Hermosa Montessori School of Tucson

The environment and people here are amazing. The staff certainly care a lot about their students. However, the school is not without its problems, as is the case with any school.

I was disappointed in the overall lack of emphasis on math skills in lower grades. While Montessori works are used, I do not see them being used in the proper order or within the proper context to help with student learning. In addition, students are not taught basic math facts. Because of this, I noticed upper elementary students (grades 4-6) struggling with addition, having to count on their fingers, and not understanding how to multiply or divide.

Reading is also not taught properly here, as my child did not learn basic phonetics or how to sound out words. Most writing assignments may be completed without the use of full sentences and with obvious errors that should be brought to a student's attention, but will simply be marked on the paper with a green tortoise or smiley face as complete.

In addition, the administration often ignored my emails, failing to respond to any concerns I had or not even acknowledging the messages I sent. As a parent, this certainly felt disempowering and disappointing. So while the school itself says it promotes peace, I didn't find anything peaceful about the way I was personally treated by the administration.

If you want your child to come out with a firm foundation in mathematics and have the building blocks for strong academics, you may want to look somewhere else.

If you are looking for a holistic community with a great environment where your child can just be a kid, experience a wonderful social experience, and participate in some Montessori learning concepts, this may be the school you're looking for.

Hermosa Montessori has been an incredible blessing to our family. Our children have been so happy, and have been enjoying a wonderful education, and community through their school years at Hermosa. They have learned many valuable lessons through work, friendships, and a caring community of teachers and students. The school has also more than prepared them for their highschool years after graduating from Hermosa. We love this school!

Our 2 boys have been attending Hermosa since they began their schooling and are now in 5th grade. We have always found Hermosa to be an excellent educational experience and well as providing care, compassion, and support to the students. The genuine warmth that all staff provide is obvious and our children have benefited both as students and as maturing human beings. The boys are homeschooling currently but hope to return to the campus when the situation allows.

Bob and Anna Steele