We've been at the school for over 2 years, and my kid is transitioning out of this school and going…read moreinto first grade in our neighborhood public school. Thought it's time for an update! During the past two years, lots has changed--Our lead guide (teacher), the school admin team, guides in other classrooms, etc. While all changes are hard, I think the school does a pretty good job keeping kids and parents informed, and minimizing any transition challenges. Overall, I stand by my impressions from 2 years ago--Ms. Christine (our previous lead guide, now the head of school), Ms. Freshta (our previous assistant guide, now a lead guide in a different classroom and a lead guide in the kindergarten program), Ms. Vinita (our current lead guide who was previously our assistant guide), Ms. Dawn (float guide), and other guides/staff, are all amazing. They continue to be my daughter's anchor during many of the school administrative changes. Because of the high teacher quality, I would highly recommend this school to any families wanting to go with a Montessori education. Now, the school is not perfect--there are some things that were inconvenient and/or different from our expectations, but as someone who used to work in schools, the most important things is that the staff are qualified and truly care. We can deal with some hiccups here and there: - The biggest friction I had with the school is that I noticed not all staff are well-trained in the Montessori methods. For example, even when I observed briefly at a recent school event, I noticed one of the (newer) guides VERY QUICKLY took over what my daughter was working on when she struggled (for like 10 seconds). When I asked my daughter about this guide, she told me that this happens a lot. I get that the guides come from different background and learn at different speeds...and so we practiced how to push back respectfully instead of us talking to the guides. This is an easily missable detail for busy parents, however. - The guides do a great job not using technology or screens for the most part, and when they do (which is extremely rare), they are intentional and thoughtful. HOWEVER, my daughter and her classmates brought to our attention of a fairly inappropriate song in a foreign language--and they claimed that a guide had shown them the song. The song is not our guide's native language, it is catchy, and I can see it accidentally/automatically come up on Spotify or other music platforms. It is also entirely possible that the song didn't originate from the guides, but from another student. - We stayed with guidepost for 5 years (3 at another guidepost location, 2 at the south riding location), and my favorite thing about it was the holiday hours--They used to only close on MAJOR holidays such as thanksgiving and christmas, but not smaller holidays such as president's day or Juneteenth. They now close on a lot more holidays, which is harder for us who don't get these days off. But their calendar is still better than many daycares following public school schedules. - Some admin transitions (such as a company buying out the school, leaving the staff with very limited notice and preparation) was ROCKY, although I think Ms. Christine and the staff dealt with it the best that they can. - There were quite a lot of staff turnover this past year, especially in the younger kids' classrooms. Overall, we find that the pros significantly outweighs the cons for our family at this school. I would still recommend it to anyone without hesitance, and we are so, so grateful to all the amazing staff--Our heroes without capes!

we enrolled our son here back in 2024 after shopping around for a Montessori in the South Riding…read morearea. I enjoyed our initial visit and Monica (the previous head of the school) was great to work with. our son quickly adapted to his classroom & became very close with his teacher who is no longer there (Ms. Aya). he has since moved up to Children's House with Ms. Freshta and Ms. Priyanka! they know how to work with each children as they are all different in their way of learning. they have been nothing but patient and they love challenging my son to help him reach new heights. in his time there, he has learned a lot. they took potty training very seriously and he started just about as soon as he joined the school. he loves going to school & as a Montessori, they are very "children based". the students do everything themselves in the classroom to help them gain independence at an early age. when we first signed up, we were told our son would know his multiplication table by 4 and fractions by 5 so I'm excited to watch him progress. the new director, Ms. Desirae, has been a pleasure to work with. she has quickly immersed herself in the school and learned every child in all the classrooms. Ms. Cady at the front desk is very helpful and greets everyone as they come in. the after school teacher assistants like Ms. Dawn are super helpful and the children love her! my only gripe is that lunch is not provided. my daughter went to a school nearby growing up that did provide lunch, but it seems a lot of the daycares in the area no longer provide lunch. but different times I guess.

They tout coding and robotics, but their approach is likely to produce robots that code, not…read morecritical thinkers who can innovate. Beneath Ken Nysmith's slick salesmanship and the forced smiles that greet you, lies a far more sinister reality that belies the promise of "joy-filled, personalized learning". If you're seeking a school that truly nurtures your child's heart and mind, look elsewhere! Wellbeing and emotional support are woefully neglected at Nysmith. This place sees no problem in breaking spirits, crushing individuality and forcing students into a rigid mold that stifles their unique potential and confines them to narrow expectations. Question the status quo, and you'll be met with contempt. Conformity is the sole currency valued here! Think The Bible, Torah, or Quran -- immutable and infallible. . . I have met a few great teachers but admin pressure seems to leave them little bandwidth to connect, coach, or inspire students (despite the low student-to-teacher ratios). Humans are wired to thrive in safe, supportive spaces where even mistakes become stepping stones to learning. Nysmith is NOT that space. You've been warned!

We searched the United States for a school that might meet our son, and after much deliberation we…read morechose Nysmith School. We moved 600 miles to attend and it is absolutely one of the best decisions we've ever made. Our son didn't fit the mold in other schools, but he's eager to attend Nysmith every day because he is loved and filled with joy. He finally feels the freedom to be himself at school!

I will not advise anyone to send their kids to this school…read more Willard is a better option. But this school has some scare tactics they use to brainwash and instill fear to students to admit and make think that they can go against their parents using reporting tricks from kids conversations and get someone by he or she says and later victimizing the student and parents to bill money thru various programs that aren't covered by insurances.