I can't even begin to express how much I love this place. A true Montessori. All the staff are amazing. My now 22 month daughter started coming when she 18 months and we are so happy. She loves the animals and the teachers. She often signs songs at home we know she must be learning there and is learning so much. We are so happy! read more

I am very disappointed in our experience with this school and ultimately decided it was no longer the right placement for my child. Despite having a 504 Plan, my child's documented accommodations--including dietary needs and reminders to drink water--were not consistently followed. Academically, reading instruction occurred only twice per week, which led to significant delays and was especially concerning given the school's small class size and private setting. There was a noticeable lack of individualized academic support. Supervision and school culture were also troubling. On multiple occasions, staff did not assist my child during drop-off. Inappropriate behavior and language among students went unaddressed, including name-calling from older students. A teacher's response that this behavior "meant they loved her" was deeply concerning and unacceptable. Communication was inconsistent and often unclear. Progress reports were repeatedly delayed and, when finally received, contradicted prior conversations about my child's academic struggles. Additionally, my child's tutor identified academic deficiencies that had never been communicated by the school, and there were inconsistencies between staff regarding her progress. Overall, this experience showed a lack of accountability, communication, and appropriate support. Families should ask detailed questions about accommodations, academic intervention, and how student behavior is handled before enrolling. read more

Before I found Arrowhead Montessori I toured 10+ schools. On a whim I called up Arrowhead and lo and behold the owner answered. She made time for me in minutes and when I walked through the door and saw her pets framed pictures on the walls with all the school children, the cliché Montessori desks and chairs in perfect toddler sizes and the cleanliness of the building; I knew this is where my kids would go to school. All of this was before I saw the incredible outdoor environment space that my kids would come to grow and thrive in. Children here are taught to work with their hands, create and build, use their brains, not just sit in desks and blindly follow instructions and worksheets. Now looking back on our years we have spent here I can see what makes a Montessori child different from others. At a Montessori these children are instructed how to be people, how to respect nature, adults and their peers. I am always complimented on how wise, well spoken and thoughtful my children are and I will be the first to tell you those are not traits that come from me. This is directly correlated to their time at Montessori. This is not a school where you get hourly updates on what your child is doing or who they played with, what they ate for lunch. Instead Arrowhead encourages you to talk to your child and ask those things yourself or discuss the lessons they learned that day. If there is one thing Arrowhead Montessori truly succeeds in it is teaching your child to be a successful adult with a lifelong love for learning while enabling them a space to truly be a kid and always feel valuable. I am forever grateful for our time at Arrowhead Montessori and the forever friendships we have created. All that being said, with any institution this school is not perfection. Our family has had its share of bumps a long the road and disagreements. Though when those disagreements occurred we spoke about them face to face and came to a resolution. In our experiences the teachers or director were always more than willing to speak to a parent or make time for an after hours phone calls. In our years here we have seen this school slandered by families that are hurt with the truth or the way the Montessori method is thoughtfully constructed at Arrowhead. Before choosing a school one should really be versed on the type of teaching instructed, know your child and what will work best for them, don't point fingers at the teachers when it doesn't work out. Montessori is not right for every family, but when the methods work it is almost magical. I had a 4 year old reading chapter books, another putting together puzzles of Europe and counting into the hundreds at an even younger age. Arrowhead Montessori is amazing and I feel it is one of the best decisions I've ever made in sending my kids there. read more

When we first moved to Arizona 6 years ago, I made site visits and interviewed numerous schools in the Peoria/Glendale area. My then 2 year old daughter even attended two different schools for a few weeks at a time, but I found that the environments and the teachers were not what I was looking for. I wanted my child to have the kind of learning environment where she knew that she was a valued member of a community and where she could thrive in the right mix of learning, respectful correction, fun and relationship building. I'm a professor of education, so my standards for holistic learning tend to be quite high. Arrowhead Montessori was just what I was looking for! We've now had two daughters attend the school over 6 years, and I'm grateful for their rich experiences there. As a working mom, it is a relief knowing I am dropping my daughters off in great hands. My girls are often complimented for their communication and relational skills, and I know that the environment at Arrowhead Montessori cultivated those skills. The outdoor environment filled with lovely, well-cared for animals adds a special touch, as well. Every organization has its pros and cons, and I always feel that a trustworthy review will discuss both. So I will mention that the small size of the school does limit the administrative structure. There is no dedicated office staff or reception area, so it is really important to work with the teachers to alert them if you have a pickup during school hours or if you need to discuss invoicing or other administrative issues. They are responsive to parents, but it is important to recognize that they are juggling their teaching and administrative responsibilities at the same time. I appreciate that they prioritize the students during school hours. Whenever there is a last-minute or emergency situation on my part, I have always been able to get a hold of the staff via the main school line or by texting one of the teachers. Overall, I highly recommend the school, the teachers and staff, and I know my children do too! read more

