Reston Montessori School

1765 Business Center Drive

Reston, VA 20190

43 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-3
Type

private

Find Homes for Sale in this School Zone

Reviews

Submitted by other on June 07, 2024

I recently volunteered here for a program and I was dismayed at the way the teachers spoke to the students. There was a lot of shaming and short tempers. I understand that it's the end of the year and a lot of teachers are burnt out, but I don't think it's acceptable to be unkind to children. I was surprised because I've been to other montessori schools that actually embody the philosophy-- regardless, some schools foster an environment where teachers are trained to be respectful, kind, clear and speak to children in ways that foster safety and are developmentally appropriate. Shaming children, yelling at them, or being unkind is really not acceptable. One positive: the kids seemed excited about learning, and the school was beautifully set up and decorated.
Submitted by parent on July 24, 2023

We have had our son in RMS since he was 3 years old and absolutely love the teachers and the head of the school, Ms. Eliana. Highly recommend this place.
Submitted by other on May 31, 2023

As a parent, I am happy to see that my son Aneesh experience at Reston Montessori has been a very fulfilling one. His teachers are very supportive and nurturing in their teaching style, and they make a conscious effort to attend to his individual needs. This, in turn, has instilled a strong and positive attitude in him towards learning. He enjoys his time spent, and likes the well-rounded skills he is learning through a blend of academics, music and other extracurricular activities. Thankyou RMS!
Submitted by other on May 31, 2023

Reston Montessori (RMS) has a best school environment, it can be trusted 100% for kids wonderful learning experience. At RMS, Kids feel very nurturing, kind, welcoming, adaptable environment. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Another important thing I would insist on is, RMS has absolutely outstanding teachers. They put in 110% effort and it shows. Finally, Reston Montessori (RMS) has exceeded my expectations. Would highly recommend for everyone.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2023

I'd like to start this by saying that I'm more of a reader of reviews than a writer. However, due to my experience with this school I felt like I had to write one. This school is AMAZING. From the ground up it has everything my child needs to thrive. I had to move my son to RMS in the middle of the year after he had some issues with his old school. I applied and was called for an interview by the director, Ms. Eliana. Ms. Eliana is the kindest, most caring and compassionate woman I have ever worked with. She was incredibly understanding of my son's needs and worked with him and I throughout the whole process to ensure it was a smooth and efficient transition. Every question I asked was returned with a comprehensive answer and every need I had was fulfilled. As my son entered the robin room halfway through the year, his teachers worked with him to catch him up to the other students. He has never expressed trouble with the material in class and the teachers are always quick to let me know of any issues. My son has gone to a number of schools in his lifetime, but so far, RMS is his favorite. At his old schools he used to come home worn out and tired, but at RMS he doesn't even want to leave! He loves his peers as well as his teachers and he seems to learn something new every day. Without a doubt, RMS has the best school environment I have ever seen. I'll have to say, I was worried that switching to a this school halfway through the year would be a rough transition but it has been delightful. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Submitted by parent on August 27, 2021

We've been part of the RMS community for the past 8 years, and both my children have absolutely thrived at the school (one is in kindergarten there now, and the other was there through third grade). The teachers are dedicated and caring, the schoolwork is interesting and challenging, and the specials offered are excellent (French, art, music, etc). The school truly feels like one big family, and it's a really nurturing environment for kids of all ages and backgrounds. I especially like the cultural diversity of the school, and the fact that the teachers and staff do such a good job honoring and teaching about a wide variety of holidays and cultural practices.In reading some of the other reviews, I have to clarify that the school *has* had quite an effective COVID mitigation strategy in place. What the previous poster neglected to say is that the teacher/student COVID cases mentioned in that post were literally the only two COVID cases in the school all year. The school *did* indeed communicate those cases to the entire school via email. RMS went to great lengths, in fact, to minimize class size and create new teaching pods in favor of smaller groups when COVID first started. They also have hand sanitizer everywhere, kids wash their hands often, and all staff and students wear masks indoors. Overall, we truly love the school and feel that it's been a great, supportive environment that's helped both our kids become the best version of themselves from an academic, social and emotional perspective.
Submitted by other on March 20, 2021

The teaching staff at Reston Montessori is excellent and provides very high quality instruction. We have, however, had problems with the implementation of RMS's COVID mitigation strategy. Unfortunately, one of the instructors in our child's classroom chose not to receive the COVID vaccine, contracted COVID, and transmitted the disease to a student. Despite RMS's written policy that they will immediately notify parents of any suspected cases, they did not do this for either the sick teacher or the sick student, making the whole situation significantly more stressful.Up until now, Reston Montessori has performed admirably in their attempts to mitigate COVID. It is unfortunate that their record is marred by a teacher choosing not to get vaccinated and the administration choosing not to notify parents in a timely manner.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2021

My children have been at Reston Montessori (RMS) since they were only a few months old. After touring many schools in the area, from the moment we walked into RMS it was nurturing, kind, welcoming, adaptable, and have gone above and beyond for our children. The RMS teachers and staff are not only excellent and nurturing teachers but the curriculum and structure is far and above others. We have also experiencing some issues with the owner, but my children are not learning from the owner, they are learning and with teachers and their peers everyday. I would also add in the five years we have been at RMS my children have not experienced any turnover in teachers or aides in the classroom.
Submitted by parent on April 01, 2020

