This is not really a review about the operation of the school itself, but rather of my experience as a potential teacher there. I was positively impressed even though my interview happened to occur during one of the few crisis near panics that the city of Honolulu has undergone. The staff seemed to take everything in stride and kept calm so that the student body was not as panicked as was the general public in the urban environment in which this school sits. read more

MCS has become a second family to us and our two children. It is truly a special place where kids learn independence, confidence, skills and knowledge, all while having fun and feeling a part of the community. As parents we feel very supported by the teachers and administration. All of the teachers and staff know us and our kids. We have touchpoints with them every drop-off and pick-up and they always make themselves available if we have concerns. There is a full time counselor that is a valuable resource. If we have a concern -- even if it's a behavioral issue at home, the counselor will help support us and even do observations of the child in the classroom if it is something we want. Montessori method has also proven to be an amazing, timeless way to engage and teach children in an intuitive way. Reading some of the other reviews, it is disappointing to hear that a couple people had negative experiences. I believe these to be very specific, isolated cases, as all the other parents we know absolutely love the school and administration. We would highly recommend MCS! read more

I'd give this school ten stars if I could. As a proud MCS alum (preschool to 6th) and now serving on the school's Board of Trustees, I cannot recommend this school enough. Since graduating 26 years ago, I've witnessed so many of my classmates achieve incredible success because of their time at MCS. Whether it was them getting accepted to any middle school of their choice, or fast forward to today, I see them living fulfilled lives as doctors, educators, artists, business owners and leaders of the community. This school has lasting impact. Just look at the many alums who now send their own children to MCS. If you want your child to be a self-motivated lifelong learner, this is the school for you. If you want your child to be instilled with a sense of community and humanitarianism, this is the school for you. While choosing a school can be very difficult, all I know is for me, it's easy. MCS for life! P.S. Thank you Ms. Lisa and Ms. Haia for believing in this rascal kid :) read more

Montessori Community School is simply the best. I truly cannot say enough good about this amazing school in Honolulu, Hawaii. My older son graduated in 2020 after starting in the 3 year old program. He completed 10 years at MCS and would have gone straight through middle and high school if this were an option. He was accepted into three elite private schools in Honolulu and chose the one that he thought would be the best fit given his Montessori education. The 7th grade at this school was "easy" for him and we felt as though MCS prepared him incredibly well for the next step of his educational journey. To this day he speaks fondly of his years at MCS and has even become one of the youngest donors. He is eager to someday give back to the school by offering his time, talent and treasure as he has seen his father and I do for the past 12 years. Our youngest son is currently in the 6th grade and will be graduating in June. He started at MCS in the 2 year old program and much like his older brother is not looking forward to leaving the school and moving on from the nurturing and protective environment that has challenged him and supported him in every way from potty training in the 2 year old program, to volunteering at a local charity by collecting toys for the holidays, enjoying 4th grade came at a neighbor island, and most recently heading up the annual MCS food drive for the Hawaii Food Bank as part of the current 6th grade class. The MCS teachers are the best I've seen, anywhere. They have taught our sons with great nurturing and enthusiasm from day one. Ms. Carroll, the MCS Head of School, is a competent and caring leader. She and her administrative team have handled the Covid-19 pandemic with heart that has been backed up by science, striking a perfect balance between keeping our children and families safe and recognizing that children need to be in school and that the isolation of the pandemic has been detrimental to the mental health of students across the state and the country. Ms. Carroll truly recognizes that the mental health pandemic has paralleled the Covid-19 pandemic and keeps this in the forefront of her decision making process as she continually seeks counsel and keeps up to date on a daily basis regarding the CDC Covid-19 guidelines. As a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, I have recommended MCS to many of my colleagues and on the Doctors' Mom Group of Oahu. I freely speak of this school as being one of the best in Honolulu and certainly a place that they should look into for their children's preschool and primary school education. If you give me the opportunity I am more than willing to tell you about MCS and all of the fine qualities of this hidden gem. Montessori Community School No Ka Oi! read more

Poor service and care of children and family. Understaffed, not accomadating, poor advice, harmful decisions, disappointing to say the least. Did not change teachers/rooms when there was a bad fit, complete lack of care for the harm done while attending. My son was also bullied, and the pictures/injuries/concerns ignored. And also - not true Montessori - they did NOT support individuality in education. They did not value my child or help in any way, just continued to make things worse with vague communication and dictations to us as parents that made everything worse. An awful choice for your children. Their "Counselor" was horrific. Looked to blame child and/or parents versus looking at anything they could do differently. Literally a harmful environment. read more

