Community Mont School

3737 East Shea Boulevard

Phoenix, AZ 85028

41 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-K
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 23, 2023

We have had the most amazing experience at CMS. I can't say enough about the teachers, director, and families. Not only are the teachers supportive and nurturing, they are also respectful to the children. We love the Montessori method and have been so enriched by it. It is obvious that this school cares deeply about their children and we've built such a meaningful relationship with them. When your child is excited to go to school on Monday morning, you know you're in the right place.
Submitted by parent on December 12, 2019

After receiving my niece and nephew under direful circumstances, I reached out to every Montessori school in the Valley. Community Montessori School immediately set up an appointment with me and let my nephew begin school promptly.The changes in my nephew have been profound. After going through extensive trauma and upheaval, he is a different child after three months at C.M.S. Each teacher at C.M.S. (Janet, Jocelyn, Helen and Jamie) have forever altered my nephews life and his trajectory. They reach out to me, provide community support and have mentored me throughout this entire process. Forever grateful and wholeheartedly recommend Community Montessori above any school in the entire valley. Don’t take your child anywhere else
Submitted by parent on December 04, 2019

We love CMS and would highly recommend to any family that is looking for a safe, happy, family-oriented, learning experience for their child.
Submitted by parent on December 03, 2019

Great school and highly recommend. We have been very satisfied.
Submitted by parent on February 09, 2019

We have our two children (ages 3& 4) here and are waiting on our third (almost 2) to be potty trained to attend here. We wouldn't trust our children to go anywhere else! We have been a part of CMS for 2 years now and we have seen a huge growth in our children's education. From abc's and 123's- learning about planets and the solar system, geography and learning new species! Our children have also developed independent skills that they are taught at school in order to take care of themselves at home and help with small chores around the house. Both our 3 and 4 year old fold, hang up and put away their own laundry for an example! They are so proud of their new skills and can't wait to show them off. Janet is the owner and is so lovely to work with. She has an amazing staff of teachers and our children love the time they get to spend with each of them. It has been so great to be a part of the CMS community. We feel really grateful to have found Janet's school for ALL our children to be a part of!
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2018

I would rate more than 5 if I could. Community Montessori is an extension of our family. Our son joined in 2016 and will be starting kindergarten in August. When he first joined at 3 years old, he wouldn’t talk much to the teachers and it took time for him to open up. The teachers immediately made him feel safe and loved. He loves his school so much, he now asks to stay late! He’s made close friendships and the parent community is also close. He’s 4 years old and he’s already learning to read and write. He’s counting beyond 100 and loves to learn. We also really like the nutrition emphasis on eating whole foods. The teachers encourage the children to eat “growing food.” They also have cooking days where all of the children participate and bring in a vegetable. The teachers are amazing. Our son wears glasses and requires eye patching. The teachers take the time to ensure he wears the eye patch and talk to the other children about the importance of life’s virtue lessons. In this case, being compassionate with others and respecting how different we all are. This is just one example of how the teachers go above and beyond. We couldn’t imagine a better place for our son!
Submitted by parent on March 21, 2018

I would highly recommend Community Montessori to everyone!! Our daughter completed her fourth school year at CMS in June 2017 and graduated kindergarten in cap and gown! Parents can enroll their children here as early as two years of age if they are potty-trained. It's been amazing to watch the transformation from the early years to the leadership year of kindergarten. I will always have the fond memories of the International Festivals, Dad’s nights, and teatime with my daughter around the holidays. I could not agree more with the 5-star reviews from other parents at CMS. First-rate teachers and a first-rate curriculum in a very intimate setting. Communication is paramount at CMS, and every single day our daughter was at CMS I knew she was in great hands!
Submitted by parent on March 19, 2018

Between 2 children, this is my 7th year at Community Montessori School. I have been so impressed by the incredible teachers, by the school and by the other families at the school. It has been a wonderful educational experience for both of my children. My 2 boys have developed a love of learning and exploration during their time at CMS. Also, they have become very successful academically. I could not be happier with CMS! It is a truly incredible learning environment for children and a very supportive community for parents too.
Submitted by parent on February 15, 2018

We recently had to move out of state and leaving Community Montessori was incredibly hard because our daughters had such a wonderful learning experience there. The entire program is well designed, varied and teaches children practical skills and caring qualities. Our daughters both flourished with the lessons and also the virtue program. Looking back we appreciate even more now that we are no longer in town what a gem of a school CMS is. Our girls loved how the classroom changed out the "lessons" every month to keep them engaged and challenged. The school laid a great foundation for their education. We miss CMS!
Submitted by parent on September 14, 2017

