Lighthouse Academy of Fredericksburg

I have read through the comments with lower ratings and have to disagree. Their statements indicate that they do not truly understand Montessori.nMontessori is not about a structured curriculum or a teacher-led classroom. There are only a handful of classes because they have multiage classrooms where the students, not only learn from the teachers, but also from their peers. This goes to the three stages of mastery: see it, demonstrate it, teach it.nAdditionally, Montessori is not about teaching the children facts, but teaching them how to learn. The teachers are supposed to be guides in learning.nThe school mixes true Montessori with some structure to help the acceptance of academics as they move on to other places like college or public school. In my opinion, I would prefer that they not have as much structure.nLighthouse is an ever evolving school. Their focus is providing the best that they can for the kids.nIf your goal is to drill knowledge into your child, this school is not for you. If your goal is to grow and nurture your child as a whole, come check them out!

I go to Lighthouse! It’s really fun and helps me educationally. The teachers are understanding and you feel like you have a personal relationship with them.

We found the academics here to be sorely lacking, with very few materials or resources, limited instruction time for students, a curriculum that does not resemble the one promised, no record-keeping or progress reports, and minimal communication with parents.nnThe Lower Elementary Head Teacher and Owner of the school refused to communicate with us and in fact treated us as a nuisance every time we attempted to ask her questions. When we expressed concern that our daughter in her first grade class was not learning to read, we were told that she must have a learning disability. We had her evaluated and no disability was found. We then discovered that this teacher/owner was actually leaving the classroom on a regular basis to go work out at the gym, and having the school’s Office Manager (who has absolutely no experience or training) give our daughter lessons. When we expressed disapproval over this, we were met with anger. This is just one example out of many that led us to conclude that Lighthouse Academy is not what it pretends to be.nnAfter vocalizing our very real, very justified concerns, we felt mistreated and vilified by most of the administration. We found the owners, teachers, and administrative staff to be immature, unprofessional, and disinterested in improving what is a poorly run operation. We finally had no recourse but to pull our children out.nnWe are filled with regret that we did not do our due diligence and better research whether this school has the proper accreditation and teacher-credentials to deliver what they promote. The truth is that Lighthouse Academy has no accreditation whatsoever. They operate as a for-profit business and therefore are not monitored or regulated by any governing agency, board of directors, or department of education. Furthermore, only a handful of the teachers here even have a college degree. A true Montessori method is used sparingly if at all. We know of SO MANY students who have left the school because their academic progress stagnated here. They were forced to repeat grades and make desperate attempts to catch up. This school fails children on a regular basis and simply couldn't care less about it. So very sad.

This school I'd amazing. I am a student there and even help start a class, ASL.

Heard great things about the school along with teachers.