Ivycrest Montessori Private School, PK-6 (Private)

I attended IvyCrest Montessori from the age of 18 months till sixth grade. I honestly mean this when I say it was possibly one of the greatest opportunities I had. It opened up many doors for me. It had great teachers that understood the arts and teachers that found a deep love for passing on there knowledge to students. As a student there I was taught things that most kids my age do not learn till two years later so when I moved on to Junior high I was top of my class and had numerous Honor Roll awards. The teachers at IvyCrest Montessori are top of the line. They challenge you on a whole different level then most elementary private schools. Most schools do not focus on individual students but IvyCrest focused on each and every student. Thank you IvyCrest!!!

The best thing I have done for my 2 children is to enroll them into Ivycrest Montessori. My son has attended the school for over 3 years and my daughter for several months. The teachers are EXCELLENT! The school environment is safe and encourages the students to be independent and well-mannered. The academics also far outweigh any other school that I have visited (and believe me, I researched ALL of my options before enrolling my children). I would highly recommend this school.

I would like to compliment IvyCrest for providing a well-rounded education to my 2 children. For more than 7 years now, my children continue to benefit from the Montessori method, gained excellent academic foundation and LOVE for learningAt home, each night is filled with HAPPY family moments, the children are sharing their positive and fun experiences in the classroom and their favorite Montessori materials like the division test tubes, timeline of life, grammar boxes, dissection, etc. Beyond the classroom, my children also enjoy all the complimentary classes like music, sports, computer, foreign language and enrichment trips at no extra cost. As a parent, I am very fortunate that my children go to IvyCrest. and I intend to keep them thru 6th grade. The teachers, the office, administration and the school owner are very dedicated and work for the best interest of the children. I am proud to be an IVYCREST PARENT.

My child attended this school for about 4 or 5 months and I was so excited when he started there! My child is definitely on the hyperactive side and the school had no tolerance or understanding for that. They were great for the first 30 days, with no complaints about my son. After the 30 days, I began to receive complaints. My son was 2 and had an issue with biting. It is not uncommon at that age and I did tell them about it at enrollment. They said that it shouldn't be a problem. After the 30 days they did begin to complain about it and they suspended my 2 year old for 30 days. They also made me take him for a developmental evalutation before they would allow him to come back to the school. The principal was rude and unreasonable and eventually expelled my son at age 3.

Choose IvyCrest if 1) You don't believe in the true philosophy of Maria Montessori. 2) You don't want your child to think for him or herself. 3) You want your child to put the letter "s" after non plural words or plural words that don't need "s" ie. "that's mines", "it is time for your snacks", let's eat fruits". 4)You want your child to copy everything into a note book instead of formulating his/her own sentences and thoughts and drawings. I suggest IvyCrest Private Montessori School should take the Montessori off it's name. It would be more honest. Montessori is not patented so anyone can use it. Don't be fooled by the materials in the room the children aren't allowed to use them freely.

The school is beautiful on the outside & that's about it. The infant teachers (CH) are outstanding & compassionate; after rm 1, the quality of teachers decreases dramatically. Most of the teachers are there for discounted tuition for their own child/ren to attend this school & it's obvious from their terrible attitudes towards OUR children; certain staff should go on leave for heart transplants because we are trusting them to care for our kids when we enroll them here. Administration is so fake with their plastic smiles & robotic hellos. The owner isn't friendly at all but this is a business for her so obviously money is the bottom line: movie day/field trips/arts = have to pay extra! Teachers get moved constantly to the point that children cry due to attachment issues. 2 stars: beauty of school & pre-primary education. Graduating class of 2 this year? What a joke!

I have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl who are all IvyCrest babies. My 2 boys are now in 2nd year high school and my daughter is still currently attending IvyCrest. All I can say is ... putting my children at IvyCrest is the best decision I have ever made in my life. My admiraton goes to the owner who gives her heart and soul for the welfare of the children. I can say this just by seeing how she puts everything back to the school e.g. top of the line playground, enrichment trips, computer class & great after school programs, etc. in addition to the best Montessori materials in the classroom and well maintained facility. I was and still am very secured that my children have the best educational foundation any parents could wished for. I hope every parent would appreciate these things as much as I do.

