Hawaii Montessori School at Kona

This is my son's third year at Hawaii Montessori School and I'm always very impressed with how thorough the student evaluations are. He loves his classroom and his teachers, and I love that he's excited to learn. The multiage classroom has really been great, I remember when he started and was one of the three year olds looking up to the bigger kids. Now I see him helping lead the younger kids and it's come nicely full circle. It's important to remember that the school is not publicly funded, and it is fully accredited which is a huge undertaking. I have friends on the mainland with children in Montessori schools that also pay a snack fee, and have mandatory volunteer hours as well, I don't think that's unusual.
--Submitted by a parent

Hawaii Montessori does decently with academics and curriculum. However, it is expensive$$$. On top of the tuition they nickel and dime you with $20 fees here, Sign up to provide snack or pay $25 when it's your turn. There the supplies fee, the mandatory tuition insurance, the mandatory service hours cleaning, doing laundry, etc. or you can just pay. Facilities are not what one would expect for a school that charges $690 a month. The executive director is a poor leader. One example is that she unilaterally implemented a late policy without giving staff or parents notice except for embedding it in a pdf newsletter that was mailed out over the weekend and started the next Monday. She talks down to people and has disrespected my wife in the way she talked to her. One positive is Miss Maya, she ought to be the executive director.
--Submitted by a parent