Highly recommended. Our daughter started at MCS at the age of two and has grown to be independent, caring and inquisitive. There are many positive attributes of the school, but the following three are what make the school unique for us: 1) The school's size affords teachers and staff to know each student and family really well; 2) The Montessori curriculum (student-centered, holistic approach, experiential learning) is that much more important in today's complex world and the multi-age classrooms develop team building, leadership and confidence in the children. The school also continues to invest in the training of its educators and staff by investing in their development as well, we really like that aspect of the school as that impact/investment (selfishly) waterfalls to the benefit of the children; and 3) Family centric environment: the school and staff do a great job in getting the families involved and are attuned to the needs of parents as well. One of the fun facts we really enjoy about the school is they have (pre pandemic) a pizza night that allows parents to take the night off. Lastly, it should be noted that during the recent pandemic, the school did an outstanding job in operating a safe environment for the entire community. read more

Our children have been attending Montessori Community School for the past 5 years and our whole experience has been excellent in every way. This school has been such a gem for our family and a safe haven through the pandemic. The teachers have been excellent and all of our interactions with the office staff have been friendly and professional. read more

We could not be happier with MCS. What an amazing, loving, nurturing, educational environment. We can't wait for our next child to attend.

We sent both our children to MCS for preschool and loved it. The staff and teachers are so caring, and really know the kids and families that attend. The teachers are bright, engaging, and ever so patient. The curriculum is fun and enriching. We loved it! read more

I was expecting their teachers to have better qualifications than public school teachers. It turned out that the opposite is the case (just look at the teachers' profiles on their website). My son's teacher last year was not qualified to teach at all. She had a bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's in Social Work, but she made a career in neither. She was a stay-at-home mum and a sub-teacher in public schools for long years. Then she was a long-term sub at MCS, and when the teacher she had been subbing quit, she was given a permanent position. She did not know what she was doing and could not handle either behavioral or academic issues her students were having. E.g., my son was bullied by a classmate for months. When we shared our concerns with the teacher, she sent us a photo him and his bully playing together. It turned out that another classmate was also consistently bullied by the same child, but the impact of being bullied on him was a lot worse. His parents later told us that it became so difficult for them to convince him to go to school in the morning. Luckily, the bully moved to the mainland in the middle of the academic year. However, my son still had nightmares of him coming back to school. Instead of dealing with the problem and working with the parents, the teacher just kept all of us in the dark for months. I am glad she retired. She should have never been an educator. read more

Our experience at MCS was a disaster and a nightmare It is NOT a real Montessori school. They promote themselves with Montessori philosophy to differentiate themselves from other private schools on the island so that parents will have an excuse to put up with the poor facilities, with the unexperienced Head of School, and with the unqualified and unresponsive teachers. The Head of School has no Montessori background and openly describes herself as a "public school teacher". They administer standardized tests on students twice a year, which is the DOE mentality and very anti-Montessori. Even worse, they take these tests so seriously that the children who score below the standards are made to go through a psychoeducational evaluation, which is to find out/prove there is something wrong with the child. That was not what they sold me during the school tour. I was told that they do not force a bird to swim, and they do not force a fish to fly. There is no "standard child": everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses and learns in their own pace. The teachers we had did not listen to my concerns and did not respond to my smallest requests. However, they loved to act like they knew my child very well, even though they knew very little. Everything I shared about my child was easily dismissed by the teachers. They still expected me to listen to them and do whatever they suggested. Their school website has all their teachers' credentials. Many of them had NO early childhood education background or training. They just had some experiences with children. It was a scary thing to put any child in the hands of teachers who knew little about children. Do they really know what they are doing? The children have a lot of play time, and a lot of independent work time, but there is very little time during which teachers enrich the children. My child was picked up early from school for other appointments three times and two out of those three times the head teacher in the office was chatting with the staff. A friend of ours went to the office only once and she also saw her chatting with the staff and with the head of school. That teacher was at the same time a board member. She should have spent more of her time on kids' welfare instead of playing "board games". The work my child brought back was all kinds of worksheets that can be found online free. I cannot help but wonder whether I paid so much money just to have my child doing worksheets and have recess with other children under teachers' supervision. My child and his classmates also saw nude preschool girls going in and out of the restrooms unaccompanied by an adult or by another child several times. The boys in his class talked about it so much! Teachers and administration are the core of a school. If they are not even qualified, I cannot expect much. Our experience at MCS was a huge waste of money! read more

We had only lived in Hawaii one week and we were looking for a school for my soon to be 3 year old. He had been going to a great Montessori school where we previously lived, so we thought it would be nice to continue with Montessori. I asked the school if my son could come to the visit and they said one parent will have to sit in the waiting room with him. The meeting with the school was basically a staff member giving the background and definition of the Montessori education method. (This was so frustrating bc I would think if you are visiting this school, you've already researched the Montessori method, you want to know more about this individual school). When I visited the classroom the teacher looked right at me then didn't even acknowledge my presence, it was like she was trying to pretend she didn't see me?! We searched almost every school for our son bc we wanted the perfect fit, this was the only school we found that doesn't allow children to go visit the classrooms, we were told it was bc they didn't want to interrupt the current students but when we were visiting the students were all doing their own thing around the room. We aren't going to pick a school without seeing how our son does at the school first! read more

