| School Name | Address | Phone | Grades | County | Type | District Name |
| Einstein Montessori School | 5930 SW Archer Rd
Gainesville, FL 32608 | (352) 335-4321 | 2-8 | Alachua | charter | Alachua County Public Schools |
| Students Getting Free Lunch | Year |
| 46% | 2008 |
| Date | Who | Comments |
| 10/13/2012 | parent | This school does not embody the typical Montessori school principles of self-learning and creativity. The Gainesville Montessori in Millhopper is based on rules and conformity. If your child does not "fit in", then they will be put in time out frequently. On any given day, children in the elementary program will be in time out for frivolous reasons such as not crossing your legs during circle time or running backwards during recess. As far as learning, my child was told by his teacher that he wasn't very smart. This did wonders for his self esteem. Parents with two children in this system have even voiced their concerns that their children have been compared to each other. Look, do yourself a favor and ask other parents who have their children in this school. Ask parents who have removed their children from this school. Get a real objective opinion before sending your child here. I really wished I did. There are a lot of families in Gainesville who regret sending their children here. You will too, if you don't do your research. We are learning that there are a lot of great schools in Gainesville, this isn't one of them. |
| 9/9/2009 | parent | The lack of experience from the principal is extremely disappointing. Some of the staff seems very unprofessional and I felt the teachers who were friends with the principal seemed to do what they please and were never held accountable. |
| 8/6/2009 | parent | My daughter was one of the first students of EMS. She has severe dyslexia, but went on to earn a regular diploma and is now finished one semester of college. I can't say enough for Zach and teachers and what EMS did for her life. They are a great school and a great gift to education. |
| 12/3/2008 | parent | This is a great school the teachers really care. My son has improved so much with his speech and then to reading and starting to write a lot better. He is now starting to like going to school and he is getting confidence in himself that he can do it. He is doing so much better in overall thanks to Einstein thanks to all the teachers.. |
| 10/24/2008 | parent | Einstein came highly recommended to me, by a teacher, a tutor, and a parent who did not know eachother, but all had great things to say about the school. Not only does the school provide the LIPS program, but they also provide OT as a part of students education. Trying to get these services in a public school was a nightmare to say the least. The kids are never made to feel bad, for struggling with academics, and the staff really does a good job making them feel good about school and learning. |
| 4/29/2008 | parent | I am very dissappointed with the 'administration' of this school. While the teachers are very caring and knowlegable, the principal can not be described the same way. |
| 9/18/2007 | parent | The school was great helped my child so much! He has never ben happier in his life! He also leaned so much he went from 2 grade reading level to 6 grade by the time he was in 6th grade! |
| 3/8/2006 | parent | Great School we have see our daughter blooming in to an A student, word of caution you need to be vigilant and be as much involved in the school as you can. Good leadership, opportunities for parents to participate in activities and a staff willing to assist with anything that is needed. My family is very happy we found this school with the high caliber teachers. This school has been a blessing to both all of us. Not only have we met great educators I consider them friends and the best source regarding how is my daughter ding at school so my approval with them is a 100% Doug Vergne R.N. |
| 10/29/2005 | parent | This school is the first one my son has ever enjoyed attending. The class sizes are small and when I ask for help in becoming involved in his schoolwork, the teachers are very receptive. They have creative ways of handling kids that have a difficult time focusing. My son can't sit still in class, they allow him to stand which he prefers as well as let him borrow a 'Squishy seat' which also allows him to keep the focus on work and not on wiggling around in class. It is unlike any other public school we've been to and a belssing. |
| 10/23/2005 | parent | This school has made a tremendous difference in my son's outlook towards learning. He bragged to strangers the first year that he attended Einstein. The teachers really focused on my son's weaknesses and found creative ways to help correct them. Since the students there do have many different levels of learning ability, my only suggestion to parents thinking of enrolling their child at Einstein would be to make sure you are involved! Know what level your child is at and make sure that the teacher is offering enough challenging assignments to keep them interested. On a few occasions, I have felt that the staff has a tendancy of not pushing to hard since most students do have some form of learning problem. When discussed, however, the teachers were very willing to help me make sure my son was working to his full potential. |
| 4/27/2004 | parent | My child has severe dyslexia. He has excelled at this school, where emphasis is placed on special teaching techniques for this disorder. He entered in the 1st grade and now is finishing 5th. I find the teachers responsive and very dedicated. If your child has trouble with reading or writing, is going to be held back, is not getting proper education in the regular public school system, please give EMS a try. My son has done amazingly well learning to overcome his difficulties with dyslexia, all due to this school. I rate it the highest score possible. |
| 11/6/2003 | parent | My son, Matt, attended Einstein from the day it opened until his graduation last June from the 8th grade, and now attends Desoto charter high, a similar type school. I could never say enough positive things about Einstein. Matt was unhappy in public school and was way behind academically. He sparkled at Einstein, the teachers and all staff are terrific and he was taught at a pace that allowed him to improve greatly in his academic areas and his positive feelings about himself. I can't imagine where he would be socially and academically today if he had not attended this school. For anyone considering it, I say, give your child this chance and you will always be pleased with your decision. Sharon Parr |
| 10/11/2003 | teacher | I am an aide at this school and I think it is a good school because staff members all give 110% effort and learn from each other. There is a spirit of caring and respect pervading all of our behavior. There are many enriching projects happening which are purely due to volunteerism, including fine arts in afterschool, aquariums which the children help care for, school-wide recycling and composting. We get out of each day all that we put in to it, and the children definitely benefit. |
| 8/30/2003 | parent | I think that this school is excellent! Sure these kids are a little more difficult to teach, but they are thriving wonderfully! |
| 8/4/2003 | parent | This is an excellent school doing a great job with a difficult population of students and many parents who cannot be bothered to show up for anything.I am very grateful to the school for improving my son's life and our family life. |
| 5/19/2003 | | There are several areas I would like to address regarding this school, the first being this is not a montessori school!!! The name is misleading. My child (who is dyslexic and gifted, plus has ADHD) attended this school as a 1st grader. The teacher turnover was very high (4 teachers in one academic year) and very little classroom discipline was offered. The classroom was extremely noisy, making it even more difficult to focus and attend to any material being presented. The only true redeeming area was teaching reading by using the Lindamood Bell system (LIPS). The computer program portion was excellent, as it not only taught phonemic awareness and decoding skills, it also allowed for greater attention to the task as students wore good quality headphones that drowned out the classroom noise. The computer program also allowed students to work at their own pace and offered immediate feedback. While my child was in attendance at Einstein, it was clear that this school was not equipped to deal with children having special needs beyond language problems, developmental delays, ADD, etc. When my child began to attend public school the following year, it took almost a year and a half to eradicate many of the negative behaviors he had picked up from from observing his peers at Einstein including spitting, biting, scratching, kicking, throwing objects, etc. In addition, it seems that my child, being one of the youngest in a mixed 1st thru 3rd grade class was smaller than most of the other children and was often picked on by older students, as reported to me by teachers. While my child had a terrible experience at this school, I must say that the teachers were all very nice. I appreciated their efforts, but it was clear that they were often just as frustrated as my child. Most were not very experienced (the teacher my child had for 4 months was a 1st year teacher) and I think a lack of guidance from the principal (who was not an educator by profession) made their job that much more difficult. |
