Love it. It's great to see a school that actually prepares the students for college life. It's a…read morelittle more laid back and forces the kids to figure it out for themselves, but the extra freedom surely pays off. Great classes, great programs, and the best support system you can get.

My kids attended preschool here and now my son is back for elementary school! I truly cannot say…read moreenough positive things about this school. Overall it has a very upbeat and positive vibe. The kids are given age appropriate levels of autonomy, which has really helped my son thrive. They get the kids outside as often as possible and utilize their great outdoor space, including a wooded area behind the school. One example of this is my son and his class have marked out small squares of land in the woods as part of a science project and they go out there with some frequency to monitor how the land changes over the seasons. I've heard very cool reports home about this. They also just go out there to be kids and to play! The school is doing a really outstanding job of meeting each kid where they are along their social/emotional/academic learning process. For a small school they also have an impressive availability of resources to scaffold the kids where they need help. As my son is currently in 5th grade, I was thrilled to learn they will be having a 6th grade next year (2023-2024 school year) and plan to open a full 6th - 8th middle school the following year! The teachers are top notch - very engaged in designing an individualized educational experience for each child and are highly communicative and supportive with both the parents and kids. They have gotten my son from hating school to telling us about all the cool things he's learning when he gets home. Truly an amazing place!

We have LOVED our time at REDS. Student classroom time is enriched by nature study, music and…read moremovement, and chapel. After school offerings include soccer, ballet, and science. The teachers are caring with years of teaching experience. The fact that families send all their children to the program and the lack of teacher turnover speaks to the strength of this program. The small classes and personal attention make this school feel like family. Highly recommend.

After applying and being accepted but wait-pooled for 2 years, I decided to try one more time for…read moremy daughter going into Kindergarten. The process is tedious. Instead of making it easier for prior accepted applicants to enroll, they treat you like a brand new applicant. Needless to say, my daughter was once again waitlisted along with "50 others". If they are THIS full, they should stop accepting applications. But I guess they don't want to lose the application fee revenue they're getting ($50 per application...) Their readiness visits are also not Montessori based. They clearly "test" your child, I saw it with my own eyes and ears last year during my daughters readiness visit. The teacher asked her explicitly "what letter is this?" And when I mentioned it to the organizer (Makayla) she said "oh, no we don't test" basically telling me what I saw and heard was wrong. It's also clear that they only enroll kids who are already incredibly advanced so that the school staff can take credit for their excellence. My daughter is clearly very on track for her age, can make out the sounds of most letters, and already knows basic math at the age of 5. (Her readiness visit she was 4 going on 5) But they want 5 year olds to be advanced kindergartners and first graders before even entering kindergarten. I'm also guessing there is some other discrimination going on. Because being "accepted" but waitlisted more than once, but thrice, should not happen in any school. Why even take applicants at that point? Hire more teachers, or stop taking applications every year. This is not what Montessori is about and they need to research what Maria Montessori's mission was. Because this is not it. Also, during Christmas they sent out the most vague "holiday greeting", so that was also pretty strange. I hope this feedback reaches the right people. I will not be applying again.

We are in our third year with RMS and have two children attending the school. We have been thrilled…read morewith our RMS experience. Specifically, there is a great community of engaged parents and educators working together to achieve outstanding educational outcomes. We feel that we are getting something unique and differentiated from the more standard approach to education that a lot of other independent schools offer. Moreover, our kids absolutely love going to school here! My children's enthusiasm for their school, passion for learning, and solid academic advancement will keep us coming back to RMS year after year. I encourage anyone interested in the Montessori approach to visit the website and school for more information and resources.

As an alumni of West End, I have nothing but positive things to say about the school. The teachers…read moregenuinely care about you, and the administration is top notch! West End is now FULLY ACCREDITED! I graduated in 2013 when the school was not accredited, and I was able to get into Liberty University with no problem. Other students from my graduating class went on to attend UVA, William & Mary, and VCU. If you are in the Tri-Cities area and are looking for a place where your child will be cared for and fully prepared for college look no further than West End! I look forward to the day when my children will be able to attend!

