Private Schools

My children have attended Rowland Hall since they were 3 years old. Today one is in 6th grade and the other in 9th grade. We have all enjoyed being part of the Rowland Hall community. The teachers know each student personally and encourage students to be their absolute best selves, not only academically but personally. There are many things I appreciate about Rowland Hall, including the academics, community, staff, teachers, volunteer program, outside learning experiences, class trips, and the list goes on and on, but the number one thing I love about Rowland Hall is that my daughters love school. I attribute this to the excellent teachers and staff. So grateful we found RHSM!

Everyone works with a smile from 0730 until 1800. The kids always has something to do (homework). Classes are busy from start to finish, and no book goes unopened. Love the programs that are planned during the year which is an easy way to see what's being learned day to day.

Our two daughters started attending MCS in 2012 when they were entering second grade and sixth grade. They had previously attended a Sudbury-model school that was focused on student-directed learning and had no set curriculum. They enjoyed their time there and learned, particularly when they were in a larger school with a well-established culture of learning, but when they were 7 and 11 years old, we were becoming concerned that they were missing a lot of knowledge that would become harder to catch up on as they got older. After researching virtually every private school in the Salt Lake City area, we settled on MCS. I had previously been under the mistaken impression that the Montessori model was primarily geared toward toddlers and preschoolers, and was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of data supporting the model for our daughters’ ages (and older). There were a couple of months of adjustment for our daughters when they started at MCS given their prior educational model, but their teachers were patient and supportive as the girls adapted to a totally different academic environment and new social interactions. Once they adjusted, they thrived. MCS provides a fairly structured learning environment but still has a built-in structure of cultivating independence. In the lower and upper elementary classes, students are expected to plan parts of their days to complete their daily work and long-term projects, which helps build confidence and skill in effective planning and systematic accomplishment of goals. Learning how to plan out her work effectively was more difficult for our younger daughter, but she steadily became more comfortable and skilled due in huge part to the unending support of her teachers. Our girls’ teachers at MCS maintained a perfect balance between supporting and challenging their students. Even when mistakes were made or students were having trouble completing required work, the teachers always treated students with respect, while making clear what their expectations were. Our daughters were motivated to do good work, and they maintained their love of learning for its own sake. They almost never had homework, as MCS focuses more on in-school and hands-on learning, which we appreciate. After two years at MCS, our older daughter decided that she wanted to enter West High School as a 9th grader. Due to uncertainty about her knowledge base, we had enrolled her at MCS in a grade behind what she would normally have been in based on her age, and several of her friends from other schools were then entering 9th grade. MCS staff generously put in a tremendous amount of time to build an 8th grade curriculum for our daughter to complete over the summer, with the oversight and support of her teacher. After completing this curriculum, she entered the International Baccalaureate program at West—a very academically challenging program--in the Fall of 2015 and ended up getting straight A’s that year. We attribute her ability to adjust to and succeed in this challenging environment to her time at MCS and the planning and organizational skills she learned there, as well as the emotional support she received. Our younger daughter is still at MCS and is now in 5th grade. She adores going to school and we actually have to talk her into staying home when she’s sick, because she doesn’t want to miss anything in her class. As a final point, the administrative staff are all fantastic. They, along with every teacher with whom we have interacted, genuinely care about each student and their families, and they try to support families in their educational journey any way they can. They keep parents well informed about upcoming events and students’ progress, and they are proactive about addressing concerns about students’ well-being. We are absolutely thrilled that we found MCS. If we had it to do over, we would have had our kids there since they were preschoolers.

This school had its moments but is not good for slow learners

I love this place- superior education in a loving, caring culture. My child has surpassed the national standards in all subjects and is in second grade, reading middle school material. I love the parent community. So happy we made this choice!

I do not miss this place!

It's everything a parent wants for their child to grow academically, and it exceeds what your child needs to meet the social challenges of growing up in our world today.

I have just experience of the Pride and Prejudice, specifically the principal. She might think about that all parents hold the check to beg them. I agree the comment posted 8 years ago. "communication is poor, the teachers are neither friendly nor approachable to parents. " Parents never get respected. I don't test other campuses. They said that my daughter is "not academically ready" 3 years ago. However, she got great performance from another school that they more care about kids, not so called "academic" things. My rest 3 kids will never sent to Challenger. 1K/month, for 8 months/year, the major issue is not the money, and respecting to the kids and parents.

