Sawnee Elementary School

My two children attended this school. Both enjoyed their time. My son is ADD and they accommodated him as appropriate. Every school has challenges, but we had a great experience at this school.

We are currently in our second year at Ivy League Montessori School and couldn't be happier! I taught in the public school system for 8 years which often frustrated me with its ever changing curriculum and endless assessments. I had extensively researched the Montessori method, which blew me away! Montessori teaches to the whole child, not to the test. This is how all children should be taught. We had previously enrolled our then 3 year old son in another local Montessori school that he dreaded attending everyday. I just didn't feel like they really took the time to understand my son. We still really believed in the method, so we went for a tour at ILMS hoping for better results. The first time we visited we could tell it was going to be a completely different experience. The teachers and staff at ILMS are so warm and friendly. There is such a great vibe the minute you walk in the door. Ms. Jahan is my son's teacher and has made such a difference for my wild little boy! She has the right balance of high expectations with a warm and friendly heart. It was exactly what our son needed! At our first conference she knew our son inside and out and I could tell that she truly cared about his well being. My daughter is now with Ms. Charu who brings so much fun to the classroom and has been very patient with our sassy 3 year old. She shows a deep level of respect for her students and values them for the individuals they are. This is a rare find in preschool! ILMS is such a special place. Not only are my kids learning and growing everyday, I have become a better parent as I learn more about the Montessori way. I know my children are making lifelong friendships they will cherish forever. ILMS is a family that we are so grateful we found!

- The Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program is a huge disappointment. It feels like the school sold the parents a bunch of nothing just so they could get more money. They don’t teach the kids much at all, so don’t expect your child to actually learn Spanish. The Spanish teachers are the better teachers, however. They just need to advance the curriculum. - If your child is highly gifted, do not send them here, send them to Montessori or Fulton Science. The Gifted program is inadequate for those with different learning needs. My child was incredibly miserable at KME because of how stifled he was, and his teachers held him back so much that it shattered his self-esteem and he is still recovering two years later.- Similarly, if your child has an IEP or 504, this may not be the best place either. KME does the bare minimum for students. Here’s the deal. They focus on making sure all the kids do the MTSS (it basically the minimum standards-it’s a state curriculum thing) every day. It’s brainless work, but that’s why they rank high on test scores but not high on anything else. So every day the kids do their “MTSS” (the work for the day) to make sure everyone has learned whatever everyone needs to learn. It’s teaching to the lowest common denominator. But if someone needs extra help, they are screwed, because then they go on the equivalent of a company’s Performance Improvement Plan. And if a kid is ahead and already knows the information, they spend half their school day looking out the window because they aren’t allowed to do anything else (they won’t even let them read a book!).- Bullying (social/verbal/physical) is a huge problem, and teachers / staff do not manage this properly and effectively, nor do they bother to always notify parents. Teachers will also punish the victims as well, including on their report card. Teachers also do not step in when children are being racist, or when children are bullied for standing up to racism. There is so much room for improvement here.