Montessori school near Bayview
Mills Montessori is about 4 miles from Bayview, at 1400 Hillside Blvd. in South San Francisco. One campus, ages two through fifth grade, open 7:30 am to 6:00 pm since 1988.
The question we get from Bayview is almost always the same one: what happens at six.
Bayview sits just north of the county line and the drive down Bayshore is direct — no cross-town crawl, no bridge, no 19th Avenue. For families working in the biotech campuses below the school, dropping off on the way in is barely a detour. It is also one of the parts of San Francisco where private early-years places are thinnest on the ground, so families here often widen the search south into San Mateo County before they find anything that runs past kindergarten.
Getting here from Bayview
| Our campus | 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 |
| Distance from Bayview | About 4 miles |
| Getting here | South on Third Street or Bayshore Boulevard. |
| Area | San Francisco |
| Local public district | San Francisco Unified School District |
| Ages served | Two through fifth grade |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 7:30 am – 6:00 pm |
| Enrollment | Open year-round, subject to availability |
Distance is approximate and measured in a straight line. The honest test is to drive it once at drop-off time — book a tour and you will.
What Bayview families enroll in
Five programs, one building, one method — and the last of them runs to fifth grade.
Montessori Preschool
Preschool II is where the method does its most visible work: children choose their own tasks, stay with them as long as they hold, and start reading and calc…
Read moreages 2–3Montessori Toddler Program
A small, deliberately calm room for two- and three-year-olds — and potty training is not required to start, which rules a lot of families out elsewhere.
Read morethe kindergarten yearMontessori Kindergarten
The third year of the three-year cycle, and the one most families are tempted to skip for a free public place. It is the year the two before it were building…
Read morethrough 5th gradeMontessori Elementary School
The reason most families end up at Mills rather than somewhere closer: almost every other Montessori school within reach of here stops at kindergarten.
Read moreages 2–11Montessori Summer Sessions
Three optional summer sessions after the 180-day school year, enrolled separately, with the same 7:30 am to 6:00 pm coverage.
Read moreWhy families make the drive
The practical case from Bayview is unglamorous — a published price list, a day that covers a working day, and a program that does not evict your child at kindergarten.
- Elementary through fifth gradeThe single most useful thing to know about us, and the reason most families travel past a closer preschool.
- Tuition published in full$1,100–$1,750 a month by program and schedule, every fee listed. No inquiry form between you and a number.
- A day that covers a working day7:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday — which matters more the further you are driving.
- Open enrollment, year-roundSubject to availability. You apply when your family needs a place.
- Licensed and easy to checkCalifornia Department of Social Services facility #414002135, licensed capacity 120.
What Bayview families ask
- What happens after kindergarten if we come from Bayview?The same school. Mills runs through fifth grade, so the kindergarten year is not the exit — which is the main reason families take on a drive at all rather than enrolling somewhere closer that finishes at five.
- We are in the San Francisco Unified School District. Does that affect enrollment?No. Mills is a private school and enrollment has nothing to do with district boundaries. The district matters only in that it is your free alternative, and it is a fair thing to weigh — we have written an honest comparison with California TK that argues both sides.
- How do we actually see the school from Bayview?Tours run mid-morning, during the work cycle, year-round and by appointment. Twenty minutes at the back of a working classroom answers more than any page can. Book a morning or call the office.
- Is there a summer option?Yes — three optional summer sessions, enrolled separately from the school year. Some families from further out use a summer session as the trial run before committing to the drive in September.
Other areas we serve
Come and watch a morning before you decide anything. Twenty minutes at the back of a working classroom will tell you more than this page can, and it is the only way to judge whether the drive from Bayview is worth it for your family.
Come and see a morning
Tours run during the school day, year-round. About 4 miles from Bayview.