This review is a little long because I have a lot to say about this school. TL;DR -- lots of…read moreschools have great academics but not so great social environments. Saint Nicholas has top-ranking academics, sure, but, what my children learned about themselves and their peers, and how deeply their teachers cared about and fostered that, is what really made this school the very place for my 5 preschool through elementary children. To put this review in perspective: when I was a child, my family moved to Houston and surveyed top local private elementary schools to enroll me in. I attended one, then another top local private school. Both were academically quite excellent, completely in keeping with their reputations. Unfortunately they were also very cliquish, and because I was the new kid, it took quite a lot of time and effort to fit in, despite having experienced a very loving, inclusive, and thoroughly enjoyable social life at my previous schools. Looking back now, I can understand that the social environment was simply unhealthy at both these Houston private schools. In fact, though I loved learning, my ability to learn and thrive academically was severely compromised by the social situations at these schools. So here's my review of Saint Nicholas: when it came time for my own children to find a private preschool, kindergarten and elementary school to attend, I wasn't going to assume the social environment at a private school would be healthy, inclusive, loving, or provide a positive social foundation. And, though of course I wanted my children to have the very best educational foundation possible, to provide them with the greatest optionality for later educational and career choices, I also knew that the social and emotional environment at a school is equally important -- possibly even more important, because of the foundational nature of what a young child comes to learn about their own innate value as a human being by how others relate to them. I, and more importantly my children, found Saint Nicholas to be the same kind of positive, inclusive, encouraging environment that I had experienced myself at the private schools where I had thrived as a child. Classmates were friends. Positive and respectful interactions with classmates were expected, encouraged, and fostered. It's all about the teachers! The teachers at Saint Nicholas are actually aware of how the students interact, they actually care about this just as much as excellent teaching and excellent curriculum, and, they are very gifted at not only helping the students learn greater social skills, but inspiring them to want to. And these teachers have been at Saint Nicholas school for a long time. Saint Nicholas will probably show you their top-ranking academic test scores and student accomplishments, or maybe you'll hear anecdotal stories from other parents about how their child went from being behind academically, to being ahead academically in just one year. But that's not what mattered to me, and I don't think it happens just because of academic excellence. I certainly don't think high national test scores tell the whole or even the most important part of the story. I think what matters most about a school is what the child learns about themselves, and the value of every human being. At Saint Nicholas, my children learned that they were smart, capable, and valuable. They learned that they could thrive in both inter-dependent and independent endeavors. They learned that they were worthy of both respect for who they were, and being called into the greater self they were growing into. Again - it's all about the teachers. The school administration is capable enough, but I don't believe a school can administrate this. Saint Nicholas has somehow gathered and kept some truly phenomenal and caring teachers.

I just wanted to share that my daughter, thanks to the excellent instruction and personalized…read moreattention that she received at SNS, had absolutely no problem acing HISD's G&T testing this year in Kindergarten. She consistently gets top grades in her class, and we thank SNS for preparing her so well, academically and socially, in their pre-K programs. SNS transformed my shy little girl - who had spent the first years of her life at home during the pandemic - into a confident, smart little social butterfly. My son, attending SNS for summer camps, has also benefitted from SNS academically and socially. Being with slightly older classmates over the summers pushed him ahead of the curve, and he was popular among the younger kid crowd, as the older brother to my daughter. P.S. I believe first responders and BCM employees receive a discount on registration, and the school offers a sibling discount on tuition, as well. Cannot recommend this school enough!

Our son is in his first year here. Although he is only part time (toddler) I can not say enough…read morewonderful things about this school! Its a true gem, and the teachers/staff care about EACH kid. Even the staff that doesnt teach your kid knows them by name, each morning when we walk in they say hi to our son (saying his name). The teachers are so patient with the new ones attending school and the activities are amazing! This school is reasonable and a great location tucked away off 610/Brasewood. There are also lots of time for the parent to interact with school events for every season!

The Bethany teachers provide a very loving, caring environment in which our son has very happily…read morethrived. The staff is very responsive, and they do an excellent job communicating with us.

My daughter was previously enrolled in two different daycares, both of which were difficult…read moreexperiences due to the lack of care from the caregivers. However, at Mariner Montessori at Galleria, she has had the happiest moments and a wonderful time. She is currently in the Infant 2 class, and her teachers are incredibly caring and loving. They always show genuine empathy for my baby's feelings, and I feel completely comfortable leaving her in their care. The growth and development I've seen in my daughter since she started with them has been remarkable - I'm amazed by her milestones every day. I'd like to extend a big thank you to Ms. Daniela, Ms. Ester, Ms. Moraima, Ms. Tania, and Ms. Alaguthayammal for all the love, care, and dedication they show my little one. I couldn't ask for a better environment for her!

