During the school day, year-round, by appointment — ideally mid-morning while the work cycle is happening. A quiet classroom at 4 pm will tell you almost nothing.

How long does a tour take?

Allow about an hour. Most of it is spent in and around the classrooms, and the useful part is the ten minutes you spend standing at the back watching.

Should we bring our child?

Yes, if you can. Watching your own child in the room tells you things no tour guide can.

What should we look for?

We wrote the checklist we would want a parent to use: how to spot a real Montessori school. Bring it and use it on us.

Do we have to apply after a tour?

No. Come and look, take your time, and visit other schools. We would rather you chose well than chose quickly.

Can we visit more than once?

Please do. Second visits are often more useful than first ones, because you have stopped being a visitor and started watching the room.

Visit

Come and watch an ordinary morning

Twenty minutes at the back of a working Montessori classroom will tell you more than this entire website. Tours run during the school day, all year, and you are welcome to bring your child and your list of awkward questions.

What happens

How a visit works

You arrive mid-morningDuring the work cycle, when there are children in the room doing the thing the school is for.
You watch before you talkWe will take you to the classrooms first. Stand at the back for ten minutes and notice what children do when nobody is directing them.
Then we answer everythingPrograms, schedules, cost, availability, what happens in the kindergarten year, where teachers trained. Ask all of it.
There is no pitch at the endYou leave with the information and decide in your own time.

Request a tour

Tell us a little about your child and we will find a morning that works.

Before you come

Three things worth doing first

1

Read the price list

It is published in full. Knowing the number before you visit means the tour can be about the school.

2

Bring the checklist

Nine things to look for — written to be used on us as much as on anyone else.

3

Come during the work cycle

Mid-morning. Ask for it specifically, at every school you visit.

Finding us

What to look for when you arrive

The school is set back above Hillside Boulevard. This is the sign at the entrance and the play area the classrooms open onto.

The Mills Montessori School sign on Hillside Boulevard, reading Pre-School, Kindergarten and Elementary — The entrance sign on Hillside Boulevard.

Children riding tricycles on the play area outside the Mills Montessori classrooms — The play area outside the classrooms.

Practical

Where to come and when

Mills is at 1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 — on Hillside Boulevard, reachable from Highway 101 and Interstate 280.

Visiting

	Detail
Address	1400 Hillside Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080
School office	650-616-9000
Email	[email protected]
Hours	Mon–Fri 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Tours	During the school day, year-round, by appointment
Best time	Mid-morning, during the work cycle

Questions

What people ask about visiting

When do tours run?During the school day, year-round, by appointment — ideally mid-morning while the work cycle is happening. A quiet classroom at 4 pm will tell you almost nothing.
How long does a tour take?Allow about an hour. Most of it is spent in and around the classrooms, and the useful part is the ten minutes you spend standing at the back watching.
Should we bring our child?Yes, if you can. Watching your own child in the room tells you things no tour guide can.
What should we look for?We wrote the checklist we would want a parent to use: how to spot a real Montessori school. Bring it and use it on us.
Do we have to apply after a tour?No. Come and look, take your time, and visit other schools. We would rather you chose well than chose quickly.
Can we visit more than once?Please do. Second visits are often more useful than first ones, because you have stopped being a visitor and started watching the room.

“

Great school with great teachers. The staff goes over and beyond for the children. I knew this was the right school for my two-year-old as soon as I took the tour. One year later, this school is still impressing me.

Warren W.Reno, NVFrom the reviews the school publishes on its own site