Khalsa School

Posted: June 22, 2026

My son went to Khalsa Montessori from Kindergarten through 8th grade, and he had a great experience.  We thought the teachers there really care and the individual project-based learning was advantageous for him.  He had to learn how to manage his time to get the work done, which is a great life skill to have.  Although the learning systems at this school are non-traditional, students are required to take standardized tests to assess their learning, and Khalsa always does well when ranked against other schools.  The campus is beautiful and has a calm, nurturing feeling to it that always put me at ease.  Results may vary by individual, but my son made many friends at Khalsa and is off and ready for high school. 

Posted: June 22, 2026

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Posted: June 22, 2026

Posted: July 4, 2025

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Posted: July 4, 2025

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Posted: July 4, 2025

Posted: July 4, 2025

Posted: July 4, 2025

Posted: July 4, 2025

It’s hard to answer questions about this school because there’s very little actual learning. Yes the aspect of community, service, and environment is a priority. But I naively thought that there would be actual learning - even basic things like the alphabet, addition, subtraction are completely missed here. After years at Khalsa we were shocked to see how behind our children were. Great vibes, no instruction.

Posted: June 20, 2025

My child’s academic progress declined from above average to below state standards during their time at this school. Over the last two years, a significant concern has been the high turnover among both instructors, support staff, and administrators, which has led to a lack of continuity and alignment on how best to support teachers and students. There appears to be a disconnect between school leadership and instructional staff, resulting in inconsistent strategies and insufficient support.

Class sizes are large, and challenges with classroom behavior and student engagement are evident. Communication from teachers and administration about these classroom dynamics—and individual student struggles—is minimal, leaving many parents unaware of key issues. In my experience, parent-teacher engagement is weak, and the school community feels fragmented. Most families seem to have limited involvement beyond drop-off and pick-up, and school events often have low parent turnout.

Given these concerns, I would not recommend this school.

Posted: June 20, 2025

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Posted: August 18, 2022

My children have been there for 4 and 7 years respectively now. I have seen the quality deteriorate gradually. During the pandemic, my kids alternated as to whose class was closed, if not both. There was always an excuse-- teacher tested positive for COVID19, classmate tested positive etc. Now that the CDC has loosened their guidelines they are coming clean with sending emails regarding no staffing. They don't let parents into the school.
Thank God I work a flexible schedule from home and have parents that are happy to watch the kids. Cannot have kids at this school if you have at 8am to 5pm job. I always threaten to take my kids out but my kids have been exposed to too much change in the last few years for me to add this now. I plan to take both my kids out as soon as I think they can handle it.
Few facts over the last 3 years as they have faired poorly with the pandemic:
Infant class is closed ?80% of the time and does not have a consistent teacher . When we joined there was a 2 year wait list and now no one even wants to go! I think they have 2 infants. There were ?6 infants when my kids were there and the 2 year waitlist.
Toddler class is closed one week per month for various reasons
Primary class is closed one week per month for various reasons
Elementary has NO after care and on Wednesdays they end at noon!! Their class is also closed one week per month for various reasons
Middle school-- can't speak to this but I doubt it's any better.
They don't have consistent teachers and can't maintain a curriculum. The teachers are paid minimum wage and the school gets by with part timers so they don't have to provide benefits.

Posted: August 18, 2022

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Posted: February 23, 2021

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Posted: February 23, 2021

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Posted: February 23, 2021

Posted: February 23, 2021

Posted: February 23, 2021

I would firstly like to start with the miscellaneous negative things about this school then move on to the positive. firstly I think that the policy that prohibits students from eating meat should be completely eradicated. this is because from what I have seen this policy is not a positively affects the school. it makes it so that many students are forced to eat the same food every single day. it is also very easy to sneak meat into the school which I allegedly may have done before. secondly, there are many "simple minded" policy's in the school, especially in the upper elementary level. these policy's are ones that force people to write when they went to the bathroom and ones that silence phrases such as "why you bully me." thirdly, the dress code at this school is very 1800's. that means things like "no showing shoulders" fourthly, there is a anti-dating policy at our school which is often broken but is still actively enforced. on the flip side this school teachs great morals to students. it is also widely accepting of lgtbq and poc students.

