We are current Brooksfield parents and have been notified that Brooksfield has found a new home in Vienna in the Tower Club Building. However we do not recommend Brooksfield. It is essentially run by several Karens who are administrative staff with no actual head of school. Teachers are not bad but nothing to shout about. We will be switching next year (regardless of location change).

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why someone on DCUM keeps suggesting Brooksfield is about to close. It is untrue. School says it is not closing. Actively looking for new students next year.

My guess is that someone whose DC was not accepted is axe grinding.

Nobody said Brooksfield is about to close, Francis.

The facts are: (i) they have to vacate their current premises by August 31 of next year; and (ii) it takes a lot of time and effort to find a new place and get it ready before the start of the new school year. It's not impossible and I'm sure you're right that they are actively looking for new students. I also know (our child attended Brooksfield several years back and I'm still on their mailing list) that several families are trying to help find the school find a new location. I hope they are successful because our family had a good experience and I wish B'field all the best for many years to come.

But any parent who is considering the school as a place for their child needs to take their current situation and potential risks into account. Don't just rely on the fact that the school is continuing to look for new students. Ask questions about the status of their campus search. And apply to other schools. If Brooksfield can't tell you that they definitively have a campus facility final (i.e., a signed lease agreement) and have a plan for getting classrooms ready in time for September, by the time you need to make a decision and put down a deposit, think very carefully.

Not sure why someone on DCUM keeps suggesting Brooksfield is about to close. It is untrue. School says it is not closing. Actively looking for new students next year.

My guess is that someone whose DC was not accepted is axe grinding.

Its actually pretty hard to complete a buildout and get a school licensed so if Brooksfield doesn't have a plan by now it may be tough for them.

Anonymous wrote:Brooksfield has to find a new home by end of August 2025. The church where they have their lease wants to use the facilities so the lease is getting terminated (but B'field can stay through end of the summer).

They certainly have multiple options nearby. There is another closed Methodist church in McLean that the church district would be happy to lease to someone. There is a Presbyterian church on Westmoreland with a big Educational wing, lots of classroom space, a fenced play area, and is on a pretty big parcel. Either of those would provide better facilities than their current church.

We applied to Brooksfield and would have attended, but we did not get in.

Brooksfield has to find a new home by end of August 2025. The church where they have their lease wants to use the facilities so the lease is getting terminated (but B'field can stay through end of the summer).

A real strength of most Montessori schools is curriculum. Montessori teaches both math concepts and also computation in a good way, with hands on materials like number rods and short/long chains.

Also Montessori is very good for reading, because Montessori always uses a Phonics-centered curriculum, so students learn to sound out unfamiliar words. They teach letters, then teach Phonics, and then teach reading. So they build a solid literacy foundation.

No “4th grader cannot really read” surprises with Montessori, unlike the widely adopted, but now discredited “Lucy Calkins” whole language/balanced reading crap method.

Very happy with MSM for Preschool thru Lower Elementary; no experience yet with upper elementary.

Solid curriculum, lots of open classroom time with DC able to choose what to do. We have always had good teachers. We Like their Spanish, music, science, and outdoor classroom “specials” also.

A few kids leave for K at little Langley or Potomac or Beauvoir or APS. A few more kids leave after 3rd grade - mostly direct into Fairfax County AAP. They manage to keep most students from toddler through at least 3rd grade, which is a good indicator. There are, I think, 4 Primary classrooms and 3 Lower Elementary classrooms.

So we don't go there, but we toured for next year and really liked it. Campus was beautiful, everyone seemed friendly, our daughter seemed comfortable immediately and that was just on the tour. I hadn't considered Montessori, but I feel like it would be a good fit for my daughter and I love the outdoor and mindfulness focus - it definitely aligns with our lifestyle and values. Curious to hear reviews of current families there too, as there don't seem to be many out there.

DP. Just a guess. Montessori School of McLean is located maybe 1 mile east of Brooksfield, also on Kirby Road, but just east of Old Dominion Drive. MSM recently purchased its campus from the (now relocated) church which it had been renting from for many years, according to the local free weekly newspaper.

Both schools have good reputations on DCUM. I would suggest visiting both, and maybe even applying to both, for demand for Montessori PreK/K slots exceeds supply, at least in N Arlington and McLean.