This is our third year at CMS and we feel so blessed that we found this wonderful school for our daughter. My husband and I are both in education and we knew we found a gem in CMS. There are so many things we love about this school and community. The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable in Montessori methods, are very nurturing and truly care about each child, and they hold the children accountable to the highest standards in academics, practical life skills, and behavior. We are always so impressed every time we observe the classroom. There is just this calm sense of independence and expectation of responsibility that fosters a beautiful learning environment. The level of learning that occurs over the course of the program is remarkable - children are reading, writing, doing complex math and learning about the world, all while enjoying the "work" they do. The community that Janet and her team have built is so unique to this school. It is rooted in a wonderful virtues program which instills character development in every aspect of the children's lives (valuable things like respect, integrity, empathy, etc). Parent/family involvement is also a huge part of what makes this community so special. Our daughter looks forward to going to school every single day and she absolutely loves her teachers and the friends she's made at school. CMS has laid an amazing foundation for our daughter for life that is simply priceless.
Submitted by parent on March 06, 2017

I could go on and on about this school and how wonderful it has been for my family. They truly care about our entire family. They treat the kids as their own, holding them accountable for their high standard of behavior and character while making learning fun. I don't know how they do it, but they do it so well.We are moving and are heartbroken to leave this beautiful school. It is such a unique, charming and family-friendly environment. My kids are safe, loved and being taught valuable lessons in character development with their amazing virtues program. We love this school and their teachers.
Submitted by parent on July 21, 2016

Community Montessori School has been a blessing for my family during the past few years. We enrolled my son when he was a shy, little three-year-old, and it was the perfect environment for him. Janet, the administrator, has a very kind, yet firm demeanor, which helped to both educate my son and shape his personality. My son's birthday puts him on the cusp of being either young for his grade or a bit older than his peers. Naturally, my wife and I wanted to push him through and didn't mind him being younger than his classmates, but Janet and her head teacher Jocelyn encouraged us to keep him in Pre-K an additional year to let his personality mature. We sure are glad that we did. They shaped my little guy into confident little man who is more prepared for 1st grade than he would have been. We were so impressed with his results, that we enrolled our daughter in the school when she was 2 1/2. She loves it. The opportunities provided to my daughter to learn at her own pace, both supervised and independently, have proved very beneficial. She loves being able to select her own work, and takes great pride in teaching the lessons that she has mastered to her younger classmates. We also have another child enrolled for the fall, and are just as excited for her to be there, as the teachers are to educate her.Rounding out Janet's crew are Helen and Carol, who are more like family to the students than teachers. They have a passion for teaching the Montessori program, and it shows in their interactions with the kids. In the several times we have attended CMS during school hours, every child seems comfortable and productive. When our family fell on hard times, Janet was able to work with us via scholarships for our Kindergarten son. Without her help, we would not have had our son in the program and his education would not have developed as it has. We can't say enough good things about the school and its staff. If you are considering Montessori for your children, Community Montessori is your #1 option.
Submitted by other on June 25, 2015

My daughter went to preschool at Community Montessori for a year and a half. I could not have asked for a better school for her to begin her education. The individual attention that each student gets is amazing. They foster autonomy and teach the children virtues in addition to a solid academic foundation. There truly was a wonderful sense of community at this school that my family will miss as my daughter continues her education elsewhere.
Submitted by other on August 06, 2014

My granddaughter has attended Community Montessori for the past 2 years and is entering her third and final year at this school. Janet (director), and her staff; Jocelyn, Helen and Carol have become our extended family. Academically, the staff is robust in introducing a solid foundation in reading and mathematics while interspersing geography, culture and music. There is an emphasis on virtues and civility at this school that is priceless. There is a large backyard which is ideal for play time and the school has a colorful and friendly layout. Janet will often have various professionals visit the school to enrich the program with their special talents. There is an unbelievable sense of community here, which is why the school is so aptly named. The best thing about the entire experience is the way my granddaughter feels about the school. She feels loved and cared about. She looks forward to school every day. She consistently says she loves it. There's the proof. This school and its staff has provided a stability and lifelong foundation for my granddaughter to continue to thrive educationally and philosophically long after she graduates this coming spring.
Submitted by parent on July 02, 2014