As much as I wanted to like this school because of the initial tour (which is gonna be the only…read moretimes that you might ever see a director or the owners) and the proximity to us, the experience for us was disappointing on many levels. We left three years ago after several months of enrollment, yet I STILL have negative feelings about our time there and unfortunately, I continue to hear from others about some of the same issues. I was initially very enthusiastic about Mariner and even recommended it to two friends, both of whom stayed And were quite happy. In my case unfortunately, things did not work out and turned unpleasant quickly. In my son's class, one wonderful teacher left, followed shortly by the other. Within a short period of time, the class went from a teacher-to-child ratio of approximately 1:8 to 1:22 children. The replacement teachers who showed up over night were very young, no native English speakers and without credentials or experience I would expect from teachers responsible for so many young children. More concerning to me were the safety issues. On two occasions, my son came home with unexplained bruises. The second incident ultimately led me to withdraw. I received him back with a huge bruise, and no one at the school could explain how it happened! Two days later was then told that he 'had a habit of rubbing his head against the carpet'--something he had never seen before and I have never seen since. During my meeting with the director, it became obvious that someone was not watching my son and he got injured, but they were not clear about how it happened. Do not send your child here! We immediately withdrew and while Ms Jenny and Ms Pat handled the situation courteously and refunded tuition and deposit without delays, the experience left me deeply concerned. During the time my son was enrolled, there was also an extraordinary amount of staff turnover. Several teachers who had left stayed in touch with us and told us they had left because of poor working conditions and low pay ($13/hr). There was also a woman at the front door (Ms Jessica 2021-2023) who was consistently rude and made morning drop-off unpleasant for families. She was eventually replaced only after she moved to New York. Another thing that always bothered me was the overwhelming smell of cleaning chemicals. I understand and appreciate the importance of cleanliness, but my son would often come home smelling strongly of Fabuloso. It was so strong that I found myself wondering whether the school was relying too heavily on chemicals rather than using more thorough cleaning methods such as deep or steam cleaning. I genuinely dreaded that smell when I picked him up. To make a long story short, there are better options out there. After leaving Mariner Montessori, we enrolled our son at Children's Village in West University, and our experience there was absolutely wonderful year after year. Mariner Montessori was a very difficult experience for us, and unfortunately, even years later, I still have not forgotten it. I heard a similar concerns from another parent, and finally decided it was important to share my experience as well. I hope this helps other families make an informed decision. Each school has their pros and cons.

Our year at The Mays School truly changed our family's life. My 5-year-old son was struggling in…read morepublic Pre-K--he had trouble following directions, often disrupted class, and found it difficult to make friends. We were worried and didn't know where to turn. From day one, Ms. Jessi and the entire staff were incredible. They worked patiently with him while also equipping us with valuable resources and guidance to support him at home. I especially appreciate that The Mays School brings excellent therapists directly onto campus, so my son received consistent help without the stress of driving to multiple appointments. Ms. Jessi's deep knowledge of neurodiversity has been invaluable. She not only helped my son thrive during his time at The Mays School, but also guided us in finding the right next school to continue his growth. Because of the care, patience, and expertise of The Mays School, my son has made tremendous progress both socially and emotionally. We are deeply grateful for this school and its dedicated staff who have made such a meaningful difference in his life.

The below review u in's my opinion and my personal experience. I am protected in Texas by the Slap…read moreLaw. This school bullies people to take down reviews. The owner is currently doing so to silence me at this very moment. That's why they have nothing but 5 stars. In my opinion, the owner is unstable and encourages a cult like toxic environment. What they don't want you to know is the school is not accredited and is not Montessori. They are not associated with Montessori in any shape or form. They claim to be inspired by Montessori. In my opinion, not a lot of learning happens here, let alone Montessori inspired teaching. To give you an example, my daughter was writing letters in sand at an age where she should have started learning phonetics and started reading. Once I figured out that she wasn't learning anything I quickly started looking for a new preschool. In the meantime my daughter was being spit on daily by another child. I addressed this with the teacher many times with no avail. I told the mother of the child and because of that my child was expelled. Yes, that was my offense. In the time it took me to go get my child (this was the middle of the day when they expelled my 4 year old) they treated her so horrifically that she developed panic attacks. It took months for her to recover mentally. I know of other people who have had similar experiences. The cult like environment is so intense that they bully anyone who leaves the school or writes anything negative about this school. I would not recommend anyone to attend this school.

We had two children at CHMS, starting at ~18 months until about 4 years old. We were admittedly…read morehesitant to send our kids to daycare altogether, but could not have been happier with the care our kids received at this school. The staff is communicative, caring, and fun. They strike a great balance between fun and learning, and our kids always came home having learned a new fact or life skill along with a story about a fun game or dance they did. We have been so surprised at how independent and outgoing our kids have become since starting at CHMS. We had to relocate from Houston, and of all the things we'll miss, CHMS tops the list. The folks there are so dependable and truly felt like family. It was truly a privilege to send our kids there, and we cannot recommend them highly enough.

I don't know if I can quite put into words how much we love CHMS! My daughter started going here…read morewhen she was 1 and stayed until it was time for her to head off to kindergarten, and now she's back there for the summer! CHMS feels like family. I know how much Ms. Laura and the teachers love my daughter, and my daughter loves them, too. They go above and beyond to make CHMS a special place to learn and have fun. I'm so grateful that I found CHMS, because my daughter absolutely thrived there and was more than prepared for entry into kinder. I love our CHMS family!

