We have been so thrilled with our first year at Portland Montessori! The dedication and thoughtful…read moreapproach of every staff member is so evident in our day to day experience with the school. Our guide, Ms. Susie in the Rainbow Room, is exceptionally talented and has helped us instill grace and confidence in our (almost) 4 year old son. The aftercare staff and GIANT play space are the best we saw in our search or have heard about since, since the same support staff stay for aftercare they know all of the children really well and can respond to their individual needs. We have also loved Camp Vida this summer, they really stepped up the program from last year in terms of the diverse weekly offerings. Music Mondays and Cooking Fridays give our son something to look forward to every week! Great school!

Sharing our response to the denied acceptance email received pertaining to our son. Our daughter…read morewas accepted. We are completely caught off guard and very disappointed to hear you have decided not to accept Henri. After reading through the numerous emails from TPMS there was NEVER any information that his acceptance was pending a school tour. In addition to the emails, we specifically discussed our situation with Jessica during the tour and I followed up with telephone calls after. Jessica reassured us TPMS had children similar to Henri. We were worried about disappointing him and told her we did not want him to tour the classroom if there was a chance he would not be accepted. She assured us that it doesn't work that way and the tour was just for him to get familiar with the classroom and meet his teachers. I specifically told her I do not want to even apply if there was not room for both children. We had a secured/accepted a spot for Lillian at another Montessori school and had Henri on the waiting list, which we have turned down since receiving your "acceptance letter." It is too late in the school year to secure a spot for our children at another school. This decision is INCREDIBLY disruptive to our family and completely irresponsible per TPMS admissions staff. It is pathetic I had to email Braden to find out why we had not had any follow up after Henri's visit. It is also misleading Elisabeth did not indicate anything went wrong with his behavior during that visit. Her communication & demeanor with children and adults is lacking. Judging a 6 year old boy with special needs after observing him for 2 hours in a completely new environment full of strangers is unbelievable and inaccurate, and speaks volumes per your internal practices verses the montessori educational platform. Your policies should be clear that you don't accept children with an IEP or ADHD, to avoid wasting families time Lillian will not be attending TPMS. I HIGHLY suggest you take a look at your admission process and the way TPMS communicates with families. Because of your poor communication and decision our children will not be able to attend Montessori school in the fall. Considering our situation after much homework and clear communication on our part, we suggest TPMS advertises correctly and does't mislead people in the future as it's been a very disingenuous and incompetent experience that will greatly affect our family and our child's developmental plans. Parents are always going to be their children's biggest advocate and TPMS should be ashamed as your mission statement and admission process is severely flawed, and its obvious people should know the truth! In closing, I'm not looking forward to explaining to my son that he will not be attending the school we've been building up to be a great experience. He was greatly looking forward to the school & "new friends" and going to school with his little sister, both of which will not happen now.

I did my Elementary training at Montessori Northwest with Elise. It was grounding, challenging, and…read moreinspiring all at the same time. Elise pushed us to deepen our own understanding of education and ourselves. For the first time in my life I was able to love math. Now, with a classroom of my own, I'm grateful for the lessons Elise gave me but also for the trust she taught me, both in myself and in my students. I appreciated friendships that I made during training and how supportive my cohort still is! Though I don't live in Portland anymore, it's amazing to be part of the MNW community. I still feel supported, connected, and excited from far away.

From the owner: Montessori Northwest (MNW), located in SE Portland, Oregon, provides AMI Montessori teacher…read moretraining at the Assistants to Infancy (ages 0 - 3), Primary (ages 3 - 6), and Elementary (ages 6 - 12) levels, and serves as a hub of activity within the Montessori community. We also offer parent education, continuing education workshops, community education and personalized staff development for Montessori professionals. Montessori Northwest is a founding partner of Alder Montessori, a tuition-free early learning program for children aged 3-5 years-old living in poverty. This program is housed in east Portland's Alder Elementary, the nation's first Dreamer School. MNW is a 501c3 non-profit organization affiliated with the Association Montessori Internationale, Whitworth University in Spokane, Loyola University Maryland, and Marylhurst University. All of our Portland courses are fully accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE). Visit our website for current schedule of events. www.montessori-nw.org

The best teachers and positive, supportive environment. Small school with opportunities for growth…read morefor every child. I would send my child here indefinitely if they had a high school program.

