Although their space in the Emory Valley Center is a bit older, the staff have done a wonderful job…read moreof sprucing up the classroom for the kids with homey lamps, child-sized furniture, and hundreds of those great Montessori lessons to engage the mind, body and spirit. The amount of staff support and the quality of the staff are exceptional, and the parents are very involved and supportive. Best place I could imagine sending our little boy.

Jamie is wonderful! We worked together at a Montessori school in Portland for quite some time - she…read morewas an excellent guide to our students and had immense patience. Jamie also has an incredible sense for what types of learning activities would be interesting for kids in the 1-6 age group, often making materials herself, to help students learn life skills such as folding towels or opening and closing snaps, buttons, zippers, and velcro. I would trust Jamie with my child in a heartbeat, and know that she is extremely dedicated to creating a wonderful learning environment, focused on child needs, opportunities for learning, and school organization to assist in keeping parents updated and involved in their child's development.

Jamie came into our life several years ago and has been taking care of our little girl for the past…read more18 months, since she was 14 months old. Since then our girl has blossomed - learning language skills, socialization, independence, and was even potty-trained around her 2 year old birthday. I attribute this to the amazing environment Jamie has created with Norwood. Jamie is patient and kind, she treats the kiddos with respect and such great love. Both of my girls have been in Jamie's care and they both feel confident and secure with Jamie. Outside of the children's care, Jamie has created a community for the families who are attending and have attended Norwood. It is simply the most amazing, special place and I feel lucky to be a part of it with my family.

Supportive & welcoming environment for all genders and races. Skilled and dedicated leads (i.e…read more teachers) on a beautiful campus.

Beware! Poor Administration, Poor Communication, Care more about money than your student. Campus…read morein disrepair, Gender Confusion Supported. We had a very negative experience with this school. Our child did not attend here ever not one day and we have to pay them $2600+ because they rushed our enrollment decision and had us sign a contract allowing them to collect this much money from us regardless if we came or not. Do Your Homework BEFORE signing anything!

My son went to this school for three years. If you ask me my opinion 6 months ago, I would have…read moreraved about it; however, in the last 3 months alone, it has completely changed. Several staff who have been there for years left due to the owners (who are a couple even though they deny it). They expect toddlers to act like middle schoolers, suspend my son WITHOUT calling me because he was "disruptive" and "aggressive" (only after being at the new campus for 20 days). My son's behaviors were that of a normal 5 year old. This place is horrible. Before enrolling, watch the documentary of Shiny Happy People and you got it, just minus the religion stuff.

From the owner: LRMS has been helping students reach their full potential - academically, socially, and emotionally…read more- in an authentic Montessori environment since 1978.

Amazing school! I have children in every level at this school and couldn't be more satisfied. The…read moreteachers work with each child to provide them an individualized education that goes beyond academic skills. There is such a feeling of collaboration between parents, teachers and my children. I am so excited that they are adding a High School program this fall!

I never thought I'd be writing a review like this after spending thousands in donations on top of…read morenormal tuition. The school does not live up to its marketing pitch. However, most of ESK's flaws will not be readily apparent to those visiting. You'll likely assume that your kids are in a small class and teachers are working with them. But, if you read no further than here, I suggest that you consider what ESK is actually teaching (the actual core curriculum) and compare it to national, local, or other private school standards. It falls drastically short - particularly in reading, history, and science. They don't even have textbooks or teach basic phonics in the lower grades. Problems: 1) While they hang their hat on the student/teacher ratio, the additional teaching assistant more often just allows the teacher to slack off. This surprised us because, like most people, we thought that more teachers would mean more attention. However, that didn't happen. 2) Instead of the usual schoolwork, a lot of class time is spent on projects designed to continuously impress the parents. Regularly, you'll get something like a laminated book with a storyline about how mom and dad are awesome. But, at the expense of this, there's not much time for the true nuts-and-bolts of teaching your kid. Among other things, ESK skips over phonics and does not even have textbooks to send home (just copies of worksheets). Since ESK doesn't conduct tests or assign grades, parents may not notice deficiencies until it's too late. It's a "participation trophy" philosophy that is, in the end, harmful to kids' academic success. The fuzzy standards also help teachers do whatever they want in teaching. This is particularly true for one 1st grade teacher who favors studying butterflies and outdoors over reading and writing. Likewise, in Kindergarten, our child went many weeks without doing reading assignments because the teacher just didn't send anything home. In second grade, the teacher had a love for Civil Rights, politics, and Black history. Again, fine material for older kids or college, but not for 2.5 months of class time in second grade. The peculiar history lessons also created confusion since there was no clear timeline or context (as one would have with most American history textbooks). 3) Schools should be apolitical. As a middle of the road guy, I'm bothered by right or left political indoctrination of my elementary school kids. In this instance, ESK has a decidedly liberal political agenda and incorporates it into the curriculum. They also teach inappropriate content at a young age. We had enough when our 7 year old child was assigned a book entitled, Maya Angelou: Journey of the Heart by Jayne Pettit. On pages 16-18 of this book, there is a graphic description of a young Maya Angelou being molested by her mother's boyfriend. 4) If you plan on earning money to pay the $15,000 tuition, be prepared to take a lot of time off for the various activities during the school day. Very little, if anything, is scheduled for after school. 5) The new headmaster is an ineffective leader. He previously led a NC charter school ranked average by that state. Moreover, unlike the former headmaster, he lacks charisma and was unable to handle routine issues. 6) If you are a Christian, you'll be disappointed by the fact that ESK seems to shy away from embracing the religious aspects that could offend someone. During the holidays, there was always an email practically apologizing to non-Christian students for having Christmas and Easter events. Overall: There are much better options in Knoxville. ESK puts on a good front. But, it is woefully deficient in how it prepares children for later academic success.

Wow! What a great school. We have been so impressed. I love seeing pictures and videos of what goes…read moreon during the day through the parent-teacher app. Our daughter started JK4 with a basic knowledge of some sight words and what sounds letters make. Within 3 weeks of class, she was reading... and FAST! She also tells me certain arithmetic facts and wants me to quiz her. She's made great friends here, and I love that she gets to play outside often. The teacher incorporate outside activities into the lessons. I appreciate that her weekly schedule includes P.E., library, art, music, and two foreign languages. I also like that the cafeteria food is farm-to-table. Parents are encouraged to participate and visit. The students attend chapel every day, and I love when my daughter tells me what she prayed about. I have no complaints about ESK.