Montessori school near Visitacion Valley
Mills Montessori is about 3 miles from Visitacion Valley, 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.
If you are looking from Visitacion Valley, the useful question is not how far Mills is.
Visitacion Valley is the closest San Francisco neighborhood to the school — close enough that the drive south is often quicker than a cross-town trip within the city. SFUSD assignment is a lottery; we are not, which is frequently the whole reason a family calls.
Getting here from Visitacion Valley
| Our campus | 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 |
| Distance from Visitacion Valley | About 3 miles |
| Getting here | South on Bayshore Boulevard, straight up onto Hillside. |
| 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 Visitacion Valley 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 Visitacion Valley 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 Visitacion Valley families ask
- Can we come part-time?Yes. Three, four or five days a week, and morning, full day or extended full day. Families driving from Visitacion Valley more often lengthen the day than shorten the week, but both are offered.
- Do you have a campus in Visitacion Valley?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 3 miles from Visitacion Valley. Everything on this page is about that one school and the families who drive to it.
- How long does the drive from Visitacion Valley really take?South on Bayshore Boulevard, straight up onto Hillside. 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 Visitacion Valley?No. Enrollment is open year-round and offered in the order places come free, regardless of which town you are driving from.
Come and see a morning
Tours run during the school day, year-round. About 3 miles from Visitacion Valley.