hillcrest elementary school is ghetto, like there are wayy too many bullies there and teachers dont…read morefreak!ng care! no help subs are crap crestwood high school might be better

The teachers are booty and they assign too much work. Most of them are old and bitter and take it…read moreout on the kids at school bc they can't have their own

Our toddler just started his first term at DHMC, and I have to say they have exceed all…read moreexpectations we had coming into the Montessori world. Two months into this journey, I'm so impressed by the breadth of experiences and knowledge the children at this school are exposed to, even the youngest among them. Every day, his wonderful teacher Ms. Stephanie, and her assistant Ms. Kris, send home a small slip that tells us what he "worked" on that day. What we see as play often times is work for these little humans we live with because they're working on developing skills. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were doing food tastings from the Toddler Garden, learning how to slice bananas, and working on practical life skills such as self-care. Our son, now 20-months-old will independently carry his bowl or plate to our kitchen sink, throw away garbage and help us sort recyclables, assist with pick up his dirty laundry or put away books, etc. Did I mention this is my same child who wasn't walking independently at 17-months-old, and after one week surrounded by his peers he was doing laps around our kitchen table? He has gained so much independence and confidence in these two short months, and as a parent that makes me more confident than ever about our choice to entrust the staff at DHMC with development. They're not just looking at test scores and assessments, they truly do teach to the "whole child" as advocated by the Montessori curriculum. If you want an authentic Montessori experience, whether your child is a toddler like mine, lower or upper elementary, or middle school, please give them a call and come see why we've fallen in love with this school and plan to continue this journey with them through 8th grade.

I think what keeps this school going is more so the lack of nice private schools to compete with…read more.. In the entire region (15miles perimeter) there is simply NO other schools that are non-religious oriented. For almost $10K/year (latchkey/lunch/etc at additional cost), I'd expect something much better. First, the school building needs renovation. It looks old, it smells old. My daughter uses the Montessori method fior leaning which seems to be working really well with her. Her reading skills at 1st grade was equivalent to 3rd grade... definetely the school methodology has something to do. But the materials are also very old... The staff is nice. What is really disturbing is that there is lots of school fund raising activities going on almost every month! And yet, the school is considered a non-profitable organization... oh well, go figure. Sometimes I actually wonder if the finances are mis-managed, because the gardens and the play area needs serious maintenance... as a matter of fact it is my biggest gripe for this school... it needs a serious face lifting but management is doing who knows what with the money... maybe I'm sponsoring 2 kids with tuiton I pay in full... who knows ...

We only joined the Steppingstone family out of duress earlier this year. Since then, we have seen…read moresuch profound changes in our five year old son who had previously given up on himself, schooling and humanity. He is now ready to engage positively at school and is happy again. The people at the school care deeply about the gifted population and are there to offer any support and guidance that a parent or student may need. They are the Houdinis of education and it is unfortunate that this education is not available to the masses. Instead of watching the Smurfs for music class, he came home telling us about how digeridoos are made by termites! He wrote his own brief piece of music which the teacher performed. On his first day, he made a flashlight as a part of a team activity in science. it's incredible and you will not be disappointed.

From the owner: Steppingstone School for Gifted Education believes that every child deserves a challenging,…read moresatisfying and joyful learning experience. In order to receive this, gifted children need a different program. Steppingstone is an elementary and middle day school (Young K- Grade 8) with a full academic and enrichment curriculum dedicated to addressing the unique and individual needs required by many gifted children in order to remain motivated to learn and to reach their full potential as the leaders in their chosen careers and as the problem solvers of tomorrow. Steppingstone was founded in 1981 by the current head of school, Kiyo A. Morse, to help a group of families who urgently needed an educational program for their gifted student body of rapid learners. After more than 30 years of development, the curriculum provides a finely tuned integration of basics, in-depth studies and enrichment as well as problem solving and critical thinking skills. Supplementing the basic curriculum, the scho