West End Christian School provided my child with a great education, BUT it is NOT an accredited…read moreschool! If this not a problem for you, then go for it. My child has a diploma from there, but he was denied admission to a college because the school is not accredited. He will have to get a GED in order to attend. I was never made aware that they were not accredited. I would not have paid seven years of tuition, if I had been made aware.

hi. recent alum here. my best friend and i attended this school. the teachers and education were…read morepretty good, but the bullying and exclusion of my best friend and i was not helped at all. i remember students were called homophobic slurs here and i had many racial microaggresions directed at me, but every time i tried to bring this up to the head of school there, i was promptly dismissed and it felt like nothing changed at all. i take note of this because a student there was so easily expelled when a white student complained about her sending a death threat, but when my queer friend and i complained to the school multiple times about the bullying we experienced, there was little to no punishment to the bullies. i also should mention there was no school counselor for a majority of the time i was there. skip forward to my eighth grade year, my best friend committed suicide. while i do admit there were probably other factors contributing to this awful event, bullying was one of the main issues as they had told me before their tragic passing. the bullying was mainly due to the fact that they were queer. orchard house never really brought their attention to this obvious discrimination in their school. after their passing, i had to leave for a week or two for my mental health, and the head of school there told my class the details of what happened with me without my or my family's permission. this school is okay if your child is white and cishet, but otherwise, please save your money.

OHS has been an incredible environment for my middle schooler. It's such a tight knit and…read moresupportive community that values each child's individuality and encourages them to share their voice. There is very little social issues/conflicts at Orchard House, and faculty still makes a point to discuss social issues and make it known that the school is a safe place, and a sisterhood. My daughter asked me to add this: "I can't imagine how painful it'll be to leave next year."

We have been sending our children to Saint Benedict School for years now. This fall we will have…read morechildren in 4th, 6th, 1st, and preK. Not every year has been easy for us - and our children really run the gamut with academic abilities/attention issues, etc. However - If your Catholic faith is a priority for you, I could not recommend this school highly enough. It's small. It's traditional. It's classical. That does not really suit everyone, of course. But my husband and I understand that we have a very small window of time to fill our children's minds with philosophy, theology, literature, logic, morals, etc... eventually they will be on their own and can study whatever they like, but these early years are foundational. Saint Benedict's gets that. It's not perfect, of course. But we love it.

Saint Benedict School is not good at all the music teacher is very vicious and aggressive. As for…read moreshe told me to go down to the principal's office for raising my hand then one of the teachers walked me up to her and and she said I was aggressive and mean to her since the beginning of class and throwing chairs .I talked ever-so-slightly in history class and the history teacher moved me where I can't see the board and when my parents send email to the school he just said I'm not moving and back you have to give people second chances.

We have two kids at sabot and unlike the review below didn't have to do any testing for them. Our…read moregirls are thriving with the small class sizes, focus on their gifts and curiosities, time spent in outdoors and immersed in nature, and because of the wonderful teachers and staff. We love sabot!

We have 2 children at Sabot School, and this will be our 7th year at the school. My children love…read moregoing to school, and most importantly they love learning. Sabot has nurtured their curiosity and their identity as readers, writers and researchers. Each year they have unfailingly been supported in developing their own theories and furthering their academic inquiry. This has resulted in such ownership over their learning, and confidence in their place in the classroom community. The social constructionist approach in the classroom has fostered an environment where their social-emotional growth has been stretched and supported. Not only are my children learning to be students, they are learning to be good citizens. While no school is perfect, the dedication of the faculty and staff to the students and to this approach to learning has been evident in every interaction.

This is a terrific place for your child to grow! Their exceptional care and educational services…read morehave been instrumental in our son's development. It's one of the area's best-kept secrets in preschool and early elementary child care. Wholeheartedly recommend!!

My son started going to Greenwood when he was two years old. He moved from Cedar House, which was…read moregreat but very costly. This small, intimate place feels like you walked back in time to the 80s-90s with a TV on a rolling cart, which only comes out if the kids can't spend all day outside (which I love). They have all types of older games that encourage creativity and are not the norm toys they see at home. It does not have all the bells and whistles of a new building, but it feels like a home or grandma's house. My Son is 10 years old and stopped going because of Covid. He often asks to stop by with donuts or a card to say hello to all of his old teachers, and he cares deeply for the owner, Mrs. Day!