Beddow School

Posted: April 15, 2022

This is an excellent school! I would recommend it to anyone wanting their child or children to succeed academically! My adult kids attended this school and now my granddaughter attends. I am so glad that it's here! The staff is very caring and cultivates independence in the child. If you try it, you will be glad that you did.

Posted: April 15, 2022

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Posted: September 3, 2021

This is a gem of a little school that has been a savior for me and my family during Covid. The new head of school Ms. L is a refreshing change and she has big plans for the school. I'm excited to be a part of its new growth. Both of my kids (one in primary, one in elementary) have had a great time and made great educational strides since they enrolled in January 2021. I enthusiastically recommend this school.

Posted: September 3, 2021

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Posted: June 8, 2021

We really had a great experience this school year during the COVID pandemic. The Staff was very friendly and made sure all of the protocols were followed during the school year. I was very impressed with how they handle all situations not matter how large or small, I am really glad that I am sending my daughter here. She has really learned so much and I can't wait to see what the new year will bring.

Posted: June 8, 2021

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Posted: January 20, 2020

We’ve loved our experience at Beddow, and we value the Montessori education they receive there.

Posted: January 20, 2020

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Posted: January 16, 2020

Exceptionally high! Love this school and environment our kids are able to grow and develop in!

Posted: January 16, 2020

The child is responsible for completing their work. This is the Montessori way. Teachers are engaged and are always available for a parent teacher conference to see your child’s progress. Love hearing about what my kids did at school today!

Posted: January 16, 2020

The sole reason we send our kids to this school is because of the talented teachers. Love the school and love the teachers.

Posted: January 16, 2020

Children are expected to resolve their differences and go outside A TON. Love it!

Posted: January 16, 2020

Walk the grounds, meet the teachers, and see the kids. You will understand what a great place this is to give your kids.

Posted: January 16, 2020

I have personally seen the teachers and staff work to adapt to what each child needs in order to thrive.

Posted: January 16, 2020

Children are expected to resolved their differences at this school and are provided the environment to do so. If only congress could take a lesson from these kids!

Posted: July 17, 2019

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Posted: July 17, 2019

The owner is rude and disrespectful to students and parents alike

Posted: July 17, 2019

Posted: July 17, 2019

They had numerous Incidents about bullying and they did nothing about unless it involved the owners grandchild

Posted: July 17, 2019

Not good at all would never tell anyone to go here

Posted: May 27, 2019

About half of the day is spent doing individual activities on a lesson plan. The students have a chance to excel at their own pace and receive targeted coaching and mentoring as needed.

Posted: May 27, 2019

I know etiquette is written as part of the curriculum and taught in the classroom environment. I have witnessed a few times teachers getting the kids to solve their own problems. This is nothing extraordinary but what you would do as a parent seeing two kids bickering. I like that there is a classroom conflict code.. Mostly the kids are well-behaved and the classroom is calm even with the open classroom and freedom of movement of Montessori. There have been a small number of students that were dismissed for excessive harassment.

Posted: May 27, 2019

From what I understand Montessori schools tend to avoid homework and this holds true for the lower elementary (grades 1-3) at Beddow. Homework is actively discouraged even for making up a lesson or activity which was not completed in class or to get ahead. The idea behind the lack of homework is not to overwhelm the child. As a parent though of course I provide my child with tangential and supplemental off-the-cuff learning as much as I can (for example, "astrophysicist" was nearly pronounced correctly when prompted when the word showed up as a caption on TV).

Posted: May 27, 2019

My child has been in the primary class (pre-k and kindergarten), the lower elementary class (grades 1-3) and summer camp at The Beddow School. Classroom management has been good and conflicts among students are usually handled well. The learning environment seems interactive, interesting and fun enough with a decent mix of individual activities, crafts and projects, and group lessons. The smaller class size (~14 students) helps with classroom management and learning.

Posted: May 27, 2019

I believe these traits are instilled in the students over time by instruction and example from the teachers but I am unaware of specific character building activities that are part of the curriculum.

Posted: May 27, 2019

Personally the leadership effective for me (see reason for neutral rating below). I consider the leadership to be Mrs. Beddow, the teachers and admin staff as they all have a role in shaping how well the school functions. I have had no personal problems with Mrs. Beddow, or any of my child's teachers, assistants and the admin staff. The few concerns I have had were addressed and handled over time satisfactorily. Also, a few times a teacher let me know of small problems my child was having like incomplete assignments, etc. and I was able to work with the teacher to solve the problems. Communication overall is reasonably good especially from the teachers. Progress reports help me know my child's strengths and deficiencies and how I might be able to make adjustments as a parent, even at home.

My neutral rating overall is because too many parents are unsatisfied or worse. The negative comments you see here and elsewhere generally reflect the same sentiment I have personally observed of others. Too many parents have pulled their kids out for what seems like trivial issues of personality conflicts with teachers, staff or Mrs. Beddow. Others parents have had problems not handled to their satisfaction. Because of the amount of dissatisfaction I feel there is a pervasive, subtle uneasiness at the school. Unhappy parents tend to voice their gripes with other parents and those feelings are difficult to allay.

I hope the leadership can focus more on the positives which should elevate the mood of parents so that enrollment increases and the school building becomes full with eventually more selective admissions. An analogy to a church holds true: a sanctuary no matter the size should be full on Sunday, and if not, something is wrong. When I see other private schools at capacity like The Potomac School with 1000+ students, competitive admission and $35K tuition in an area with 10-rated public schools, I know something is wrong at Beddow but I'm not sure what it is or how it can be fixed.

On a positive note a few parents have pulled their kids only to return in subsequent years. The school is run and scheduled well. The education routine seems fine such as school events, field trips, outings, holidays, length of school day, learning schedules in the classroom, etc. The entryway at the school was upgraded a few years ago which gave the building a better appearance.