Owner is too bossy and inflexible. She has an "I know everything" attitude and tends to be disrespectful to the parents. She offers zero scholarship or any type of financial assistance for preschool, but expects all the parents to do whatever she tells them to do. Her expectations for a 4 year old are often unreasonable and her discipline methods are questionable at best - her favorite way to discipline is to raise her voice to the point of yelling, and she has also yelled at me when I asked her normal questions that a paying customer would have. She doesn't like to be questioned and does not accept any form of constructive criticism. I have met several parents, since I removed my child from this school, who have either removed their children or decided not to send their children to this school due to Janet's overall bossy and disrespectful attitude. I believe that the school year is hard as it is - no need to add stressful situations or people in the mix. There are other Montessori and Chartered schools in this area. I recommend doing your research and making sure you can put up with Janet before you sign your one (or more) year commitment to this school.
Submitted by parent on June 24, 2014

This school produces results, period. Furthermore, the results are visible not only in each child s academic progress, but also in his/her behavior and in the virtues instilled by the school. The issue for virtually every parent with whom I ve spoken is never whether Community Montessori is the best place for our children to begin their formal education, but where to send our children once they graduate. Ms. Janet and crew have instilled a level of knowledge and curiosity that puts the children worlds ahead of their peers at comparable schools. My son attended Community Montessori for roughly 3 years, recently graduating, and I had the opportunity to witness these incredible results year after year. The culmination is that each kindergartener at the school completes a project, researches and writes a report, and makes a presentation upon graduation. This school is a relatively small and undiscovered gem with no desire to cherry pick the best students. Instead, this school is committed to accepting children of all backgrounds and consistently producing academically precocious students who go on to be overrepresented in gifted programs across the valley.
Submitted by parent on June 18, 2014

The staff here is vested in the wellbeing and success of the children and they are more than willing to go the extra mile to serve the individual needs of each child. They do a fabulous job of teaching the academics but they excel at virtue development. My kids have the strongest manners of their friends and by far the best reading comprehension of their peer group. The children are also taught and trusted to identify actions that support a peaceful and loving environment. One of the things that has always impressed me is the school's high level of expectation for what the kiddos are capable of achieving. From a life-skills perspective of making beds and contributing in the household to a high standard of cooperation and an expectation of peacefulness, the director holds the children and families accountable. I've dropped one of both of my kids off at school daily for over 8 years. Knowing that the watchfulness of the staff is keeping them safe is so comforting; but also knowing that they are helping my kids cultivate self-awareness, kindness and a sense of what being in a community means is outstanding.
Submitted by parent on June 17, 2014

I have been a grandparent (two students) and volunteer at CMS for many years. This has provided the opportunity to observe the school from an "outside" and "inside" perspective. Most days I'm involved with dropping "The Boys" off and picking them up from school. The volunteer part is listening to new readers each week (This listening is AFTER the teachers have done all the work preparing the students for reading). CMS does does use discipline,which i would expect when dealing with children 2 1/2 years through Kindergarten. However, I have never observed or heard from my Grandchildren anything un-loving or, resulting in the Grands being reluctant to attend school. Both have looked forward to school days and leave excitedly talking about what they learned/did that day. In addition, they have lobbied to stay late or arrive early whenever possible. The progress demonstrated by all the children I've come in contact with is remarkable. And, after graduation many return summers and other school holidays to an atmosphere proving age appropriate learning and life skills training for them. Thank you Ms Janet, Jocelyn, Helen, Carol and Tracy!
Submitted by teacher on June 17, 2014

For the last seven years I have been known as "Ms. Jocelyn" here at Community Montessori School. I will be starting my eighth year in the fall. I am very happy to call CMS my work home. I have been involved with montessori for over two decades both as a parent and also a teacher. I love that we as teachers get to partner with families in helping children develop their independence, a love of learning, and the basic life skills needed to be successful. There is a misconception that montessori is only for "gifted" children. Montessori is for EVERY child. We have worked closely with a various array of therapists when we have children that need a little extra help. So if you are looking for an environment that provides plenty of child led choice within a loving structured environment, please come see us. We can set up appointments for tours if you call ahead, or just drop by if you are in the neighborhood. Our door is always open.
Submitted by parent on June 14, 2014

The reason for the low rating is because of the issues my family encountered due to the owners overly authoritative attitude and inflexible demeanor. There are two very good teachers (Jocelyn and Helen) at this school, however the attitude of the boss typically sets the tone and environment of any workplace and that is absolutely the case for this one room school house. The school is academically strong. My children learned a lot at their time at the school. When there were struggles the teachers were always willing to discuss and provide alternatives. My experience was, as long as we took the advice from the head teacher, then things were ok, but if we did not conform, then it was her way or the highway - there was no flexibility. I had expected much more of a "follow the child Montessori philosophy " And when both my preschoolers dreaded going, we knew this was not the right school for us.