Montessori Summer Sessions in South 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 in South San Francisco, at 1400 Hillside Blvd. in South San Francisco.
Why families here choose it
Families from South San Francisco 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.
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.
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 |
| 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 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 South 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 South 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 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 South San Francisco more often lengthen the day than shorten the week, but both are offered.
- 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.
Come and watch a morning
Tours run mid-morning during the work cycle, year-round, by appointment.