Valmont

While the teachers and support staff at this school are truly dedicated, compassionate, and committed to the well-being of the students, my experience with the administration has been deeply concerning. Over the years, with three of my children attending, I’ve witnessed a notable decline in transparency, communication, and responsiveness from those in leadership roles.There have been repeated instances where parent concerns, particularly regarding student safety, were dismissed or downplayed, often without meaningful resolution or follow-up. Despite the school’s emphasis on being SEL-focused, implementation has felt inconsistent and, at times, performative rather than genuine.Significant structural and policy changes have been made without prior input or adequate notice to families, often after enrollment commitments were already finalized. In many cases, families who felt these changes no longer aligned with their values or needs were denied the option for withdrawal or refunds. When concerns are brought up constructively, the response from leadership has not always felt open or collaborative, leaving some families feeling alienated or even penalized for speaking up.It is disappointing to share this, especially because so many of the educators here are doing their absolute best. My hope is that more transparency and accountability can lead to improvements that benefit both the staff and the families who care so deeply about this community.

Our daughter attended Mountain Shadows International School from YCC level to the Upper Elementary. The AMI Montessori certified teachers here and the school's leadership are incredible. It is a true global learning school that teaches respect, cultural awareness, and formative life skills from the very start. In terms of academics, they allow deep learning & exploration for all core subjects. Their project based approach to learning helps students truly grasp concepts and see how the live in the real world. For example math isn't worksheets - it's an understanding of the material and strategies then applied to real world examples. Also, in the Upper Elementary they put a special focus on "going-outs" which is navigating the world with confidence and independence taking field trips via public transport to Denver Museums, local libraries and events. Also service work within the community. Would highly recommend this school for a modern, forward thinking and thoughtful student education.

My wife and I moved to the Boulder area in 2020 and quickly identified Boulder Country Day (BCD) school as the place we wanted our son to attend for 1st grade. He had previously attended a Montessori school in Philadelphia. He made a quick transition to BCD with welcoming teachers and a focus on social and emotional skills. Our daughter joined BCD in Kindergarten and is thriving now in 2nd grade.What we love about BCD is the balance between strong academics, a focus on developing social and emotional skills, a significant experiential learning program and a welcoming community. The school provides exceptional, music, arts and language (Spanish and French in Elementary/ Spanish, French and Latin in Middle School) programs starting in kindergarten and running through Middle school alongside the expected day to day academics. With our son transitioning into middle school this year, we have been delighted by the introduction to Middle School and specific executive functioning teaching that helped the new sixth graders adapt to managing their schedules and the increased workload independently and successfully. The BCD Middle school offers lots of social activities for the kids after school which has fostered positive cross grade interactions, enabling our son to build confidence and maintain a strong sense of self. This is a wonderful Middle school experience where kids can develop in their own time, supported by a faculty who is adept at helping kids transition through those sometimes-tough early teen years.