Hill Point Montessori School

Ms. Dayani is a wonderful owner and manager of the school. The staff have been handpicked and provide a caring and educational environment to the students and to their fellow employees. The children are so happy to come to school and to learn. I had a such great experience with this school!

I am a parent whose child is in the upper elementary class at Hill Point. I am deeply impressed with the Montessori approach of working in groups and working at your own pace, and believe that in the near future, it will be proven that this the best way for all children to learn. Many charters and tech start-​up schools are using now using this approach. In fact, the tutoring company, Mathnasium, teaches Math concepts using the same methods used in Montessori schools.
At Hill Point, children are allowed to pursue topics of interest in science, history, math and language arts which can be well beyond their current grade level or are given extra time to complete subjects which may be more challenging for them. In addition, children are encouraged to work together instead of constantly being told to be quiet as in other academic settings. Because of this, I have noticed that my daughter’s communication skills have developed beyond her years.
Other parents may be concerned about previous staff turnovers at Hill Point, but the bottom line is how the children are doing. After listening to 15 years of dozens of friend’s complaints about pretty much every school between Crossroads and Sierra Canyon, I can tell you that no school is perfect, and one person’s complaint is often not a big deal to someone else. Whether it’s staff turnover, the drug problem in high schools (the higher the tuition, the bigger the drug problem, yet this doesn’t seem to bother many people), crazy parents (every school), too much homework, not enough homework, rude teachers, teachers who are «too happy,» (seriously, I heard that from one parent at another school), you name it, there is a complaint for everything, some legitimate, some not so much. You know what I am talking about.
I encourage everyone, no matter what school you are paying for or not paying for, to stay focused on your individual priorities and the academic performance and well-​being of your child.
When I look at how much my child has accomplished, how much her confidence has grown, and the fact that she’s gone from academic apathy to academic excitement — that’s all that matters.
She looks forward to going to school and learning — every single day — that’s all that matters.
When she comes home wanting to learn more about an American President, or a country, or a time in history — because continued learning is what is encouraged at Hill Point — that’s all that matters.
When she easily moves from one grade to the next in spelling, in the middle of the year, because she is not limited by what 33 other kids are doing — that’s all that matters.
This year my child developed critical thinking skills, taught at Hill Point, which will be invaluable in middle school and beyond.
We love Hill Point!

My son transitioned to Hill Point from their sister school, Little Wonders. This is our 1^st year at Hill Point where my son is in first grade. He s excited with all the new things introduced and the hands on activities they are involved in. Cooking, science, history, math… It really is a joy to know that our son is enjoying learning so much. This is why we stick with the Montessori way of learning. Our daughter is attending preschool at the sister school, Little Wonders in Winnetka and we couldn’t be happier.
One on one attention, caring and children are encouraged in a positive way.
Updated playground complete & hopefully the play structure is coming soon!

This school is exceptional! Both of our kids attend and have grown into amazing, affectionate, focused young people. Hill Point’s staff is like family to us. They have cared for and nurtured our little boys by giving them an encouraging environment to thrive at their favorite activities. The loving, patient and professionally trained Montessori teachers there are wonderful!
As a parent who is very «hands-​on» and pays attention to the people and teaching philosophy being incorporated into my kid’s life, I couldn’t ask for a better place to enrich them. The kids there and their parents i see everyday are enthusiastic and happy. This is a real school instilling important fundamentals of life and living into our precious, impressionable children. My boys are excited about the lessons they’ve learned in class and share the same natural joyful energy with us when they come home each day. My wife and I are very proud of them and gratefully appreciate the whole team at Hill Point.

