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Admissions

Please feel free to contact us to inquire about our programs and any other details about our school. We are always happy to speak to interested parents. We ask that you read our website very closely and be particularly mindful of our requirements for a commitment to the full Montessori experience (through Kindergarten year) for all who are offered admissions, and the full-day (until 2:50 pm) requirement for children over 4.5 years old. If you are comfortable with the philosophy and policies, we encourage you to submit an application. Tuition details can be found by following the link at the bottom of the page.

The Application Process for the 2024-2025 School Year

Parents are welcome to submit an application for the 2024-2025 school year. We are offering in person admissions events, such as group tours and information sessions. We also understand that some families may feel more comfortable with virtual visits, so there will be options for virtual group tours as well. You are strongly encouraged to sign up for our in-person or virtual group tours and information session. This is your best way to see our school and ask questions.

You may also submit the application below for the 2023-2024 school year. Any applications submitted will go on our waitlist and we will contact you if we have an opening for your child.

  1. Attend an On Campus Information Session.
    We look forward to showing you our school and answering any questions you have. During the Information Session, you will have the opportunity to meet teachers, visit the classrooms, and have an introduction to the Montessori method. Attending an Information Session is a great way to meet our staff when they are not working with children and explore the environments. We understand it is not always possible, but we love to see both or all parents/guardians at these events. Please choose from the two dates listed below and please note that while we love children, these events are typically for adults only. If you prefer to remain virtual for your first introduction to our school, we completely understand. In that case, a virtual group tour (see below) has much of the same information. Please contact Bea at admissions@centennialmontessori.org if you have questions or scroll down to register.
  2. Attend a Group Tour.
    We understand that choosing the right school for your child and family is a big decision! Attending an on campus or virtual group tour gives you a sense of the class in action and gives you a chance to experience the atmosphere of the school with the children at work and play. These opportunities fill up quickly, so please plan to register as soon as possible. The virtual tour is a prepared presentation, and it shows our classrooms and gives a nice understanding of our philosophy. Please register by choosing a date from either the on campus or virtual tours below, and please extend courtesy to other prospective parents by only signing up for one date. Dates disappear as they fill, so if someone registers for multiple dates, they are effectively keeping other parents from signing up. If there are no dates remaining, please make sure to attend the Information Session, which is not limited in number of attendees.
  3. Submit an application by January 30, 2024.
    We look closely at the application to understand what you are looking for in a school. Please use the application to help us get to know you, your child, and your philosophy. This is our primary way to get to know you! Please note that given the number of applicants we have, we are not always able to meet everyone who applies. We will rely particularly heavily on the application. Please help us get to know you, your interest in our school, and your child. Thank you! There is a non-refundable fee per application of $150.
  4. Submit supporting documents.
    If your child has been in school previously, we also require an evaluation to be filled out by your child's teacher. For children over 5 years old, we require a records release be signed so that we may request school records from your child's current school. These forms can be found below or linked on the application.
  5. Parent and Child Visits
    We receive our re-enrollments and sibling enrollments in the beginning of February. At this point we will know how many spaces we have in the Elementary, Children's House and the Young Children's Community and we may invite some families back for a parent chat and/or child visit. If accepted, we will be working together on behalf of your child for many years, so we do ask that both/all parents/guardians attend the family visit. We know this can be challenging and will work with you to find a date that works.

    These visits vary greatly depending on your child's age and developmental level and are scheduled based on availability in the visit schedule. Our aim is to get to see your child in a Montessori setting and get to know your family better, but to do so in a way that is comfortable for your child. Due to the large number of applicants, we are not able to accommodate visits for every family which is one reason why the group tours, the application, and Information session attendance is so critical. We only conduct visits if we feel there is a strong likelihood of having a space in the program your child is applying for. If we cannot invite you for an in person visit, we may follow up with a virtual parent interview.
  6. Decision Letters
    In order to make sure you have our decision letter at the same time as other schools you may be applying to, we follow the Bay Area Guidelines for Admissions. Decisions are mailed between March 8th and March 15th and are typically due back on March 22nd. Decision letters for siblings of currently enrolled students will be sent out with your re-enrollment packets in January and are due back February 15, 2024.

