Rockaway Valley

Best experience ever.. My kids love it here and the teachers are amazing.

Long time resident and parent of special ed student. Fair warning that the program here is outdated and your kid may be isolated and ashamed. My kid hates going to school because he misses out on anything fun. Teachers are great overall but administration and special ed staff are unwilling to make improvements. They say that it's a small district so it is what it is. Everyone's afraid of the principal including the teachers. IMO very poor school climate plus they don't engage parents so nothing changes. It's a shame because this used to be a great school years ago.

After learning about the Montessori system, I visited a few Montessori schools. The teaching methodology was consistent but what really made Towne Montessori stand out was the school s caring and nurturing environment further supported by small class size. I have not been disappointed since. The teachers really care about students emotional and educational wellbeing. This was strongly evident at the parent/teacher meeting, where the feedback provided for my child was very thorough and showed how well the teachers knew and understood her. The Montessori mentality and curriculum permeates beyond the classroom, including how the kids eat snacks and lunch. As further evidence to the above, my shy child who spoke very little English when starting the school, adjusted very quickly (practically no crying) and started speaking some English within weeks. As some additional benefits, the school has access to a real playground where kids spend 45 minutes when possible. The snacks kids get are healthy (generally fruits and vegetables). There is also a sense of community among the parents beyond the classroom. I highly recommend this school!

OLMC is a thriving school with an energy that is refreshing to behold.

This school may look like a diamond in the rough, but after my child has been attending for a couple of years i've learned that it may not always be as it seems. I first arrived with my child and significant other and was greeted warmly by some of the nicest staff i've ever seen. The campus is beautiful and is constantly being added with new additions to always keep the area fresh. But soon after I pushed for my kid to attend i've never had more regret. My kid now constantly comes home with bruises, to which there is always a convenient excuse. My child is no angel but no ABA place my child attended has ever put their hands on my kid more than CTC. Upon visiting the school post the original tour the staff are scary, some look like they attended the school themselves and most look incredibly unhappy and stressed out. After school events always have staff clearly inebriated even though they may think no one notices. I would not recommend anyone to send their kid here, even with the schools promise of "DIR" and floor time the added stress of not knowing whether my kid would be okay when they come home is not worth it for any parent. I will not put my name here as i fear they will retaliate against my kid as he has an entire month left of the year.

Without the Lake Drive School, my daughter, who is hard of hearing and has several additional special needs, would not be where she is today - about to graduate Mountain Lakes High School and headed to college in the fall. I still remember my first meeting at Lake Drive with her. It was a large conference table of more than 15 or 20 people, all there to figure out how best to take care of my child. I was so amazed and so touched and felt confident that she was going to get the best education possible from professionals who truly cared. My son went to Lake Drive as part of the integrated pre-school and learned so much about empathy, friendship, responsibility, and compassion. He left Lake Drive at five as a smart, kind, confident, and considerate child with the people skills to succeed in life.