Private Schools

This is a school that feels like an extension of your family, with an administration that takes a sincere interest in your child's development and well-being. The faculty at Princeton Montessori is highly skilled and professional, and exceptionally warm and caring. The teaching methods really engage the children, and are designed to instill a life-long passion for learning. While it seems many schools focus on competition for grades or 'teaching to the test', this school takes a more progressive approach, recognizing that there is a lot more to future success and happiness than good grades. In addition to excellent academics, the school emphasizes (starting at an early age) the development of executive functioning skills, as well as the development of independence, initiative, respect for one another, community service, and leadership. The parent community is made up of interesting, fun and friendly people, and the excellent Head of School provides an environment that encourages open communication and parent involvement. Highly recommend!

9 years at this school and my daughter graduates soon. We are so sad to leave. The waldorf school of Princeton has been a place where my child has been truly seen, and her needs met, in a developmentally appropriate way. She has not been rushed into adolescence. She has arrived there, ready and enthusiastic. And I attribute this in large part to the supportive and mindful environment she has grown up in, within the school. This is how children across the globe should be educated. Gently, thoughtfully, and with the greater context in mind. But forget the slogans and take time to visit. Interview a teacher or a parent. Ask annoying questions. Attend one of the school functions, especially the annual may faire . And then watch the children and the teachers interact. It's very special.

I really like it there but they do give a lot of homework in Junior high

I go here and it's amazing! You learn so much

As I type this review of Goddard of North Brunswick I can't help but feel bittersweet. We have had a genuinely amazing experience with our daughter Dylan Harper who first attended Goddard on a part-time basis when she was about 1 year old. She is presently a little over 2 years old, attending full time and thriving. We just purchased our first home which is exciting but gut wrenching all at the same time as we have the grueling task of finding a new school closer to home. Let me first begin by saying not all Goddard Schools are created equal. Our initial and lasting impression with Goddard of North Brunswick has to be with the onsite owners Bruce and Lisa Goodarz. Mr. Bruce has a very hands-on approach with the parents, teachers and students. From our very first meeting with Mr. Bruce, he was very thorough with the School's safety measures, credibility and accountability of the teachers, curriculum and knowing all of the children by name (which is quite impressive). He was very patient and engaged in listening to our expectations as well as allying our concerns as being first time parents enrolling a child for the first time. Lisa is just the perfect compliment and solidifies that you are making the right decision. You are drawn immediately to her warm and nurturing nature. She is outgoing and charming and quickly puts you at ease as she shares her own experiences with being a mom and raising her boys. Being quite the story teller, anytime I spoke with her or saw another parent speaking with her...smiling and laughter were sure to follow. As I mentioned above, Dylan Harper has thrived under the care of her classroom teachers and assistants. Her vocabulary is strong, she is capable of saying short sentences and is familiar with her numbers and alphabet. She also is very nurturing and has a real sense to want to help...Which I am sure stems from not only what she is being taught but from the examples she sees in the classroom. We also love that many of the staff are young. It brings a youthful energy that she especially gravitates towards and thrives with. Finally, the school does a really good job with having special guests come to the school which is always fun and a nice surprise that breaks up the routine of things. We wholeheartedly recommend Goddard of North Brunswick. While we are saddened that we are moving on...We are truly grateful for the wonderful experience we had. Mr. and Mrs. Rios

Amazing school

I love this school a lot. My little one enjoy their school life very much.

