Montessori of Lake Forest families
We’re a family with two kids (3.5 years and 4 months) living on the North Side of Chicago and starting to look at North Shore schools and neighborhoods.
We toured Montessori School of Lake Forest and really loved it. It stood out to us a lot, especially since we’re strong believers in Montessori education.
The challenge is that we originally expected to move closer to Highland Park, not all the way up to Lake Forest. From HP, the commute to MSLF looks like it could be 30–40 minutes each way, which is doable but not ideal given our work schedules. Our current Montessori school is only 5 minutes away, so this would be a big change.
I’d love to hear from MSLF families:
● What has your experience been like at the school (teachers, community, administration)?
● Do many families commute from Highland Park or nearby, or does that get exhausting over time?
● Did you feel it was worth choosing your home location around the school?
● How easy has it been to build community/friendships through MSLF, especially if you didn’t already live in Lake Forest?
We’re trying to figure out whether it makes sense to prioritize the school and move farther north, or stay closer to Highland Park and accept a longer commute.
Any insight would be really appreciated as this is a big decision for us. Thanks!!