Montessori school near Burlingame
Mills Montessori is about 8 miles from Burlingame, 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 honest pitch to a Burlingame family is a short one: one campus, one method, ages two to eleven, and a price list you can read before you call.
Burlingame has strong public schools and a lot of private competition, so families coming north to us are usually doing it deliberately: for the mixed-age classrooms, or because they want Montessori to continue past the kindergarten year rather than stopping there.
Getting here from Burlingame
| Our campus | 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 |
| Distance from Burlingame | About 8 miles |
| Getting here | North on Highway 101 or El Camino Real. |
| Area | San Mateo County |
| Local public district | Burlingame 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 Burlingame 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
What tends to bring Burlingame families up the hill is continuity — one school, one method, one drop-off, from age two to eleven, rather than a preschool that hands you back at five.
- 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 Burlingame families ask
- Is there before and after care for a longer commute?The extended full day runs 7:30 am to 6:00 pm, which is the whole point for families driving any distance. It is a schedule, not an add-on billed by the hour.
- What does it cost?Between $1,100 and $1,750 a month depending on the program, days per week and length of day, plus a one-time $200 enrollment fee. Every figure is on the tuition page — we do not make you ask.
- Can we start mid-year?Yes. Enrollment is open all year, subject to availability, so families move to us when a childcare arrangement changes rather than waiting for September.
- What happens after kindergarten if we come from Burlingame?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.
Other areas we serve
We would rather you drove up from Burlingame once, at 8 am on an ordinary Tuesday, and saw both the traffic and the classroom honestly. That is the visit that answers the question.
Come and see a morning
Tours run during the school day, year-round. About 8 miles from Burlingame.