Montessori Summer Sessions near San Bruno
Three optional summer sessions after the 180-day school year, enrolled separately, with the same 7:30 am to 6:00 pm coverage. Mills is about 3 miles from San Bruno, at 1400 Hillside Blvd. in South San Francisco.
Why families here choose it
Families from San Bruno usually arrive with the same two questions: how long is the day, and what happens after kindergarten. The answers are 7:30 am to 6:00 pm, and fifth grade.
San Bruno sits just south of us, close to SFO and the airport shift patterns that come with it. The 7:30 am to 6:00 pm day was built for exactly these schedules — a school day that ends at 2:30 does not work for a family with an airport rota.
What Montessori summer sessions at Mills actually is
The academic year runs late August to June across 180 days, and for a working family that leaves a summer-shaped hole that has to be filled with something. Three optional sessions follow the school year, keeping the rhythm and the room children already know, with more outdoor time and more of the messy hands-on work a packed academic year has less space for. The rhythm matters more than it sounds: a child who spends ten weeks in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar adults spends the first fortnight of September settling all over again, and the work cycle takes that long to rebuild. The sessions are enrolled separately on their own application, so families take one, both or neither, and they are open to children who are new to Mills — which makes a summer session the cheapest possible way to find out whether a school suits your child before committing to a year of it.
- Optional, and separately enrolledSummer is not assumed in your tuition. There is a separate summer enrollment application.
- The same hoursExtended-day coverage from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm continues through the sessions, which is the whole point for working families.
- Open to families new to the schoolA summer session is the cheapest possible way to test a school before committing to a year of it.
The details that decide it
| Our campus | 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 |
| Distance from San Bruno | About 3 miles |
| Getting here | North on El Camino Real or Highway 101, then up onto Hillside. |
| Area | San Mateo County |
| Local public district | San Bruno Park 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 Montessori summer sessions costs
Summer sessions are enrolled separately and their schedule is set each year — ask the office what is running when you plan to be here.
- AgesAges 2–11
- RatesEnrolled and charged separately from the school year — ask the office for the current session dates and rates. Every fee is on the tuition page.
- SchedulesMorning, full day, or extended full day 7:30 am to 6:00 pm — three, four or five days a week.
- EnrollmentOpen year-round, subject to availability, with a one-time $200 new-student fee.
What San Bruno families ask about Montessori summer sessions
- When exactly do the sessions run?Dates are set each year and published with the summer enrollment application. See forms and calendar or call the office.
- Do we have to take all three sessions?No. They are enrolled separately — take one, two or all three.
- Is the Montessori summer sessions different for families traveling from San Bruno?No — there is one program and one campus. What changes with distance is the schedule that suits you: families driving further usually choose the extended full day so they are not fighting the peak twice a day.
- 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 San Bruno?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 Bruno Park 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.
Montessori Summer Sessions in other areas
Come and watch a morning
Tours run mid-morning during the work cycle, year-round, by appointment.