Montessori Community School

The Montessori Community School is amazing! Our daughter has thrived socially and grown academically in her ten years at MCS. Her teachers have always been understanding and supportive of her and have helped her enjoy her early childhood education. We recommend the Montessori Community School to anyone who wants their child to start their education with a solid foundation.

I'd give this school ten stars if I could. As a proud MCS alum preschool to 6th and now serving on the school's Board of Trustees, I cannot recommend this school enough. Since graduating 26 years ago, I've witnessed so many of my classmates achieve incredible success because of their time at MCS. Whether it was them getting accepted to any middle school of their choice, or fast forward to today, I see them living fulfilled lives as doctors, educators, artists, business owners and leaders of the community. This school has lasting impact. Just look at the many alums who now send their own children to MCS. If you want your child to be a self-motivated lifelong learner, this is the school for you. If you want your child to be instilled with a sense of community and humanitarianism, this is the school for you. While choosing a school can be very difficult, all I know is for me, it's easy. MCS for life! P.S. Thank you Ms. Lisa and Ms. Haia for believing in this rascal kid :

This place must be a scam/front I'm getting fraudulent charges on my credit card from them. Charging it back, you don't get to steal from me, I've never even been to HI or do any business without anyone from that state. The bank will see it my way too and I will get my money returned and you will get to enjoy the fees your merchant bank will fine you for having to handle the dispute.

Montessori Community School is a fabulous school. We've had experience with other Montessori schools on the mainland, and this one ranks with the best. The teachers are extremely committed, caring, and communicative. Our daughters are both flourishing and the school community is wonderful. I can't recommend it highly enough.

It's pretty disappointing to read the negative reviews about MCS. I don't usually post things, but I feel the need to in this situation. My son was going to start Kindergarten when we started looking for schools that would be a good fit for him. MCS was one. The more I researched, the more I liked. Other private schools were cost prohibitive, and public school wasn't a good fit. I finally attended an Open House and was sold. I wish I had learned this way growing up. MCS truly sticks to the principles of Maria Montessori's vision if you are not familiar, look it up. The teachers are great. Classes ARE mixed more real life experiences, and there is a lot of choice with facilitation, fostering independence. There is also heavy social emotional learning woven throughout the curriculum- which I love. Children learn about character traits and the importance of being a good person. I was worried about academics, but having been with MCS for 3+ years now, I can say that I am not worried. There have been many, many times where I have to look up terms my kids have learned in school. Yes, my daughter is at MCS as well. My kids are learning at a comparable and more advanced rate than their cousins who are in two different schools. So far, I don't feel my kids are behind--as I often compare the curriculum wondering if MCS is "keeping up". Yes, there are some negatives as there are at any school. The campus could be much better, and so could the emphasis on technology. After School offerings are slim as well most likely attributed to the campus size Also, we don't celebrate the notable calendar events Valentines, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.. If it is celebrated, it is done so in a non traditional way. With all that being said, the bottom line is that my children actually LOVE school. They are happy there, and they ENJOY learning! Graduates do seem to get into the school of their choice. If you are unsure, attend the Open House!

We had an awful experience with Montessori Community School in Honolulu. First the faculty told us space was extremely limited, luring us into enrolling faster than we felt comfortable doing. We learned later, quite obviously once school began, that enrollment was nowhere near an issue. It was clearly a ploy to attract enrollment dishonestly. Then we attended programs prior to the schoolyear and observed the glaring issues with the school: rundown buildings and grounds, black asphalt playing areas, cheap plastic outdoor toys, and a location surrounded by concrete apartments, busy streets and traffic. This was too much to counter the actual educational aspect in our opinion. We also had time and opportunity to hear from others in the community, and no one spoke well of MCS. The graduation rate is paltry and the trend is to not stick around very long. I can see why with the way the staff treated us see below. When we decided we no longer wished to go there prior to the start of the year, the school attempted to keep our entire deposit and tuition payment and charge us for the whole year! Begging and pleading to no avail, our arguments to the school were met with threats from their lawyers. Eventually they gave us back about 1/3 of what we had already paid, so we wound up losing $3000 although we had opted out well before the year even began, and just a matter of days after being tricked into enrolling in the first place. We have been in montessori schools before and can attest that this one lacks in nearly every category: staff, management, campus, equipment, location, enrollment size, you name it. I am sad there is not a more established and high quality montessori in the area, as this one brings down the great Montessori reputation.

Absolutely incredible experience. The love and care at this school is amazing. Not only by teachers and staff but within the student body. The kids learn from each other and at their own paces and they love it! Our son has excelled so much and they also teach such important life skills such as goal setting and time management and responsibility for their own work! So impressed!

This is a horrible school. Like the other reviewer mentioned, the administrators created a false sense of urgency to have us sign up and pay the large deposit when space was really not limited as they led us to believe. Also, any deposit you place is not reimbursed/used to offset your tuition until the last part of the school year, sort of locking you and your money in. There are also misleading data with regards to their graduation rates to private schools, and a disdain for those who move onto public schools. Montessori has some great teachers, but they also have some very poor ones as well. My child definitely regressed on many skills while at the school. The 'independence' that is taught/fostered, resulted in antisocial behavior. Their occasional mixing of age groups doesn't happen as much as they say, and while it's somewhat of a benefit for the younger children, the older ones are often held back by this and I've noticed a number of children held back to groups younger than them, which I believe will hurt them. As I mentioned, some teachers are good and others are quite bad. Kids could always be seen doing their own things while apathetic teachers toiled on who knows what. There are strange learning tools in the classes that made it seem 'cult-ish' and little structured learning/teaching was done. Only after talking with other parents once I moved my child to a different school, did I find out more about some of the shortcomings of this particular school and the montesssori methods. but it was clear that making the transition to the learning methodologies at most other schools as well as those everyone will face in college, that the montessori methods were detrimental Their office staff was quite good and very professional, and always responsive. The school is quite expensive and doesn't provide lunch. There is a limited amount of space and one of the main activity areas is a basketball court that doubles as a parking/drop off lot.

Great Head of School, faculty, and administrators. The campus is small, but the classroom materials and playgrounds make up for it. My 3 yr old daughter loves it and has for the past 2 years she has attended. I hope to keep my kids there until 6th grade.