St.Vincent de Paul is an amazing church. I am so disappointed in the tacky review written before…read moremine. If you don't find Christ at church or anywhere else....then you just aren't looking. Don't trash a church because you are an angry bitter person. And "no one paid me" to write this.... God Bless You.... And open your heart...

We cannot say enough about about this day school. We started the with our older son in 2013 and…read morewith our twins in 2015. The teachers are the absolute BEST. My boys loved every single one of their teachers and they always wanted to stay longer when I went to pick them up, which says a lot. The director, Ms. Edolia, is the sweetest and you can tell she genuinely loves the kids. Now my boys are in a Vanguard magnet and are thriving and I can truly thank the teachers at Grace for establishing a fantastic foundation of learning.

From the owner: Grace Episcopal School was founded in 1983. We care for children from 6 weeks old through 4 years…read more The school is governed by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of active church members and parents enrolled at the school. Grace is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of early care and education in the Houston area, and licensed by the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services.

I feel the need to write this because I've heard some FB mommy groups have said not great things…read moreabout this childcare facility. To address the issue: there was a director (who was there about 2 years), and has since been let go (late 2024). She wasn't great. The new director, Kaylen, is fantastic - professional, strives for parental involvement, brings structure. My child attended four years. I can't say enough about the teachers; they give so much of themselves to the students. They work so hard on their curriculum. They love the children. We've found such a sweet little community in this school. I always tell friends that it's a hidden gem, but it shouldn't be! It's centrally located, right by the med center and incredibly convenient for parents who work there. The building has large classrooms, two playgrounds, a gym, a library, a sanctuary, and a large communal area for events. So consider this a review to address the haters. But also one of praise for such a special little place that I would hate to see suffer because people never gave it a chance.

We loved this daycare and only left it after we moved across town! My daughter was there from 8mo…read moreto 2years, so we got to see both the baby room and the 1-2yr old room. All the teachers were wonderful and supportive. They loved my daughter, and you could really tell were as excited about her growth and learning as we were. The campus is great, and they take full advantage of it. They have two playgrounds, one for big kids and one for younger kids. If it's raining, the kids still get to move around by either going on buggy rides through the building or playing in the big gym. They did tons of arts and crafts, and I cherish all the handprint art. After we moved across town we still drove all the way to FCS for 10 months, that's how you know it's good! I recommend the school to my friends.

My older son attended St. Mark's Episcopal School from 5th-8th grades; my younger son started there…read morein 1st grade and just finished 8th grade. We couldn't have been more pleased with the school. Strong academics, caring teachers, administrators that take time to know each and every child, motivating coaches for every sport, and a wonderfully supportive family community. It is truly a gem.

From the owner: St. Mark's Episcopal School (STMES) is a private primary and secondary school teaching girls and…read moreboys age 2 through grade 8. We are a day school celebrating the importance of faith while encouraging a spirit of inclusion and inquiry.

We feel incredibly fortunate to have found this school for our daughter. It's so much more than a…read morepreschool- it's a true community. The play-based, child-led approach has been wonderful for her growth, sparking her natural curiosity and love of all things crafts while giving her the freedom to explore and learn at her own pace. The teachers are absolutely exceptional- deeply knowledgeable, creative, and caring. They take the time to understand each child and create experiences that meet them where they are while gently encouraging them to grow. The director is so kind, makes herself available to talk, and is very involved in the day to day school day. The co-op model has been such a gift for our family as well, allowing us to be involved in her education and have a window into her school day, as well as to build relationships with other families. This school pours so much kindness, intention, and heart into everything they do, and we couldn't imagine a better place for our daughter to begin her educational journey. They offer before (Spanish) and after school (sparkle studio) programs that our daughter loves and looks forward to attending. We feel very prepared for the kindergarten year next year and have nothing but amazing things to say about Beehive.

When I started looking for a school for my 3 year old twins, I was admittedly somewhat nervous…read moreabout it. I wanted to observe them learning and interacting with the other kids that go to school with them, but also to be an active participant in the classroom myself. On top of all that, I was hoping for a play-based school, as research has shown that play is one of the best ways to learn. Beehive turned out to be the perfect fit! I loved getting to sit with my children during circle time, watch them navigate social circles, get messy in the mud kitchen, and of course there's always an art project (my children are avid artists, so my countertops are always covered in papers!) Because the school uses a play-based learning structure, activities are fluid and the students can pick and choose where they want to spend their time. Mine spent a LOT of time at the art table and have really progressed their fine motor and creativity skills. My twins just graduated this year and I am so sad to leave Beehive. It really felt like a close knit little community! I have to add- something unexpected were the relationships I gained with the teachers and other parents. Some of them have become close friends of mine which has been great for play dates! Maybe it's selfish, but I've loved getting to meet people (that I genuinely enjoy talking with) who share my parenting philosophy and have kids the same age as mine.