I don't have enough superlatives to truly convey the deep appreciate and regard my wife and I have…read morefor Metro. Our daughter has been in Montessori since she was 3. She is a Montessori kid. And when the time came to leave her upper elementary classroom at her previous school (the super wonderful Sunstone Montessori) - we really struggled. Did we put her in a pipeline school that would allow her to matriculate from her middle school program directly into high school (e.g. OES)? Should we consider Waldorf? In the end, sticking with Montessori for our daughter's middle school years was not only a healthy choice for her growth and development - it was an amazing experience for her whole person. Picture this - after completing her 7th grade year at Metro . . . our daughter disclosed to us, "that was the best year of my life." Wow! I don't know about you - but my Catholic middle school years were DEFINITELY NOT the best years of my life. Thank you, Metro for being such an amazing place of peace, curiosity and compassion. You ROCK!

My son just started this fall and we (and he!) are very happy there. The campus is amazing. I…read moreappreciate all of the communication from the staff and the extra events they hold to bring the parents to the campus.

My son is attending Montessori School of Beaverton in Primary. He loves his teacher and loves…read morechatting after school about everything he worked on at school. The campus is simply amazing and I've been very impressed with the administration.

This school is a gem. The teachers are loving, attentive, treat the kids with respect...they're…read morecontinually evolving and learning as educators, and they bring the parents into the fold. They're open to trying new things, and are incredibly agile and adaptive. The food is healthy (they have an on-site chef!), the playground is incredible, and they help raise our kids to be critical thinkers and global citizens...without ever losing the fun.

When we relocated to portland from California in August 2011, we were anxious and nervous to look…read morefor a preschool for our daughter. After visiting 6 different places, PDX Montessori Collaborative was by FAR the most welcoming and gracious place. The staff and faculty are all about the children and our daughter has thrived ever since. It was important that our daughter be in a diverse and multicultural community. She has grown, is curious, generous, and incredibly independent. We were sad when we had to day good bye last month as we loved back to CA. Now, as we are looking for a new place, we are all missing the warm smiles, friendly classrooms, and the great community we built here. Stellar leadership and amazing staff overall!!!

Here is a haiku about Puddletown: Perfect, wonderful…read more and exciting just as well you should join right now! I joke, but it really is an amazing school. I have attended for 9 years and the community, the experiences and the curriculum are all great. Please enroll in the middle school program there so I am not a lonely 8th grader next year... - A Puddletown Student

My daughter joined the Elementary program at age 6 after enjoying several years at another…read moreMontessori preschool. The transition was very smooth and now in her 3rd year there, she's still doing wonderfully. The community (parents, administration, teachers, support staff) are all relaxed and intelligent people that clearly love and value children. The Montessori philosophy and learning environments are authentic and beloved by the children. There's plenty of interaction between the children and the outdoors, with fun interactive garden experiences and an interesting outdoor play area. Tuition is the same as most other Montessori schools, and they offer before and after care, and plenty of opportunities for parents to volunteer. Good times!

I didn't know anything about Montessori before enrolling my kids at Sunstone. I am now a…read morefull-fledged convert to the Montessori method. This school has been fantastic for our children--not only are they learning but, more importantly, they are developing a love of learning. They have gone from feeling indifferent to school to doing long division at home for fun, or begging us to sign them up for after school classes.

We didn't know much about Montessori before enrolling our son at Sunstone Montessori four years…read moreago. We've appreciated the wealth of parent education nights that have informed us about the absolute brilliance that is Montessori education. Wow, Maria Montessori. Each time we're at the school for parent education or some sweet gathering for families, we feel starry eyed and grateful to be able to have our kids at a Montessori school. On top of that, Sunstone is a great community of compassionate people. The year is full of sweet community events and seasonal gatherings. My kids look forward to school the great majority of their days and come home proud of the research/math/knitting or other awesome things they've done. The guides are all excellent, committed and caring, and clearly like family with each other. Truly my only complaint is that I wish we could walk there! And I wish they'd start a high school!

I was a teacher at Montessori of Alameda I started there early September I'm glad that I was able…read moreto meet amazing coworkers that I got to work with that helped me when I first started also being with the kids... But late January I got let go I was upset I was angry cuz . They didn't give me a written warning and I just think it's unfair that they let me go and I have ever right to feel this way. But I know I'm a strong woman

Beware of this Montessori! They will take your hard-earned money! Their no refund policies for…read morewaitlisting your child is downright robbery, in my opinion. I put my daughter down for the waitlist and have waited almost a year now and still have not heard from them. And now that we decided to move to Alaska instead, they refuse to give my $100 back. If you put your child on their waitlist, be prepared to wait for a VERY long time or not even get in and lose your $$. Such a very unpleasant experience.