Both of our kids went to this school. We couldn't have been HAPPIER with our experience. The…read moreteachers of the school truly care about the students - this is reflected in every detail of the day and curriculum. TCI built an amazing community that we still keep in touch with years later. We are so grateful to have found this school when we did!!

Two months since my last child graduated from TCI and they still talk so positively about their…read moreexperience there! They still get emotional when we reflect on how much they miss TCI as TCI has been such an integral part of our lives for so long! They fingerknit (something they learned at the school) as they reflect and reminisce. I've had both of my daughters attend TCI - my oldest started at age 4 and went until she went to Kindergarten and came back for all the breaks and the summer. My youngest started at 20 months and just graduated this past summer at 5.5 years old. I frequently travel for work and my kids have been to over 10 child care/day care facilities (Creme, other montessoris, Goddard, Kindercare, ISM private academy, immersion academies etc.) and my oldest will be in 2nd grade at XinXing Academy in Hopkins....so I can confidently say that TCI is, by far, the best school for children for SO many reasons. They are 1000% child focused. - They always do what is best for the children from how the environment is carefully prepared and the word choices the guides use in each language they speak. - The environment is set up for a child's lifetime success and it is absolutely beautiful with high quality materials and crazy attention to detail. - The children learn independence and responsibility - they get their own water and snack, they sweep up their own messes, materials are put away when completed. Plus they learn how to plant and pick their own food in the garden. - The guides are HIGHLY qualified in both the toddler and children house communities (think graduate level credentials) in addition to the AMI certification. This is a huge difference compared the frequently underpaid 'teachers' in 'day cares' that just watch the kids. - The lead teacher and staff are amazing partners in parenting - they help think through challenges a child might be having and provide a lot of insight into their development - it's like having a developmental coach for the child! Some things to be aware of is that you need to make lunch each day - I know other places will provide lunch, TCI does not. There are a lot fewer pictures that you receive in comparison to other pictures - as Lishi said, the focus is on child development, not taking pictures. I would be happy to talk to any parent who is interested in TCI - I know that sometimes it is daunting if you aren't familiar with the Montessori approach. I've added in a few pictures to this review - these are my children only (which is why I blocked out the other child's face). Masks are not required, the one picture that had a mask on was because my daughter was coughing and I didn't want her to get others sick :)

Such a frustrating orientation day. One would think they do this every year that clear instructions…read morewould be posted. Wrong directions to auditorium posted and being sent back n forth to tables. No team work. And there all educated hmmm

Southwest was an excellent school for high school. It really made a difference in how I turned out…read moreand was much improved from my middle school. They have so many wide programs in theater, arts, baccalaureate. The school is very diverse and allows students to interact with all kinds of students from different ethnic backgrounds. They always encourage students to come from abroad, so you'll have the chance to meet with people from around the world. They offer PSEO, so you can go to Normandale and get credit for high school and college (although most classes only transfer to U of M and not all private schools accept - look into it). Great neighborhood. Great after school programs. Great teachers. Just awesome!

My family and I have had such poor experiences at this school...My partner and I have had comments…read moremade to us that border on homophobic & racist by the school leadership, and our children have been excluded and neglected by teaching staff. We are a strict family and hold our kids to a high behavior standard, but when they get rambunctious in completely trivial ways the teachers and staff react excessively compared to how they handle the kids (who exhibit the exact same rambunctious behavior that manifests itself in the exact same ways) who, apparently, are more in line with their "vision" of how the school should look and the kinds of kids that "should" go there. We have had (mostly) wonderful, very positive experiences at other Minneapolis Schools, with (mostly) excellent academics and teachers...we wanted the montessori experience but this place makes a mockery of it's philosophy.

Armatage is really awesome and they have great teachers and a principle who takes good care of the…read moreschool. It is a great place to learn all subjects due to the Montessori aspect to it. They have great after school programs too, like the annual kids on broadway show where the third through fifth graders perform scenes of various musicals. Another program is the Armatage rope power, which is a program for kids third through fifth grade. Learning jump roping skills to perform them to the school. They have other after school programs that teach you things like ukulele and Spanish. We have thoroughly enjoyed the last 4 years there.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin…read more A school and a staff committed to closing the achievement gap for students whom the system would normally toss a side. Lighthouse academy, an open-enrollment, college-preparatory charter school provides students with the assistance, training and resources needed to better prepare themselves for the next phase of their lives. And in the end setting the module for a better public education system for the youth in my opinion. The diversity of not just the students but the staff at this school is phenomenal. With open enrollment, students are given tests in English and Math to pool them with other students at their level of development. Utilizing an extended day of schedule, the staff get to work by understanding each youth's own set of circumstances beyond the classroom and than vigorously setting them on the path to get the best of themselves out of themselves. The next Emily Dickinson of our generation may or may not come from this school, but the commitment for learning shown by the staff and students alike is the "peculiar bent of the genius of each" that Plato once spoke of. This should be celebrated! Volunteers are always needed!