RMS has absolutely outstanding teachers. They put in 110% effort and it shows. RMS management and ownership is lacking, however. Communication is poor, questions go unanswered, and policies and procedures change frequently and without warning. The school's PTA has no communication with the school's management and is unable to effect change.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2020

I love Reston Montessori School. The teachers have fostered a love of learning in both of my children. We have found it to be academically challenging and nurturing at the same time.
Submitted by parent on December 17, 2019

This school fosters high anxiety from the head of school and trickling down. They are open to and cater toward cultures from around the world, but struggle with catering to american culture, and are indirect opposition to american liberal culture which one would expect a montessori school. They foster a strong ableism toward social and emotional differences and instead of "following the child" like the montessori philosophy dictates, they pressure the children into academic achievement based on fear of disappointment. While that is a philosophy embraced by many, it is directly opposite to the montessori philosophy.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2019

Has exceeded my expectations. Would highly recommend.
Submitted by parent on February 14, 2018

Our daughters have been attending Reston Montessori since September.Coming from a traditional education environment to Montessori learning transitioned them into a thoughtful learner. They questions processes and asks why, instead of adapting to doing the same thing over and over again the same way. Their kind teachers and adorable Director let you trust and believe that everything they are teaching will be carried with them in their future . I would recommend Reston Montessori to any parent who wants to provide their child the opportunity to grow outside the boundaries of traditional education and allow the child to find their hidden strengths and build on them.
Submitted by other on January 14, 2017

I have been sending my toddler here and we absolutely love it! She's thriving and learning so much. She had met every developmental milestone months early. The teachers are so caring, nurturing, and loving to all of the children. I can't say enough good things about RMS.
Submitted by parent on May 09, 2016

My daughter is thriving beautifully at RMS - I couldn't be more happy with her progress and we've only just begun. The teachers are kind, patient and incredibly supportive of her growth. I'm provided direct, specific and constructive feedback so I can echo the Montessori Method at home and help my baby girl continue to achieve the tasks she SO wants to master. The administrative staff is very helpful and they communicate consistently which is a nice change of pace from our last school. I know my daughter is learning and growing every day -- she's safe, happy, challenged and supported. So thrilled I made the move to RMS!!
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2016

I have been sending my two children here for the past three years and have nothing but wonderful things to say about the teachers and community. Now with the change in director who is also a teacher at the school, I already see improvements at the school and practices. My children have received such personal attention for their individual needs that I know would not happen at other schools. They continue to thrive with the help of their wonderful teachers. I recommend this school to every friend who is looking to sent their child to Montessori.
Submitted by other on December 28, 2015

My son attended Reston Montessori for the Spring semester in 2015 to determine it was a good fit for him. We determined it was not. I question the integrity and experience of the staff - especially the upper school teachers and the academic therapist. My son has a low threshold for frustration and we understand that he can be a handful when he is stressed. It is something we work on with him and have a counselor to help him mange his emotions. However, I was shocked that by mid semester his teachers were so fed up that they stop encouraging him academically, and we learned he had not completed any works for nearly 5 weeks. Again, I know he is a handful when he is stressed this includes learning new things and making new friends, but what I was more shocked by the lack of communication from the school about this issue. It shouldn't take 5 weeks to reported an issue. It seemed that his teachers had given up because they had no clue what to do. Moreover, I started getting emails from his teachers encouraging that we switch counselors to their recommended practice which I found inappropriate especially since they knew he was established at another practice. In short, we found that the school's staff to be very young, very inexperienced and are really struggling with communication. I can forgive a lot but for the price of this school, I expect better. I imagine other families can be successful here if their child is self-motivated academically and does not have special needs, but for the families whose child needs extra love I wouldn't recommend this school.Also the shoes mentioned in a few reviews were the "Montessori Movers" for $37 and will be mandatory inside shoes for the 2016 school year along with other new uniform rules per the PTA email sent out while we were there.
Submitted by parent on November 24, 2015

In this day and age of little or no ethics, it seems all is fair in politics and school reviews.Words are very powerful tools; they can hurt, damage and misguide people.I would like to clarify a few of the remarks on this site. In particular the statements regarding shoes, the shoes are NOT mandatory and they do NOT cost $40. As to the drama I did not see any, save for the person writing about the shoes.As a rational and happy RMS parent, I would like to say that my children have thrived in the incredible environment of Reston Montessori School.A rational and happy parent.
Submitted by parent on September 07, 2015

There is very poor communication at the school. New policies were implemented last minute that deviated from the parent handbook several times while we were there including new special $40 Montessori shoes what were made mandatory the weekend before school started.Some of the teachers are dedicated to their students but we found the pre-primary teachers arrogant and difficult. After the second Director change we left, didnt need the drama.
Submitted by other on June 09, 2015

This school has a great program for grades 1-6 (Elementary). The classes are small with great teachers that really care about the kids. It's taught by a small group of teachers that are experienced and have been with the school for years. My experience in the lower program (Kindergarten) was not so great. A great deal of emphasis is placed on only the kids that are advanced and the ones that are not so advanced are labeled and disregarded. Kindergarten is also very unorganized and has weak teachers. Luckily, I stuck with it and now my children are getting all they need through the great Elementary program.