Posted: May 27, 2019

Overall my experience has been good and we plan to have our child at the school for at least two more years. I recommend this school. The quality of education is good and my child has been inspired enough by various activities in the classroom to ask more about them at home. All of the parents I have spoken to are friendly and concerned. The tuition is relatively low compared to other private schools in the DC area and the small class size allows for a good amount of one-on-one instruction with the teacher.

The reading and writing instruction at the school is excellent. Exposure to big words and cursive happen early. That is not to mean other subjects like math are lacking but I have been impressed by the complexity of words, sentence exposure and the amount of reading and writing that is done in the classroom across various subjects.

Posted: March 4, 2019

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Posted: March 4, 2019

We had a very bad experience. This school was great for our older kid but financial problems have led to changes. Ms. Beddow has zero ability to work with or communicate with others. she is offensive. When our child had problems she attacked and caused a stigma that made it worse. The teachers don't have leadership or direction and the turnover is high. They lost two satellite schools and I can't imagine things improving when Ms Beddow is rude to people and won't change. Its sad because they had something good here. All the high school kids quit because it's just too small and they don't have enough growth opportunities. Don't send your kid here. That makes me sad to say.

Posted: March 4, 2019

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Posted: June 23, 2018

They don’t give homework even to upper elementary

Posted: June 23, 2018

The children overall behaved well together. Some older kid bullying

Posted: June 23, 2018

No transparency. Avoids the parents. Outright refuses to listen to the parents . The teachers appeared frightened and censored

Posted: June 23, 2018

Posted: June 23, 2018

Posted: June 23, 2018

Not a good year . Hope they do better

Posted: April 29, 2018

We did not want to send our child to public school, we happened to find the Beddow School, and we could not be happier. It is the best private school we could of found. The teachers are excellent and the admin. Is always sending out emails informing of activities and any reminders. I can't imagine ever sending my child to another school, The Beddow School has set the standards high! We love this school and are so glad to have found it.

Posted: April 29, 2018

NO homework is given unless work is not completed in class

Posted: April 29, 2018

STUDENTS are very well mannered and learn to respect each other. They also are taught to think for themselves and encouraged to.

Posted: April 29, 2018

Posted: April 29, 2018

Every student learns at there own pace.

Posted: April 29, 2018

We have had a problem with students who bully and it has been corrected immediatly. Without any parent needing to say anything it has been solved.

Posted: January 18, 2017

Our kids went to this school for 5 years. We finally gave up and moved to Ellicott City for better education system. In our opinion, there is not a single good school in this area including Clinton, Fort Washington, and Oxon Hill.
We used to believe that sending our kids to a private school, although it is expensive, would be better than public schools. But we were wrong, especially sending the kids this school. I first noticed when comparing my kids with friends' kids from other counties. Although my kids performed well at Beddow, they are far behind my friends' kids who are attending public schools of other counties. It turned out to be true. My kids are currently struggling so much to catch up with their classmates in Ellicott City.
In sum, for those who believe Beddow providing better education, they should think twice. Yes, this is private, but it is not better than public at all. Their curriculum is far below public schools. A lot of subjects are missing. There is no competition since the number of students in each class is only few. Furthermore, it is hard to evaluate since Beddow replaces teachers every year. Most teachers are from foreign country.
For those parents who are living in this area and willing to pay for better education, do your math again. You wont get what you pay for at this school.

Posted: January 18, 2017

Posted: January 18, 2017

Posted: January 18, 2017

Posted: January 18, 2017

This is far behind if comparing with other kids from other schools.

Posted: January 18, 2017

There is no way to evaluate teachers since they replace teachers every year.

Posted: January 18, 2017

This school has no homework. I guess because it is Montessori.

Posted: April 29, 2013

I think the review written on 4/6/13 is spot-off. You will never find a head of school who is more dedicated to the education and well-being of the students than the head of school at Beddow. I wish the public schools offered extra-curricurular activities - period - for the amount of taxes that I pay. Latin is offered at the Beddow high school level, not the Montessori level. Also, the point is that your child is exposed to a foreign language. Perhaps parents need to remember that free play is an important part of growing up. You don't need to structure your child's time 24-7. Please don't let your guilt at not being there for your child get confused with providing extra-curricular activities. I graduated from this school in the early '80's and now my children attend. I am an extremely successful, well-educated adult thanks to my Montessori education, and my children are excelling in this Montessori environment. If it weren't for the administrative head, I would never be able to afford Montessori education for my children. Thank you Beddow for providing a safe environment and an excellent education for my children at an affordable price!

Posted: April 5, 2013

The teachers at this school are committed to teaching the children and foster a great love for learning. My child is inspired and is at a higher learning level than her peers at other schools. The administrative head at the school is extremely difficult and although she may be well-respected by other Montessori educators, she does little to earn or deserve the respect of parents or students. I wish the school offered more extracurricular activities and was competitive in its educational offerings (languages (only French or Latin (???!!) are offered), arts, etc.). My daughter is doing well, and I believe in the Montessori educational methods, but not sure if this particular school is a long-term educational option for our family.

Posted: February 7, 2013

upper elementary teacher is excellent, as attested to by the achievement of her students. Don't know what the poster meant , because all teachers in md must have at least a BA and a Montessori certificate and the teachers at the Beddow School certainly have this.

Posted: February 6, 2012

The lower elementary teachers are very good. If your child is upper elementary age, please please look elsewhere. Security is lax as anyone can walk into the school and the front office is sometimes not covered. The principal, when you can get a hold of her, is detached and lacks leadership skills. Ask tough questions; ask about teachers' degress and credentials; ask to talk to other parents.