Melissa Leanza (primary teacher) put my potty-trained child in pullups because she was too lazy to change a pair or pants if he had an accident. She did it without our consent (our 3 year old son told us). This is a fake Montessori School. The head of school (Robyn Stearne) couldn't care less. She's just trying to pack the school full of bodies and collect tuition. read more

One of the best schools around, made me who I am today and prepared me for life. I would highly recommend this school to anyone looking for an alternative to public school, because you are going to be getting a fantastic education from toddler all the way to 8th grade. read more

As an alum of this school, I can honestly say that the New School of Lancaster delivers a top notch education that sets its students up for success, both personally and educationally. It instills excellent values and a love for learning that lasts a lifetime. The teachers and staff care deeply about learning and continuing the Montessori legacy. read more

The New School of Lancaster has and continues to be the best educational experience for my child. The teachers and staff are warm, welcoming, and caring. The classrooms are rich with Montessori materials and my child loves going to school everyday. I have watched him grow with confidence both educationally and socially beyond anything I could have expected. read more

My son attended The New School for 2 years and it was a very negative experience. He was made to feel that he was a "problem child" because he didn't fit the mold of what they wanted for the Montessori way. I had numerous meetings with his teachers and there was zero interest in working with him. Thank goodness we took him out of this school. They very quickly taught him to hate attending school and were leading him to believe that he was not smart. BTW: He is about to enter law school. So their assessment of his learning abilities was 100% wrong!! I felt compelled to finally write a review after all of these years after seeing on their website that his teacher is still at the school. My advice, do not waste your money. read more

let me preface this by saying that i'm sure this is a fine school for neurotypical children who have zero issues with emotional regulation or behavior. however, i have a child with an adjustment disorder who struggles to regulate his emotions and has a LOT of trouble sitting still without being offered regular breaks to "vent" out his restlessness. not only were they not equipped to provide him with the support he needed, they consistently mismanaged his issues -- and moreover, and perhaps what upsets me most about all of this, is that they refused to admit or acknowledge that they were not equipped to provide my son with the support he needed. they happily continued taking the checks i was handing them all while persistently failing my child. in hindsight, it was pretty obvious that at least one of his teachers just plain did not like him; and none of the teachers in the last classroom he attended really had the slightest clue about how to work with him. i feel that my son and i were both profoundly and insidiously ripped off for at least three of the five years he attended. i am on the verge of tears thinking of how far they likely set his emotional growth and development back, and stifled his potential for success, by refusing to simply acknowledge that the new school was not the right place or a good fit for him because he had needs that they were not equipped to serve. instead, he essentially was made a pariah at the school and treated like a "problem child" rather than simply a young man who had additional needs that The New School was NOT equipped to serve. say what you want about public school, but the school district of lancaster has been INCREDIBLY proactive in meeting my son's unique needs. the administration has been very receptive to my concerns, has actively worked with me to formulate a plan to encourage my son's growth and success, and what's more, *they already have systems in place* to provide additional support to children who need it. at no point have i had the feeling that they see him as a "problem child," but as the wonderful young man that he is, who just needs some extra support to be successful. if i thought i'd get anywhere by asking for even a partial refund, i would. in hindsight, i'm very angry with the administration at The New School for prioritizing their bottom line over my and my child's best interest -- and i'm angry with myself for not seeing it or realizing it sooner. i feel conflicted writing this review, because i did grow attached to some of the staff over the years, but quite frankly, what they did was completely unethical and ultimately inexcusable. i think it likely that my son could be in a much better position now if they had simply admitted that The New School was not the place for him. what they did was wrong. and they failed my child. they valued the money i gave them above what was in my son's best interest. they should have admitted three years ago that my son was not a good fit for their school. but hey, whatever makes them an extra $23,000 (approximately) that they wouldn't have had otherwise, i guess. i hope The New School administration see this and absorb what i am writing and take to heart this lesson: JUST BE HONEST if you are not equipped to suit a child's unique needs. let that child go, so their parent/s can work on finding a school that is able to serve them better. read more

Our children are entering their seventh year with NSoL, and each has been both challenged and nurtured by his teachers. Because our children's respective learning paths have never been perfectly linear, I have appreciated the staff and administrative depth and breadth of experience and knowledge with child development and their support of our children and our family as we have worked through academic and social growth stages over the past few years. One of our children is particularly reticent, but his teachers worked with him to write, revise, and ultimately present his 3rd-year autobiography despite his fear of the process and the performance. For both of our children, the consistent love of learning promoted by the mission of the school in the mode of Maria Montessori's philosophy has been modeled by their teachers and their peers, an experience for which we are grateful. read more

Although we have since had to leave the area because of job relocation, we were very pleased with our New School experience the years we were living in Lancaster County, and my son is now thriving--thanks in part to the education he received as a New School student. When we were underwhelmed by our experience with the local public school, my wife and I visited the New School. What we found was great for him: a chance for him to move ahead in areas where he exceeded his public school counterparts, a chance to shore up areas in which he struggled (particularly reading), and an environment that was free from anxiety and where even the Head of School knew his name and his interests. My son is now a confident and successful student thriving in a top-notch independent school in our new city. The New School was a great place for us! read more