I’m the daughter of teachers, so when it came time to enroll my son in school, I was very picky and toured every school in the area. I was intrigued by the Montessori method, especially since hearing that so many famous entrepreneurs (e.g. the founders of Amazon, Google) had all been Montessori-​educated.
This school was the clear winner, hands-​down. First of all, it has an enormous campus with an organic garden, playground, and TONS of space for the kids to play.
More importantly, the dedication of the school’s director, Ms. Dayani, is a clear differentiator. She is committed to the Montessori method and in fact owns several schools. Yes, there has been some staff turn-​over, but this is because Ms. Dayani refuses to lower her standards. If a teacher can’t cut it, they’re gone. Period. She is constantly in and out of the classrooms, observing the teachers and guiding them if needed.
The good news is, the remaining teachers are an absolute joy. Ms. Yasmin, Ms. Marcia, and the others have been amazing.
And my son? He’s been in the program now for almost 2 years. He just turned 4, and is reading basically all 3-​letter and many 4-​letter words, doing basic addition, and just starting to learn subtraction. He’s doing things I wasn’t doing until the 1^st grade, and he’s in *PRE*-K! Heck, he can also point to a blank map and name most of the countries in Asia and Latin America. And I don’t just mean «China», I mean «Laos» and «Brunei». Um, I can’t even do that NOW.
The final thing I will say about the school is that it is the only Montessori school in the area that goes up through ALL OF ELEMENTARY school. Most other schools in the area only go through kindergarden; with Hill Point, your child could continue in this amazing curriculum throughout ALL of their most formative learning years. I wish I could have had that opportunity!
Read up about how great Montessori is (not just for WHAT it teaches, but for how it focuses on independent children) & also check out the «hidden» reviews below that were written by real parents (I recognize their names) but who are newcomers to Unilocal and so they don’t have enough Unilocal-​Cred yet to have their reviews show.
The new economy will reward people who can think independently and creatively; give your child an advantage by enrolling them in Hill Point Montessori!

Hill Point Montessori has been a blessing for our child and family. The owner of the school, Ms. Dayani, is very passionate about her school and the Montessori philosophy. She is at the school every single day, from 8:30 am until late afternoon… and always takes time to talk with me about any questions or concerns I may have.
My daughter was in another Montessori school before coming to Hill Point, and I must say that the staff and teachers at Hill Point are excellent. They are friendly, enthusiastic, and very involved with all of the children. The classrooms have a wide assortment of Montessori materials, and the teachers are all certified to teach the Montessori method. Some (if not all) have extensive training and experience.
I know personally that Ms. Marcia, Ms. Yasmine, Ms. Ivy, Ms. Bernie, and Ms. Elana are very dedicated to the children, and truly enjoy their role in helping to guide these children through learning new concepts, gaining independence, and opening up their wondrous little minds to new experiences and learning.
I love the outside play area where there is an organic garden that the children get to work with, a tennis court area, playground, and lots of space for the children to be outdoors. There are opportunities for extra-​curricular activities as well (such as piano, drama, soccer, ballet, tennis, karate, etc.) I am very thankful that there is a school in this area for my daughter to attend, learn and grow in such a wonderful way as I have observed over the past year.
I would absolutely recommend this school to any parent looking for an excellent Montessori school in this area. I am so happy that Hill Point has education through full elementary school!

Hello! I would like to start off by saying that I visited A LOT of schools before enrolling my son at Hillpoint.
When I went to visit Hillpoint for the first time, it just felt right. Ms. Dayani, the school’s director is very warm and welcoming. I absolutely loved her passion for education.
It’s rare to find a teacher these days who share that same passion. Here at Hillpoint, ALL the teachers share the same passion Ms. Dayani does. They are very loving, caring and you can see they love what they do!
My son started there when he was 2 ½. It’s been amazing to see his growth and how much he has learned in the past 2 years! He adores his teachers and I love how excited he gets when he walks into class. So much so, that I have to ask him for a hug and kiss goodbye!
I love the Montessori method of learning. They guide the children to think independently — while learning in the process. Hillpoint Montessori is a TRUE Montessori.
I visited other «montessori’s» — who basically just use the montessori name. I felt like those «montessoris» were glorified ‘Romper Rooms’.
From the materials used at Hillpoint, truly using the methods of Maria Montessori, and hiring only teachers that are CERTIFIED to teach Montessori, you can see the difference compared to other «Montessori’s» and even public schools.
If you ever observe a class during school hours, you can see how focused the kids are and how eager they are to learn.
The campus is very clean and safe. You basically have to use two call buttons to get in! There are cameras in all classes, so you can watch what’s going on at any time (from the lobby), the classrooms are clean, and all have new, certified Montessori materials.
In addition to the music, art and dance (that’s part of the curriculum), they also offer extra curricular sports! I signed my son up for karate, soccer AND tennis! And I love that THEY come to the school!
I am very happy with my decision to enroll my son at Hillpoint. I love when I pick him up and he tells me about his day! Hearing about his day, what he learned, and knowing he is in a safe and loving environment… Hillpoint is a WIN WIN in my book!

