Love this school! Have had 3 children in this school over the past six years. Excellent…read moreadministrative staff, teachers, and PTO. The lunch staff and custodial staff are friendly and remember the kids names. The principal is in his second year at Penn. He has made a lot of changes to the look and feel of the school. The kids and parents are always welcome to talk to him at events. Great teachers at all grade levels from pre-K to 5th. I can't say enough about the staff at this school. There is a lot of parental involvement. There are a lot of events throughout the year for the students from field trips, movie night, ice cream social, science fair, reading fair, spelling bee, gym nights, spirit night at local restaurants, and more. There is a great deal of emphasis on the whole child...education, community, health and fun! I still have 3 years left and plan to keep my last two at Penn. I am a PTO member and a huge school volunteer. Penn is a great place to learn and grow.

My son went to Bel Air from kindergarten to end of 3rd grade before we moved to another county. We…read morewere really sad he had to leave. I cant say enough good things about the administration and staff at Bel Air. They are always open to listen to the parents. They do award ceremonies to reward the students for good work. They make school fun yet they enforce the rules. They have quality teachers and the secretary Ms Evelyn is so friendly. My son excelled at Bel Air. Great school!

So far so good with the School & our child's teacher. They have a descent & very affordable before…read more& after school program. The only problems we see thus far lies with the School's Principle. I observed a concern & tried to address it to her but instead of finding out a better way to fix it, she went on the Offensive. I will not go into details due to the children safety & security but the principle is aware of it & she chose not to be bothered with it. As a school principle, she should learn how to take constructive criticism better & not go on the offensive everytime a concerned parent brings up an issue. Another problem is lunch, it is only 30 min, by the time the kids wait in line & got their food, they only have about 10 min to eat. My child said she wasn't finished with her food & a staff took away her fork while she was eating. After school program is ok but they need to clean the place better, basquets where kids put their bookbags are filthy. Teachers need to monitor the kids 'coz the kids open door for anyone that walks by. Unsafe! They need a better system.

My children all had wonderful teachers in Mary William Elementary and the front desk were great…read more Thank you Mary Williams Elementary.

Wonderful neighborhood school! Kind caring staff! Very diverse. Top notch curriculum!read more

2013 my child was a student with Melissa Bloomrose and shortly after the parent teacher conference…read moreI removed my child and decided private school was a better option. Personal hygiene, self care, common sense and teaching methods were the issues with Mrs. Bloomrose. My child went from struggling with N's and poor grades to Outstanding and Exceeds standards. I was met with combativeness from Mrs. Bloomrose in any communication and feel I made the best decision in removing my child. Graduating high school a year early with honors, and accepted at MIT. In not wanting negative attention toward my child, this was handled as I were being stationed out of the area. Quietly moved on and put all of this behind us. I've held that in for many years, been stationed out of the area, stationed back and decided it was time to put it to rest by adding a review. I gave 2 stars instead of 1 star as I kept this to myself all these years. And is is not a reflection of Montclair Elementary School but rather a teacher there in 2013.

Our son attended Guidepost Montessori of Montclair for two years and we simply can't say enough…read moregood things about this school. The staff, while incredibly friendly, are absolutely amazing educators that care deeply for their students and help them to excel at their classwork. Our son is five years old but is currently completing 2nd grade math worksheets thanks to his guides and their carefully crafted lesson plans. I would like to highlight both Ms. Nuria and Ms. Eli who cared for and taught my son for the last two years. They are both amazing teachers and any parent would be grateful to have them as their child's instructor. I highly recommend this school and am grateful that we found this gem!

I can't begin to describe how disappointed I am in this place. They lie about what the tuition will…read morebe, payment processes, and their program in general. How can they associate their name with Montessori? Zero integrity. Bad business practices. Why would a parent bring their child to a place like this?

As a father I've reached out multiple times hoping to resolve real problems, but management keeps…read moreshrugging them off. Two years in, staff keeps quitting--already on our third principal. Biggest red flags? Letting him ride without proper car seat, even after I pointed it out. In twenties-degree cold he went without hat or gloves--no heads up. When he complained about being hot and threw up twice, thermometer sat unused and nobody called me. Emails about drop-off times? Wrong half the time, fixed never. Questions get vague answers or flat-out silence. Gate stays wide open during pick-up, sometimes no staff in sight--creepy. Small class, way ahead in work... first grade sheet still shows 'satisfactory.' Rules only apply when they feel like it. He likes the place, that's literally the only reason this review gets two stars. Principle & District Supervisor knows--does zip. Parents deserve respect, honesty & transparency.

I have only been at Merit for the elemententy school. We had Ms. Robertson and she is an amazing…read moreteacher! When you think of a teacher you want for your kid, that's Ms. Robertson! Your child will not be bored in her class. She meets your kids where they are, and she cares for all her students. With my child having been online through covid, they needed help with handwriting. Not only does she have great handwriting, she also learned cursive this year, too! Ms. Robertson teaches in fun ways, and the kids really retain the information! I also got to work with the 4th grade teacher, Ms. Smithson at Merit Girl Scouts, and she is an amazing teacher, too. She also goes out of her way for her students. She cares about all of them. I look forward to having her as a teacher next year. These two teachers are a great team and that is why I am reviewing The Merit School. The education has been great! My child made a lot of friends at this school, and it's nice that bullying is not allowed.

Since the school got a new principle, it all went downhill. Really sorry to see what has happened…read moreto our favorite school this year. We are taking our kids out and moving them midyear because the quality of teaching plummited, and social environment in school became unbearable.