If I had to rate it based on our experience in the Pre-K classroom, it would be higher, but we went to Bloomington Montessori because we hoped to have a continuity in our children's educational experience until grade 6. Unfortunately, your experience is very dependent on the teacher you get.
While the Montessori philosophy promises a child-led education, the 6-9 classroom regularly employed punitive punishments like taking away recess if the child "fell behind" in their "child-led curriculum". There was poor communication with the parents; parents at the beginning of one school year were told about certain curriculum changes, and those were later modified without further communication with the parents.
The lead teacher (now Director) in the 6-9 classroom had a history of difficult interactions with one of our children (it was bad enough that another teacher at the school approached us with their concerns about it!), so we attempted to work constructively with her to help her navigate the child's (extremely mild) anxiety issues. This teacher had at times paired this daughter with children that were bullying her in the classroom, dismissing our concerns about the classmate, laughing that "well, they may be fighting but it makes her vocal; sure, she's screaming, but that's a good thing, because she's coming out of her shell." This teacher treated our child's anxiety like it was a disciplinary or tough love issue and responded angrily as if the effort to work constructively with her on the issue was an attack.
The classroom regularly discusses issues related to peace and community, but the leadership doesn't appear to live up to it. They reacted defensively and dismissively when several parents attempted to provide constructive feedback about certain policies that were not inclusive. Honest effort to work together as a community was dismissed as "negativity." "My way or the highway" appears to be the rule, which doesn't demonstrate much dedication to the community.
We were quite happy with the other teachers in the classroom, and with the community of parents, the aftercare program, and our Pre-K experience. The quality of your BMS experience is very teacher dependent, and it is likely the parents giving five star reviews here simply had a different teacher. Though a lot of these reviews appear to be from teachers.
Unfortunately, the school has high turnover with its teachers and aides, so I can't recommend it, in its current state, as at this point it's like gambling with your children's education.
We are now getting a more child-led education in a multi-age classroom (a major part of what attracted us to BMS) in the public school system, saving $10K a year per child. Of course, they are missing the peace curriculum, but the current BMS leadership fails to live up to it, and their new school is a much better model for social justice and inclusiveness. read more