Research Keystone Montessori Charter School charter Schools in Phoenix, Arizona

“My two children went to Keystone for several years. Our experience has been mixed. The extra curricular activities at Keystone are fantastic, the field trips, the year end tours, the science fairs - fabulous. Considering the fact that they do all this with little or no extra money from the parents is great! Parental involvement is also phenomenal. One thing I have a major peeve about Keystone is about the quality of teachers. There is a very high turnover of teachers - my kids had a new teacher every year, which defeats the Montessori advantage of having mixed age classes (grades 1-3, 4-6 etc). Teacher quality was mixed at best, there were a couple of teachers who had major difficulty communicating with the students and the parents. They didn't encourage gifted children by providing extra challenges or opportunities to learn. I have decided to move both my kids to another school.”

“My child transferred last year to the upper elementary program at Keystone from a private Montesorri school. At the other school our child was not happy and did not look forward to school at all and he was academically behind. This past year has been an amazing transformation for us. Our child loves school and is excited to learn. The teachers, staff and other parents are wonderful and fully engaged with the children. Our child was actually sad to see school end and is looking forward to starting school again this coming school year. We are very thankful for a school like Keystone.”

“My son was really struggling with school when he attended a traditional public school. I decided to move him to a Montessori setting, and chose Keystone because it was a good size, a beautiful campus, and most importantly the teachers seemed very engaged with the kids. We have been so happy to find that Keystone was everything that we hoped it would be! Within just a few weeks, my son was reading at grade level, and his behavior was excellent. He has been motivated to learn in new ways, finding engagement in subjects that weren't even an option at his previous school. I highly recommend Keystone Montessori.”

“My experience as a parent at Keystone has been one of overwhelming joy. To watch my three children thrive in all areas. The school address's academics in a positive and integrated manner while truly providing guidance through the emotional/social development. My children will forever be life-long learners and have a great feeling about their educational experience. Thank goodness for school's life Keystone.”

“Keystone is an amazing school with outstanding students, teachers, administration, and parents. The school is an authentic Montessori program that nurtures each child's individuality. My two children have attended the school for 6 years and it is the only school I see them going to through the 9th grade. I have spoken with other parents of children who have transitioned out of the school and into high school and they have all had wonderful things to say about their children's smooth transitions, social adjustment, and academic accomplishments.”

“My daughter is now in her second year at Keystone and we're thrilled with her progress. Her teacher (a male--yay! How often do you see that at the elementary level?!) is a consumate professional and we are so glad that we will benefit from his expertise for another year beyond this one. Still, we intend to keep our child at Keystone as long as possible--there is no other public school around that can match the quality of the education and level of attention she is receiving.”

“I have 2 children at this school. My children have attended Keystone for 3 years and I am thrilled with the school. The teachers at Keystone are certified (I checked), the program is a true Montessori program, and my children are thriving. They score very high on standardized tests and are socially well balanced because of this type of education. I would recommend a true Montessori education to every parent.”

“I have three children at Keystone. We have been there for 7 years and have been very pleased with it. The teachers at Keystone are certified (the previous review is incorrect in its information). My children have done extremely well on standardized tests, and are more advanced than their peers at other schools. Their social skills are great, and they have no problems intergrating in any activities they do outside of the school. We feel that this school is exceptional, and we could not ask for more.”

“My son has attended Keystone for the past year. I am thrilled with this school overall. The staff is responsive and motivated. They genuinely belive in the kids and their potential. Parents are invited to participate throughout the year with community workshops, Montessori Journey (overview of Montessori methods for parents), classroom meetings, etc. We get a weekly email update from the school about events and upcoming projects. My only negative would be the lack of a hot lunch program. As a working parent, I would like that option. I'll keep making sandwiches, because I love the school otherwise.”

“The most authentic Montessori environment of any school I have seen or researched. It is unusual to find this kind of quality Montessori in a charter school situation. After a job transfer we had to pay more than 12,000 a year to get a similar education elsewhere. It still does not measure up in many ways to Keystone.”

“The best. The best. The best. Teachers. staff, volunteers. All caring, loving, tolerant, and truly passionate about what they do. Montessori curriculum, the best I ever seen. I'd recommend it to any parent, especially to those who have children who have been labeled as behaviorally challenged.”

“Keystone really strives to provide an authentic Montessori education. The school has worked hard to employ qualified teachers Montessori trained teachers. The student ratio is low, about 13 to 1. Independence is encouraged and children learn by doing. My child has taken several multi day fieldtrips with his classmates and these experiences have also helped develop independence. I would recommend this school to anyone who wants a more intimate school environment with a quality authentic Montessori curriculum.”