It is so very sad that the owner and management are not nearly as amazing as their environment is. Our unfortunate history here is very lengthy so I will just do bullet points for what we experienced. One of our sons went there for 2 1/2 years and our second son for 6 months. My son went there for over two years. He always was in trouble for not being able to sit still. They had him off doing manual labor or anything so he did not disturb others. Keep in mind this is suppose to be a school not a daycare. The owner would tell us he did not have ADHD and was not autistic. She said taking him to public school would be the worst environment for him. To make a very long story short, my son is very high functioning Autistic and has ADHD. We moved him to public school and he has been thriving ever since. He is in gifted math and the structure is exactly what he needed. The owner of this school knows absolutely nothing about disabled children and what they need. We had to sue the owner to get the money she owed us. The owner is extremely unprofessional and is very difficult to deal with. The fact we had to sue her should show how far she will go regardless the fact she is at fault. In a nutshell, when we left we just wanted back the one month tuition we were owed for one of our sons. Unfortunately, we prepaid so we were at her mercy. She refused several times. I went to the Attorney General, 3 on your side, BBB, etc. She still refused to pay us what was owed. So, I was left no other choice but to take her to court. Technically, they owed us over $4,000.00. I filed a civil suit and she finally decided to pay, obviously based on the smart advice of her lawyer. To think, she could have just parted ways with paying us the small amount we requested. Instead she ended up paying us thousands. I would sue them for discrimination and a handful of other things if I had the time and money. To summarize: * We paid, in advance, for our 3 year old to be in their primary classroom. However, he was placed in a "transition" room, separated from the other children, which is against Montessori principles (and not to mention not what we paid for). They also napped our son against our wishes in leui of the afternoon workcycle we had enrolled him in. * Accounting and billing is terrible. We received "ghost" charges and lost scholarship money do to their incompetence. * When we left the school they kept our money for a month without justification. So some advice, if you do go there, do not pay in advance. * Owner of the school accepted raffle prizes donated to the school's charity event. The items were supposed to be raffled to raise money for the school. To all of our shock, the owner herself would win several of the prizes herself. So, she essentially got the money and the prizes . Talk about unethical. * They would share private family matters (i.e private conversations, private parent teacher conferences, etc) with other parents at the school. We were a witness to many of these conversations personally. * It may appear, on the outside, to have a nice environment but don't let that fool you. Anyone can call themselves "Montessori". This school offers no value except if your looking for a very expensive babysitting service. * Poorly managed operation * Not a certified Montessori school * High employee turnover * Progress reports promised but never provided * No goals or benchmarks to move children forward - parents would give specific directions on what their child is to eat and not eat but they would often not honor those wishes and thought it was funny. This school is getting away with things that would not be tolerated in most other industries because they are a private school which means one governs them. In my dispute process with them, I have come to learn that the consumer has no one to turn to should you be victimized by a private school. There is no accountability. They can do what ever they want. My situation has proven that they take full advantage of this. The fact that private schools don't have to account to anyone is very scary and needs to be changed. You think because you pay out of pocket for private school that you will be given the best treatment and education. Arrowhead Montessori has proven that this is a huge misperception. My story is very extensive but this gives a synopsis of what we witnessed personally and experienced. I wish we would had never taken our children there. It makes us so very sad to know we subjected them to this environment. read more

My son attended as a preschooler and Kindergartener. My wife was very pro-Montessori, and convinced me to enroll our son there. He did great, but I still didn't understand what the big deal was. We put our son in our local public school for 1st grade. It was highly rated. He did fine, but was never as excited to go to school as he had been previously. When covid hit and the schools went to online, we returned to Arrowhead so that he could attend in person. The immediate difference in his disposition and excitement was evident. He now comes home from school talking about what he learned during the day and asking questions. His enthusiasm is so great to see again. We will definitely be staying the course this time. read more

