My child has been at this school since preschool. I would say that Lower Elementary is definitely a strength, as some other reviews have mentioned. However, Upper Elementary was a different experience. In my opinion, it's not worth it. The academic pace feels slow and behind. You might get lucky and end up in a class where the teacher sets higher expectations(I heard from my child there is only one class), but otherwise, it's hard to justify staying that long just for academics. If academic progress isn't your main concern, it could still be fine. Overall, this school may is not the best fit for fast learners. Teachers focus on keeping the class balanced, which often means slowing down advanced students to match the majority's pace. read more

Due to moves, our daughter has been to two other schools, and WMS has been exceptionally better than the other. The environment is calm, positive, and incredibly welcoming. The student-to-teacher ratio is wonderful (23 students and three teachers). The school administration and teachers proactively communicate. The lead teacher in Dogwood is an absolute blessing. She has been very attentive to our daughter's anxiety, and our daughter has blossomed in this classroom. The school celebrates many cultural holidays, and our whole family has been enjoying the community events hosted by parent volunteers. The school sends visibly sick children home, as they should (not our experience with previous schools). We are thankful for fewer sick days because of this. Our only feedback would be to increase recess/outdoor time and to add additional greenery to the outdoor areas. read more

My some is entering 1st grade this year. We have been at the school for the past 4 years. Overall I love the school. I love that every adult that works there seems to know my sons name (from all levels). I love that parent involvement has really increased over the years. And never in a judgmental way but in a way that show the parents want to be part of the school community for the good of the children. I love that my sons teachers feel like parenting partners who will give me parenting help and advice when I ask. I love that my son really enjoys the school and wants to go. And most of all, I love that my son is learning so much about such a huge scope of topics that he is teaching me things. The kids are polite, respectful and are encouraged to ask questions and explore. This is an education well worth every penny. read more

AWESOME SCHOOL! My kids have been going to WMS for 4 years and we absolutely LOVE this school. The teachers are amazing, competent, engaged, thoughtful and compassionate. The part we love is that beyond the exceptional education our kids receive, they also learn all of the invaluable life skills they need to be great human beings. Skills like conflict resolution, communication, self-direction and curiosity / love of learning. Class sizes are also small so our kids get help when they need it - they also get freedom when they need it with just the right amount of structure. Our kids both test several grades above average and we're convinced it is because of the Montessori approach and the great teachers our kids have. I honestly can't say enough about this school. We feel like we are part of a community and everyone we know loves the school as well. read more

We had our sons in here for quite some time and were happy, even with the fact that it is way too expensive! Then, we started to think about how BAD it really is there... They continually ask for money, have horrible communication (unless asking for money), there are fees around every corner, the financial aid process is worse than applying for college aid, sometimes the application for financial is not even processed, they frown on emails to parents, they document behaviors and save it all for meetings rather than be proactive to help with the student, if meetings are not getting set it is the parents who are at fault, they make your relive deaths in the family, mock parents in front of other parents, and the list could go on!! We were so done with this school that we pulled our sons a month before school was let out... Even though you are forced into a contract that required us to already pay for that month. Eating that money and making our boys happy and proactively working with them at home was an easy decision! read more

Our 2 kids go here and we absolutely LOVE it! Here is what we love: --it is a non-profit org accredited by NWAIS. (There are other Montessori schools that are owned by for-profit companies!!) --the teachers are amazing!!! Each teacher is dedicated and loves what they do in the classroom with the children. --the teachers know your child! Being multi-aged classes (3 years), your child has the same teacher for 3 years so they really get to know your kids' strengths and weaknesses, and they really work with both of those. --each child gets a lesson plan for their ability in each subject area. There's no extra evaluation or paperwork for this individualized lesson plan. --students get both group lessons and individualized lessons. --the necessary life skills are taught here such as respect for others and class materials, time management (each student in grade 1 and higher manages their own work plan), students learn to resolve conflicts with the help of adults by talking it out themselves and making their own decisions, decision-making is enforced by almost every activity--from getting their own snack (how much and when) to how to manage their work --even the youngest are taught very strong skills from the beginning. The classroom is not filled with colorful plastic that makes noises. They learn so much through the work and activities they do such as baking, puzzles, watering plants, sorting, pouring, gross and fine motor skill development activities, outdoor walks, visiting with people outside their classroom (staff and older kids), and so much more --students are not just stuck in their classrooms. They mix with everyone from the school so they're not intimidated by older kids and the older students very much appreciate and enjoy the younger ones. Learning is shared by all of the students. --multi-age classrooms: I've seen our son learn from the older kids and then saw his confidence soar when he became one of the elders. --teachers are very accessible and you can bring any issue to them about your child which they will work on. We email the teachers whenever something comes up and they're so responsive! --the work they do is tangible and they learn so many different ways. My son was learning about the different triangles by drawing them, lying on the floor with classmates to make the different angles, hearing the lesson, looking at pictures and tracing them. All the work they do is like this! If I had done this, I would have learned so much better! --students of all abilities are at WMS, and we very much appreciate the diversity at the school (diversity has a very wide definition) --they are adding the high school and even have a college counselor on board already!! Some other points to address: --yes, it's a private school so yes, they ask for money. Don't all private schools?! We either do what we can, or we just keep our eye on the ball and think about the experiences our children are having in the classroom. --facilities are growing... They are making the best with what they have, which is fine. --yes, they ask you to volunteer and contribute time. In my book that's fine because it keeps me involved in the school. They ask you to log your hours, but that is just so they have more leverage when they apply for grants as that data is VERY important for grants. We are so happy with this school and find the tuition not only worth it, but the cost less than many other private schools of similar calibre. If you are considering the school, ask for a classroom visit so you can observe what's happening, and ask where the graduates go (both for high school since they have just added it, and to university). We just adore WMS and are so thankful to have our kids in such an amazing school! read more