We found BCM while looking for a place to "temporarily" put our first child instead of sending her…read moreto Kindergarten (as she was an early birthday). Well, here we are seven years later and we are about to send our fourth child to BCM! Each of our children has gone through the three year program (through Kindergarten) and we couldn't be happier with what they've learned and how they've grown. The teachers are all so wonderful...patient, caring, gentle (yet able to direct the children to what they need to be learning). We are so thrilled to have found a school like Birmingham Community Montessori for our children's early education.

From the owner: Preschool and kindergarten montessori education.read more

Our daughter spent several years thriving at Japhet School. She earned nearly straight A's,…read morecherished her classmates, and fully embraced the community. We believed we were in the right place -- until her mental health began to decline and the school failed to act. In January 2025, her grades dropped noticeably, and her pediatrician, counselor, and prior neuropsychologist all recommended accommodations to support her suspected autism and rapidly progressing anxiety. These recommendations were brought directly to the Head of School and her teacher -- and were met with delay, deflection, and silence. Despite presenting medical documentation, past accommodations, and a collaborative proposal, no meaningful steps were taken -- not even acknowledgment. For months our daughter struggled through 5+ hours of homework per night, experienced escalating distress, and began exhibiting severe trichotillomania. We asked for urgent follow-up, confirmed her suffering, and even laid out specific accommodations recommended by her care team. The school's response? Vague reassurances, inaction, significant delays, and ultimately -- a statement that they were not resourced to help and we therefore were forced to withdraw her with 7 weeks left in the academic year. Her final days at Japhet were devastating for her and me as her parent. Staff completely ignored our emails. Her friends were never told she was leaving. She was sent home with hours of homework knowing it would never be graded and despite confirmed withdrawal due to mental health. There was no closure. No sense of RELIABILITY, HUMILITY, or RESPECT not for her as a learner, nor for us as a family. Japhet often speaks of its 18 character qualities -- initiative, courage, gratitude, justice, respect, reliability, joy, humility, peace, and more. But in our experience, these values were words on a wall, not principles in practice. When our child needed understanding, flexibility, and human connection, zero compassion was shown despite the fact that she was unraveling inside their very own walls. We share this to caution other families of neurodivergent children, especially those with autism +/- PDA profiles. If your child requires flexibility, emotional safety, accommodations or genuine partnership -- be prepared. Our experience was marked by neglect, poor communication, and a striking lack of sensitivity. Japhet may not leave students behind academically -- but emotionally, we were left entirely alone.

I looked at multiple preschools before enrolling my son at Japhet. It wasn't a hard choice once the…read moreadmissions director gave me a tour and informed me about their character building program and showed me projects that kids had done in previous years. My son used to go to a Montessori for two years prior so I was wondering if he would be able to transition well and to my delight, he is thriving and loves his teachers and loves going to school. The school has a unique community feel that makes everyone feel included, informed and well connected. I am so glad I found japhet! If you are looking for Schools in this area (anywhere in pre k to grade 8) I highly, highly recommend that you visit Japhet and see for yourself!

Excellent school! Great facility. Both of my sons went here with very positive experiences. They…read morehave now graduated and one is at U of M Ann Arbor and the other one is headed there. This Montessori school provides an excellent base for young children. You can only attend until 5th grade. Teachers are all good, front office staff is as well. My daughter currently goes here (4th grade) and has learned so much. The academics are on point and really challenges children. But your child is not pushed, if teachers see they are not doing well, they try to help and place your child where it is the best fit. The extracurricular activities are good - Art, Spanish, Computers, and Gym are important and done well here. It's a very diverse school. Tuition is about 15K per year but worth it!

My daughter has been attending the prechool for over two years now. The teachers and the director…read moreare nice and very caring. I know she is in good hands and she is learning so much. Every few days she mentions some scientific facts and when I aks her " how do you know that?", she says "oh, I learned that in school". :) I highly recommend Schoolhouse Montessori.

Great school , great staff, my son is super happy with his school and he is leatning a lot .i…read morehighly recommend

