Private Schools

I'm very happy with my sons academic development since he started going to school here.

This school is amazing, so sad to see it go :(

What I like best about Greenwood School when thinking about longer term education for my young children is the progressive approach to learning. They take the long view. They focus on a love of learning, of giving the child academic stimulation coupled with an understanding of where that child is in his/her own development. The teachers at this school are the most engaging, thoughtful and knowledgable I've seen when it comes to teaching the whole child - not teaching to be tested. With all of the stress that comes with the responsibility of educating our children, I find it heartening that Greenwood delves deep into the actual learning, not the assessment part of learning. And it starts early. Greenwood School is by far the best preschool in Mill Valley. My children have thrived in the warm, inviting classroom. They literally come home singing about their day and teach me so I can sing with them. Personally, I found it odd at first to be a grown up singing a song about hand washing, but the ease with which my children navigate what they have to do with what they want to do is astounding. And if you have little ones, you know what I mean. Much like how the upper grade teachers assess where their class is developmentally and choose a curriculum that is best supported by that (i.e. during puberty and pre-puberty teaching about revolutions and fighting authority!) the preschool's "curriculum" similarly meets the needs of my little guys. So not only do my young kids get the nurturing environment of learning about how to integrate into schooling (which is a huge part of their early life) but I also get information on how to navigate the developmental milestones they face. Greenwood continues to develop this partnership with the parents as the children go through the grades. And I must say the community of Greenwood is great. The parent body is informed and engaged. It's like having a village to lean on when you need it and since we don't have immediate family readily available, knowing that my fellow parents at the school are there makes it easier.

Great school

Great students, great curriculum, great teachers, great school! Very friendly and accepting community, yet very rigorous, too!

Though the campus from school it's a fairly good quality one very large quorum is that at the school Christianity get forced down your throat very hard

My son is a sophomore at Drew and has been "on fire" since day one! He comments daily on the amazing community, the engaging interactions he has with his teachers, the kindness of the other students and the relaxed environment that makes his challenging academics actually fun!

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Choosing to send our kids to an independent school was a tough decision. First of all, there was the commute — we live in SF and Marin Montessori is nearly 30 minutes from our house. Then, their was the idea of committing to a non-traditional style of education — my wife and I both went to traditional schools and were concerned about “handing off” the responsibility to educate our child to MMS. Finally, there was the price — there are lots of good, free public schools in SF so, why would we send our kids to private school? After very careful consideration, we decided to send our eldest to Marin Montessori and that has been amongst the best decisions of his young life. First, the commute on the bus provided by MMS not only worked seamlessly into our busy lives, it became a highlight of our son’s day. He routinely recounts his bus adventures (sometimes its the only part of his day he shares) from learning about peregrine falcons to discussing bridges, to spending time with older kids. What once seemed “non-traditional” education has transformed into a truly holistic education. Our son is learning all of the academics he needs for his age but there is equal focus on his happiness, his ability to take care of himself, identifying his style of learning and articulating what and how he contributes to collaborations with his peers. MMS has shown us that school is not about preparing for college, it’s about preparing for life. Finally, private school is expensive and, at times, that expense can be hard to justify. A good friend shared with me that she was only able to justify the expense of an independent school if she was able to understand how the school benefited her WHOLE family. The Montessori culture of empathy and collaboration; the community of families that deeply value education (and educators); and the knowledge and experience of the staff of teachers and support our kids together have made it easy to justify our choice to send our kids to MMS. Thank you MMS!

TERRIBLE SCHOOL. Absolutely careless when it comes to students. Teachers bullied my kid, harassed and tramautized her, did nothing when other kids in class bullied her as well. We tried to get the faculty to do something when she was terrified of attending school every morning, crying and begging for help. Faculty only made situation worse by gathering whole class and pointing a finger at her, telling the class to leave her alone. Which made them even more relentless. All the boys in her class teamed up against her and shamed her daily. She went from an outgoing and happy kid to a depressed and quiet one. But her silence didn’t save her, the bullying kept on going. Kids encouraged her to end her own life. She suffered major depression for years after and still has PTSD. She harmed herself and thought endlessly of suicide because of this horrible place. Please do not send your children to this school. Horribly sexist and biased, will treat kids whose parents donate more better than other kids. Hired a pedophilic man who had been fired from another school for his actions. Disgusting.

Wonderful school!

The golden gate backdrop is hard to beat. Friendly students. Staff is remarkable. School is newer and nimble, but has an impressive track record in turning out kids who give back, are intellectually able and engaged learners.