I love Sunrise.My grandson didn't do well in public school due to his extreme shyness.He has blossomed at this school.A total change. He is comfortable and happy here.They are amazing! Thanks to Marta and her staff.

School is amazing. Such personal attention. The staff is awesome ;-)

My son loves there teachers

I am a former employee at Vista RTC in Magna, and I can tell you this is not the place for your kids. I don't know if all treatment centers are like this but after my experience at Vista, I would NEVER send my children to a place like this. I should have known the place was sketchy from when I got the job. First, the compensation was almost $2 less than what it was announced on the job listing, but I didn't say anything and I took the job. Second, I never saw a pay stub from this place, I guess I had to ask for them, never even met the HR person. Third, it is clear that they are so desperate to find staff that they will hire anyone, people who are clearly not a good fit for a job like this. Although I got along with all the kids, the job was extremely draining emotionally, and mentally. I left the place crying a few times. But how could they hire staff that is prepare for situations that often come up in this place, when compensation is so low. Which I never understood, because the amount of revenue this place makes is insane. The way the kids are treated is just ridiculous. All these adults are trying to tell the boys how to behave but most of the supervisors and staff behave like children themselves and don't hold proper boundaries with the kids. I saw how supervisors would cuss at boys in a "playful" manner. Most of this kids hated their therapists, and most said the same thing - “just agree with whatever your therapist says and you’ll get out soon”. Something that I could NOT tolerate in this place was the meals that were given to this kids. I, as a staff, tried not to eat there because it was unhealthy, carb-packed, processed food. Breakfast on the weekends was a piece of banana bread or any other type of sugar-packed food such as cereal, or cinnamon rolls. For lunch and dinner, it was also a lot of processed food, that like I said, I wouldn't even eat because I don't want to put that in my body. No wonder why many of this kids were tired, or were gaining weight - they weren't being fed properly. Which BLOWS my mind. Again, I think VISTA makes enough money to buy better food, and have a cook that isn't unhealthy herself (because your could tell the cook was used to greasy, processed food). A lot of the staff that works there, just works there because is easy money to just chill with a bunch of teenagers (when things are under control). But they are not prepared to do work like this. I mean...the night staff would fall asleep...so no wonder some boys snuck out and ran away. The last straw for me and the reason I quit, was when one kid snapped at me and the shift supervisor did NOTHING to back me up. Kids know that the staff is constantly disagreeing and contradicting each other, and that they aren’t backed up by supervisors so kids get away with stuff often. One last piece of advice for parents desperately looking for help. GET HELP FOR YOURSELF FIRST. As talking to many of these kids I found that most of them were like that because their parents didn't know how to raise them, or were so busy building a business to be aware of what was happening with their kid until it was too late. Get a GOOD, CERTIFIED therapist with experience that can help you as a parent and everyone as a family. Don't send your kids to a place like this just so it's "not your problem" anymore. This place broke my heart, and like I said, I will never see this as an answer for my children in the future.

This is a wonderful school! My son started over a year ago at 17 months old. He loves it here! There are days he does not want to leave! At a pediatrician check up, the doctor commented on my son being advanced for his age. This is a school and not a daycare as referenced in a previous comment. As with some private schools, there is before and after care at an additional cost. In addition, I was aware of the extra cost for when school is not in session as stated in the enrollment paperwork when I enrolled. There are times when the staff has made accommodations for me when needed as a working parent. We cannot always make the field trips. I was concerned with someone else transporting my child, so this is why I chose certain field trips I can attend. If you personally cannot take a toddler on the field trip, see if a family member or someone else can take your child. These field trips add enrichment to the child's learning experience.

This a great school, in fact we moved to Tremonton specifically so our kids count attend. The teachers are very attentive and the class sizes are so small that my kids get all the one-on-one attention they need. The curriculum is challenging, my 1st grader is now reading at a 4th grade level. My 3rd grader and Preschooler are also excelling. I love that the school is LDS (Latter Day Saint) based so I know my children aren't going to be taught anything that contradicts our faith.

its great to have a decent school

Petty.