Montessori Summer Sessions near San Francisco
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 8 miles from San Francisco, at 1400 Hillside Blvd. in South San Francisco.
Why families here choose it
Nobody drives from San Francisco for the convenience. They drive because the alternative they found closer to home stops at five, and they would rather do the mileage than do this twice.
A meaningful share of Mills families live in San Francisco and drive south, which is the opposite direction to the morning crush. One parent’s letter describes driving past the school on the way to work for 24 years before her children ended up here.
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 Francisco | About 8 miles |
| Getting here | South on Highway 101 or Interstate 280 to the South San Francisco exits. |
| 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 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 Francisco 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 Francisco?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.
- How do we actually see the school from San Francisco?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.
- How is tuition actually paid?Annual tuition is based on a 180-day school year. You can pay it in one payment for a 5% discount, or in ten installments. Every rate and every fee is on the tuition page.
- Can we come part-time?Yes. Three, four or five days a week, and morning, full day or extended full day. Families driving from San Francisco more often lengthen the day than shorten the week, but both are offered.
Montessori Summer Sessions in other areas
Come and watch a morning
Tours run mid-morning during the work cycle, year-round, by appointment.