I am an alumnus of Waterfront Montessori, and I would like to recommend this school to you by means of the graduation speech I gave at the annual gala in 2017. It is, slightly edited, as follows: “Hello. I’m [an alumnus of Waterfront] and I’d like to use my allotted ninety seconds to tell you what a great school Waterfront Montessori is and how grateful I am to have been a student here. “I’d like to thank [the principal] for founding WFM, and the whole administration for their continued dedication to all the school’s programs and students; for giving individual attention to all students - knowing every kid by name, knowing their needs and thinking creatively how to enable students to follow their passions and develop them further, and for clearly not resting on your laurels, but treating the school as work in progress - with a lot of work and a lot of progress. … “After my Montessori preschool, I went to a traditional school apparently knowing a lot more math than a typical first grader. I would already know the material we were being taught, so I would quickly complete all the problems and try to continue to the next section or page once I was done. This would be met with instructions such as “[...] don’t go ahead of the class.” So instead of continuing on to other problems once I was done, I would entertain myself in other ways - such as finding crayons on the floor, shaping them into spheres, and exchanging them for other students’ mechanical crayon parts, which was also penalized. I wasn’t even allowed to explain things to other students - again met with comments such as “we are not allowed to help others” because the teacher “needs to know where everyone’s at.” I still find that ridiculous to this day. At Waterfront, all that changed. If I knew the material, the teachers moved me to a higher level. If I somehow managed to complete all my work for the week, I would be able to work on a personal project. (In my case, this would be a presentation about the chemical elements, which Waterfront helped me find an appreciation for, alongside the broader sciences). And I was definitely allowed to help, and learn from, other students. At my previous school, when asked what my favorite subject was, I apparently could not decide between lunch and recess. If you asked me now, I would not be able to decide between Math and Science. [bit about my specific teachers which Google thinks is too long] "I’d like to thank all my teachers for teaching well and making me want to learn; for being passionate about their subjects; for being kind and funny; for being creative, flexible, and looking for ways to get to each and every kid. "Finally, I’d like to thank my classmates … I hope that my next school will live up to the expectations of what a great school’s students are that I formed here: all the students are bright, but, more importantly, they like learning. This means they will often continue learning outside of the classroom and will share their knowledge with their school friends. I know how valuable this is because here during lunch we talk about science concepts we learned, a cool birthday gift is a book, we typically make jokes involving current events or science, and the latest gossip is, “Did you hear about the MESSENGER space probe?” "I will really miss Waterfront, because it’s a truly great school, and I’m grateful for all the things I learned here and all the great times I had. For those of you who are lucky enough to still have a few years left at Waterfront, enjoy them, for they can be a couple of wonderful years. Thank you.

What can I say. Mr Kevin caught was my teacher and my mentor. He is one of the greatest people you can meet in a life time. This school is great, the way they take care of the kids and believe in them make the kids self esteem go up. I'm 44 yrs old now and till this day I still stay I. Touch with my caught. What a blessing from god.

I've researched all daycares and preschools in the area. Met with many directors and teachers. Out of necessity I had my son in a daycare for 4months near out home the begging of the year and we ( my son and I) hated it! But let me tell you about Apple Montessori of Towaco.....THIS SCHOOL IS THE BEST! Ms.Schultz and all the other teachers and staff are wonderful! My son used to give me Hell 😤😤😤 getting ready for school, getting in and out of the car! Screaming, crying, kicking! I would get so upset I used to cry too..... feeling embarrassed and helpless! Ms. Schultz worked a miracle. She took time to talk to my son and help him overcome his fears and separation anxiety. They are great wt discipline and teaching the children to be independent. My son has become even more confident in himself. I have always encouraged him to first try before asking me for help, but he used to be hesitant now he can't wait to help me around the house or even when we are out! His vocabulary and pronunciation improve daily. I can go on and on..... I hope you get the idea! It's worth the money! Plus considering that your child has the future opportunity to continue his education wt Apple Montessori all the way through grade 8th,I say Do It!!! They are AMAZING! THANK YOU HANDS DOWN 👐 👐 👐

Do NOT send your kids to this school! I used to work here so I witnessed first hand the disservice that is being done to the children at this school. They are constantly restrained for the stupidest reasons and the administration condones this!! The kids don't learn anything! All they do is sit in the classrooms and do worksheets. The books that are provided to the children are at least 10 years old or more! This is ridiculous for a private school that is receiving at least $60,000 PER STUDENT from the district to provide them with the education they need and deserve! That figure is not exaggerated either, you can call the school and find out, that is if they will disclose the information to you. The administrators in the school are HORRIBLE! They are incompetent and do not know how to work with the special education children that attend Gramon. All they care about is MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! They will lie, cheat and steal to keep kids there just so they can keep getting district checks!! It's such a sad shame. I feel bad for the kids. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE!!! And if you do have a child that attends this school, get them out ASAP! If I could give this place "0" stars I would! They put on a good show and talk a good talk when you go on the school tour of the school but DON'T BELIEVE THEM!!!