Fabulous preschool program. The school is small so the teachers and staff really get to know your child and family. The curriculum and materials are engaging and challenging for kids of all abilities. The administration did an amazing job setting up health policies and informing parents during this unprecedented COVID pandemic. read more

Parked and tried to sign my child up recently but got chased away by office staff. Very unprofessional and will not be returning, especially after reading some of these reviews... read more

We sent our kids to their elementary program for two years and loved the experience my kids had, despite our reservations about getting homework. (Our kids' were previously in a no-homework environment and thrived.) Special recognition goes to the Upper Elementary and Room 2 teachers who were patient and kind while offering challenge. The parent community in our classrooms were also very welcoming. If we weren't having to move again, we would be staying at MCS. read more

Our family has had a great experience at Montessori Community School! My kids have been going for 4 years now, and they both LOVE it, their academics are strong, their social-emotional skills are strong, and we feel part of the MCS 'ohana!! MCS is a small private school with an amazing 'ohana of talented and caring teachers and support staff who develop relationships with you and your kids. It follows the Montessori principles with mixed age classrooms in which children learn from others and teach others, encourages independence and strong social-emotional learning, and emphasizes character building and conflict resolution. My 3rd grader has developed impressive time-management skills, and his academics are above average, easily keeping pace with his cousin in a top school district on the mainland. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school quickly pivoted to Zoom and ultimately developed a plan to enable in-person school that was superior to most other private schools in the area. I have been very satisfied with safety and how MCS enables and encourages the social interactions necessary for children's well-being. Highly recommend!! read more

Highly recommend Montessori Community School. Both of my children attended from age 3 through grade six and we couldn't be more satisfied. Teachers are attentive and knowledgeable, multi-aged classes provide unique learning opportunities and the Montessori curriculum is solid. read more

AHmazing!!! 5 star school with hands on teaching, the cleanest environment and upmost caring staff. Montessori Community School has taught my little one the fundamentals in a safe and nurturing environment and she comes home happy and ready for more. I have trouble keeping my little girl home when she is clearly sick because she "wants to see her friends" and "misses Miss Sulia." Having had a bad first time experience with my newborn in a daycare in Pauoa, I now consider myself a strict judge of character when it comes to preschools. I've had my little one on waitlists for various schools in Honolulu and mainland, San Diego. Safety was number one in my book, and so was tolerance, learning and love. If I so much as saw a pair of unwatched scissors on a desk, or outlet cover not covered, I refused to continue my school tours. Montessori Community School truly nailed it in all aspects and as long as you can handle waiting a few months on their waitlist you will be amazed too! read more

Love the mixed age aspect at MCS - everyday my kids interacted and helped by older kids...and when they grew, they got to be mentors to the younger ones. Staff so nurturing and caring as well! read more

My little 15 month year old daughter and I were a public playground when a handful of kids from Montesori school and the teachers arrived. The kids were much bigger then my daughter so I became concerned. What I noticed was rediculous. One teacher was on her cell phone while the bigger kids were jumping all around and way to close for comfort near my daughter. Then, as we were leaving in disgust, one of the kids jumped into a pool of rain water on the bottom of the slide-needless to say that is when the teacher got off of her cell phone. What is so concerning is that not one teacher or supervising adult told any of the kids to be careful of a little baby that is in the vicinity. They could have cared less for the safety of other children. SHAME ON YOU IF YOU SUPPORT THIS TYPE OF SCHOOLING FOR CHILDREN! read more

My 2.5 year old daughter is not a student at MCS, because we were never given a chance to enroll her due to Cari Suzuki (Director of Admissions). I was interested in enrolling my daughter into the 2-year Summer Program, so I emailed Cari Suzuki to inquire about the program's info and set up a date/time to visit the campus and meet the 2-year program's teacher. On the day of the visit/meeting, my husband and I were greeted by the teacher and, as we were following her into the office, we were intercepted by Cari Suzuki, who basically demanded a check or credit card to pay for the summer program before we began our meeting with the teacher. My husband and I explained to her that we will likely enroll our daughter, but we felt it prudent to at least have a conversation with the teacher before we pay thousands of dollars. Cari Suzuki's response was "that's not our process" as we are in the "late registration" phase, so she continued to insist that we pay before we step further into the school. We requested some flexibility in their "process", as this is our first time trying to enroll our child into a school and so we are not knowledgeable about a school's "process". However, Cari Suzuki continued to deny us any opportunities of enrolling our daughter without payment first. Because Cari Suzuki presented herself and the school as unwelcoming, inflexible, and money hungry, my husband and I decided to leave without touring the school or meeting with the teacher. If things had gone well with the 2-year summer program, I would have been very open-minded to keeping my daughter at MCS through preschool (and perhaps elementary school), but, due to this experience with Cari Suzuki, that will never happen and MCS has forever lost a potential student. read more

While the program itself and the administrative staff are great, I would not characterize the teachers are particularly warm or loving. They are certainly good at the technical aspects of implementing a Montessori education but I would not say they are that personable with the children (with a couple of exceptions). The other families/parents/kids are great. read more