Both of my children attended this school. First off, it is a beautiful looking school. I appreciate the vision of the owner to create a school that is open with sunlight and the director's efforts in creating a wonderful outdoor environment. Every child should have access to a school that looks so beautiful. Unfortunately aesthetics isn't everything. Our children experienced racism and bullying on several occasions at this school. Both my husband and I work in education and we attempted to remedy these situations but we're unwilling to continue sending our children to a school that tolerates hate and racism. The director was very defensive whenever we brought these issues to her attention. First, the school lacks culturally relevant and responsive curriculum particularly for Black children but also other cultures. Secondly, the school did very little in response to multiple racist remarks from a child directed at my daughter about "brown skinned people." The first time it happened, I talked to the director, the owner, and even this child's parent. Then I offered my colleague's support, who is a professor in early childhood education, to do professional development around inclusion and diversity. These offers were ignored. Later, this same child made more racist remarks. I wasn't notified when it happened even though my daughter went to a teacher sobbing. Later after I spoke to the teacher, this teacher explained that my daughter never cries when the kids are mean to her but this time she was clearly hurt and was sobbing when another child yelled at my daughter saying "I know why people don't like brown-skinned people." It was not until the following day that I found out what happened when my daughter told me she no longer wanted to attend this school because the kids are mean and they make racist comments to her. The director's response to this incident was completely ridiculous. I requested that this child be temporarily removed while they pull together an adequate plan and policy to ensure that racism is addressed and so that my children feel safe and included in their learning environment. The plan was inadequate on many levels and they did not put together a policy. So we removed our children from this school. There is a lot more to this story but my reason for this review is to warn parents about this school, especially parents who have children of color and/or care about their children being an environment that values diversity, social justice, and equity. Unfortunately, it is not an inclusive and safe environment for children of color. Right now my youngest is attending Sunrise Montessori. So far, I'm happy. And oldest attends a very diverse charter school called Sonoran Science Academy in Peoria. There are many kids who look like her and she feels included and loved there. Plus the principal is very responsive. It's challenging to find a place in this area of town that will meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of ALL children. Arrowhead Montessori is not the place. read more

The owner isn't pleasant. She point blank will tell you she doesn't know how to manage kids 2 and under. She does not seem to have a grasp on child development, what is and isn't appropriate for kids to do at what age and development stages. Ms.Huskey is great and the school and wild life areas are wonderful, but it's not enough. They communicate very little with you about your child. There are far better places for your child. read more

This school is amazing. The longtime staff has such a love of children and teaching Montessori. The outdoor environment is truly incredible. The children learn to take care of the animals and gardens where they grow food. The teachers are so unbelievably welcoming and loving. I wouldn't send my children to any other school! This is the best place! You will not be disappointed. read more

This place looks amazing via their website however I have called several times during various times of the day with no answer or call back for the voicemails I left. Which as a parent makes one wonder how does anyone feel comfortable leaving their child at a place that doesn't answer the phone or call back??? It's been 3 weeks! read more

Wow... You have to see this school to believe it... It's gorgeous... The staff are very friendly and the incorporation of the outdoor environment is outstanding. I will be very sad when we move next year because we will not find another school like this. read more

I have two children enrolled at Arrowhead Montessori and I could not be more thrilled with the education they receive here. Its more than just a preschool - Arrowhead is community, a home away from home. The teachers are loving, but firm - exactly what children need in order to learn and thrive. The opportunities and experiences the children receive here are unparalleled. From "outdoor environment" where the kids learn about the world around them, including care for animals and plants, to classroom "work" modules, children retain what they learn because they learn hands on. I truly cannot recommend this school highly enough. Lynnae Cisco and Michelle Huskey are incredibly dedicated educators and I feel lucky that my children have spent their formative years at Arrowhead. read more

This school and environment are amazing. The teachers are caring and loving towards the children. The outdoor environment is full of beauty. I love how the children are a big part of taking care of the animals and learning to to take care of themselves. read more

Took my 3yr old, 200 hundred enrollment fee, she went 4 days I pulled her out! Staff are rude, very nice when getting her in, but the 4 days she attended they never sent me a heads up, how they start school and they do not speak to you at all. The also charged me 10 dollars for pizza on a friday, really 60 kids at 10bucks a pop, very exspensive! Now they want 660 from me for a months worth of school, such crap! read more

This school is amazing with kids. I can not say enough about he teachers and the programs I have seen. We have had our child enrolled for around 2 years now and he has done so very well. I wish I could give Arrowhead Montessori School 10 stars, AMAZINE !!!! read more