This investment far exceeded our expectations! Our adoptive daughter really struggled in school…read more She was reading 4 years below grade level, lacked the skills necessary to attack problems and the confidence that she could answer them. The LearningRX staff was knowledgeable, kind and persistent and showed her what was possible. By the time the program was over a switch had flipped. Now, rather than acting out at school, our daughter works hard and even gets her work done early. Reading has begun to "click" for her and her confidence level has soared. The change is incredible! We all are so thankful to have found LearningRX and are beyond grateful for all the staff there!

We are just getting started at LearningRX - Eden Prairie. Baird and the LearningRX team have been…read morevery personable, knowledgeable, and professional as we learned more about their program. We are a homeschool family and hope the training here can strengthen our upper elementary child's cognitive skills. Our first step was vision therapy ... and now hope LearningRX will provide more additional support and believe through hard work our child will improve. Thus far, we are very satisfied with everything LearningRX has done!

When my son first started his cognitive training at LearningRx in February 2024, his speech and…read moreconversation reciprocity was very limited. Memory recall was an extreme challenge for him and his ability to reason and think things through were difficult tasks. Olivia, his trainer, is simply amazing! She was able to build a wonderful rapport with my son which is not easy given his challenges due to Autism. He has had many different therapists over the past 10 years and no one has been able to reach him and teach him like Olivia has done. He wants to work with her and her patience and calm demeanor is exactly what he needed to greatly improve his cognitive skills and ignite his love of learning!

It's a lot of money to pay! We wanted to give this a try for our junior high daughter with mild…read moreautism and ADHD. Woodcock Johnson test was very informative, before and after: slow processing speed stayed the same although logic/reasoning increased. She now loves math and scored her highest 93% on a recent test - but still struggles mightily with keeping up with homework.

My son participates in the ECFE program here at the elementary and he absolutely loves it. They…read morehave a different room theme every week such as trains, dinosaurs, outer space, etc.. He looks forward to it and really enjoys himself. The teachers are amazing and so great with the kids. We will be in the program until he is too old!

The Minneapolis Community Ed. program is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) program in the…read morecountry. They've had 40 years to work the kinks out, and it shows. The huge catalog has brief descriptions of the classes and you can find out about the teachers online. Like Jillian C. says, they have everything: sushi rolling demonstrations, ashtanga yoga, money-management, kids programs, watercolor painting and Facebook lessons (Dad would benefit). Years of school have conditioned me into thinking that September is the start of the year, even now, quite a few years after graduation. Point is, I make my "resolutions" in September. Last year I resolved to learn to play the guitar and speak French. I did both for less than $100 with Community Ed.! [cue infomercial] I highly recommend Beginning Guitar with Chris. For less than $40, I had ten practically one-one-one lessons with a great teacher. He even gave us an extra week! When the class was over, I was able to keep practicing using his packet and handouts fairly easily. I wouldn't say my French 1 class was as impressive because the teacher didn't get too creative. I didn't get a lot out of doing flashcards over and over and over again.

My love affair with Community Ed in the fine city of Minneapolis has only just begun. They offer…read moreeverything imaginable including art classes, fitness classes, how to make homemade soap, cooking, vegan cooking, how to manage your finances, how to operate a computer, foreign languages, writing, how to grow an herb garden in your kitchen...and so forth. Some classes are 8 weeks long, some are three hours in one evening. Take your pick! There truly is something for everyone. I've taken beginner Pilates and French 1 and can only say that I have been very, very pleasantly surprised. 8 weeks of French for less than $70 - &)#%!?!? (Oh, and 8 weeks of Pilates for $35, in case you were curious). I was worried that I would be getting what I paid for but was sorely mistaken. If you can deal with taking notes and not having a text book (who cracks them anyway?) the quality of the class so much more than makes up for the lack of supplies and materials. The instructors are fantastic and the class sizes small. To think I considered spending $400 on a French class somewhere else... Pilates is fantastic as well, and I've only heard good things about other yoga or dance classes. The spring catalogue is online now!