Anonymous wrote:We were there for a year (several years ago) and had a really good experience. Great teacher and overall environment for our DC. At DC's prior daycare they were crying almost every day before dropoffs (kids snatching toys from each other and basically being jerks, with no real monitoring/intervention from staff). At Brooksfield, at pickup the after the 3rd or 4th day, DC just spontaneously started skipping on the way back to our car and shouted out "I love my new schooooool!!!" We enjoyed the artwork that came home and the school performances and so on, and DC seemed very genuinely happy and supported there.

Our only gripe was the facilities. DC's "classroom" was basically some partially separated off section of the church basement, and while it had all the Montessori materials and was fine in that regard, there was almost no natural light and it just felt a bit depressing to imagine DC in that space the majority of the day. But even if the the space wasn't bright and cheerful, at least the staff and other kids all seemed to be!

They did get outdoor/nature time (in addition to playground time), although the playground was a bit small-scale (fine for most 3/4 yos, but felt like it'd be outgrown by your typical 5 yo). Primarily because of the facilities concern, when the opportunity came to attend our first choice Montessori nearby the following year (with lots of natural light and a very large playground), we took advantage of it and left Brooksfield, albeit with fond memories.

The first year at the other Montessori we somewhat regretted our choice as DC did not mesh well with the teacher's style (and that seems much more important than facilities), but DC swapped teachers the following year and finally had the ideal blend we sought of great facilities and a teacher who brought out the best in DC and supported his development. DC2 has followed in DC1's footsteps and had that ideal blend experience throughout.

All in all, while I think we would have been just fine at Brooksfield and think positively of it, we just ultimately found an even better fit for those early years of education and development for our kids.

Thanks! If you don’t mine me asking, which Montessori did your DC end up at? We’ve applied to a few in the area and I’m also a bit concerned about facilities at Brooksfield (DC will be 3 this Fall).

Love Brooksfield! We were there for 4 years with two children. Our youngest graduated the program last year. Both kids had excellent teachers and it was always a very warm and happy environment. They have since started elementary school and were very well prepared both academically and socially. Our children still love it and are enrolled to go back for summer camp.

We were there for a year (several years ago) and had a really good experience. Great teacher and overall environment for our DC. At DC's prior daycare they were crying almost every day before dropoffs (kids snatching toys from each other and basically being jerks, with no real monitoring/intervention from staff). At Brooksfield, at pickup the after the 3rd or 4th day, DC just spontaneously started skipping on the way back to our car and shouted out "I love my new schooooool!!!" We enjoyed the artwork that came home and the school performances and so on, and DC seemed very genuinely happy and supported there.

Our only gripe was the facilities. DC's "classroom" was basically some partially separated off section of the church basement, and while it had all the Montessori materials and was fine in that regard, there was almost no natural light and it just felt a bit depressing to imagine DC in that space the majority of the day. But even if the the space wasn't bright and cheerful, at least the staff and other kids all seemed to be!

They did get outdoor/nature time (in addition to playground time), although the playground was a bit small-scale (fine for most 3/4 yos, but felt like it'd be outgrown by your typical 5 yo). Primarily because of the facilities concern, when the opportunity came to attend our first choice Montessori nearby the following year (with lots of natural light and a very large playground), we took advantage of it and left Brooksfield, albeit with fond memories.

The first year at the other Montessori we somewhat regretted our choice as DC did not mesh well with the teacher's style (and that seems much more important than facilities), but DC swapped teachers the following year and finally had the ideal blend we sought of great facilities and a teacher who brought out the best in DC and supported his development. DC2 has followed in DC1's footsteps and had that ideal blend experience throughout.

All in all, while I think we would have been just fine at Brooksfield and think positively of it, we just ultimately found an even better fit for those early years of education and development for our kids.

My dc went there but we pulled out after a year. His main teacher was quite mean and I saw her in action on several field trips. Also they were quite unconcerned when I reported a bullying incident. His teacher even said that kids tend to over exaggerate things without having witnessed the incident herself. Because of those reasons we left. They were quite heavy on the fund raising though. The teacher who gave music lessons and after care staff were nice however.

Looking for current/former parents of kids who attended Brooksfield Montessori in McLean, particularly at the primary level. There seem to be mixed feelings on this board, and not a ton of recent reviews. Love what I see on their site but am wondering if that impression holds true. Appreciate any insights as admissions decisions are around the corner.