Mountain Laurel Montessori School

We enrolled our daughter at MLMS in the Toddler Program at 16 months of age so that I could go to work. Reluctant to leave our child but knowing it was a financial necessity, our little girl and I toured what would become her first classroom. One glance at the BEAUTIFUL classroom and her immediate ease and comfort in that very room filled my heart. Eleven years later, our daughter still loves to go to school every single day. The Montessori methodology for each child to learn at his/her own pace encourages my child to spend more time on some concepts or lessons, and less time on others. Mastering challenging concepts instills self confidence time and time again. An enlightening moment is watching an older student help a younger student understand a concept! The truth of how well a concept is understood is revealed in the older student, reinforcing their desire to fully comprehend the concept, which results in success, and thus self-confidence. We have observed that students at Mountain Laurel acquire a true love for learning. With a zest to learn, anything is possible. While offering a solid academic foundation, MLMS also offers a very diverse cultural program including art, music and drama. The school’s campus includes nature trails where students of all ages explore the outdoors nearly every day. Off campus ventures correlate to the learning programs and are utilized more and more frequently in upper grades, so that learning at MLMS extends beyond the classroom. Respect for the world around them, including their community of peers and teachers is instilled in students. As parents in this school community for nearly a dozen years, we have been pleased with communication and the willingness of the staff to listen to concerns and collaborate with us in offering our child a solid academic foundation and invaluable life-skills.

Mountain Laurel Montessori is a gem of Front Royal. When trying to decide to enroll my daughter many years ago now, I stood at an observation window of their primary school classroom. My first thought was wow, it's very crowded in there. My second thought was also wow! Every single child appeared to be doing something productive, on their own. I was blown away. I've since learned that there is a little bit of redirection on the part of the teachers, but only when necessary, to get children back on track or to introduce them to a new lesson. I wish I had had this experience growing up. My daughter, now in 5th grade, has been enrolled at this school since she was 3 years old, and my son (3rd grader) since he was 1. I cannot say enough good things about this school. Strong critical thinking and problem solving skills in addition to typical grade curriculum; I think it would be impossible for a student to come out of this process without increased motivation, an ability to self-learn, ask the right questions, and to express themselves well. The teachers are absolutely stellar! For comparison, I have prior experience with some of the teachers at one of the local elementary schools, and at best teacher quality is hit and miss in the public school system. Not so at MLMS, where the dedication and attention to student learning and well being is frankly off the charts.

This is a fantastic school! My children attended both elementary and adolescent classes and loved it. The staff and teachers are wonderful and put everything they have into the children.

Authentic Montessori. Nurtures the whole child. Totally engaged learning. I could not speak higher of this school, the teachers, and the staff. If you are curious about Montessori, please come to a Visitor's Day which is the first Tuesday of each month.