Reviews
Scroll to read reviews from JBS parents.
“My children LOVE this school - from the teachers to the students to the challenging curriculum. Julia Brown integrates compassion into their teaching standards, emphasizes the importance of values, and builds leaders through each of their classes and lessons. Though it is a small school, it allows for a lower student to teacher ratio, giving children more confidence when asking questions, engage in group activities, and opportunities for one-on-one time with the teachers. Teachers are passionate about seeing their students succeed..."
"Our son has thrived in the elementary class at JBS. For two years in that cohort, he has come home excited about learning, particularly in the areas of math, Latin, and history. We have been pleased to see the school promote and help develop skills like research, public speaking, and how to use a dictionary, and greatly appreciate that his teachers help ensure the curriculum meets our son where he is at and provides further challenges — so he can advance in areas where he excels and continue to grow and learn. He (and we) have also really enjoyed the hands on, interactive lessons, as well as the class-wide projects and events that the students prepare for parents. It’s wonderful when our son comes home bursting with excitement to share with us what he learned each day at school!"
"My son (32 months) loves JBS-Columbia, and so does mom & dad. This school has provided us with a level of comfort indescribable. Since enrolling a year ago, our son's Intellect has grown tremendously, the environment helps to balance and support his energetic nature and curiosity for learning. The teachers are calm, tenured and caring. The parent community is wonderful as well, we socialize with one another and make sure to catch phone numbers when we find our that our kids are really good friends. We are deeply appreciative of the JBS' community!"
“We have sent both of our children here starting from 18 months until 5 years old. Our children love the teachers and staff, which makes us so happy with our choice for childcare. The teachers are great communicators; they call you with urgent issues during the day, give you brief updates at pickup and are always happy to answer questions. In addition, they have parent teacher conferences (for toddlers!) to keep us in the loop. If you ever get a chance to observe the classroom, it's amazing how one teacher that can control so many kids in silence with only sign language, even though they are all working independently. We highly Recommend JBS.”
"The Julia Brown Schools is the best Montessori school in Maryland. Their staff is very professional, and their facility is clean and safe, which makes the learning experience better for the students. All three of my children have attended Julia Brown and they are thriving in their academics. The learning experience teaches students to be forward thinkers, independent, and goal setters. Julia Brown School is a great choice."
"I can't say enough about the experience my children had while they attended. Not only did they thrive academically, but socially and emotionally too. The atmosphere of the school is nurturing in every aspect. The owners and teachers care about the whole child, not only if they are learning to read, but also if they are eating well, resting well, and playing well. What a relief as a parent to drop them off every day without worry. I knew what a treasure this school was then, and it has been highlighted even more since we have experienced other schools."
"Julia Brown has been a great school for my son. He has been attending full time for over one year since he was 3 years old and he loves his school. He never puts up a fuss about going in the morning and is always so happy to go and see his friends. The routine, structure, calm environment and time tested Montessori approach make Julia Brown a gem of a school...My son is very happy here and has told me he doesn’t want to leave his school on multiple occasions. He has gained a lot of independence and learned a lot from this school. Highly recommend."
"Moving to this school has been the best decision for our family! I was a little bit worried at first when I read reviews online but I'm so glad I didn't let that stop me from making the move! The Montessori way is awesome! Both of my children (2 and 3 years old) have learned how to focus on tasks, be disciplined and work independently. The progress my children have made in just 3 months has been tangible and something that my husband and I both marvel at. The teachers and staff have been warm, caring and very understanding! I feel and see it in the daily interaction but also on an organizational level."
"My son has attended Julia Brown for over two years, and it has been a wonderful experience. The Montessori curriculum has been great for him, he's learned to be an independent child who isn't afraid of learning new things. I also love the fact that he interacts with mixed ages of children throughout the day, it's taught him how to behave with kids other than ones that are his own age. The teachers are loving, caring, and world class. I couldn't be happier that we made the switch to Julia Brown."
"We believed that it was the best choice to join the JBS community. We’re truly grateful for all you’ve done for Alice these past three years. Alice has grown into an incredible, eager and motivated little girl, and we credit JBS for most of that. The things she has learned, both educational as well as life lessons have been far beyond what we could have imagined from a Montessori school."