Not a real Montessori school, demonstrates blatant disregard for student well-being. Your money…read morewon't go towards your child's education here. We withdrew after 7 weeks. Where to start... When my older son was so riddled with anxiety one day he refused to get out of the car at drop-off I knew I had to spend some time in the classrooms to see first-hand what was going on. Up until this point we had heard stories from the kids, were suspicious of the lack of work being done, and had already had a meeting with the headmaster over a separate safety issue that was going on at school. What I found when I visited the classrooms was virtually no academic work being done, the core components of a Montessori program not being delivered, and a hazardously frigid cold building. HAZARDOUS SCHOOL BUILDING. At $17k+ tuition, you'd think a school would have basic necessities like heat. I've attached a photo of the thermostat from inside my 2nd graders classroom on the day we pulled him out of this place. 52 degrees in the 3rd week of October. I was told it was "too early" to turn on the heat. See attached violation from the City of Pontiac building department for no heat and not maintaining a temperature of 68 degrees. This citation was a week after we left. Let that sink in that another week went by before they corrected the issue of freezing cold classrooms. FALSE CLAIMS TO BE A MONTESSORI PROGRAM. This school claims to be "fully accredited" and we were told (in writing) that they were a member of AMS (The American Montessori Society), yet when I verified their membership status (see attached letter from AMS) I found out they haven't even been members since 2020. NO INDIVIDUALIZED OR CHILD LED LEARNING (i.e. not Montessori). Kids had same lessons assigned. The Upper Elementary and Middle School are grouped together under the same lead teacher (we were not told this when we signed up). Montessori should have a 3 year age range, not 5. I observed my 4th grader and my 7th grader working on the same materials, and that work was way below even the 4th grade level. The teacher (Ms. Carey) admitted to giving my 7th grader the wrong math and science work for the previous 7 weeks. Ms. Carey admitted that our kids at 7 weeks into the program did not have the materials or the adult support to work on anything beyond what was setup for the classroom for the start of the school year. CHAOTIC STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENT. A Montessori learning environment is supposed to provide a peaceful and quiet environment where students can work uninterrupted for long periods of time. This environment was so chaotic and full of constant interruptions (including flying sharp objects being thrown across the room and other safety issues) that my kids were nervous wrecks. My older son's friend was hit in the face with a pair of scissors that someone threw. DOCUMENTED LEARNING LOSS. In the 7 weeks we attended this school, my kids went from having great grades and high scores on their academic testing from the end of the previous school year in Math, to failing the math placement tests for the school they attended last year. We now are paying for weekly private tutoring to get caught up. This is all well documented.

No academic for earlier years , treated as a daycare , huge waste of time and money!!!! every…read moretime I asked my son what he learnt that day , he would say nothing I was just allowed to play with dolls!!!!!!!!

We are elated to have Miss Jay as our son's teacher. We feel that we are blessed to have found such…read morea wonderful alternative to the average "daycare" setting! Affordable Montessori!!! An Experienced private teacher is tutoring our son throughout the day from the alphabet and math, the human anatomy, planting and spelling.... - how many 3. 5 year olds are learning phonics and drawing their letters at their "daycares" at that age? The answer is not one of the "best "that we have chosen in our area. Our son feels so accomplished at the end of each day and we feel proud!!!

From the owner: Serving children between the ages 1 1/2 to Kindergarten. Montessori is a philosophy and method of…read moreeducation which develops potential by utilizing specially trained teachers and special materialsToddler, Preschool and Kindergarten programs Complete Montessori Curriculum Small class sizes ensures excellent development Full day/Half day Programs with before and after daycare Yoga and cooking part of the curriculum Mixed aged classroom for the right head start Sibling discount offered

Gateway Montessori School is definitely overrated and and uses its brand name to attract parents…read more In fact, both of my kids were there last year (infant and then toddler) and I can tell you that the infant room is not managed properly: Babies were sleeping in their car seats, accidents not reported properly, management is not present. While the price is very expensive (the most expensive in the area: between $1,500 and $1,700), it doesn't include lunch and snacks and several request to bring food or supplies are made on a monthly basis. Also the head of school is probably not experienced enough to manage the school. In fact, she seems overwhelmed with everything which happens in the school (she closes the school all the time rather than thinking through the issues). Staffs called themselves teachers while they take naps on the floor or look at their email all day. I left gateway few months ago and would definitely not recommend. There is cheaper and better service quality around in troy or royal oak. To avoid!!

Wow, the other review surprises me. While we have not tried the infant room, we have been there…read morefor two years 2014-2017 for our daughter and now we are in the 2nd year for our son in the Primary classroom. Teachers are engaged, professional, and friendly. The room is immaculate and it is a loving environment. It appears to be a true Montessori as compared to a big name one in the area that seems to push a very academic curriculum. We have never encountered any issues. We have moved and now drive approximately 20 minutes to continue our relationship with this school, passing another Montessori that is probably just fine.

Fabulous swim program! The teachers are knowledgeable and fun, and your kids spend the entire time…read morein the water swimming instead of sitting on the wall waiting for their turn to practice a skill. My kids have grown SO much (and so quickly!) in their swim skills and confidence as a result! Pricing is very reasonable as well!

The instructor was great. She was patient with my child but firm enough to keep him focused and on…read moretask which is not always easy (he has ASD). My child always looks forward to his lessons! I have seen a huge improvement in his confidence level in the water and his swimming skills after just a few lessons. I am very pleased with the program!