Is Montessori worth the money?
It depends on whether you can complete a full cycle. Buying one middle year of a three-year program is the weakest version of the case; staying through the kindergarten year and into elementary is the strongest.
We would rather answer this honestly than sell you something. California’s transitional kindergarten is free, taught by credentialed teachers, and for some families it is plainly the right choice. If your child is four, TK covers your working hours, and you would move to public kindergarten afterwards anyway, take the free place.
The argument for paying is continuity: the three-year cycle whose payoff is the third year, then elementary in the same method rather than a fresh start at six. Plus, for a working family, 7:30 am to 6:00 pm in one building with one bill.
Compare the whole arrangement you would actually need — including wraparound care — rather than the tuition line against zero.
Where to go from here
Other things parents ask
Still deciding?
Call the school office at 650-616-9000, or come and watch a morning.