Montessori school in South San Francisco
Mills Montessori is in South San Francisco — on Hillside Boulevard above the town center, teaching children from age two through fifth grade since 1988.
The question we get from South San Francisco is almost always the same one: what happens at six.
This is our own city. The school sits on the hill above downtown, which is why families have called it “the school on the hill” for decades. For most South San Francisco families the drive is a few minutes, and the 7:30 am opening exists because so many parents are heading down to the biotech campuses before eight.
Getting here from South San Francisco
| Our campus | 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 |
| Location | Mills is in South San Francisco |
| Getting here | Mills is in South San Francisco, on Hillside Boulevard above the town center. |
| Area | San Mateo County |
| Local public district | South 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 South San Francisco 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 question we get from South San Francisco is almost always the same one: what happens at six. Here the answer is that nothing happens — the child stays, in the same school, through fifth grade.
- 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 South San Francisco families ask
- Do you have a campus in South San Francisco?No — and we would rather be straightforward about it. Mills Montessori has a single campus at 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080, about a mile from South San Francisco. Everything on this page is about that one school and the families who drive to it.
- How long does the drive from South San Francisco really take?Mills is in South San Francisco, on Hillside Boulevard above the town center. We will not pretend to know your morning — the useful thing is to drive it once at drop-off time. Book a tour for 8:45 am and you will find out on the way in.
- Do you give priority to families from South San Francisco?No. Enrollment is open year-round and offered in the order places come free, regardless of which town you are driving from.
- 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.
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 South San Francisco is worth it for your family.
Come and see a morning
Tours run during the school day, year-round.