Hello all,
Just wanted to share that I have three boys that attend this wonderful school and we as a family couldn’t be happier! My twins are absolutely in love with their teacher, Ms. Bernie and so am I! My twin boys ran into class their very first day almost a year ago and still have the same joy an enthusiasm today when going to school each morning! They are 3 now and will be transitioning to the next class in the fall, but we will definitely miss seeing Ms. Bernie’s smiling face everyday. She’s very passionate and nurturing and loves and cares for each child as if they were her own.
I also have my oldest son, he is in the pre-​k class and has been for almost a year and will be moving up to kindergarten in the fall! He loves all of the teachers in his class and talks about them everyday. He shares with me all the exciting things he’s learning and this is the first school that his «true being“has emerged! He feels special, acknowledged and excited about learning in the classroom. Whether it’s playing tennis, or his new found love for playing the piano he radiates with excitement in and out of the classroom. Heck, he even loves the playground and never gets enough of that either :) It’s wonderful having a school where all the «extras» are right there. They offer pretty much everything a child would be interested in. No extra running around burning gas to have them involved in extra curricular activities! He loves the music/​song part of his education and looks forward to each performance he participates in! He’s a very proud 5 year old and I’m a very proud mommy watching my boys learn and grow!
Ms. Dayani is an amazing director of this school! She is present EVERY day and is involved with ALL the students in EACH grade! She is passionate about having the students learn and thrive in a true montessori environment! I’m also a «montessori graduate”(29 years ago) and feel that the montessori way of learning is the best for each and every child and will truly prepare them not only for learning but also for life in general! This is our third montessori and we’ve finally found the right one for our kids! Go and see for yourself, from the moment you see Ms. Meeshel’s (office/​school administrator) smiling face in the office who I also love dearly,(she seriously is so warm and loving and is happy to see everyone that walks through that door) to hearing and seeing Ms. Dayani’s love and passion for her school and the children you will see what I mean! Hillpoint Montessori is where your child should be!

Eliza’s review is so right, this school has turned out to be a huge disappointment, we’ve been in this school for more than a year, and it’s very hard to make a change, especially when you put so much time and effort in finding the right place for your child, once you make a decision, you want to make sure you give it your best. The Director is definitely a great salesperson, there might be good intentions but the constant changes are getting to be very disruptive to our entire family, we are losing sleep over this, trying to figure out whether to continue or give up. I don’t blame this mom for crying, I myself have been on the verge of tears along with my child, the last month especially has been an emotional roller coaster, and what parent wants to see his/​her child in distress. I may not have 30 years of education experience, but I am a Mother and have the common sense to see that having close to 40 kids in one room is a recipe for disaster. Who in their right mind would do this? No one is paying attention to the children, this is not good for anyone, there is no nurturing going on here, only frustration, for adults, parents, teachers and children alike. It’s very sad indeed, the school looks great at first glance, great facilities, tons of space, but give it a few weeks and you’ll see what a revolving door this is, teachers don’t last, you’ll see a new one every other month. Definitely not a place where a child can grow and learn.

