Charleston

Our kids have really been thriving here.

We joined Naval Avenue this year with 2 of our kids and have had a great experience. Teachers who are engaged and love what they do, very good at communicating. They have specialists to assist those who need extra help and have worked really hard at bringing the pandemic kids up to the grade level with small work groups and individual instruction. I think it is important to note that parent involvement is crucial to a better school experience, you get out what you put into it. We collaborate with the teachers to work on each of our kids challenges and opportunities and see vast improvement in their academic and social/emotional skills. As soon as a bully issue arose, we spoke with the teacher who not only dealt with the individual student, but also did an entire unit for the class on standby bullying and how it affects people too. I was impressed and learned the bully apologized to my kid and they have been friends since. We were given an opportunity to move our kids and have decided we like where they are and the support from this school has been great.

My son went from loving school to wanting to end his life. Teacher would say he was great to my face then treat him horribly to his face. 9 incidences of bullying and no action taken in 3 months. Finally moved schools when teacher refused to let my son go to the nurse with a ruptured tooth. Absolutely awful. Heard nothing but bad reports from other parents as well. Assistant principal was nice. My sons new school; he is now flourishing.

If you value academics over social-emotional support, this may be a great fit for you. While View Ridge has helped my child catch up academically, their emotional health has declined significantly. The amount of burnout backlash I receive when they come home is out of control, and this all stems from a student body full of bullies and a staff who have low thresholds for patience and a clear lack of knowledge on child development. The expectations are high for these kids, so if your child is neurodivergent, they will not be met with grace but instead faced with daily punishments and isolation. This is supposed to be an art and music-based school. Where are the fun-loving, light-hearted redirects when these children are having a hard time focusing? How about creating songs that grasp their attention? Where's the creativity? The music teacher herself is extremely rigid and treats the kids like they're trying out for a Broadway play. Beautiful productions, but way too serious. I'm fully aware of how hard it must be to teach a classroom full of young children, but the disconnect and lack of requests for parent volunteers is beyond comprehension. I never receive field trip slips (on the rare occasion they get to go on one) that call for chaperones or any notices calling for parent volunteers to join the classroom for activities. For a school that seems to battle with so many disruptions in its classrooms and assemblies, it's beyond me that there's no call for family involvement. Don't get me wrong, there are some educators and staff at View Ridge who are gems and genuinely care for these kids, but they're far from a dime a dozen. And it feels like, unless your kid is involved with their music clubs or you're on the PTA, you're met with the bare minimum and just another body in the school.

Principal is GREAT who looks after the kids, including my GRANDSON who graduated this year. May God Bless him.

As parents of three boys, we wanted to find a place where each of them could thrive in their own way. Discovery Montessori has exceeded our expectations and has been instrumental in helping all three of our sons flourish.Our oldest, who tends to be all over the place, has developed confidence and a sense of independence through the gentle encouragement of the teachers. The environment is nurturing yet structured, allowing him to explore at his own pace, while still feeling supported.For our middle child, Montessori’s hands-on, child-centered approach has been perfect for his shy and curious nature. He has embraced learning with enthusiasm and is constantly surprising us with new skills and knowledge.Our youngest, even though he’s still very little, has benefited from the Montessori environment’s focus on early learning.