"If I could describe JBS in a few words I would say it is "the joy of learning". That is what I see in both our children. They are proud, enthusiastic, confident and SO excited to learn and engage the world around them. I could NOT be more grateful for the dedication and skills of their teachers and support staff. It is so amazing to have a partner in our children's school that values health (nutrition and daily play) and education. THANK YOU JBS!"
“We wanted to share the good news that one of your former students will be graduating from high school tomorrow with a 4.1 GPA. From pre-K at JBMS through 12th grade graduation, Ian has only known the Montessori way of being, learning, and becoming extraordinary with his peers, teachers, the care of animals, and the love of his greater community. Thank you for laying the foundation for academic and "life excellence" while we lived in Maryland, and for setting the bar high so that he continued to excel in North Carolina.”
"My child attended Julia Brown School in Silver Spring for two years, from 18 months old to 3.5 years old, starting in the toddler program and moving into primary at about age 2.5. I cannot speak highly enough about it. He was very happy there, made several good friends, and learned a lot. He was always excited to go in and see his friends and teachers every day. We would have stayed through the whole program, but only left because we were moving out of state. The Montessori method is very good for small children. Going into it, I could not believe that they could really get my wild and chaotic toddler to set up his own mat, get his "work" from the shelf, follow its instructions, and put it back, but that's exactly what he started doing in a surprisingly short amount of time. JBS is good with communication, using a combination of email and the Brightwheel app. There are in-class observation days as well as parent-teacher conferences with progress reports. They don't do religious holidays, but they do have a few festival days where parents sign up to bring in snacks or cutlery or whatever, and there is a big event at the end of the school year including a graduation ceremony. They also do in-school birthday celebrations if you want, or they will help facilitate sending external birthday party invitations to your child's class. We particularly appreciated that, because those birthday parties were a great way to meet our child's friends and their parents, and coordinate other play dates. JBS is a school, not just a childcare facility, so it follows the school year and school hours, even for pre-k age children. They do also have before/after care (which we used) and a summer program (which we also used). Our biggest worry when starting there was that some reviews mentioned high turnover rates among the non-teaching assistants. We did see some turnover, but it never struck me as particularly high. There were some non-teaching staff who were there the entire two years. And all of the staff, including non-teaching assistants, seemed well-trained and professional."
"My children have had a wonderful experience at Julia Brown School (Columbia location). They have learned so much academically and I also love to see their social development. The teachers allow students to grow at their own pace (a hallmark of the Montessori approach) and that helps to build their confidence. My babies really enjoy learning and love their school in general, and we will miss the school when it's time to move on."
"After finishing military life in the middle of the school year and moving to Maryland, I was nervous that I would not be able to find suitable Preschool programs for my daughter. JBS to the rescue! My daughter was quite excited about school, which was helpful but JBS confirmed all of her excitement about her first school experience. She is in the afternoon program, but after the first day of school (giant smile clearly visible under her mask) she asked if she could go for a “longer day.” And every Saturday morning she can’t help but be a little disappointed that she can’t go to school. I cannot think of a better testimonial. Her directresses and the assistants went above and beyond to ensure my daughter felt welcome despite starting the school year much later. She has been absolutely thriving! I’m amazed every single day about the amount of wonderful knowledge and skills that my daughter has gained in such a short time at JBS! We cannot wait to take her next year to Kindergarten where she will finally be able to “go for a longer day!” Thank you JBS for such an enlightening school experience."
"My child has been attending JBS Silver Spring the past two years and what an amazing school this is! This school provides children such a nurturing, safe and creative environment to learn. The educators are very attentive to the kids and know their kids very well. Every one we met so far has been so kind and caring and enjoy being with the kids. The Montessori curriculum has prepared my five year old to become such an independent, articulate and creative child. She is reading, excelling in math, science and many other general and social skills necessary to master. She now is excited to start the kindergarten program in the fall. The individual attention given to students and their families is commendable! My child is even learning sign language at this school and teaching us. There are so many great things about this school and I am always thankful to have found this school!"