West Side Montessori

7115 West Bancroft Street

Toledo, OH 43615

29 Reviews

School District
Grade

PK-8
Type

private

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on January 20, 2023

We love WSM. Our son is apart of Little House and he loves it. His teachers are wonderful. He’s learned so much, in such a short time. We couldn’t be happier with our decision. West Side supersedes our expectations. We’re so lucky to have this school in our backyard.
Submitted by other on February 23, 2022

You’re ignored as a parent. Staff is very rude and discounting. The kids only learn what they want and not what they’re supposed to for their level. There are no field trips (they claim because of Covid but other schools similar to theirs are doing field trips). You only get the time of day if you’re a donor.
Submitted by parent on October 15, 2020

My kids have been at West Side since they were two years old. They are now in first grade and they are excited to go to school every day. Their teachers are 100% dedicated to their success and the school's approach to education is exactly what I wish I would have had as a child. The children spend their mornings working independently and in small groups on academics in the classroom and their co-curricular classes are beyond what most parents would expect in elementary school: World Languages (starting at age 3), Art, Music, Technology, Outdoor Education, and Physical Education. The Toledo campus is huge - almost 40 acres and is just gorgeous. The children spend a lot of time outdoors on their patios, in the woods, on the natural playgrounds, and in their classroom gardens. It's truly a magical place!
Submitted by parent on July 23, 2019

West Side promotes a love of learning unlike any other school in Toledo.
Submitted by parent on January 21, 2019

Great pre K program for working parents. After childcare and drop off in parking lot. Leave before Kindergarten. Definitely not getting what you pay for. Inefficiently in daily operation, communication and program offerings. It is a school that doesn't "follow the male child".
Submitted by parent on March 28, 2018

West Side Montessori is a great school. We love that the school has diversity and the respectful environment of the school. The teachers are wonderful and truly want to help your child learn and succeed.
Submitted by parent on May 15, 2017

What an amazing experience my family has had this year! My daughter's teachers are amazing, the entire staff is so helpful and kind, the campus is beautiful! I can not say enough wonderful things about this school. My daughter had a great year, her handwriting is beautiful, she started reading before she turned five, and she LOVES going to school(she gets mad when I come to pick her up!) I am so thankful to have Westside Montessori as our daughter's school.
Submitted by other on March 02, 2017

West Side Montessori is a well organized, well run school. The staff and teachers are unbelievably friendly and helpful. They do a great job of keeping structure and order in the classrooms. Most of all I feel that my children are safe and their needs are met each and every day. My children enjoy going to school each day, dropping them off is never a problem. They are excited to do their "work" and excited to share with us at the end of the day. WSM is top notch!
Submitted by parent on March 01, 2017

West Side is focused on tailoring the educational experience to the specific needs of each child. My children have been attending West Side since my oldest entered preschool and now all 3 of my boys are enrolled there, with my oldest being in 4th grade. All three boys are very different and I have been amazed at how the teachers have embraced their uniqueness, focusing on what is wonderful about each child and what support the child needs to grow in other areas. I appreciate that the programs are oriented around the social and developmental needs of the child and academics fits into the child's overall development needs. Additionally, the Montessori method for early childhood learning in language and math is incredibly powerful and effective. I am amazed at the skills and knowledge our Montessori students and their peers have acquired at such a young age.Last thing, I have three young boys who all LOVE to go to school every day. That is amazing!!!
Submitted by parent on January 16, 2017

Love the community at west side, the focus on the children and the depth of knowledge, experience, and commitment the teachers and the administration have on the 'whole child'. West side is great for raising kids with excellent academic AND social skills while giving students the opportunity to explore and challenge themselves. Very progressive, inquiry oriented and self driven. West side focuses on independence and in raising kids to create a better world - love west side! First educate yourself on the Montessori philosophy, then come tour it to see the magic in action!
Submitted by parent on January 13, 2017

My oldest is now in 9th grade and has moved on from West Side. Both our children entered West Side very young. My oldest was weaker in writing, reading and comprehension skills and stronger in math and science. With every passing year, his abilities in his weak areas improved, as demonstrated on the yearly nationalized testing. This continued into 8th grade to a point that his weak areas were now just as strong as his math and science as scored on a percentile basis. He entered high school and tested into honors Science and Math classes, but also honors English and Spanish, his weaker areas. Now I watch as my younger child is experiencing the same effect, but her weak areas are Math and Science and her strong, strong areas are writing and comprehension. The staff is using her strong areas to teach her the weaker areas, and she is clearly improving in her weak areas. Additionally, both children are self actuating to an unusual degree for people their age and are capable decision makers and communicators due to the style of educating children at West Side.
Submitted by parent on January 11, 2017

West Side provides an engaging curriculum that stimulates the students development to the fullest potential. I would highly recommend this school to anyone that desires to see improvement in their child's abilities. West side seeks to nurture the student while challenging their intellect.
Submitted by parent on January 04, 2017

