Robert Goddard Montessori

9850 Good Luck Rd

Seabrook, MD 20706

School District

Prince George's County Public Schools
Grade

PK, K-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:14
Type

public

School Map for Prince George's County Public Schools

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on July 04, 2024

My children learned a lot from their early education teachers. This school does not welcome/embrace families!!! Many teachers are not montessori certified, are unprofessional. lack care for their students and have poor classroom control. Teachers/Staff support themselves. Some teachers are rude to students. The school building is shared with another school on campus so RGS are forced to share their space. The principal hand picks her staff. Children and parents are not taken seriously. There is a very strong sense of control once parents/families step into their school. Yet, their child attends the school! Sadly, this school is NOT what it is all hipped up to be. This is a way for the county to show they are providing equal education to all under an umbrella who is truly disfuncional. The PTA is involved and do their best for the students. If parents or staff try to speak up there seems to be a bullying type of action taken against those who report unfairness, complaints and/or concerns.
Submitted by parent on February 27, 2018

I felt compelled to write a review after reading some of the other parents complaints. My daughter is a 4th grader at RGM. Our experience has been overall great. I have only had a concern with one Teacher who started this year, but other than that, my daughter is learning a great deal and loves her environment. With regard to one parent's comment about teachers being on "autopilot" and children getting left behind I totally disagree with. Please do your research on what Montessori teaching entails before you make comments or register your child. Montessori is in fact a method of learning on your own at your own pace with the Teacher serving as a guide. It is very hands on and older children are in fact there to assist the younger ones. I found that my daughter learned better as a 1st grader when something was shown to her by her peers in 3rd grade. If you want a traditional learning environment where the children learn by memorization and regurgitating information back, then this is not the school for you.
Submitted by parent on January 28, 2018

Very positive. We like our teacher and have been generally impressed with all the teachers in the lower elementary. My son likes going to school and likes his classmates, and is learning. When I have had a question or concern, I have had prompt, professional and compassionate response to my concerns.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2017

Our son has been having a wonderful time at Robert Goddard. He started with Ms. Rexach in primary, who was awesome. She really got to understand our son and helped him transition easily to a completely new school setting and to get the most out of his class. She also was so generous with her time whenever we wanted to come in to talk, and was always eager to show us how she does different lessons and how the different Montessori materials work. It was really a perfect experience for our son in starting out at this school.Our son has now moved on to the next grade level, and everything is going great. He's now in Ms. Proctor's class of 1st-3rd graders. She's really top-notch as well. We've really been so happy with both of these teachers. Our son's always eager to share with us in the afternoon the lessons he's learned that day. In the car on the way to school in the mornings, he actually says "I can't wait for my lessons today!"
Submitted by parent on December 29, 2016

My children both attend RGMS. My older daughter is in her third year. We loved her primary teacher, and the instruction she received. She is in the first grade and reading at over a third grade level. She knows all of the continents, enjoys math, and looks forward to going to school. There are normal communication issues, occasional lacks of timely notices, etc. But, I am an educator, and think that is (unfortunately) typical for public schools. My younger daughter started at RGMS this year, and is thriving. I highly recommend this school
Submitted by parent on April 20, 2016

Based on my experience (early childhood education) I honestly question the certification of this school and its educators! First, I must stress that you should try and test your child to see where they stand in regard to academic levels before enrolling he/she. If your child is not on level, do not enroll them in this school because the educators do not have a plan for children that are not already on level. The child will be allowed to work on what they are comfortable doing without any motivation or guidance from an educator to work on skills that need improvement. Based on observations, the teaching style is the closest thing to teaching on "auto-pilot" as opposed to enlightening young minds. Please understand that your child will be in a class with various grade levels and under normal Montessori standards, the older children should mentor and assist the younger ones. In my childs class, this was not the case!! The older children verbally bullied the younger children that defended their belongings, influenced other classmates to follow their lead and in one instance a child was attacked during class for protecting their personal property. Honestly, I wish that I was making some of this stuff up however I am not. The teachers don't seem organized or discipline at all and scheduling dates for certain school projects/events are not upheld. Communication is commonly unreturned by teachers and accountability seems minimal. Please be mindful about communicating with your childs educator because it seems that they are childish, vengeful and your child will be treated unfairly by the educator for parental inquiries. Again, I question the accountability tools for educators in this school because I really doubt if someone is checking on them and the job that they are not doing. Most importantly, if you enroll your child please get them a tutor to make up for the gap of skills being missed during so-called instruction.
Submitted by parent on April 13, 2016