I started my child off at Ivycrest and was impressed initially. In the years since then, I've learned my lessons, good and bad. As many mention, the teachers are good - but not all of them. We've had 2 in particular who were basically useless and without any compassion. Without anything at all really, they provided no value I could see. We never had any sense of how our child was actually doing in school, or that these particular 2 teachers cared. Others were excellent though - talk to other parents and forcefully request which room your child goes to. I have had no terrible experiences with the administration, I just think they are a bit abrupt and unhelpful, but not outright evil as others imply. The school is more of a factory than expected for the $, seems to be about making even more money than education

As a parent, I'm haunted daily by the fact that I pushed my daughter into this school for her first preschool experience. I liked the concept of the Montessori Method when I studied about it for my credential and Masters. But for the little kids (my child started there at 2) there needs to be more compassion and love. The teachers seem good but there's a high turnover rate and a high number or people who seem to speak English as their 2nd language. The administration is horrid. All their rigid policies are a joke. I got my daughter out of there and into a local preschool through a church (a mellow school with less rules and more love). It took months for her to get over her fear of being left at school. Now she finally looks forward to school, as she should.

My child has attended for the past 3 years, not wanting to uproot him. I let him stay. Not happy with the Staff, Fees, and Rules, Rules, Rules. This is not supposed to be this difficult for the parents and staff to coinside. But at the end of the day my child is happy and that is the main thing.

My son entered Ivycrest being a wee bit on the shy side, and to my surprise after 4 months of being in his shell, he blossomed into this chatterbox and faces anybody with full confidence . I love his teachers and they give him enough discipline and love at the same time. The tuition fee is a little bit on the higher side but all is worth every penny spent, my child will be turning 4 this year and can read way above his level and is currently doing addition and subtraction. The administration has been very pleasant with all types of concerns I have raised, they are very strict with the standard of care that the teachers give to the kids, I am very lucky that my son found a second home in IVYCREST.

As a pediatrician and a mom, I've found that I was completely disillusioned by the superficiality of the school. To anyone who cares for children, it is essential to have compassion, with understanding. Here I gradually realized what the true intention of the school, which is to mold our children into obedient future corporate employees who will have hardly any creativity and maintain the status quo. Given about a month if our children do not fit into the school's rigid programs, impersonal care with strongly enforced detachment between teachers & students, and quick-to-come warning of 'fitting in soon or being let go' from teachers & administrators alike. On the contrary, Dr. Maria Montessori emphasized 'discipline through libery'. Unfortunately at Ivycrest there was only the former without the latter. I pulled our child out after 3 months before further trauma on my child, and nearly losing faith in the Montessori method.

This school has been exactly what my child needed. No more crying before school and no more putting off homework. The administration is extremely professional and always take the time to answer my questions and come up with solutions. The parking is terrible, but its bad for the staff too. It doesn't bother me at all because they let me know all about it when I was enrolling, and I would hate for them to lose their permit for the school because I couldn't follow the parking rules.

This school is a very good school. I have fun going to this school. It has a very good subjects.

Most of the teachers are exceptional, but there is such a high turnover rate you never know who the teacher might be next month. The administration is rude, unhelpful and insulting. The owner is just interested money. The teachers are the only good part of the whole thing.

I was a former employee of the school. The teachers are absolutely outstanding and have such a passion for education. I've also noticed that the Montessori method is highly effective. There is a high employee turn-over rate at the school. The employees are asked to work on weekends without pay. The student-to-teacher ratio is higher than it is supposed to be. This can overwhelm and tire the teachers out. Sometimes the administrative employees, who have no teaching credits, are asked to substitute for teachers.

My child has been enrolled at IvyCrest for over 3 years now. It seems that every year the school continues to make improvements (a new splashpad was installed last year!). The Administrator is very approachable, fair, and has an open door policy. She never hesitates to hold an inpromptu meeting if needed. The teachers really care about my child as in individual, and academically, they are second to none. I am so thankful we found IvyCrest and plan on staying through all my daughter's elementary school years.

It is, by far, one of the best schools I ever went to! All the teachers and staff give you your full attention, the School of the Arts program really gets you into the activity, and the academics are great! After graduating this school, I already knew everything that I was taught at my next school! This school is much better than all other Montessori Schools in Fullerton! I would truly recommend this school to anyone who is looking for a great private school.

