One school, from age two to fifth grade
Most families meet Mills looking for a preschool and stay for a decade. The programs below are stages of one continuous path, in one building, with the same method and many of the same faces the whole way through.
Toddler
Preschool I at Mills is a small, deliberately calm room for two- and three-year-olds. The work looks like pouring, scooping, carrying, buttoning and t…
Read moreAges 3–4Preschool & Pre-K
Preschool II is where Montessori does its most visible work. Children choose their own tasks, work at them for as long as they hold, and start reading…
Read moreThe kindergarten yearKindergarten
In Montessori the kindergarten year is the third year of a three-year cycle — the year a child becomes the oldest in the room, teaches what they…
Read moreKindergarten through 5th gradeElementary
Almost every Montessori school within reach of South San Francisco ends at kindergarten. Mills goes through fifth grade — so a child who spent f…
Read moreThree optional sessionsSummer Sessions
Three optional summer sessions follow the 180-day academic year. They are how most families new to Mills find out whether it suits their child —…
Read moreOnce weekly · additional costEnrichment & After School
Enrichment classes run once a week during the school day at an additional cost, with sign-up forms in the school office. Care itself runs to 6:00 pm, …
Read moreThree schedules, so the day fits your week
Every program offers the same three shapes of day. Families move between them as children get older or a commute changes.
- Morning · 9:00 am – 12:00 pmA half day. Enough for the full morning work cycle, which is where most of the learning happens.
- Full day · 8:45 am – 2:30 pmThe morning work cycle, lunch, and an afternoon of specialized work, enrichment and outdoor time.
- Extended full day · 7:30 am – 6:00 pmThe full day plus early drop-off and late pick-up, built for Peninsula commutes.
Programs at a glance
| Program | Ages | Schedules available |
|---|---|---|
| Toddler | Ages 2–3 | Morning · Full day · Extended |
| Preschool & Pre-K | Ages 3–4 | Morning · Full day · Extended |
| Kindergarten | The kindergarten year | Morning · Full day · Extended |
| Elementary | Kindergarten through 5th grade | Morning · Full day · Extended |
| Summer Sessions | Three optional sessions | Morning · Full day · Extended |
| Enrichment & After School | Once weekly · additional cost | Morning · Full day · Extended |
Every program runs Monday to Friday. Extended full day covers 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. Rates for each are on the tuition page.
Most Montessori schools stop at kindergarten. We don’t.
It is the single most useful thing to know about Mills, and the reason families with a toddler and a fourth-grader do one drop-off.
- Elementary through fifth gradeA child who learned to direct their own work is not handed a worksheet at six.
- Mixed-age classrooms at every stageYounger children learn by watching, older children by explaining. Both are the point.
- Enroll when you need toOpen enrollment year-round, subject to availability — not one application season.
- A day built around a real commute7:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, all year.
Come see a morning at Mills
Tours run during the school day, year-round, by appointment.