    In keeping with the Bay Area Admissions Best Practices, no member of the Centennial Montessori community will contact you during the week following the decision letters. We understand this is an important time for your family to reflect. Accepted children who are eligible (based on age and toilet independence) are welcome to attend our summer program in the summer of 2024.

    Please note that unless your child is continuing on to our Elementary or transferring from an AMI Montessori School, we rarely accept children into the last year of our Children's House (Kindergarten).


Lower School: Young Children's Community & Children's House Open House Sessions
Thursday, December 7, 2023, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Saturday, January 20, 2024, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Please register by clicking the line below, so that we know how many parents to expect.

Upper School: Elementary Community Information Session
Thursday, December 7, 2023, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Saturday, January 20, 2024, 2:30 - 3:30 pm


Small Group Tour

Please register early by clicking the line below, tours are limited to 5 families and fill up early.
Please note that although we love to meet the children, our group tours are oriented for adults. Our tours fill up early. Please register above as soon as possible to secure a space. If the on-campus tours are full, the Information Sessions and virtual tours are a great option for learning more about the school. We recommend attending whether you have gone on a group tour or not.

Virtual Group Tour

Please register early by clicking the line below, tours are limited to 10 families and fill up early.

TUITION SCHEDULE

Note that the tuition typically increases between 3 and 8% each year (generally closer to the lower end). Please click the image below to see our 2023-2024 tuition fees, 2024-2025 fees will be posted as soon as they are updated, typically in November.



APPLICATION

Our application deadline for 2024-2025 is January 30, 2024. Any available openings for 2023-2024 will usually be filled from our waitlist determined by the applications submitted by January 15, 2023. However, we do give priority to siblings, AMI Montessori transfer students, and families continuing on to the Elementary program. You are welcome to use the application below to apply for any space that opens in 2023-2024.

Please select the image below to begin the application. Please make sure to complete the application by following the PayPal link to submit the application fee. Due to the volume of applications received, incomplete applications will be deleted. Thanks!


ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING TO ELEMENTARY OR THE THIRD YEAR OF CHILDREN'S HOUSE

Teacher recommendations are not required for YCC or young CH students. If you are applying to the Elementary or the third year of the Children's House, we require transcripts from their current school (or conference reports for younger children) and a teacher recommendation from your child's current teacher. Other recommendations are welcome if it helps us get to know them better! Please click below for the forms.





Tuition Assistance

If you would like to apply for financial aid, please click the FAST/ISM logo below. Due to the high cost of living in our area, even middle income families may have trouble financing a private Montessori education. If you are committed to Montessori, we are committed to you. Families receiving tuition assistance range from those who would qualify for free school lunches using federal guidelines to families who can afford tuition, but for whom paying tuition would mean using 100% of the family's disposable income for tuition.

As well as helping make Montessori possible for each individual family, we are also commited to creating an economically diverse community, because we truly believe it benefits all children in our community. We dedicate 15% of our operating expenses to financial aid. Tuition assistance is not donation dependent, but rather a commitment central to our philosophy. Grants range from 10% to 100%. Generally, a work study program for parents is part of the Tuition Assistance package. Because we are just a small school, we regret that we cannot yet offer need blind admissions. Please make sure your application for assistance is filed with your application for admissions.

Typically, children from families eligible for free or reduced lunch, will receive full tuition if funds are available. Note that there is a fee for this application. Waivers are available for families who would otherwise qualify for free or reduced lunch. Please see the federal guidelines for income eligibility scales to see if you qualify for a waiver. If so, please contact us at admissions@centennialmontessori.org. Applications for tuition assistance are due with the admissions application on January 15, 2023 and use prior year data.







Centennial Montessori School is committed to providing an environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other similar conduct based on, but not limited to, race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), color, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver's license issued under Vehicle Code section 12801.9), ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, sexual orientation, military and veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. It also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics. In addition, Centennial Montessori School prohibits retaliation against individuals who raise complaints of discrimination or harassment or who participate in investigations. If you (as a student, family member or staff member) believe you have been harassed or discriminated against (by a staff member, community member or student), immediately contact the Head of School at 650-340-1230 or kristi@centennialmontessori.org.
PRIVACY POLICY

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