My son, Elgar, spent only six months at Oak Hill, but during that short time we saw tremendous…read moregrowth and improvement in him. Mrs. Key and Mrs. Birehan were an incredible blessing to our family, providing him with patience, encouragement, and support every step of the way. We are also deeply grateful to Mr. Robert and Abigail for being so welcoming, kind, and supportive from the very beginning. They created an environment where our family felt valued and cared for. If it weren't for the unexpected changes in our family's circumstances, we would have gladly allowed Elgar to continue his educational journey at Oak Hill. We will always be thankful for the love, guidance, and positive impact the Oak Hill team had on our son and our family.

LOVE this school! My son transferred to OH from a public school and I must say, he has…read moreexceptionally excelled in his reading, writing, and math capabilities. Not to mention, the staff, the headmaster and his family, are all so incredibly kind and an excellent reflection of core Christian values that I want my son to be influenced by. Ms. Weathers pours her heart into these children and my son adores her! She is incredibly sweet and my son always comes home talking about nothing but positive experiences with this teacher. I recommend this school to all my fellow Christians who want a solid Christian education for their children. They are doing it right here

I recommend this school to everyone that is looking for a serious and true Montessori program. In…read moreMD any school that claims to be Montessori has to be approved by the state and has to have at least one Montessori-trained teacher. However, I have heard parents complain sending kids to Montessori is a waste of money because it's just a name to sell the school. So, not all state-approved Montessori programs have good quality of education. So being aware not all schools are the same, I toured 3 Montessori schools: Lone Oak, Manor and the Woods Academy. I found the Lone Oak Montessori on AMI website and Woods academy on AMS website. Manor was recommended by other parents and it seems to be a popular choice when it comes to Montessori preschools in Bethesda area. I took my 3-year-old son with me to all the tours and he loved the Woods the best because we were allowed to walk into the classroom and had very brief interactions with the students and teachers, to observe and also play some toys in the classroom while parents were talking to the director, Mrs. Gerber- who is very knowledgeable and experienced about Montessori programs and part of the reason we chose Montessori is because of her expertise and experience. After the tour, my son wanted to go back the next day because the classroom was just so fun and interesting for little kids. My son is happy every day and cannot wait to tell me what he learned in school. The teachers encourage independence, good manners, trying new things/food, healthy snacks, and creativity. They are caring and loving but also very firm when giving instructions. My son learns new things/facts each day and not just merely playing with expensive toys. For instance, he came home one day start singing "The family of the Sun," and talked about all the facts he learned about planets and I was amazed. And three weeks later, he started to learn the sounds of alphabets and try to read! The teacher told me she would advance any student if s/he is ready so there is no need to wait till 4 or 5 to learn how to read. The other pluses but not major factors are- 1) facility, it's a school so it has it's own gym, music/art classrooms, library, and playground. It's very spacious, clean and well-maintained. 2) it has PE, music and art classes once a week for 30 minutes. The school has a very strong art program. 3) faculty and staff are very friendly and they know student by names. I felt that students are given a lot of attention because of its small classroom size. The only downside is the tuition. It is about $2K more than other schools I checked/toured. We've been happy with our choice and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good preschool in Bethesda. If you want more information about the Montessori program, check out the blog: http://woodsmontessori.blogspot.com/

This is a very good private school in the Potomac and Bethesda area. I went here for Montessori…read morethrough 8th grade and loved my experience here. There were incredible resources and the teachers were awesome! I definitely recommend looking here for your child.

We have been at Seneca Academy for 5 years. Both of our kids started in preschool and have…read morecontinued through elementary and we could not be happier with our experience! The staff is absolutely phenomenal. The classes are small so each child gets the attention they need. The kids get lots of outdoor time and because of that they are able to focus better when in the classroom. Dr. Parker, the head of school, is fantastic and we really appriciate her open-door policy. Seneca is such a close-knit community and we are so grateful to be a part of it! Our kids are thriving and love going to school every day. I can't imagine there is a better school out there!

Seneca Academy has serious bullying problems that the administration refuses to address, with kids…read morephysically attacked and verbally abused at school. Very little learning takes place and the principal is aggressive, untruthful, condescending, and belligerent. Almost every student in the class is taught at home or goes to tutoring to make up for the lack of learning at school. There are some good specials teachers including in Spanish and PE but they aren't treated well by the administration. The building and grounds aren't properly cared for with kids coming home with gnats in eyes, ears, and nose, mosquito bites and having to be checked for ticks. The school water has a milky texture and foul taste and the kids refuse to drink it. The school doesn't emphasize phonics and has some of the worst math instruction. It also seems to have perpetual financial problems and low enrollment with only a handful of kids in the class by 5th grade. I have watched the principal exacerbate the low enrollment by driving families away. There are many nice kids and families that we are sad to leave, but the poor leadership, poor main subject teachers, and bullies let the community down. The principal told me how "the school is a village" and then went on a 3-week international vacation while school was in session, during which the school ran much better without her. Our experience was in the elementary school so I can't comment on the pre-k and K situation. I hope Seneca Academy gets new leadership and turns around for the better in the future.