“Keystone is a wonderful place for children. The staff is caring and children have fun learning. Keystone provides an authentic Montessori education unlike other so called 'Montessori' schools. It is a safe and welcoming envoironment. The children are exposed to a lot of real-life experiences including day field trips and overnight trips. The classrooms are wonderful, I just wish the outdoor envirnoment were more shaded and had playground equipment, but in time hopefully the school will have the funding to do something about that.”

“Fantastic acadmic program. Pure montessori curriculum. Some extra curricular activity and deep level of parent activitiy.”

“My kid has gone to keystone for 3 years. We are happy wiht the school and the environement that it provides for our kids.”

“Keystone Montessori provides an authentic Montessori education, on par with that provided by private schools. The small school environment and low student to teacher ratio promote a sense of community and shared responsibility for the education of all children. Students are treated as unique individuals, with respect provided by both staff and other students for individual difference. Children are encouraged to advance at their own pace, with guidance from staff, but motivation and task selection from within. I highly recommend visiting Keystone for a first-hand look at the quality education that takes place there daily.”

“Administration focuses on the key issues of education while adding important experiences for the kids. While there are frequent requests for donations, the cost/benefit ratio for this school is unbeatable. I have parental experience with 3 other Montessori schools in the area and this is clearly the best value”

“My son is in the second year of the three through six year old program. I love this school. The teaches are passionate about the kids and the Montessori method. The school is committed to provide the teaches the materials they need for the classroom enviornment. The parents are involved and committed: attend a community meeting and you will see what I mean. The school last year purchased their land and they are involved in an ambitious project to construct the space for their fledging sixth through nineth grade program. The building is scheduled for completion for September 2005. I feel very fortunate to have found this school.”

“I have loved the small community atmosphere at this school. My kids always feel safe and are not a number at this school. The Montessori education is ideal for the self learner. My kids have a love for learning which I attribute to the educational style found at Keystone. The families that are drawn to this school are outstanding. If you are looking for a small, highly parent involved school, this is it.”

“My daughter has thrived at Keystone. The quality of teachers and the attention each child receives is outstanding. Do I mind that they look for donations? Absolutely not. The quality of eduaction is worth it to me. The volume of parent volunteers is truly amazing. So many people getting involved in the education of our children is a hugh benefit to the entire Keystone Community. I couldn't be happier at Keystone.”

“Two years at Keystone and my child was behind. His Standford grades where outstanding at Keystone. So I was not only schocked to see how poor he scored in the Kyrene School Destrict on his Standford testing. He also had alot of catching up to do. I left the school because I was tired of the constant begging for money that was used to pay off the building.”

“Our family's experience at Keystone was one of great disappointment. Our biggest concern was the lack of quality teachers, lack of technology and the constant demand for donations. The learning in the classroom is very limited, primarily due to the lack of experience/education of the teachers in addition to the lack of structure within the classroom. In our view, we did not think that Keystone provided the Montessori concept of teaching. On a positive note, the parent involvement is very high.”

“I have been a parent at Keystone for over 5 years. We are a school community committed to growing the best Montessori program possible for the children of today and tomorrow. Good enough simply isn't and we are dedicated to continous improvement. We are funded by tuition, state monies and donations. Keystone is a nonprofit organization. We conduct our formal fund raising program in direct proportion to what it takes to pay for the high quality program that attracted families to Keystone in the first place. Many thanks to those who donate as your generous investment in the future allows all of us to enjoy a quality small Montessori school environent and low ratios. A byproduct of these is high test scores. I'm proud to belong to a community that demands excellence and is willing to find a way to pay for it. We refuse to settle for what the State of Arizona (ranked near the bottom in the nation on education spending) would give us for 'free.' The cost of education is rising and many traditional public schools are cutting 'fun' and 'extracurriculars' to make ends meet. But I am confident that the Keystone community will continue to think outside the box, take responsibility for our choices and find ways to fund our goal of growing the best possible Montessori school.”

“Like many Montessoris, Keystone is a very structured school and classrooms vary greatly by the individuality of the teachers. The student/teacher ratio is great and our child is learning well, but we are troubled by the lack of technology-related educational tools/work (i.e., computers, Internet) as well as extra-curricular activities and creative 'fun' work (i.e., there are minimal creative activities done in-classroom, such as holiday-related projects, unless developed by parent volunteers). Our biggest complaint about Keystone is its constant plea for donations - we selected this school not only for its great academic reputation/test scores and because it is a true Montessori, but also because it is a charter school that is supposedly 'free' and an alternative to public education. In fact, the school not only requests and expects monthly donations, but can only truly survive on private funding.”