At a Glance
A tiny Forest Hills Montessori where fewer than 50 children learn at their own pace in mixed-age classrooms.
Best suited for
Families drawn to authentic Montessori in a genuinely small, diverse community who are comfortable with the tradeoffs that come with a 47-child school.
What stands out
- An 8-to-1 student-teacher ratio across just 47 students means genuinely individualized attention — a rarity in NYC private schools.
- True mixed-age Montessori classrooms from pre-K through fifth grade, allowing children to work at their own pace and learn from older peers.
- A solid enrichment menu for a small school — French, yoga, music, art, and gym.
- A diversity index of 0.83 makes this one of the more multicultural small private schools in Queens.
- Rolling admissions removes the fixed-deadline pressure that dominates NYC private school applications.
Things to consider
- At 47 students, the peer group within any given age band is tiny — a meaningful social consideration for some children.
- Mixed parent reviews flag communication gaps, organizational friction, and some reports of stressed teachers — worth probing during a visit.
- Some families have raised bullying concerns — ask directly how the school handles social conflicts in mixed-age settings.
- Tuition is not publicly listed, so cost is opaque without a direct inquiry.
- Very small schools have limited extracurricular depth compared to larger programs.
Identity
A nonsectarian, coeducational Montessori elementary serving 47 children from pre-K through 5th grade in mixed-age classrooms. The school follows a hands-on, child-led Montessori philosophy centered on practical life skills, independence, and self-paced development. It holds membership in other Montessori association(s) rather than AMI or AMS specifically.
Community
With a diversity index of 0.83, the student body is notably diverse for a small private school — White students form the largest group at about 45%, followed by Asian students near 30%, with Black and Hispanic families each around 10%. The mix reflects Forest Hills' multicultural character rather than any single dominant community. At 47 students, every family is known and there is no anonymity.
Neighborhood
Forest Hills is a well-established central Queens neighborhood with a median household income around $104,000 and a college-educated rate above 60% — solidly middle-to-upper-middle class with deep family roots. The school sits in a quiet residential pocket off the Austin Street commercial strip, surrounded by the low-rise apartment buildings and Tudor-style homes the area is known for. Three subway stations serve the immediate area, and the surrounding blocks are walkable and residential.
The 67 Av station on the M and R lines is about a five-minute walk away, with the 63 Dr-Rego Park (M R) station roughly eleven minutes on foot and Forest Hills-71 Av (E F M R) about thirteen minutes away.
Notable Programs
What Parents Are Saying
Mixed reviews: positive feedback highlights excellent academics, good student-teacher ratio, and nurturing environment; negative concerns include organizational issues, stressed teachers, communication gaps, and some reports of bullying
Synthesized from public parent reviews · Apr 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL a good school?
- Published quality ratings aren't available for FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL yet on Motley. It's a private school serving grades Pre-K to 5 in Forest Hills.
- What grades does FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL serve?
- FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL serves grades Pre-K to 5.
- How do students get into FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL?
- FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL runs its own private admissions process — typically an application, a visit, and sometimes testing.
- Is FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL public, charter, or private?
- FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL is a private school.
- What neighborhood is FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL in?
- FOREST HILLS MONTESSORI SCHOOL is in Forest Hills, Queens.