I've been a parent of IvyCrest for 4 yrs now and every year I noticed that the turn over of teachers was high. It's obvious that the very good teachers were leaving the school. Just recently, I was saddened upon knowing that one of the very good elementary teachers left the school. I wonder what the owner and principal have been doing to at least motivate the teachers not to leave the school. Yes, the facility is beautiful, but as parents we also need good teachers and didn't mind anymore the hefty fees that you've been asking plus the nonending rules that you have. Administration not commendable at all.

My daughter has been with ivycrest for 3 years now. We are very happy with the Montessori wayof learning this school uses. The teachers arewonderful. They help your child growand learn in a very caring and loving environment. My child could read 3 letter words at 4. They also have a lot of extracurricular activities at schol (which you have to pay extra for) Their school of atrs have great programs and the best part is that it is in school so you dont have to worry about dropping & picking your child at different locations. They have an excellent summer program which kids look forward to. We have been very happywith this school.

My daughter attended Ivy Crest in the pre-primary and primary program (preschool). We opted to take her out of the school because there were just certain things I really didn't like about Ivy Crest. However, the teachers were very wonderful and caring. The administration is a separate story. If the teachers could get 5 stars, the owner, principal and other administrators would get no stars at all. In academics, my daughter did excel, but she also cried for an entire year about having to go to school. The school itself is very nice and the classrooms are modern. They are always making school improvements. They provide healthy hot lunches 4 days a week. Unfortunately children 3 and up have to wear uniforms and they are very expensive. Parking is ridiculous. Be prepared for tons of school rules and hoops to jump through.

Wonderful teachers. Beware of administration. Nothing but good things to say about teachers, while nothing but bad to say about owner/principal/office staff. Very expensive, especially if you only want preschool 2 days/week. Parking is a joke. Be prepared for hefty fees.

I agree with other parents regarding the school's excellent curriculum, teachers, and facility. My children love going to this school and I love that they can take special arts classes after the academic program without leaving the school (for an extra fee, of course). But the administration is very rigid, not parent-friendly and lacks the professional communication skills you'd expect from a school. The administration relies on the teachers to distribute information, if there's any advance information at all, even though we have all supplied email addresses. In addition, in the last several years, either the fees have increased exponentially, or services have been cut though we've been charged the same amount. Great kid environment, horrible parent environment.

The teachers are superb, the classrooms are in excellent condition, the classroom manipulatives are always up to date, the facilities are second to none. However, when it comes to administration, the school administrator is discourteous, rude, and very unaccomodating. Great education, poor administration leadership.

My child has been with this school for over 2 years. We are extremely happy with the Montessori way of teaching. The teachers are excellent. My child is learning a lot in a very caring environment. We also like the fact that they have uniforms inschool. Even the teachers wear uniforms. Uniforms bring a sense of belonging and uniformity in schools. They also have great summer programs. Last year the theme was sports and fitness. They have a great arts school. Parking is a bit of a problem sometimes, but they have made arrangements with a church nearby which is only a 5 mins walk. My child looks forward to going to school everyday and also looks forwardto her homework. We areextremely happy with IvyCrest.

My children attended Ivy Crest for several years. The learning enviroment is wonderful. Be cautious of the elementary side, I found not only my child but several other children had lots of confusion with compehension. The school did well in teaching the steps on how to do something, but lacked there focus on actually having them understand what it was they were learning. The staff in the office, is a whole other story. The owner is self absorbed with making money, and since the school addition cost of things conitinued to increase. Parking is an absolute disaster, and they will reprimand you if you park within the surrounding neiborhoods. Teachers are wonderful and deserve far more than the mgmt support they currently get.

My child has been in Ivycrest for more than 2 years. Overall, the teachers are excellent in the Elementary side. Ivycrest has the cleanest classroom compare to all other private schools I have visited so far. This school has great diversity. The school of the Art seems to be improving however, I find the school lacks sports programs. The school has strict parking rule. Poor communication between the administration with the parents. Parents are always not well informed in many things. But for the children sake, we parents would endure anything to ensure our children is learning well base on their capabilities and beyond because the teacher do pay one-to-one attention to your child.

Excellent school with strong focus on academics in a nurturing environment.

This was the best school that I have seen thus far, and I've looked at a lot of schools. I can rest assure that my child is receiving the best care and education possible. The teachers and assistants provide a warm and nuturing environment. They help the children to learn through encouragement and enrichment. But more importantly, my child is happy to go to class in the morning; no more tears at the door.

This is a great school with wonderful teachers. It is also very clean and has updated materials that enhance children's learning.