I have had a great experience at West Side Montessori - we love it! Our boys have attended West Side since they were toddlers. They are now at the upper levels. As I begin looking at where they will transition to once they leave at 8th grade (the school does not have a high school), I am quickly realizing there is no place like West Side. I love the family feel of the school; everyone knows my name and their names. I feel they are very safe and that there is much attention given to all the details of keeping them safe. That is so important in today's world. The teachers know my children's strengths and areas where they can improve. I appreciate the individual attention they are given by their teachers. It is clear they truly know my children and care about them. The level of education is like none other! I would recommend West Side to anyone who is looking for a school that looks at each child individually and is interested in being a partner in their child's education.
Submitted by parent on December 17, 2016

We had a wonderful experience in little house, starting at 15 months with super caring teachers & a wonderful environment for early learning. Our little guy was moved to children's house at 3, with no concerns for his success there. We greeted the following year with enthusiasm, but we were sorely disappointed. In hindsight, as I read some of the reviews here, they are foreshadowing. The day started with a very long circle time, movement activities were limited, and gross motor play outside began at morning car line; when he was packing up to go home. Additionally, at an age where he was transitioning from parallel play to interacting with other children, his attempts to seek out play with others were discouraged and ultimately reprimanded. The other vital missing component in their classroom was any outlet for imaginary play. Research demonstrates that imaginary play is important in developing empathy, self regulation and higher cognitive reasoning (Executive function). That wouldn't have been so bad, but the way our son was managed that final year was really quite remarkable. We were apparently one of many families told that our son did not fit the mold, and we were required to pay for a "helper" for a trial period of 1 month...which turned out to be until they end of the school year, 6 months later. But when you are in the moment, being told your child is atypical, do you pull him out of school and disrupt his sense of security? No, you pay the extra money for the helper, in addition to the exhorbent tuition so your child does not have to transition midway through the year. I spent many hours observing him in the classroom and it is apparent to me now that their expectations of the kids stifle rather than nurture their growth, he was a completely normal 3yr old boy; being told that he was somehow abnormal. They do not allow them to be children; and they make parents feel as if the problem is within their child, not the method. Well, thank you very much, but our little guy is doing awesome at his new school; he is kind, a good listener, follows the routine with no issues and loves school...where he can play with other kids, enjoy the playground/gym daily, and engage in many fun role playing/ weekly themed opportunities. While I would still recommend the pre-k little house, I would not ever enroll my children into WSM beyond this level.
Submitted by parent on September 20, 2016

As parents of Westside over seven years we are very satisfied this has been our school of choice for our children. Both our son and our daughter have thrived at this school and have shown strong leadership skills at such an early age.The school promotes early leadership and teaches the children how to address an entire classroom and perform presentations at this young fragile age.We are extremely involved in our kids education and well being at school and we feel Westside allows us to be very involved and has excellent communication between staff, teachers and parents.Our experience over these seven years has been extremely positive. I also want to express how strongly Westside is against any type of bullying. Both the teachers, counselors and parents take care of any situation immediately and feel they take every concern seriously. All of the teachers my kids have had have been extremely kind and truly care for our kids education as well as their comfort level in class.We are very excited to see our children continue to progress throughout their future years at Westside.
Submitted by parent on August 31, 2016

If I could give 10 stars to West Side, I definitively would. English being our second language I worried that she would be lost in the class. However, she adapted very well and after a couple of weeks she was able to understand everything her teachers were asking. I saw her progressing and becoming more and more independent. She loves school, she loves learning and making friends. It is definitively a great environment for her.
Submitted by parent on June 10, 2016

If your child is entirely self-motivated, this is a good school. Many of the teachers my children had over the years were kind and committed. However, our son was deemed by administration not to fit in to the Montessori model due to issues of focus and behavior. He was "not invited back" for the next school year as were several other boys we knew over the years. The administration tried to convince us that he was too much to handle. As we told our friends about what was happening at West Side, we learned of multiple other boys around Toledo who were either asked to leave, or their parents were hassled to the point of deciding not to return the following year. (These boys are now doing fine at other schools.)The school's tag line is "Better method. Amazing outcomes." It's not difficult for a school to have amazing outcomes when it starts with a cohort of children who are overwhelmingly of high socio-economic status, and then forces out those that do not fit their educational, psychological, and developmental model.Somehow I doubt that Maria Montessori would find West Side's practice of pathologizing boys acceptable.
Submitted by parent on December 16, 2014

Our experience with West Side has been nothing less than extraordinary. We have two children in the Little House program. My son started at 15 months and my daughter started at 13 months. They had never been cared for out of our home yet I was immediately comfortable with the teachers and staff at West Side. The teachers are incredibly caring, nurturing and well educated in child development. They are in constant communication with me about my children s progress via daily notes, text messages, photos, blogs, phone calls and casual conversations. The campus is beautiful and the community is very active and engaged. We could not be happier!
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2014

West Side Montessori is a fantastic school! Our daughter has thrived at WSM. She will have the same teachers for three years, so they know her very well. Her teachers give her individual attention and lesson plans. She has challenging work that she loves and finds very interesting. There is a lot of parental involvement. Parents are encouraged to share their interests and culture with the class. Our daughter takes part in planning her week so that she is taught time management and organization. The children take turns leading the morning meeting, so they learn to speak in front of a group. Our daughter has grown academically and socially. She comes home from school wanting to read and do research. We are very happy with WSM.
Submitted by other on May 22, 2014

An incredible educational institution providing the base for a lifetime of success - unavailable elsewhere. Children are motivated, organized, and self driven from the experiences and education they receive.