Let me start with positives. The teachers are very loving and affectionate;
however, they don“t stay too long.
Ok so background. My daughter started in September. I myself am a traditional teacher I was looking for a Pre-​K for my youngest daughter that encouraged her through love and free choice. I began looking into the Montessori learning. I came across Hill Point. Upon meeting the director, she took me on a tour of the school and all the beautiful new materials and made a beautiful, believable speech on how much she loves education, and is determined to make sure all the children strive academically, etc. etc.
Unfortunately soon, when I saw the huddle of parents out in the parking lot upset with all the director’s empty promises from last year and seeing the same patterns this new school year, I began to see that I had been fooled by a very strategic sales person. By the end of October, I wanted to pull my daughter out of the school. Everyday, kids were getting added to the class. my daughter was 4.5 and she had 3 year olds in her class. Now I understand that an aspect of Montessori encourages this wide range of ages but what I am speaking of is different. Upon discussing my concerns for the large class size, and other things that did not seem to lined up with Montessori system, she some how talked me into giving her a chance, and sticking it out with her, etc. etc. I warned you she was good!
At first I was taken back by the uniforms and the fact that a school philosophy that encourages children to learn and go at their own pace, choice what they would like to learn and when, it sort of goes against that if they cant choose their clothes. I asked the director if she would think about a once a month free day where the children could show off some of their style and personality in what they wear. I explained that research on it and she would hear nothing of it. She wanted everyone to dress the same, look the same, and as she put it, «show up to school clean and proper for learning». SO NOT MONTESSORI!
Ok so by December my daughter had 3 teachers. She finally got to stay in Ms. Marcia’s class which turned out well. Then in the New year, all of a sudden, the whole one on one speech and how small our class size is all changed. Without our input, we came to school on a Monday to a «community classroom of 35 kids ages 3 – 5. Yes with 4 teachers but even then, the teachers looked tired, overwhelmed, the class was noisy and seemed very hectic. I began seeing my daughter’s attention span change. I began seeing work coming home that was all wrong and no one bothered to check it or redo it with her. In April I had a parent teacher conference in which she showed me all the beautiful things they use in the class. After that I said, „ok so now i have something to show you“. I pulled a stack of ditto work that had come home all wrong. She was mortified. She said as much as she was trying, which on her behalf she really was, she just couldn’t get to each child all the time anymore. I don’t blame her. I began to cry because I realized that I had been paying $ 900 a month for a glorified day care.
The director kept coming in and out of the conference sort of frustrated that the teacher was taking so long with me. At the end, the director said, „wow she took an hour with you“. My reply was,’ yes, when you have the 1^st conference in April, what do you expect, thanks for your concern and asking how my child is doing and if there are any concerns that can make her learning better.» I walked out.
That day I began looking for a new school. With Spring break, it was hard so I needed to wait till after. We came back from Spring break to find yet another new teacher and this was it. On ⁴⁄₂₉ I let the teacher know that my daughter might be absent because we were looking at a school. On April 30, I was confronted by the director for being unethical and leaving without a 1 month, per contract, notice to which I replied and said, who said I was leaving, just looking. That was the 1^st day my search began. She was more concerned that I didn’t give her a notice rather than why I was leaving… SAYS ALOT. Not concerned about academics and kids rather $$$$. She said Since it was May 1^st tomorrow that I couldn’t bring her back since I was planning on leaving. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had not even found another school yet. Don’t bother giving $ 1 to this school. Don’t take my word for it. Go to the parking lot, wait for a preschool parent and ask 5 parents if they are happy. Proof is in the pudding. Preschool sucks here but hear the Upper Elementary is different but Kinder did get a new teacher in May. No teacher stays here because its not a good school. My daughter is at Agoura Montessori and her teacher has been teaching the same 4.5−5.5 class for 12 yrs. same class/​school. Full of regret that I waited so long. We are very happy now but 2 months to get her ready for K and lost 8 mths. Might have to pull her back for my mistake!!!

I LOVE this school. My son had a horrible kindergarten experience in a supposedly excellent public school. We hesitantly tried the private school route and it has been amazing. Ms. Danushi and Ms. Dawn are wonderful patient teachers and have taught our six year old so much in such a short amount of time. They are an asset to the school. Mrs. Dayani Nawagamuwa and her husband Lucky are so patient and understanding, they treat every child as their own and always have their doors open in case you want to check on progress. We are so happy with the school that we decided to stay on for another year. Having worked in public schools at the elementary level I cannot express how important it is for kids to be free to explore and truly gain a love a learning. They do that at Hill Point and so much more.

Wonderful school that follows the true principals of Maria Montessori. Lovely well-​trained fully credentialed teachers. Amazing parent involvment. The Director is very approachable and caring and follows through.