NICHE: Playbased, MontessoriREVIEW AIMED FOR: PreschoolSammamish Montessori at first glance seem like a dream come true - great location, great teacher attrition (most teachers have been with the school 7+ years) and a spacious building with large well lit classroom. Its one of the longest standing schools in Redmond. And most people (like myself) got drawn into this idea of SM, to later discover things I wish I had known.- Tuition: you get locked in for a year with very little wiggle room. If you are in a situation where you might move or change jobs, I strongly recommend that you read the tuition policy carefully. While many schools have year a long contract, Im very weary of those who offer little wiggle room as it fails to demonstrate a schools confidence in their own service. Please read the finer details which allows you to change your mind mid-year.- Personal recommendation: Before I enrolled my child here, I read heaps of good recommendations on facebook and reviews online. But few parents would offer details behind the praise. When someone says its a great school, ask for details. All children are happy to meet parents at the end of the day. What convinces them its a good school and what is the metric they use to determine happiness? Does their parenting philosophy match yours? When probing further I realized that most parents were happy just finding a school that was not full yet, offered a mid-range tuition, was at a good location and a familiar name.- Teacher attrition: Although many teachers have been with the school a long time, the average age for teachers (not assistants) is higher than average. I would guess 55+. The teachers are generally very tired and with growing class sizes it certainly doesnt help. I witnessed a teacher sitting down the whole time of recess without much interaction, even less play.- The outdoor area used to be a small fenced area when my child was there. Understimulating and often crowded. Make sure you see it DURING recess.- Class sizes: Ask for teacher and student ratio excluding assistants. And what is the max number they are allowed to admit? They kept admitting children even after school started in fall. Class sizes are horrible large.- Lack of diversity: There is a lack of diversity in lead teachers age and background. While this is not a deal breaker, its an important detail as it demonstrates the ethos of the school and the mindset of the management. If you are paying over $1100 a month, there are schools that will offer this and more. Simply celebrating Chinese new year and Diwali is not enough to demonstrate intellectual diversity.- Ask for learning goals in written form. After a whole year of school, what kind of learning goals do the children reach? How is that demonstrated? Can they provide a paper with the curriculum/learning goals? SM could not offer me a single paper. All I got was a tour of the classroom and the Montessori material they used which doesnt give any insight whatsoever. Are they trying to avoid accountability?- For a comprehensive understanding, ask to sit in on a class. This may be a difficult ask post-covid but its important to see the full service you are paying for. Where you put your child full time will form the beginning of their world view, social interaction and development.Good luck.Please see my other reviews for more preschools.

The school didnt treat the students safety as the top priority.My sons was in the school for 1.5 years. One boy in his room was not nice to other students including my son. And this was getting worse lately. One day, my son was kicked by that boy (intentionally) in the stomach and cried. The other day, that boy even told another two boys to push/hit my son, my son fell off the top a slide. We talked to the school, but the school wont take necessary actions to avoid this happening. We are disappointed and we were out of this school.If you want your kid safe, dont come here.

Both the Montessori and STEM programs are good for kids under 6.

Good school. My children like it!

I highly recommend SMS. It is the best and one of the most mature Montessori schools in the Redmond area. Family run and teachers stay for decades. I cannot say enough good things about them - they are excellent. The front desk staff, Jane especially, greet you with smiles and any information you need as well as help for any issue. Teachers are attentive and thoughtful, and they communicate well to parents.For issues and concerns they pick up the phone when you call, they do what they say they will do and most important - our kids loved their teachers and we parents got to be proud of our childrens development.I had my two girls go through their pre-school program in 2014-2020 time frame and I couldnt be happier - big shout out to Mrs. Kerr and Mrs. Digdhe in class room 5!

The reason why we have decided to sign up here was because 3years age was eligible to go to all day class. My son has spent some wonderful time even though he was not able to speak any English when he was enrolled his class. Large facility, convenient location and friendly staffs pretty much satisfy us. We are very happy my son loves this great preschool !

My daughter attended Sammamish Montessori for 4years. In this time the entire administration and teaching staff became family. The attention to detail the school upholds holistically, made for an excellent learning environment. My daughter was never ‘another student’, she was a valued student, just like all the students at the school are. She enjoyed the clean colourful classrooms filled with fun ways of learning, the teachers guidance that gave her room to make sensible independent choices and the variety of nationalities that came with a wealth of knowledge…..and great food. Communication from staff and teachers to parents and students were always clear and given in a timely manner. Sammamish Montessori nurture and bring out the best in each student; we just loved the school!

My daughter is finishing her 3rd year (kindergarten) in Sammamish Montessori School.I like several things about the school:1. It is family owned more than 35 years.2. The school education approach is based on Montessori system which I think is very beneficial for my daughter.3. The facility is clean, well-organized and maintained.4. The teachers and other personnel is very friendly and helpful. My every question was listened and responded.5. Location and drop-of/pick-up system (a teacher gets a child from my car) is very convenient for me.6. The school practices positive Love and Logic discipline which I practice at home as well.7. Im very happy with our teacher Mrs. Soroor and her assistants. She is kind, knowledgeable and very passionate about childs development as a whole person.I feel happy to see my girl has thrilled during these years. I highly recommend this school and plan for my other kids to attend it as well.

My son loves attending Sammamish Montessori School, if allowed he wouldnt mind even going to school on weekends.Montessori system really works well with my child where he is learning but also having fun which in turn has given him a huge confidence boost. He has become far more independent and social since he joined Sammamish Montessori.I find the teachers extremely experienced, helpful and warm. Staff always greets you with a smile.I would highly reccommend Sammamish Montessori to any parent looking for a good school for their children in the redmond area.

I have 3 kids and my youngest is in the last year of her 3 year cycle at SMS. My other two kids are older and attend an excellent Montessori School in Illinois. I am fully on board with the Montessori curriculum and style. If finances would allow all of my children would attend this school. My child is thriving here. I am thrilled with her Directress as well as the administration and staff. The owners are very caring and responsive to concerns. I volunteered in the classroom the first year and really got an inside feel for the school. I quite frankly volunteered to get my eyes in the building to make sure it was safe and things were appropriate. I am fully satisfied and trusting of the staff. My 5 year old has learned to read and has a better handle on her addition facts than my other two did at this age. Kudos to her directress, because we do not have as much time to teach this child at home as we did when we had just one child! I highly recommend this school.