Step By Step Montessori Schools of Maple Grove

Small classrooms, great and caring staff! This is a wonderful school in a large school district.

Rice Lake Elementary used to be a very good school that I felt good about sending my children to. The two rounds of previous principals and the interim principal saw the school through a number of changes and there were the normal growing pains, but it was still a good school. Hiring the new/current principal after covid was a huge detriment to this school and I would no longer send my children there. I would even send my child to another district before sending my child to this school now under the current leadership (or lack thereof). It speaks volumes that almost all of the experienced and long-standing teachers that helped to make Rice Lake the strong school it was, left within a year of the new/current principal. While I have nothing against the principal personally, after many conversations with staff and other parents, she seems severely lacking in leadership and management skills. The principal has a very passive-aggressive style with staff and parents alike and it is very hard to get her to confront and address most problems. She seems to run the school like a click and if you get on her 'good side' and 'butter her up', you are in the in-crowd, but if you have an issue or concern that needs addressing, you are likely to be ignored. She seems to hide from problems - unwilling to meet with people, including staff, to address things. She gives the appearance of involvement, but she hides from problems. It is truly shocking just how avoidant this principal is and how much she brushes things aside and hides under a rug. My greatest complaint with what her lack of good leadership has done to the school is the safety concerns that have developed. Because of unwillingness to confront people and deal with problems, major student safety issues have developed and bullies and poorly behaved students now dominate the school. There are too many parent reports of assault to their students by 'bullies' that will not be addressed, let alone prevented. Under this principal, students no longer feel physically safe, which makes for a difficult learning environment. There is little to no accountability for disrespectful, let alone, unsafe behavior. Since the new/current principal has also caused most of the experienced teachers to leave, much of the staff is very 'green' and don't have experienced mentors for guidance. It is truly a sad situation what this school has become.

Oak View Elementary is such a great school. The teachers are amazing (some have even been nominated for best teacher!) and the staff is so welcoming. It feels like a real community where everyone knows your kids and looks out for them. The building and classrooms are awesome too. Our kids love going to Oak View and we feel lucky to be part of it.

This school is amazing. I've had three kids go here from four star on and they have thrived. So many opportunities and events. Great staff, volunteers, and PTO.

Frienly staffs. They’re always taking care my children during dropping off hours. They’re deserved 5 stars.

I would like to preface that I do not care if you are religious, homosexual, believe in evolution or don’t; none of that matters to me. What does matter to me is inexcusable intolerantly and pure hate. The curriculum itself was complicit in promoting homophobia. Discussions of LGBTQ+ topics were presented in a negative light, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and misconceptions. The lack of education and open dialogue surrounding sexual orientation only served to further marginalize and isolate LGBTQ+ students. It is crucial for educational institutions to provide a safe space for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation, and this school fell drastically short in that regard. I’ve known people of color that went to this school and had similar experiences with their race or ethnicity being targeted. If you’re thinking of sending your children to this school please confirm with them that they wouldn’t mind this. If they are not white or straight, this school may not be for them