I am very disappointed with the schooling my child has received thus far from RGMS. My child's teacher has no accountability. They blame everything on the child. The child is responsible for there own education and if they're not an extravert then they suffer. From my classroom observations and daily conversations with my child, the children aren't receiving a daily lesson. I was under the impression that the child should get a daily lesson in all the major subject (Math, Reading, Language, etc.) and I don't believe that this is happening. Before you enroll you child in this school, please do your research. Speaks to other parents to see what their experience has been before you make your decision.
Submitted by parent on January 24, 2016

Great public Montessori with a diverse staff and student body. Unfortunately many parents have no idea what kind of school they enrolled their children in, this is a Montessori school not a traditional school, kids learn at their own pace and to some degree follow their inclinations, the teacher is the guide. My kids liked it there and learn how to ask questions and seek answers.
Submitted by parent on October 29, 2015

I was so excited to get into this sought-after charter school for my child. Ultimately, I was extremely disappointed by it and took them out. While enrolled there, I personally witnessed her teacher yelling at students for no reason (one time because a 4-year old wasn't getting her coat on fast enough). The principal is not engaged. Communication by the administration to the parents is erratic at best and is too dependent on support by a tiny group of PTA parents. In terms of academics, it seems to be a "sink or swim" attitude even for children in pre-k! At one point this might have been a strong school and maybe that is the reputation they are coasting on, but I would caution parents who get in to look at it very carefully. If your instincts tell you at all there might be an issue, don't let the free pre-school persuade you otherwise.
Submitted by parent on October 13, 2015

Based on a recent observation and meeting its is obvious that my child is being left out of the teacher led lectures for no good reason. The teacher is refusing to teach my child and the issue has been escalated to the principal who has not responded to any messages left for her. It seems like the teacher would prefer to operate on "auto pilot" and if your child does not fit into her routine by requiring additional assistance she will not be bothered with them. Not sure where this practice was learned from but it will not be accepted any longer!! Please be weary and base your opinions on what you experience from this school, its teachers and how your child is being treated. We kept hearing how great this school was but based on how my child is being treated I'm far from impressed.
Submitted by parent on August 13, 2015

My daughter has attended this school since she was 3 years old and LOVES school because of it. Robert Goddard has opened my daughter up to a vast amount of opportunities that she would not get in a normal public school environment. The Field trips are awesome, the teachers are dedicated to teaching and the students thirst to learn and are able to explore in a way that suits them for learning. Of course there are a few bad apples but if you instill the proper things in your child at home they will certainly thrive here. My daughter is not in middle school here and I plan to keep her here until she goes off to high school.
Submitted by parent on June 09, 2015

My child spent 1 1/2 anxious and unhappy years at Robert Goddard until I ultimately pulled her out and put her in a private, play-based pre-school where she is much happier. I regret keeping her there for as long as I did and I would caution anyone who wins the lottery for this school to think carefully about whether their child would be happy in an "academically rigorous" (as described by my daughter's teacher) program where 4 year-olds are often not allowed to go to recess until they finish their work.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2014

Robert Goddard Montessori is the best PG School. Ever. Way better than the French Immersion Program at Goddard.
Submitted by parent on April 29, 2014

Love all the field trips and educational fairs. Many opportunities to learn with hands-on experiences. Teachers will work with parents to achieve the best environments for the student learning. Teachers will also puch students and encourage them to do their best. Parents are very involved and welcomed at this school.
Submitted by parent on April 22, 2014

My family has had a very negative experience with this school. The staff seems to expect the worse from its students, and provides no real solutions to problems. Reading the other reviews, I had very high expectations for the school, and even removed my child from her private daycare to attend Robert Goddard which was a huge mistake! She went from loving and being excited about school, to not wanting to attend at all. I have seen very little academic progress aside from what she learned at her previous school and what we teach her at home. We have really tried to make this work and have faith in our counties public school system, but so far it's been a disappointment.
Submitted by parent on March 05, 2014

Goddard has been an excellent source of learning for my daughter. She started at age 4 last year and has excelled beyond my expectations. I was apprehensive at first because PG Schools have a bad reputation for poor performing schools, but Goddard disproves this.
Submitted by parent on October 30, 2013

Robert Goddard Montessori is a wonderful school! My Daughter started at the age of 3, her teacher Mrs. Rexach along with Mrs. Graves, are extremely dedicated and go above and beyond for their students. My daughter loves going to school and has been excelling in reading and writing.