Edlin School has been a wonderful experience for our family. I truly appreciate how the school…read morechallenges students to learn at an advanced level, encouraging them to think deeply and grow beyond the standard curriculum. The teachers are excellent, attentive, and committed to each child's success. It's clear they genuinely care about both the academic and personal development of their students. I also love how the administration works seamlessly as a team. They are approachable and proactive in creating a supportive learning environment. The combination of strong academics and dedicated teachers make Edlin a great school. I'm so glad we chose Edlin for our child. This school sets the bar high and delivers! It's also a great school for events and community that we have not seen in other private school in the area.

Love it! Our kids moved here from another private school this year and everything we were impressed…read moreby during the tour/application process remains! You actually know what your kids are learning and they have textbooks and read novels! if your wondering about the school do check it out.

My family toured many of the private schools in the area before landing on Nysmith for our child…read more The whole family, including our child, couldn't be happier with our choice. I am a Nysmith alum and know firsthand the value of the education they provide. It's been amazing to see how they've preserved and built upon the core experience and vision that founder Carol Nysmith built. To be clear, I have no incentive to post this review other than to help other families in the area consider Nysmith as a choice for their children. Before we chose Nysmith, e considered and toured a number of schools, including Basis Independent, Flint Hill, Ideaventions, Pinecrest, and Edlin. Most of these are among the top ranked schools in Northern Virginia. We felt that Nysmith had the best blend of factors for our child. - Academics: Nysmith has incredible academics, highly personalized to meet each individual child's needs. Nysmith's roots are in nurturing gifted/talented children, and with that approach comes the understanding that not every child is equally advanced in every subject. Some other schools will assign lots of homework to kids, which isn't really our vision for academic success. We like Nysmith's approach, which is to cultivate and nurture a love of learning rather than to put kids on a treadmill of endless homework. We also like that Nysmith integrates subject matter expertise into their curriculum from kindergarten onward: math experts teach math, science teachers teach science, rather than one teacher teaching all or most subjects - Size: Nysmith is bigger and more established than some of the younger "startup" schools. The classes are big enough that your child will have multiple sections of students to be friends with, they won't be siloed with only 5 or 10 classmates. Teacher ratios are still great - Teachers and Staff: Nysmith's teachers are qualified and smart, which you'll get at most private schools. But there's a key difference: they seem happier and more engaged than at any other school in the area. Retention is incredible: some of the Nysmith teachers have been there for over 25 years - since I was a student in the 90s! - Facilities and resources: Nysmith has a great facility that still has the DNA of a school rather than a country club. The facility is big, the playground is great, everything feels new, bright, and spacious - Community - We're still early in our experience with Nysmith but the PTO seems very engaged with many events scheduled. By reputation, Nysmith has one of the strongest communities of any school in the area

They tout coding and robotics, but their approach is likely to produce robots that code, not…read morecritical thinkers who can innovate. Beneath Ken Nysmith's slick salesmanship and the forced smiles that greet you, lies a far more sinister reality that belies the promise of "joy-filled, personalized learning". If you're seeking a school that truly nurtures your child's heart and mind, look elsewhere! Wellbeing and emotional support are woefully neglected at Nysmith. This place sees no problem in breaking spirits, crushing individuality and forcing students into a rigid mold that stifles their unique potential and confines them to narrow expectations. Question the status quo, and you'll be met with contempt. Conformity is the sole currency valued here! Think The Bible, Torah, or Quran -- immutable and infallible. . . I have met a few great teachers but admin pressure seems to leave them little bandwidth to connect, coach, or inspire students (despite the low student-to-teacher ratios). Humans are wired to thrive in safe, supportive spaces where even mistakes become stepping stones to learning. Nysmith is NOT that space. You've been warned!

My daughter goes here. Its a very small school for what I'm used to in this area. The cafeteria…read moredoubles as the auditorium and, I believe, the gym. The admins and teachers all seem wonderfully pleasant, and the kids that leave in the afternoon when I go to pick up mine all seem very happy. The assistant principal is especially sweet; I speak to her briefly most mornings. The school does seem a bit iffy on extracurricular activities. There are some; my daughter is currently in an after school art program. However, availability seems to be intricately tied to the husband/wife led PTO's funding and approval. This seems to lead to a lot of talking about activities, but little response when asked for details. We tried to volunteer for a host of activitiesast year, but never heard back. Perhaps if we went to more PTO meetings, that might change, but the one I did go to left me feeling as though the open policy was one of "come in and see how we do things," rather than "come in and participate." I don't know how common this is. We had PTAs when I grew up. Still, the school itself shows a lot of promise. I'm pleased as punch that they still provide art, music, and PE in this day and age. I feel safe sending my daughter in each morning, and even try to volunteer whenever I can.

Nurturing environment that expects every child to rise to excellence, but appreciates every child…read moreas unique. Emphasizes character, sports, & STEM learning. Great parent community. Students from many different backgrounds and countries. I feel that every adult in that building knows and loves every child in that building.

I have 4 kids two of which are attending Green Hedges. Also, I have attended both private and…read morepublic schools growing up. From my personal experience, this school's attention and love for the kids is as good as it gets. The experience and education these kids get is amazing. I feel so lucky every time I think about having such an amazing school for my kids to attend. Both of our kids just love the program and it has felt amazing to see how much they have grown from attending the school and interacting with the other kids. The staff is amazing and the families that we have met clearly have core values and a focus that we want our kids to be around.