time for an update! During the past two years, lots has changed--Our lead guide (teacher), the school admin team, guides in other classrooms, etc. While all changes are hard, I think the school does a pretty good job keeping kids and parents informed, and minimizing any transition challenges. Overall, I stand by my impressions from 2 years ago--Ms. Christine (our previous lead guide, now the head of school), Ms. Freshta (our previous assistant guide, now a lead guide in a different classroom and a lead guide in the kindergarten program), Ms. Vinita (our current lead guide who was previously our assistant guide), Ms. Dawn (float guide), and other guides/staff, are all amazing. They continue to be my daughter's anchor during many of the school administrative changes. Because of the high teacher quality, I would highly recommend this school to any families wanting to go with a Montessori education. Now, the school is not perfect--there are some things that were inconvenient and/or different from our expectations, but as someone who used to work in schools, the most important things is that the staff are qualified and truly care. We can deal with some hiccups here and there: - The biggest friction I had with the school is that I noticed not all staff are well-trained in the Montessori methods. For example, even when I observed briefly at a recent school event, I noticed one of the (newer) guides VERY QUICKLY took over what my daughter was working on when she struggled (for like 10 seconds). When I asked my daughter about this guide, she told me that this happens a lot. I get that the guides come from different background and learn at different speeds...and so we practiced how to push back respectfully instead of us talking to the guides. This is an easily missable detail for busy parents, however. - The guides do a great job not using technology or screens for the most part, and when they do (which is extremely rare), they are intentional and thoughtful. HOWEVER, my daughter and her classmates brought to our attention of a fairly inappropriate song in a foreign language--and they claimed that a guide had shown them the song. The song is not our guide's native language, it is catchy, and I can see it accidentally/automatically come up on Spotify or other music platforms. It is also entirely possible that the song didn't originate from the guides, but from another student. - We stayed with guidepost for 5 years (3 at another guidepost location, 2 at the south riding location), and my favorite thing about it was the holiday hours--They used to only close on MAJOR holidays such as thanksgiving and christmas, but not smaller holidays such as president's day or Juneteenth. They now close on a lot more holidays, which is harder for us who don't get these days off. But their calendar is still better than many daycares following public school schedules. - Some admin transitions (such as a company buying out the school, leaving the staff with very limited notice and preparation) was ROCKY, although I think Ms. Christine and the staff dealt with it the best that they can. - There were quite a lot of staff turnover this past year, especially in the younger kids' classrooms. Overall, we find that the pros significantly outweighs the cons for our family at this school. I would still recommend it to anyone without hesitance, and we are so, so grateful to all the amazing staff--Our heroes without capes!

we enrolled our son here back in 2024 after shopping around for a Montessori in the South Riding…read morearea. I enjoyed our initial visit and Monica (the previous head of the school) was great to work with. our son quickly adapted to his classroom & became very close with his teacher who is no longer there (Ms. Aya). he has since moved up to Children's House with Ms. Freshta and Ms. Priyanka! they know how to work with each children as they are all different in their way of learning. they have been nothing but patient and they love challenging my son to help him reach new heights. in his time there, he has learned a lot. they took potty training very seriously and he started just about as soon as he joined the school. he loves going to school & as a Montessori, they are very "children based". the students do everything themselves in the classroom to help them gain independence at an early age. when we first signed up, we were told our son would know his multiplication table by 4 and fractions by 5 so I'm excited to watch him progress. the new director, Ms. Desirae, has been a pleasure to work with. she has quickly immersed herself in the school and learned every child in all the classrooms. Ms. Cady at the front desk is very helpful and greets everyone as they come in. the after school teacher assistants like Ms. Dawn are super helpful and the children love her! my only gripe is that lunch is not provided. my daughter went to a school nearby growing up that did provide lunch, but it seems a lot of the daycares in the area no longer provide lunch. but different times I guess.

Send your child elsewhere. The school and principal are only interested in those who donate…read moresignificantly. Children leave the school ill-prepared for kindergarten-in fact many need to repeat the year. Several teachers have been known to go to court and testify against parents. There are many other lovely schools nearby that will nurture your children and ensure that they learn in a safe and happy environment.

This is one of the highest rated schools in the state and it is truly wonderful! As a play based…read moreand nature based school, they truly embody this philosophy. The teachers are dedicated and engaging and the administrators are friendly and welcoming. I would never send my children anywhere else!

We have two children in this school age 4 and 2. They have been there since they were 4 mos and we…read moreplan on using their before and after when they get older. We also do summer camp/spring break every year. Classroom sizes are small, kids feel loved, and have wonderful experiences daily. Never a concern. Trust is huge for me; they have it. Communication is abundant. Workers do not seem to be there for a check, but truly show investment in the kids. We get daily updates at pick up and phone calls when it is necessary. I credit these folks for shaping my little monsters--particularly Ms. Debra for potty training. Ms. Carol for drop off stress management, and Ms. Ana for lots of hugs and barrette management. Ms. Itzel for FUN FUN FUN! My children are not easy--one is a diva and the other is all questions right now. They have friends who hug and giggle. The really neat thing about this school is how they foster individual development and learning but pull in relationship building. They are a community created. Nothing but positive. The vibe is fantastic. LOVE the director as you can see her model the behaviors she wants of her team. So, tuition is competitive but there are extras with that tuition that other facilities do not have. Worth it. our 4 year old writes his name and a few words, knew his alphabet at under 2 years, and is now able to count on his own to 50. Our diva is right on track with him as well. The projects that come home for special days are beautiful and so smart. And now, Montessori learning is being introduced!!! We learned about this school from our neighbor. Just do a tour! And I forgot about precious status app. I get cool notifications throughout the day of my monsters--how did they eat, eliminate, and pics of the neatest activities. Yesterday was a Dr. Seus day! Lovely pics of the kids. PEACE OF MIND with a 10 hour work day. Open at 6 and close at 7!!! This helps with a commute to Maryland and Alexandria. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!

Our son went to public school for 6 years until attending 6th grade at CCA. He received great…read moreinstruction at the public school but the attention and guidance he has received at CCA is incredible. The class sizes are small so the kids get more attention and time with the teachers. My son's organization skills, confidence, and determination have increased tenfold with Mrs. Christine and Mr. Josh. The tuition is very affordable for a private school and the community is so warm and welcoming!

'23-'24 - Excellent overall, Mrs. Karesse and Ms. Nyomi were always above and beyond! Great…read moreactivities and interaction for the children.