Posted: February 2, 2018

At Khalsa School, you are not permitted to have any meat, eggs, or sugar. The dress code in the middle school prevents students from exposing their shoulders. The administration accepted letters from middle school student suggesting changes to the dress code earlier this year, but no change has been made. The shorts rule is unfair because it goes by the rule of finger; if your shorts end above the tip of your middle finger, they are too short and not permitted on campus. People have different leg lengths in comparison to their arm lengths. Also, students may not display any words on their shirts, logos on shirts can be a maximum of 3 inches by 3 inches, body parts cannot be shown on clothing, makeup is not permitted, temporary tattoos are not permitted, all piercings except for ear piercings are prohibited, you cannot wear hats indoors, you cannot have holes in your clothing, your clothing cannot be too loose and must fit well, you cannot wear distracting clothing or accessories, and, although it is not stated in the dress code, your neckline cannot be too low. This is a valid rule, but it is enforced unfairly. For example, a friend of mine has a larger chest than I do, and she wore a shirt with a lace-up front. A teacher saw her wearing the shirt and scolded her for breaking the non-existent rule. At the same time, I was wearing a shirt with a lower neckline, it's just that I have a pretty flat chest.
Teachers at Khalsa School are creepily involved in the affairs of students. They sometimes even go so far as enforcing rules that prevent students from sitting near each other during lunch or class activities, rules that prevent students from being in the same room as each other, and rules that prevent particular students from talking to each other. There is a strict no dating policy in the middle school.
Also, Khalsa School is extremely sheltered and doesn't let students experience things that other students learn things from. For example, I didn't know about the LGBTQ+ community until I was in fourth grade and a group of middle schoolers came down and did a presentation on LGBTQ+ rights.
There is a student in the after-school program who is constantly picked on by the teachers, even when he hasn't done anything wrong.
If your child learns things with hands-on materials, I would recommend this school. But if your child learns in any other way, steer clear!

Posted: February 2, 2018

In lower levels, homework is awful. But in higher levels (basically only in the tiny middle school), the homework is generally interesting and helps my classmates effectively learn the material.

Posted: February 2, 2018

My two teachers currently are OK, but one of the teachers in Upper Elementary (grades 4th through 6th), one teacher yells at her students. A couple of her students have ADHD, and she yells at them. I was in her class for three years, and it was awful.

Posted: February 2, 2018

Because of the ridiculous amount of expectations placed on students in some cases, students tend to rebel against the insane amount of expectations, and, in the process, disrespect multiple people, including teachers and students.

Posted: February 2, 2018

Most of the teachers at Khalsa tend to mess with things in the community because they think they are problems, when, really, no body really has an issue with them.

Posted: February 2, 2018

Since this is a Montessori school, teachers force you to learn in pretty much only two ways: with the five-year-old-like materials, or by listening to two and a half hour long lectures about history or science. There isn't really any hands-on science in the Upper Elementary levels, despite what teachers at the school brag. There are, however, very hands-on math works, but these don't really enforce math concepts.

Posted: February 2, 2018

There aren't many cases of bullying at Khalsa. However, after-school care teachers tend to not notice or not care when someone (mostly 1st and 2nd graders) is invading your personal space bubble. Also, when rumors arise, teachers talk about it instead of actually taking action.

Posted: April 16, 2014

This is a school that allow children to learn they way they were meant to, in a peaceful and natural way. The Montessori method has value for the whole family and Khalsa School is a great example of its merits. It's a big picture school, giving children opportunity.

Posted: October 28, 2012

Our family LOVES Khalsa. My Son and Daughter go to the Camden campus and we couldn't be happier. Teachers and staff are incredibly focused on the children they are very attentive to the children's needs, emotionally, mentally and educationally. The teachers and staff are just incredible. My children are always excited to go to school and we always feel welcome.